Headlines - 01.09.2016

• Kosovo Assembly to vote on demarcation with Montenegro today (media)
• Thaci: Demarcation agreement will be ratified on Thursday (Rrokum TV)
• Ymeri calls on MPs not to vote demarcation deal (Zëri)
• Gecaj: Government will not fall even if demarcation fails (Klan Kosova)
• KLA veterans: MPs should not ratify demarcation deal (Epoka e Re)
• Fajon: No visa liberalisation without ratifying demarcation deal (Zëri)
• Serwer: Demarcation risks Kosovo’s stability (Bota Sot)
• Thaci: Normality in the north is result of Brussels dialogue (media)
• Hoxha: “Pronto” is not exempt from justice (Zëri)
• Tahiri: Serbia should transform into European spirit (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo Assembly to vote on demarcation with Montenegro today (media)

The lead story in all daily newspapers this morning is today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly where MPs will vote on the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. Under the lead front-page headline ‘The day of the answer for demarcation’, Koha Ditore reports that the ruling coalition lacks the required number of votes to ratify the border deal, as around 10 MPs from this coalition have said that they will vote against the agreement. “The assembly vote will be held under the pressure of protest actions both within the Assembly and outside. The situation may escalate if the agreement is ratified,” the paper reports. Zëri notes on its front page that foreign ambassadors in Kosovo have called for a peaceful debate and no violence. According to Epoka e Re, the fate of the border demarcation agreement is in the hands of MPs from the Dukagjini region. The paper notes that there are a total of 14 MPs from the ruling coalition (PDK-LDK) and two independent MPs from this region whose votes will determine whether the agreement will be ratified. In another front-page article related to the same issue, the paper reports that the Vetëvendosje Movement will protest outside the Assembly building without the other two opposition parties, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA). Citing sources in the Serbian List, Kosova Sot reports that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has ordered the Serbian List MPs to boycott today’s assembly session. The same sources said that Serb MPs travelled to Belgrade on Wednesday where they were told by Vucic to reject the demarcation agreement, “because the ratification of the agreement will strengthen Kosovo’s sovereignty”. Bota Sot reports on its front page that citizens are calling on MPs not to ratify the border deal with Montenegro.

Thaci: Demarcation with Montenegro will be ratified on Thursday (Rrokum TV)

Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, said in an interview with Pristina-based Rrokum TV on Wednesday, that Kosovo will not lose even a single meter of its territory as a result of the border demarcation with Montenegro. “No one has provided facts that Kosovo will lose territory. I believe the NATO maps and the maps with which we have declared the independence of Kosovo. I don’t trust Yugoslav or Russian maps. I can say that there have been wrong interpretations, whether someone did this intentionally that I cannot say, they know this better than I do … I am confident that the demarcation will be ratified. This will pave way for visa liberalisation,” Thaci was quoted as saying.

Ymeri calls on MPs not to vote demarcation deal (Zëri)

The leader of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri, once again called on members of the Kosovo Assembly not to vote on the border demarcation deal with Montenegro. He said the protest scheduled for Thursday, 1 September, “is the best opportunity to say no to this government”.

Gecaj: Government will not fall even if demarcation fails (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Local Government and Administration, Bajram Gecaj, said on Wednesday that even if the Kosovo Assembly fails to ratify the border demarcation deal with Montenegro, the government will not fall. “It is not a big tragedy if demarcation fails on Thursday. Several times it’s happened that the coalition could not secure the necessary votes. But this cannot be considered a failure of the government and the coalition,” he said.

KLA veterans: MPs should not ratify demarcation deal (Epoka e Re)

The War Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army have once again opposed the current version of the demarcation of the border with Montenegro. On Wednesday, they appealed to members of the Kosovo Assembly not to ratify the border agreement. They also requested from Montenegro not to provoke by entering the territory of the state of Kosovo. “We stand loyal to every word that we have said in the past, our public statements and press release of 10 August 2016,” said a press release, also calling on both police and protesters to refrain from violence. “Violent scenarios do not contribute to stopping this harmful process,” the press release noted.

Fajon: No visa liberalisation without ratifying demarcation deal (Zëri)

The European Parliament rapporteur for visa liberalisation for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon, has drafted a report which will be presented to the European Parliament on 5 September, reiterating the conditions that Kosovo must fulfill in order to get visa liberalisation. Although the eighth amendment of this report determines that Kosovo has met all the visa liberalisation criteria, Kosovo must ratify the border demarcation deal before this report enters into force. The text proposed in this report says, “Kosovo has met the requirements regarding the visa liberalisation process prior to the day when this Regulation shall enter into force, including the ratification of the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro and added results in the fight against organised crime and corruption”. However, the paper notes that everything will depend on today’s Assembly session. Fajon reiterated that there will be no visa liberalization for Kosovo without ratifying the demarcation deal.

Serwer: Demarcation risks Kosovo’s stability (Bota Sot)

Daniel Serwer, a US expert on the Balkans, said on Wednesday that the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro can destabilize the situation in Kosovo. “Any issue can be a destabilizer if a political movement manages to mobilize violence to achieve its goals,” Serwer said. He added that Kosovo has far more important issues than demarcation. “Demarcation with Montenegro will be a good thing. I wait for the day when Kosovo will mark the border with Serbia as well,” he said.

Thaci: Normality in the north is result of Brussels dialogue (media)

All media covered Kosovo President Hashim Thaci’s visit to the Jarinje border crossing point in northern Kosovo on Wednesday. Thaci said that “the created normality, the freedom of movement of people and goods in northern Kosovo are a result of the Brussels dialogue”. He also said that cooperation between Kosovo and Serbian authorities at this border point is encouraging. Thaci congratulated police and customs officers of all communities who are working jointly according to Kosovo’s laws and European standards.

Hoxha: “Pronto” is not exempt from justice (Zëri)

Kosovo’s Justice Minister, Dhurata Hoxha, during an interview with the paper said that independent and competent bodies will determine whether there are grounds to start legal proceedings, regardless of who the person is. Asked about the “Pronto” scandal involving the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) senior officials, Hoxha said that if there is such a basis, then the law should apply to all those who have violated the law and they should face justice. Hoxha also said that U.S. Vice-President Biden's demand for fighting corruption is in full line with the new approach of the Justice Ministry to focus on the effective rule of law.

Tahiri: Serbia should transform into European spirit (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio engaged in the Brussels dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, responded to the press release of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo on the occasion of her visit to Mitrovica to inspect works on revitalization of the Ibër Bridge. She wrote that Serbia should engage on normalization of inter-state relations with the Republic of Kosovo in the spirit of the dialogue that they are holding in Brussels and to stop with interferences in the Kosovo state. “A Serbia with Milosević’s mentality cannot pretend to become European without accepting the new reality created in Balkans with the birth of seven new countries, where the Republic of Kosovo is the youngest one. Both Serbia and Kosovo are very much aware that progresses on normalization of the neighbourly relations are related to their progress on European integration,” Tahiri said.