• Palmer: U.S. remains committed to Western Balkans (VOA)
• Thaci travels to U.S., will attend Trump’s reception (media)
• Fajon: Kosovo to lift tax to enable successful talks (Zeri)
• Haradinaj meets Kosnett, 6 October elections discussed (media)
• Mustafa: There was no talk of land swaps during my governance (media)
• Djuric meets UNMIK chief, voices concern for position of Serbs in Kosovo (Koha)
• Specialist Chambers send new summons to former KLA members (media)
• Rasic: Kosovo Serbs are against border changes (media)
• Merkel to Brnabic: Resolve the problem with Kosovo (Zeri)
• Defense Ministry “hits” the state budget with luxury expenses (Koha)
• Police official suspected of compromising corruption investigations (Koha)

Palmer: U.S. remains committed to Western Balkans (VOA)

Several Kosovo media outlets carry an interview the U.S. Special Envoy to the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer gave to Voice of America where he said Washington expects talks between Serbia and Kosovo to restart after Kosovo elections and that the U.S. remains committed to Western Balkans.

“We will make clear our expectation that the next government of Kosovo is a pro-dialogue government, that's one that's prepared to suspend the tariffs that are an obstacle to the resumption of the dialogue process, that's prepared to put together an empowered negotiating team that is prepared to engage with Serbia at the negotiating table, seriousness of purpose to achieve an agreement on normalizing relationship.”

Palmer said the U.S. will be supportive throughout the process but “Kosovo needs to take control of its own destiny.”

He said the U.S. is hopeful that Serbia will respond to the suspension of tariff by suspending the de-recognition campaign against Kosovo. “And with that as a basis: tariff suspension and termination of the de-recognition campaign, the parties can go back to the negotiating table in a positive atmosphere, with an eye toward getting to an agreement,” Palmer said.

“We want a solution that is locally owned, that is durable and salable on both sides. One that the United States and others in the European community can get behind.”

Thaci travels to U.S., will attend Trump’s reception (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has travelled to the U.S. yesterday where he will attend official meetings in Iowa and New York, several news websites report citing a press release issued by the President’s office.

“In Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, with which city Kosovo is twinned, President Thaçi will visit the KSF members attending training with the Iowa’s National Guard. He will also be meeting with Kosovar student attending post graduate studies, as part of the MFK “Women in Energy” programme. In New York, president Thaçi will be attending the proceedings of the United Nation’s General Assembly. The main meeting is the reception at the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump. President Thaçi will also be attending the dinner laid by the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, laid out for the Western Balkan leaders. During the United Nations General Assembly, President Thaçi will be meeting with a number of the leaders of the countries from around the world and heads of international organisations,” the press release notes.

Fajon: Kosovo to lift tax to enable successful talks (Zeri)

Slovenian MEP, Tanja Fajon, said in an interview with Tirana paper Shekulli that Kosovo needs to lift the tax on Serbian products to ensure success of talks for normalisation of relations. “In order for negotiations to continue, their status should be as that prior to introduction of taxes. Only this way will be possible to find a solution in the future that would appease both Serbia and Kosovo,” Fajon said.

Haradinaj meets Kosnett, 6 October elections discussed (media)

Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj met yesterday the U.S. Ambassador Philip Kosnett with whom he discussed recent political developments, particularly early parliamentary elections.

In a Facebook post, Haradinaj said he thanked Kosnett about the U.S.'s consistent position on Kosovo. "I expressed as always the special appreciation for the vital role the U.S. had for Kosoov, as our strong ally," he wrote.

Mustafa: There was no talk of land swaps during my governance (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa reacted yesterday to remarks by Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) senior official Daut Haradinaj who said on Tuesday that the idea for border correction between Kosovo and Serbia was born during the time when Mustafa was Prime Minister of Kosovo.

Mustafa wrote in a Facebook post: “During my governance, there was no official or unofficial talk about land swaps. Such ideas were never raised or addressed. If someone thought about it, I did not read their minds and I would not even want to read their minds … I understand the frustration before elections … but we need to have some ethics and honesty. This goes for Mr. Daut Haradinaj too who said yesterday that the idea for land swaps was born during the governance of Isa Mustafa”.

Djuric meets UNMIK chief, voices concern for position of Serbs in Kosovo (Koha)

Head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, said he hoped elections in Kosovo would take place in "somewhat" democratic atmosphere and that the Serbs will be guaranteed the right to freely choose their representatives.

According to Serbian news agency FoNet, Djuric made the remarks at a meeting with UNMIK chief, Zahir Tanin.

The two also spoke about the political and security situation in Kosovo and the report UNMIK will present to the Security Council. According to Djuric, Serbia considers the UN's role in normalising relations between Belgrade and Pristina to be unavoidable and that he expects the report to the Security Council to conclude that human and political rights of Serbs in Kosovo have regressed following the introduction of the import tax by authorities in Pristina.

Specialist Chambers send new summons to former KLA members (media)  

Head of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) war veterans association, Hysni Gucati, told Gazeta Express that the Specialist Chambers have recently sent new summons to former KLA fighters but that he still does not have information as to who precisely received the invitation for interview.

Meanwhile the media report that Sokol Bashota, head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) branch in Klina and former KLA member returned last night from The Hague where he was questioned by specialist prosecutors. Bashota is quoted to have said that he was offered a deal which would be favourable to him personally but damaging to the process in which KLA has gone through. “I was in The Hague and was interviewed for two days as a suspect and I replied to questions I found favourable,” Bashota said on return at the Pristina Airport.

Rasic: Kosovo Serbs are against border changes (media)

Nenad Rasic, candidate for Prime Minister from the coalition of several Serb political parties “Sloboda”, said in a debate in Pristina on Wednesday that 95 percent of Kosovo Serbs are against any initiative for partition or border changes. “Half of the population, more so in the south, but in the north too, want coexistence and dialogue and communication with Kosovo Albanians,” he said. Rasic argued that their coalition will find it difficult to win four-five seats in the new Assembly, because of the influence of the Serbian List, but added that they will play a decisive role in the new government.

Merkel to Brnabic: Resolve the problem with Kosovo (Zeri)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met on Wednesday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the paper reports on page two. Merkel told reporters in a joint press conference that Serbia should continue efforts to normalise relations with Kosovo and that talks between the two sides must resume in order to create conditions for reaching an agreement. Brnabic said “the issue of Kosovo is the only point of disagreement”.

Defense Ministry “hits” the state budget with luxury expenses (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that in less than two years, “the political army” of the Ministry of Defense has spent over half a million Euros from the state budget and that the individual expenses of senior officials of the Ministry have not been disclosed.

Police official suspected of compromising corruption investigations (Koha)

Citing unnamed sources, the paper reports in one of its front-page stories that Fadil Haliti, a member of the Kosovo Police Economic Crimes Unit, has interfered in investigations in one of the biggest corruption affairs in Kosovo that is believed that have damaged the state budget by €53 million. Sources from the investigation units told the paper that Haliti intervened in the process by not allowing investigators to interview a suspect. Police told the paper that they have sent the case to the Police Inspectorate and the latter confirmed they have initiated investigations against the police officer.