Headlines - 22.11.2016

• Disagreements between ruling coalition partners on 2017 budget (media)
• Ruling coalition late in appointing Minister for Integration (Koha)
• Mustafa: Kosovo and Montenegro, model of cooperation in the region (media)
• Vetevendosje: No one has been held accountable for Dehari’s death (Koha)
• Protest in Pristina on November 24 demanding justice for Astrit Dehari (Koha)
• Stojanovic: Association is not a project against Albanians (Indeksonline)
• Djuric: We’re waiting for Pristina to establish Association/Community (Koha)
• Hyseni wants Germany’s support for INTERPOL membership (Kosovapress)
• Bajrami: I knew Brezovica would fail, this is Plan B (Koha)

Disagreements between ruling coalition partners on 2017 budget (media)

Koha Ditore reports on page two that partners of the ruling coalition, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), have yet to harmonise their positions on the draft law for the 2017 budget. On Monday, discussions at the parliamentary committee on the budget were postponed for the fourth time. PDK MPs did not attend the meeting saying that the draft law must undergo certain amendments and that they will discuss this with LDK. Epoka e Re quotes Safete Hadergjonaj, a PDK MP and deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on the budget, saying that the draft law has not been properly analysed. “I am confident that the budget will be adopted, but we need to coordinate on certain issues first,” she added.

Ruling coalition late in appointing Minister for Integration (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that two months have passed since Kosovo does not have a Minister for European Integration, as the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has yet to announce its candidate for the post. Partners of the ruling coalition have not revealed the reasons behind the delay, but unnamed sources told the paper that PDK is not really interested to appoint someone to the post because of the possibility of early general elections.

Mustafa: Kosovo and Montenegro, model of cooperation in the region (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, met on Monday with the Ambassador of Montenegro to Kosovo, Ferhat Dinosha. Mustafa informed the Ambassador on the progress reached in Kosovo, especially on economic development. “Neighborly relations between the Republic of Kosovo and Montenegro are an example for the region and further. Different developments within the two countries do not harm friendly relations, being that both our populations and institutions are fully willing to deepen cooperation,” Mustafa said.

Vetevendosje: No one has been held accountable for Dehari’s death (Koha)

In a press conference yesterday, Vetevendosje leaders said that no one has yet been held accountable for the violent death of their activist, Astrit Dehari, at the Prizren detention facility. MP Driton Caushi said four fundamental human rights, contained in the European Convention on Human Rights, were violated in Dehari’s case: the right to life and the duty of the state to protect the persons it has deprived of freedom, the right to a fair and impartial trial, respect for privacy and the right to not be subjected to inhumane or degrading treatment in detention facilities or prisons.

Protest in Pristina on November 24 demanding justice for Astrit Dehari (Koha)

The paper reports that a protest will be held in Pristina on November 24 demanding justice for Vetevendosje activist Astrit Dehari who was found dead at the Prizren Detention Center. The protest is organised by civil society organisations, activists, intellectuals and reporters.

Stojanovic: Association is not a project against Albanians (Indeksonline)

Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo from the Serbian List, Branimir Stojanovic, told Deutsche Welle on Monday that “Kosovo Serbs, especially those south of River Iber, are under threat”. Stojanovic said the Serbian List will not return to Kosovo institutions if the agreements reached so far are not implemented. Speaking about the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, Stojanovic said that it is not a project against Albanians. “Nothing has been done and this is essentially a bigger problem. Except for the announcements and public claims that it should be established, we have not moved forward much on the technical aspect. Many Albanian political parties are abusing the process, claiming that the Association represents the biggest hostile project against Albanians, but this is not true. It is a mechanism for Kosovo Serbs to survive,” Stojanovic said.

Djuric: We’re waiting for Pristina to establish Association/Community (Koha)

Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, met Christian Hellbach, the German Foreign Ministry’s Envoy for South-East Europe, and said that Belgrade expects Pristina to immediately adopt a decree for the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. Serbian news agency FoNet reported on Monday that Djuric and Hellbach said the agreement on the telecom between Belgrade and Pristina marks progress in the normalisation and relations and that it should serve to strengthen constructiveness and trust between the parties involved in dialogue. Djuric was also quoted as saying that “Pristina’s unilateral moves, such as the law on the Trepca mining complex, constitute a constant threat to political stability in Kosovo and to the efficiency of dialogue with Belgrade”.

Hyseni wants Germany’s support for INTERPOL membership (Kosovapress)

Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Skender Hyseni is visiting the Federal Republic of Germany. On Monday, he met in Berlin with members of the Security Commission of the German Bundestag as well as State Secretary Emily Haber. On both occasions they discussed a range of matters of mutual interest and further cooperation in the field of security. Minister Hyseni requested Germany’s further support on Kosovo’s membership at INTERPOL and for further cooperation with Europol, as two significant international mechanisms of police cooperation.

Bajrami: I knew Brezovica would fail, this is Plan B (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Hykmete Bajrami, told KTV on Monday that she knew that the French consortium “MDP Consulting – Compagnie des Alpes” would fail to secure the necessary funds for implementing the first phase of the Brezovica resort project. “I was never convinced about the consortium, but as a representative of the Ministry and the Government, I cannot talk to the media about an ongoing project,” she said. Bajrami also said there is a Plan B for the Brezovica resort. “We will look into the companies, we will contract them and then conclude the process through the Law on Strategic Investments. We are also considering the option of having an expression of interest through procurement procedures and to have all decisions on valid expropriations by November 2017,” Bajrami added.