Editor Lavdim Hamidi writes that every time Edita Tahiri (Kosovo’s outgoing Deputy Prime Minister) and Agim Bahtiri (Mitrovica mayor) talk about removing a barricade in the city of Mitrovica one can expect a new barricade to be built. “With such leaders of institutions one can expect that even a politician from a neighboring country, such as the case of Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, can have authority in the state of Kosovo.
"About 70,000 citizens from Kosovo have sought asylum in the EU," the Priština-based Albanian language daily Zeri is reporting on Thursday.
The newspaper described this as "a cancer" when it comes to Kosovo's visa liberalization bid.
"The inability to secure social safety in Kosovo" is what is prompting thousands of Kosovo residents to seek ways to move to EU member-states, in the hope they would be allowed to stay, according to the daily.
Editor Milaim Shefkiu writes that the latest protests in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia showed the instability of this country. “As far as the police intervention is concerned, the Gruevski government is uncompromising against Albanians and is using violence and deploying troops just like Milosevic did in Kosovo in the 1990s. In this respect, the government in Skopje is using double standards when it comes to maintaining calmness.
Bardhyl Mahmuti, leader of the Albanian Democratic Union (BDSH) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army, writes in an opinion piece, “Albanians living in their lands in Macedonia have always proved their readiness to sacrifice everything for the good of Albania and Kosovo. Now, the situation requires national political forces to act wisely and coordinate actions in the service of this part of the Albanian people that is experiencing state terror!
The paper’s editor-in-chief, Arbana Xharra, writes that the killing of five Macedonian youths last year is being used to portray Albanians in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as “dangerous and hardline Islamists”. “Orchestrated Albanians, instead of proving the opposite, are openly protesting in defense of the religious issue. The presence of flags with Arabic slogans in Albanian protests and chants that ‘Islam will dominate the world’ are used as additional arguments to the Macedonian conclusion that this is not a national issue, but rather a religious one.
According to Lavdim Hamidi, whenever the outgoing Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi faces difficulties, he uses millions from the budget of Kosovo for political benefits. “This is how he acted on the verge of 8 June elections when he increased salaries of public servants, pensions, an made many other promises only to obtain more votes for his party,” he writes adding that in this manner Thaçi compensated party’s loss after Fatmir Limaj, Jakup Krasniqi and many others left PDK.
According to Milaim Shefkiu, these elections revealed the defects of the Constitution of Kosovo. He blames drafters of the Constitution for lack of professionalism, and gaps which leave space for different interpretations by analysts, jurists and political parties. Shefkiu suggests that the Constitution of Kosovo is a bad copy or adoption from other constitutions.
Naser Sertolli writes in an editorial that the problem of Mitrovica’s division has only one address, that of Kosovo Government led by Hashim Thaci. He says all events in Mitrovica are somehow linked to Thaci: when the ethnic partition of the city began, Thaci was prime minister of the provisional government. He was prime minister also when the barricade was placed and he is still prime minister, although an outgoing one, when the barricade took on a different form, that of a botanic garden.
The paper’s editor-in-chief Arbana Xharra says that the Mitrovica bridge has been ‘captured’ once again, easily and in the presence of international community and the Kosovo Police. This reconfirms that the north of Kosovo is increasing its chances of remaining outside the legal system of the country. While the construction of the so-called Peace Park was underway in Mitrovica, security forces played the role of the spectator and actually provided security for the Serbs bringing in supplies needed to place the concrete containers in the bridge.
The Constitutional Court of Kosovo is expected this week to deliver its ruling on President Atifete Jahjaga’s request for clarification of certain articles pertaining to her competencies in proposing a candidate to form the future government. Legal expert Riza Smaka said the court could come up with its decision in the next three days although he noted that the articles at hand are quite clear and there is no need for them to be interpreted by the Court. “The Constitution is clear that the one that has the majority in the Assembly of Kosovo forms the government”, said Smaka.