Headlines - 27.08.2016

• Thaci: Bomb attacks touch the red line of terrorism (Zeri)
• Selimi: Members of state committee are Kosovo’s enemies (Indeksonline)
• “MPs in favor of demarcation will be remembered and treated as traitors” (media)
• Dacic to UN chief: UNMIK should remain in Kosovo (media)

 Thaci: Bomb attacks touch the red line of terrorism (Zeri)

In a front-page interview for the paper, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said he was confident that the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro contains no errors and that it must be ratified by Kosovo’s parliament on September 1. “There is no reason to delay the ratification of the demarcation agreement with Montenegro. It must be ratified on September 1 and this will pave way to visa liberalization for Kosovo and the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces,” Thaci was quoted as saying. He said the opposition’s rejection of the border agreement is unreasonable. Commenting on recent bomb attacks in Pristina, Thaci said “such attacks touch on the red line of terrorism. There is general consensus in Kosovo that we don’t want any violence”. Thaci also commented on the Pronto 2 affair [leaked wiretap conversations among senior PDK officials] and the request by international officials to combat corruption, saying that the judiciary should address all suspicious cases “without any pressure”. Asked to comment on Vetevendosje’s protest scheduled for September 1 in Pristina, Thaci said the claims of the opposition are "false causes aimed at deceiving the people".

Selimi: Members of state committee are Kosovo’s enemies (Indeksonline)

The news website reports that Kosovo’s state committee on the border demarcation with Montenegro issued a media communique on Friday saying that they have undeniable facts that Kosovo does not lose any territory as a result of the demarcation agreement. According to the committee, the border delineation between the two countries is in line with all standards and documents. However, Vetevendosje MP Rexhep Selimi told the news website that members of the state committee are Kosovo’s enemies. “There is no greater fact or argument than that those lands and territory were always part of Kosovo. With their aggressiveness against Kosovo’s territory, they [state committee members] have become the enemies of Kosovo,” Selimi said.

“MPs in favor of demarcation will be remembered and treated as traitors” (media)

Several news websites reported on Friday that the so-called Albanian National Army (AKSH) has called on members of the Kosovo Assembly not to ratify the border demarcation deal with Montenegro. “MPs that will vote in favor of the agreement with Montenegro will be treated as traitors and will be remembered as such,” the AKSH said in a communique sent to Kosovapress news agency. “The AKSH is observing the situation and will be on standby in certain locations ... We call on the Montenegrin Government not to agree with this border delineation because such an agreement implies permanent war between the two peoples,” the communique noted.

Dacic to UN chief: UNMIK should remain in Kosovo (media)

Several media report that during a meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that UNMIK should remain in Kosovo. "We discussed the situation in Kosovo and I emphasised that Serbia wants UNMIK to continue its mission in Kosovo with an unchanged mandate and composition. Serbs in Kosovo trust this mission,” he said. According to Serbian media, the UN Secretary-General said Pristina and Belgrade must resume their dialogue in Brussels and respect the agreements that were reached. Ban also said that the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities must be established.