In an interview for Deutsche Welle in Albanian Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa said that his official visit to Germany was very important because Germany is a powerful country that has invested a great deal in Kosovo. “Germany is a country that has supported us a lot in the process of dialogue with Serbia by setting certain principles and asking for implementation of agreements reached in Brussels”.
The meeting between the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa in Berlin, is over. Merkel and Mustafa discussed the bilateral relations, situation in Kosovo, Kosovo’s relations with the EU as well as the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
Koha Ditore’s publisher Flaka Surroi writes in an opinion piece that the outcome of the events in the Kosovo Assembly and those in Brussels will be that Serbia will gallop towards EU while Kosovo will remain complacent in the belief it is a success story.
The U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel, proposed to the institutions of Kosovo to find a solution for establishment of the special court and to the Assembly of Kosovo to vote for the constitutional amendments which open way for the establishment of this court.
In an opinion piece published in the paper today, Andrea Lorenzo Capussela, former head of the economics unit of the International Civilian Office in Kosovo, starts off with an explanation of how western officials transformed the originally-titled special court into specialist court after learning that the term “special” is part of dictatorial systems and was used as such by the Italian fascist regime.
Kosovo’s Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, has summoned the leaders of parliamentary groups today in an effort to find a solution to the establishment of the special court. The news site recalls that on Friday the Kosovo Assembly failed to pass the constitutional amendments for the special court, putting Kosovo in a difficult position vis-à-vis its international partners. The government meanwhile has suggested a revote in the Assembly, whereas the opposition has rejected this.
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, in his address to the members of the Kosovo Assembly said that the proposal for constitutional amendment comes as a result of exchange of correspondence between Kosovo and European Union. He said that the establishment of the specialized chambers will be of assistance to justice and will not put into question the righteousness of the Kosovo Liberation Army war. He said that the Constitutional Court has unanimously ruled that the amendment in question does not undermine human rights in Kosovo and called on MPs to endorse the motion.
According to the news site, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has problems securing the necessary votes for the special court and this is reportedly the reason why the session of the Kosovo Assembly, scheduled for 10:00, has not started yet. A source within the PDK told the news site that there were clashes at the meeting of the party’s parliamentary group today. “Some MPs are still rejecting a vote in favor of the special court. The situation is tense.
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Vjosa Osmani said today that Kosovo’s authorities must establish the special court otherwise it will be done by the United Nations Security Council. Osmani argues that if the UN establishes the court this would send Kosovo back to the pre-independence period. She also called on the MPs to vote in favor of the court in order to prevent a worst-case scenario. “The United Nations have already established special courts, in the cases of Rwanda and Sierra Leone,” she said.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Isa Mustafa told his government today that following discussions by the MPs on the special court, there would be a break after which the government would meet again and adopt the necessary constitutional amendments. Mustafa also said that talks with Belgrade in Brussels would continue on Monday and that the focus is on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, the energy and the telecoms.