UNMIK Headlines 9 August
Kosovo Assembly to vote on border demarcation deal on Thursday (Koha)
The border demarcation agreement with Montenegro is finally to be voted on by Kosovo Assembly members on Thursday. Firstly, the draft law has to be reviewed by the Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee on Tuesday and then the Assembly presidency will call a plenary session to vote on it. Koha further writes that the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee was intentionally scheduled for today to enable the presidency to set the Assembly session for Thursday.
SG Ban concerned with border demarcation crisis (RTK)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his latest report on Kosovo has expressed concern over the situation regarding the border demarcation process with Montenegro as well as the institutional crisis in Kosovo during the reporting period between 16 April and 15 July. The report is set to be discussed by the Security Council on 25 August.
Tahiri: EU determined on revitalization of Mitrovica Bridge (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, told Epoka e Re that during the last meeting in Brussels, the EU was determined that removal of the barricade from the Iber River Bridge and its revitalization would start 14 August. She said that this action will start unblocking the process of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Tahiri did not want to link this process with the issue of confirmation of the administrative borderline between the two municipalities of Mitrovica. This issue, according to Tahiri, is Kosovo’s internal matter and will not be discussed in Brussels. She also said that according to the law, the administrative borderline between Mitrovica South and Mitrovica North is on the Iber River.
Former KLA fighter sentenced to eight years in prison (dailies)
A panel of international judges at the Mitrovica Basic Court on Monday found the accused, Xhemshit Krasniqi, guilty of war crimes against the civilian population and unauthorized possession or use of weapons. Krasniqi was found guilty for the arrest, illegal detention and torture of several individuals in the KLA camps in Kukes and Cahan, Albania and Prizren, during 1999. The defendant, Xhemshit Krasniqi, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a fine of 1,500 euros.