Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) deputy leader, Lutfi Haziri, said in an interview for Rrokum TV that the reason behind the decision to set 1 September as the date when the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will be voted has to do with the Kosovo Assembly presidency’s agenda. He ruled out the possibility of the move having been requested by his party, the LDK. “Now is the time for the entire political spectrum to behave with caution and maturity with regards to interests and processes that are of vital importance for the future of the country,” added Haziri.

The Association of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) veterans has expressed concern over the border demarcation process with Montenegro saying it has caused a huge rift of the Kosovo society. The KLA veterans  consider that the arguments presented by relevant experts opposing the agreement are right.  “Kosovo needs its western allies but we don’t believe our allies would support the shrinking of our territory,” reads a press release issued by the KLA association. It goes on to call on the Kosovo Assembly not to ratify the border demarcation agreement in the current version.

Montenegro police has prevented residents of villages from Deçan/Dečani and Peja/Peć municipalities from reaching the so-called Kulla e Zhlepit location which the opposition and local residents claim is where the border between Kosovo and Montenegro should be. Police said that area is in the territory of Montenegro. The residents turned back but urged the Assembly MPs not to ratify the border demarcation agreement.

President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, condemned last night’s blast in Pristina saying that everyone should agree that violence has no place in Kosovo. “Violence brings fear, fear brings hatred and hatred brings more violence. We may not agree on many things but we should all agree on one thing and that is that violence has no place in our Kosovo,” Thaçi said.

Tens of Vetëvendosje Movement activists protested today in front of the Kosovo Assembly building against the ratification of border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro. Vetëvendosje’s deputy leader, Dardan Sejdiu, said that Vetëvendosje is not against demarcation, but against giving Kosovo’s land to Montenegro. Sejdiu informed the protesters that the agreement on demarcation is not on the agenda for today’s session so he announced the end of the protest and invited citizens to be ready for the next rally.

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, told the media today that the report of the Kosovo government’s commission on border demarcation with Montenegro is wrong as it relied on inaccurate records. “It was based on cadastral records and not state borders,” said Haradinaj.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, while commenting on recent accusations between ruling-coalition and opposition parties regarding border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro, said on Monday that the ruling-coalition is only requesting arguments. According to him, all issues regarding this agreement will be resolved in the interest of Kosovo citizens, and that the ratification of this agreement is related to the free movement of Kosovo citizens. Regarding the debate on demarcation to be held on 3 August, Mustafa said this debate will only bring arguments.

The Netherlands Ambassador to Kosovo, Gerrie Willems, told Radio Free Europe that special court for war crimes can begin work with a temporary agreement for its headquarters, until the approval of the agreement signed between Kosovo and the Netherlands by the Dutch Parliament. “The Dutch Parliament must still approve the agreement for the headquarters of this court. The duration of parliamentary proceedings is determined by the Parliament itself.

Kosovo lawyer, Azem Vllasi, has travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of the Kosovo Foreign Ministry to lobby for the lifting of visa requirements for the people of Kosovo. Vllasi already met in Sarajevo the chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Adil Osmanović.

In the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly’s internal affairs and overseeing of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) commission, Vetëvendosje MP Rexhep Selimi accused the government for failing to submit two very important pieces of legislation: that on transformation of the KSF into armed force and the one on early retirement for the Kosovo Police officers.  “We are ready to do more if the government had been willing to process the laws,” said Selimi.