Headlines - 05.07.2017

• Dialogue with Serbia should resume with mutual recognition (Koha)
• Analysts: President Thaci committing constitutional breach (Zeri)
• Certification of election results delayed (Zeri)
• Thaci: I don’t believe there’ll be stalemate on creation of institutions (Epoka)
• “PM position, LDK’s condition for coalition with Vetevendosje” (Bota)
• AKR denies possibility of joining PAN even if they secure 61 votes (Koha)
• Special court ready for indictments (Zeri/Kosova Sot)
• Osmani calls for LDK’s profound reform (Kosova Sot)

Dialogue with Serbia should resume with mutual recognition (Koha)

Representatives of the PAN coalition, which won the biggest number of votes in the 11 June parliamentary elections, said on Tuesday that dialogue with Serbia should resume with mutual recognition. Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, said recently that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia depends entirely on what will happen with Serbs living in the northern part of Kosovo, for whom Brnabic suggested autonomy. Muharrem Nitaj, member of the chairmanship of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and a close aide to Prime Minister candidate Ramush Haradinaj, told the paper on Tuesday that the status of Kosovo is a closed matter. “Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state. The sooner the leadership in Serbia understands this the easier it will be for the Serbian people to understand it too. No one in Kosovo can have the mandate to discuss Kosovo’s internal arrangements … Serbs in Kosovo are a privileged community and this is good because after all the majority must do everything in its power for the minority to feel comfortable. The Kosovo government must hold an internal debate with its Serb citizens and discuss the problems they have. We have one open problem with Serbia and that is mutual recognition. We believe dialogue with Serbia must start with mutual recognition,” Nitaj said. Rexhep Hoti, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), posted on his Facebook account on Tuesday that if Serbs in the north were to be given autonomy, then the same should happen for Albanians living in Presevo Valley, namely the southern part of Serbia.

Analysts: President Thaci committing constitutional breach (Zeri)

Political analysts and legal experts say that President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, is violating the Constitution of Kosovo by taking upon himself the lead of the dialogue with Serbia, the paper writes on the front page. Constitutional expert, Mazllum Baraliu, said it is the Assembly of Kosovo that would need to decide on changing the platform of talks. “Only this institution and no other has the right to take decisions for negotiations with Serbia”, Baraliu said. Similarly, Imer Mushkolaj believes Thaci should have received the support from the Assembly before getting involved in the process of dialogue. “Talks with Serbia are an important national issue and no one can take decisions on their own”, he said. At the same time, Haki Abazi, said Thaci is trying to gain relevance by involvement in dialogue although “it is clear that his influence is minimal and diminishing by the day”.

Certification of election results delayed (Zeri)

Certification of the 11 June elections has been delayed after candidates filed six complaints with Kosovo’s Supreme Court. The Court now has 72 hours to review the cases and come out with a decision.

Thaci: I don’t believe there will be stalemate on creation of institutions (Epoka)

The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, does not believe that Kosovo would enter a political stalemate with regard to the creation of institutions. He told ABC News that Kosovo needs a stable, multiethnic government with a Euro-Atlantic spirit. “I see a will of the winning coalition to create new institutions in a record time, which I also hope. Speaking about the recent meeting with Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, Thaci said that the time has come to reopen a new phase of the dialogue, in a more senior political level but also for a more powerful and substantial dialogue that would lead toward complete normalization between our countries and people, as well as good neighborly relations and reconciliation among the people. Thaci also said that Kosovo’s armed force will be created this year. “The process is ongoing and we have made progress in this direction. We have built a framework with the international community on how to move step by step. It is important that Serb and other communities are now also integrating in the Kosovo Security Force. So far, ten percent of KSF is comprised by communities, which is a condition and interest of the country and Kosovo society, to have a modern, multiethnic army with NATO standards. I strongly believe that Kosovo’s Armed Forces will be created during 2017,” Thaci said.

“PM position, LDK’s condition for coalition with Vetevendosje” (Bota)

Kosovo Assembly MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo, Besa Gaxherri, told the paper on Tuesday that those political parties which called for elections, must now offer solutions. “We are ready to be in the opposition, but not to be part of the government under any condition. A coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo is out of question, whereas as far as a coalition with Vetevendosje is concerned, we have our requests: Avdullah Hoti should be the Prime Minister and LDK’s program should be a priority,” Gaxherri said.

AKR denies possibility of joining PAN even if they secure 61 votes (Koha)

The Pacolli-led New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) has denied the possibility of joining the coalition consisting of PDK, AAK and NISMA, the paper reports on page three. An unnamed source however told the paper: “Pacolli has told LDK that he will be with them for the first time [after the first vote on the Prime Minister candidate], regardless of whether Ramush Haradinaj is elected Prime Minister or not. But if Haradinaj manages to secure 61 votes, AKR could join the PAN coalition. This would be done to strengthen the coalition and not leave it dependent only on the minority communities”. AKR officials on the other hand denied the possibility of joining PAN, before or after the formation of the new government. “We have red lines for PDK and we will not be party of any coalition that includes PDK,” AKR deputy leader Agim Bahtiri said.

Special court ready for indictments (Zeri/Kosova Sot)

The papers reports that following the endorsement of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence last week, Kosovo Specialist Chambers are up and running and ready to file first indictments.

Osmani calls for LDK’s profound reform (Kosova Sot)

One of the most voted candidates from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Vjosa Osmani, said the party’s leadership ought to be held accountable for the losses suffered at the June elections. “LDK has not done well in these elections and this is a truth that needs to be said clearly because without recognizing it, we cannot move forward and prosper. I think that what harmed the Democratic League of Kosovo the most and considered a tough pill to swallow by our electorate was the 2014 coalition with PDK”, Osmani said.