Headlines - 13.01.2017

• Haradinaj released on bail pending extradition request review (dailies)
• Haradinaj: I was told Serbia’s arrest warrant was reactivated (Koha Ditore)
• Successes and failures of Kosovo according to Edita Tahiri (Kallxo.com)
• Kajtazi: Thaci and Veseli are in the focus of the Special Court (Gazetametro)
• PM Mustafa refers to Presevo Valley as Eastern Kosovo (Zeri)
• Railway authority: Serb companies operating illegally in north (Kosova Sot)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Haradinaj released on bail pending extradition request review (dailies)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj was released on bail by a French court yesterday pending the review of request for his extradition by Serbia. According to the conditions of the release, Haradinaj cannot leave France and is two report to authorities twice a week. The papers report that Haradinaj’s release was granted after Kosovo institutions provided relevant guarantees. In the court hearing, Haradinaj vowed to respect the conditions of his bail but said he was being held under a political arrest warrant issued by Serbia. “What you are doing now is abusing human rights,” Haradinaj told the court. The news of Haradinaj’s conditional release was welcomed in Kosovo but his own party, the AAK, said he should have been unconditionally released. As the same time, the government of Kosovo issued a statement saying that Haradinaj’s release on bail is the first step towards his full release.

Haradinaj: I was told Serbia’s arrest warrant was reactivated (Koha Ditore)

Upon his release on bail, the AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj said in an interview for KTV from Colmar, France, that he travelled to many European countries in the past and was never detained by authorities. “I was told that the Interpol warrant was reactivated on Serbia’s request,” said Haradinaj. He said he was confident that that he would soon be released completely and return to Kosovo to resume his activities. “I have nothing to feel guilty for. This is yet another injustice against me. This will only turn into a motive to work harder,” he added.

Successes and failures of Kosovo according to Edita Tahiri (Kallxo.com)

Kosovo’s Minister for dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said for Jeta ne Kosove TV show that the major failures of Kosovo during 2016 were lack of visa liberalisation and low economic development. She said that the greatest success was signing of the Stabilisation Association Agreement. Speaking about the dialogue, she said that Serbia continuously impeded implementation of the reached agreements. According to her one of the successes of the dialogue is the decline of interethnic incidents. She added that she was speaking based on Police reports. 

Kajtazi: Thaci and Veseli are in the focus of the Special Court (Gazetametro)

Journalist and founder of Insajderi news website, Vehbi Kajtazi, said on Thursday for KTV that the investigations of the Special Court are being carried out in a completely different manner from those of EULEX, The Hague Tribunal and UNMIK. ¨The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, the President of the Parliament, Kadri Veseli, then Haliti, Syla, and others from this rank are all under investigation. They are being investigated for a range of crimes committed before and after the war…  This Court is consequence of our inaction,” Kajtazi said. Besa Luzha, civil society activist, said at the same TV show that the civil society in general supported the Special Court, while analyst Mufail Limani said that establishment of this Court was the worst evil that happened to Kosovo state. 

PM Mustafa refers to Presevo Valley as Eastern Kosovo (Zeri)

The paper reports that Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, referred to a delegation of Albanian representatives from the Presevo Valley as being of Eastern Kosovo. “Representatives of three municipalities of the Eastern Kosovo after thanking Prime Minister Mustafa and the Government of Kosovo for their support and commitment, spoke of concrete projects that would help advance processes,” a press release issued by Mustafa’s office reads.

Railway authority: Serb companies operating illegally in north (Kosova Sot)

The Regulatory Authority of Kosovo Railways issued a statement to the media saying it is watching closely developments regarding Serbia’s announcement that it will launch a new Belgrade-Mitrovica railway line. It said that any company that operates within the territory of Kosovo without relevant license is “illegal” and “unacceptable.”