Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Voice of America, after a UN Security Council session devoted to the latest UNMIK report on the situation in Kosovo, that the authorities in Pristina are planning to take over the Trepca mining complex and are setting explosive devices in the north of Kosovo.
According to numerous reports it is not a rare occurrence that women in Kosovo are discriminated against in many areas of social life, while the attitude of some employers or heads of the institutions toward women is different comparing to the one toward the men. One of the latest examples is a dismissal of Vesna Mikic as Deputy Minister of Justice, Voice of America reports.
Montenegrin officials express interest for a solution of the demarcation issue with Kosovo as soon as possible.
Podgorica authorities stress that the issue of the border cannot affect bilateral relations between Montenegro and Kosovo and that Montenegro is ready to support Kosovo in concluding the process.
They stress that demarcation was made by both respective parties.
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci did not confirm that Kosovo enjoys international support, especially from the United States of America, to amend the law on the Kosovo Security Force which would give the latter the competencies of an army. Thaci told the Voice of America that the U.S. and the international community support the transformation of the KSF into an army through constitutional amendments. “I have been working for three years now to address the matter through constitutional amendments and I would very much like for this to happen.
The Association/Community of Serb municipalities will be formed soon and will have no executive powers; it will be an institution for the provision of services to citizens, said yesterday European Parliament rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek in Pristina. She also said that now Pristina should meet as soon as possible the three main conditions for visa abolition with regard to the European Commission's recommendation for visa liberalization for Kosovo.
The leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri, in an interview with Voice of America said the election process for the new president of Kosovo was filled with interference and blackmail against the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MPs. He also said the opposition does not accept Hashim Thaci as Kosovo president. "The way the president was elected is absolutely unacceptable.
The newly elected Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, in an interview with Voice of America said he will work with all political parties in Kosovo to overcome, what he called, differences between them. He added that his election, which was opposed by the opposition parties, was in accordance with Kosovo laws and Constitution, while denied having made agreements with the representatives of the Serb community in return for their vote.
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga says the recent decision by the Constitutional Court obliges all parties to find a solution that does not include new elections. Jahjaga said she is confident that the solution to the political deadlock must be found by members of the Kosovo Assembly. Jahjaga told Voice of America that the solution should not be influenced from outside Kosovo.
September 18, 2014
by VOA News
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has condemned death threats and attacks against journalists in Kosovo and Russia.
The OSCE statement follows a series of death threats against journalist Artan Haraqija, who has been reporting on radical Muslim groups in Kosovo. The latest threat came after Haraqija appeared on a TV show.
Also Thursday, the OSCE condemned the growing violence against journalists in Russia, following an attack on a BBC television crew in the southern part of the country.
In an interview for Voice of America, the former US diplomat and Balkans expert, James Hooper, said that the report of the US prosecutor, Clint Williamson, is linked more to Kosovo’s future than its past. Hooper, currently managing director of the Washington-based Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) said that the report doesn’t damage the KLA image but deals with certain individuals who used their position to gain political power after the war.