Headlines - 14.02.2017

• President Thaci sets up Truth and Reconciliation Commission (media)
• Veseli assures U.S. official that border demarcation will be ratified (dailies)
• Lekaj: Plans to pass demarcation deal while Haradinaj is away (Telegrafi)
• Rasic suggests Serbian List could end boycott soon (RTK)
• KP director denies presence of armed men in the north (Kosova Sot)
• Lawsuit filed against PDK MP Shukri Buja and 8 Lipjan officials (Koha)
• Government playing “games of millions” with war veterans (Koha)

President Thaci sets up Truth and Reconciliation Commission (media)

All media report on the first meeting of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which was held on Monday in Pristina, following the initiative of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci. Thaci said hostilities that have caused wars are still present and dominate social discourse. “There is still a gap between the communities and this could still keep us in the depths of hatred and hostilities caused by war.” Thaci said adding that Kosovo society cannot build a better future if it remains prisoner of the past. Thaci said the idea behind the decision to set up such a commission is to speak the truth and make peace with the past. He said the first and fastest Albanian-Serb reconciliation was between families of missing persons. “Understanding the sufferings of one another they became almost one family working for a common goal in closing the chapter of their missing loved ones. They are the best example for all of us of how to look to the future”. Thaci also said that the commission would not be a substitute for justice or for the EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia. “Our goal is to create a supporting mechanism for the internal, open dialogue between communities in Kosovo”. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said that Kosovo and Serbia will not be able to build a future if they don’t deal with the past. Mustafa also said that war crimes will not be forgotten. “By bravely addressing our past we win trust and strengthen the hope of our citizens for building a safe future. The past cannot hinder us in building the future if we prosecute and sentence those that have committed crimes,” Mustafa said. Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, has welcomed President Hashim Thaci’s initiative to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. At the first consultative meeting, Veseli said Kosovo’s institutions are proving their readiness to shed light on the past, face its truths and help heal the wounds of the past. “Our people paid a very high price for freedom and independence. The wounds were deep and unfortunately they have not healed yet. Years go by and we still don’t know about the fate of thousands of Kosovo citizens. Hundreds of Kosovar families live in sorrow about their missing loved ones. There are missing persons from all communities, but the majority of them are Albanians,” he said. Veseli also said that Serbia has kept silent and failed to bring to justice those responsible for dozens of massacres in Kosovo. “There are thousands of innocent victims, and justice has yet to be served. Dozens of massacres were carried out during the war and no one has been held responsible. The Serbian state keeps silent about these massacres and does not distance itself from the propaganda that denies that crimes in Kosovo were committed by Milosevic’s army and police”. Veseli called on Kosovo institutions to do their best in collecting evidences about war crimes. “As state institutions, we need to provide all the necessary assistance so that this committee can be successful in its mission of collecting facts and evidences about the crimes that were committed. As such, the committee is not a substitute for justice but rather in the service of justice. Justice is the only way to set the past aside and to have reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation without assuming responsible. There can be no reconciliation without apologies”.

Veseli assures U.S. official that border demarcation will be ratified (dailies)

In a meeting with the Director for South Central European Affairs at the U.S. State Department Matthew Palmer, Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli gave assurances that Kosovo would fulfill its international obligations, including the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. Palmer and Veseli are also reported to have discussed transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF).

Lekaj: Plans to pass demarcation deal while Haradinaj is away (Telegrafi)

Head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, Pal Lekaj, said the government plans to resubmit to the Assembly the border demarcation agreement while Ramush Haradinaj is away. However, added Lekaj, the deal is dead not only for the AAK but for the people of Kosovo as well. “Agreement signed by Thaci has to go back to zero. The future government needs to renegotiate the agreement,” Lekaj wrote on Facebook.

Rasic suggests Serbian List could end boycott soon (RTK)

Kosovo Assembly MP, Nenad Rasic, said that negotiations between the Serbian List and Kosovo government are at the final stage. “Messages from President Thaci, Assembly President Veseli and Prime Minister Mustafa are very clear. We all want stability,” Rasic said.

KP director denies presence of armed men in the north (Kosova Sot)

Kosovo Police Director, Shpend Maxhuni, denied reports that armed and uniformed persons are carrying out exercises in the north of Kosovo. He underscored that according to the information they possess, there is an aviation club in the north that promotes sports and is not involved in any military drill. Maxhuni made the comments in a meeting of the Assembly commission on internal affairs, security, and KSF supervision.

Lawsuit filed against PDK MP Shukri Buja and 8 Lipjan officials (Koha)

The paper reports on page two that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed a lawsuit against PDK MP and former Lipjan Mayor, Shukri Buja, and eight other municipal officials, for abuse of duty and official authority. Buja told Klan Kosova on Monday that the lawsuit against him is politically-motivated and that the timing of the lawsuit – on the eve of elections – shows that “some people don’t want to see me doing good”.

Government playing “games of millions” with war veterans (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Kosovo government has mentioned two different figures in Pristina and in Brussels about the new pension scheme for former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army. The government namely told the European Commission that it will allocate €38 million for the war veterans in 2017; on the other hand, it told the war veterans association that it will allocate €44 million. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Labor and Social Welfare could not confirm to the paper the exact amount that will be given to the war veterans this year.