The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has called a peaceful protest today in Pristina demanding the release of its leader Ramush Haradinaj. Haradinaj was detained two days ago by French authorities on an international arrest warrant issued by Serbia. RTK reports that Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) will also join the protest for Haradinaj’s release as will KLA war associations.
The Kosovo Security Force (KSF) on Wednesday donated 50 sets of blankets, pillows and sheets to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Gračanica/Graçanicë. The donation will be delivered to the most vulnerable families in this municipality. Priest Srđan Stankovic who received the donation thanked the KSF, saying this was a welcomed relief in the current difficult weather conditions. The KSF representative, Colonel Afrim Veseli, said the KSF so far carried out many humanitarian projects in service of all the citizens of Kosovo, regardless of their religion and ethnicity.
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in an interview for KTV that Prime Minister Isa Mustafa acted rightly when he dismissed Ljubomir Maric from the post of Minister of Local Government and Administration. “Maric cannot be reinstated. He was my colleague but his dismissal was a long time coming due to his actions,” Hoxhaj said. He added that the wall in Mitrovica North has to be brought down as it was not part of any agreement signed between representatives of Kosovo and Serbia.
Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri stayed at a hotel in Mitrovica North which was later attacked with a bomb. Sasa Dedovic, the owner of the hotel, told Blic: “She [Tahiri] came with an old car, accompanied by a man, and said she stopped to see the rooms where the Serb employees will be accommodated … I kindly asked her to leave because we could face problems and she quickly left. But before doing so she took pictures and said that the office of the Kosovo Government will be opened there.
The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said in an interview for RTK2 that his country supports transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into Kosovo Armed Force (KAF). “Certainly the United States supports the transformation of Kosovo Security Force to the Kosovo Armed Forces. I think it’s important this transformation happens in a way that is Constitutional, that involves the interests of all communities of Kosovo. So, this is another issue, I think, that improved dialogue is very important between the communities.
Sokol Havolli, the chief of staff and advisor to Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, in an interview with KTV, commented on Belgrade’s recent ultimatums about former Local Government Minister Ljubomir Maric and the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. Havolli said the Kosovo government has never functioned based on ultimatums, “especially those coming from the Serbian state”.
Slavko Simic, head of the Serbian List parliamentary group, said in his address at the Kosovo Assembly today that Serb MPs will continue to oppose the law on the Trepca mining complex. “The Serbian List will continue to oppose this law because it was done without consultations with Serbs. We were not able to protect our interests. These laws are not good for the Serb community. We are here in the Assembly to protect our interests and only with work and honesty we can overcome the current problems and regain trust,” he said.
The Serbian List has returned to the Kosovo Assembly following a period of boycotting the institutions. A reporter for the news website, who is following the Assembly session today, confirmed that Sasa Milosavljevic, who was appointed as head of the Serbian List parliamentary group yesterday, and Slavko Simic, are attending the assembly session. The news website recalls that the Serbian List has boycotted the work of the Kosovo Assembly since October when the law on the Trepca mining complex was adopted.
Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) leader, Fatmir Limajm, has requested €7 million in compensation for being wrongfully accused in the so-called Klecka case. Limaj is seeking reparations from the Kosovo Judicial Council for his time under detention and house arrest. Limaj’s lawyer said if the Kosovo Judicial Council rejects the request, they plan to sue the relevant courts. Limaj was acquitted three times of war crimes charges.
RECOM - regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia – presented today in Pristina findings of a research into human losses suffered in conflicts throughout the territory of former Yugoslavia. RECOM said that over 130,000 people lost their lives in conflicts that began in 1991 and out of this figure over 13,000 are from Kosovo. “From January 1998 to 2000, 13,535 people have been killed or are missing in Kosovo,” said Bekim Balaj from the Humanitarian Law Centre.