Headlines - 10.10.2016

• Kosovo Government: Trepca will not be discussed in Brussels (Koha)
• Mustafa: The wealth in our territory belongs to Kosovo (Epoka)
• Serbian List suspends participation in Kosovo Assembly (dailies)
• “Government received no official notice on Serbian List actions” (RFE)
• Veseli: There is no reason for Djuric to deal with Trepca (Epoka)
• Serbia to raise Trepca issue before UN Security Council (RTK)
• Djukanovic: No stability without good Kosovo-Serbia relations (Epoka)

Kosovo Government: Trepca will not be discussed in Brussels (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Kosovo Assembly’s decision on the Trepca mining complex has triggered major reactions from Serbia. Officials in Belgrade said on Saturday they will ask for an urgent session of the United Nations Security Council and negotiations in Brussels on the mining complex. Representatives of Serb municipalities in the northern part of Kosovo said the Assembly’s decision is illegitimate. Serb MPs have meanwhile suspended their participation in the Kosovo Assembly and Serb ministers in the central government have warned to follow suit. Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, however, ruled out any possibility that the fate of the mining complex could be discussed in Brussels. “We have made it clear that Kosovo’s assets will not be discussed in  Brussels. We will not agree to discuss Trepca in Brussels and this is our red line,” Tahiri said. “No topic can be discussed in Brussels without the consent of all three parties. This one of the key principles of dialogue”.

Mustafa: The wealth in our territory belongs to Kosovo (Epoka)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said in an interview for the paper that the decision of the Serbian List to suspend their participation in the Kosovo Assembly and Government, in reaction to the adoption of the Trepca law, “is regretful, hasty and a result of Belgrade’s pressure on the Serbian List”. Mustafa said Serbia should finally understand that the wealth in Kosovo’s territory is property of the Republic of Kosovo. “Serbia and the Serbian List should be released from self-deceit. Kosovo is a sovereign and independent state,” he said. Mustafa also called on opposition parties in Kosovo to meet and conclude the border demarcation with Montenegro as soon as possible, in order for Kosovo to get visa liberalisation. Mustafa also said that the government reshuffling could happen this month and he ruled out the possibility of early general elections. “Elections will be held in 2018,” he said.

Serbian List suspends participation in Kosovo Assembly (dailies)

Most daily newspapers report that Serbian List MPs have decided to suspend their participation at the Kosovo Assembly as a sign of protest against the adoption of the law on the Trepca mining complex. The Serbian List said in a statement that it does not recognise any decision regarding Trepca taken without consultation with the Serb political representatives. It also said that the Kosovo Assembly’s approval of the law is “unlawful and goes directly against the interests of the Serb community in Kosovo”. Klan Kosova quoted Serbian List leader, Slavko Simic, as saying that their decision to suspend participation in Kosovo institutions “is only the first step towards protection of Serb interests and assets in Kosovo”.

“Government received no official notice on Serbian List actions” (RFE)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Local Government Administration, Bajram Gecaj, said on Sunday that “there is no official indication regarding the Serbian List’s further steps after the Kosovo Assembly approved the Trepca Law”. “We will see what will happen on Monday, if we receive any official notice on this. According to media reports, they said they will freeze relations with Kosovo institutions. If this is true, we should get something in written from them, and then we will sit down to discuss and see how we deal with this issue,” Gecaj told Radio Free Europe.  Gecaj also said that the issue of Trepca has nothing to do with ethnic issues and said he was confident that a solution would be found that would satisfy Serbs too. Gecaj however said that the Trepca law cannot be returned to the Assembly. “I don’t believe this law can be returned. But we can sit and talk because there are also other bylaws that must be approved. One thing should be clear that Trepca is Kosovo’s asset and that Serbia cannot be involved in this matter,” he said.

Veseli: There is no reason for Djuric to deal with Trepca (Epoka)

The President of the Assembly of Kosovo, Kadri Veseli said on Sunday that the Trepca issue is a done deal and that the director of the Serbian Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, should not be dealing with the matter. Djuric said on Saturday that Serbia will defend Trepca through arbitrage. Veseli meanwhile told Klan Kosova that the law on the Trepca mining complex is the best possible one and it is favorable for re-functionalization of Kosovo’s metallurgical giant. Veseli did not want to comment on Serb Minister Ljubomir Maric’s statement who said that the Serbian List could leave the ruling coalition.

Serbia to raise Trepca issue before UN Security Council (RTK)

The Serbian Government plans to ask for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council following the Kosovo Assembly’s approval of a law on Trepca mine. Serbia considers the mine to be its asset and claims that by approving a law, Kosovo institutions have violated UNSC resolution 1244 that provides peace and stability in the region. The head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, said the decision on Trepca is an attempt by Kosovo authorities to finalise the ethnic cleansing of Serbs.

Djukanovic: No stability without good Kosovo-Serbia relations (Epoka)

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, said on Sunday that stability in the Balkans was never guaranteed. “Today, the Balkans is at a crossroads. So little is required for the Balkans pendulum to move towards Brussels, but we should not be lost again in the Balkans wasteland.” Djukanovic said. He said that Balkans rhetoric should be forgotten and there should be more communication using European language. According to him, the Balkans will never be stable if there are no good relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Djukanovic also said he did not intend to hurt Serbia by recognising Kosovo’s independence. “I understand the emotions of the Serbian population with regards to Kosovo, but today’s generations should not lead wars that were lost earlier,” Djukanovic said.