The trial to the leader of the Civic Initiative SDP Olvier Ivanovic and four other Serbs charged for committing serious crimes against the Albanian population in 1999 and 2000 will resume today with a cross-questioning of a witness of the prosecution Muhamed Lapashtica from Mitrovica.

The witness has accused Ivanovic on Friday, while questioned by a prosecutor, that he was a leader of the police forces since he had seen him on 14 April 1999, leading around 30 individuals who forced him and his neighbors to leave their homes.

Analysts in Pristina believe that the demands of the opposition, civil society and students for the dismissal of the Minister of Communities and Returns in the Kosovo government Aleksandar Jablanović are just an excuse to "topple the government" and eventually cause early elections. They also believe that yesterday's demonstrations were the largest since 1999 and that the government should therefore take care not to lose support of the voters. 

Former regime of Boris Tadic (former president of Serbia) is most responsible for current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, said official of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Aleksandar Martinovic, and rejected criticism that actual problems with Trepca comes as a consequence of the manner in which this government had negotiated the Brussels Agreement.

Political analyst Dusan Janjic said today that postponement of the debate over Trepca in the Kosovo Assembly leads to creation of space for continuation of dialogue, and that Serbian Government did well for being proactive.

He claims that the issue of Serbia’s property in Kosovo, along with the creation of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities, will be one of the important ones after the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina resumes in Brussels on 9 February.

Kosovo Minister for Local Government, Ljubomir Maric said last night that for the Serbs was unacceptable to change status of Trepca, as a pillar of the economy and economic development of the Serbian community in Kosovo, with "hastily adopted decisions".

According to him, the issue of Trepca is and the political and legal issue. Kosovo Parliament last night adopted specific legislation to extend the deadlines and prevent the liquidation of Trepca.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Sebastian Kurz to visit Kosovo and FYROM today.

As announced in Vienna, Kurtz will be tonight in Pristina and meet religious leaders and Interior Minister Skender Hyseni and Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga, and he would talk about "jihadism and radicalization in the Western Balkans".

The director of the Serbian Government’s Media Office Milivoje Mihajlovic said this morning that main message during Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Kosovo and Metohija was that it is enough with clashes and that Serbia wants just solution that would enable survival of Serbs, and peace there and in the entire region.

Kosovo Serbs claim that Serbia must retain jurisdiction at least in the areas of education and health, and should not allow that Serbs become only citizens of self-declared Kosovo.

Representatives of the part of Serb population fear that official Belgrade is not ready for negotiations over the final status of the Serbian province and that they neither have national nor state strategy.

Campaign for the election of the mayor of Gracanica started today and will last until 16 January. Early elections were scheduled for 18 January. Candidates for mayor of Gracanica are Vladeta Kostic from the Citizens' Initiative Srpska, Dragisa Miric from the New Democratic Party of Kosovo, Nenad Rasic from the Progressive Democratic Party (PDS) and Shaip Berisha from the Democratic League of Kosovo.

Early elections for mayor of Gracanica will be held because former mayor of Gracanica Branimir Stojanovic was appointed to the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo.

More police will be deployed in Serb areas in Kosovo during the Christmas holiday, it has been announced.

The Serbian Orthodox Church and its believers adhere to the Julian calendar and on Tuesday celebrate Christmas Eve.

Serbs from Kosovska Mitrovica will, as was the case in the previous years, go outside the town to cut oak branches (badnjaks) that will later be used in a Christmas ritual in front of the Church of St. Demetrius (Dimitrije).