Headlines - 27.12.2016

• Serbian PM Vucic with ultimatum for Serbian List (media)
• Djuric: Serbs will establish Association/Community in February (Zeri)
• Murtezaj calls for unity against Serbia’s efforts to interfere in Kosovo (Koha)
• Gecaj: Maric was a marionette (Zeri)
• Hopes for a single resolution for demolishing wall in Mitrovica North (Epoka)
• Agreement with EU on Mitrovica wall (Gazeta Metro)
• Poll: “Albin Kurti, the most preferred leader for Kosovo youths” (media)

Serbian PM Vucic with ultimatum for Serbian List (media)

Several media report that following recent splits within the Serbian List, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called Kosovo Serb political representatives to a meeting in Belgrade. During the meeting on Monday, Vucic presented an ultimatum to Serbian List members to dismiss the newly-appointed Local Government Minister, Mirjana Jevtic, and to return Ljubomir Maric to this position, by December 31. Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, who made the decision to dismiss Maric, said on Monday that if Maric was an Albanian minister, “he would have been dismissed a long time ago”. Representatives of opposition parties in Kosovo, on the other hand, argue that Serb ministers in the Kosovo Government are appointed by Belgrade.

Djuric: Serbs will establish Association/Community in February (Zeri)

Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, said on Monday that if the Kosovo government does not establish the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities by 15 February next year, Serbs will establish it on their own. “We will not beg anyone to implement what we have agreed upon. If during the next couple of weeks, there are no concrete steps to establish the Association, Serb representatives in agreement with their state, will start establishing the Association themselves. By February 15, Serbs will start to agree on how the Association will look like, what will its competencies be, in order to create institutions that would deal with issue as well as defending Serb population in Kosovo,” Djuric said.

Murtezaj calls for unity against Serbia’s efforts to interfere in Kosovo (Koha)

Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Valon Myrtezaj, called on opposition parties to be united with Kosovo’s institutions against Serbia’s efforts to interfere in Kosovo. Myrtezaj also called on Kosovo Serbs “to understand that their work needs to be done in Pristina and not in Belgrade” in reference to their meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. “Belgrade will never be asked or listened to about what needs to be done in Kosovo,” he added.

Gecaj: Maric was a marionette (Zeri)

Bajram Gecaj, advisor to Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, reacted on Monday against a statement by former Local Government Minister Ljubomir Maric who said that he was politically more mature than Mustafa. Gecaj said during his mandate as minister, Maric was a marionette that lacked the courage to make a single decision for Kosovo Serbs. He added: “because of complicated and sensitive political circumstances, the refugee from Knin had the luck of becoming a minister of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. However, his misfortune was that he never managed to emerge from the position of a submitted loyalist … Kosovo Serbs don’t need to be represented by those that fled their country, but by local politicians that represent only the interests of Kosovo Serbs, and not the interests of Djuric or Vucic. There is a lot of work for them to address the daily problems of their community and not deal with the complicated inter-state policies between Kosovo and Serbia. I continuously gave them this advice”.

Hopes for a single resolution for demolishing wall in Mitrovica North (Epoka)

The heads of parliamentary groups from the ruling coalition and the opposition, who are scheduled to meet today, are optimistic they will achieve consensus on a single resolution for demolishing the illegal wall in Mitrovica North, the paper reports on page three. Pal Lekaj, head of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) parliamentary group, said his party is willing to give up on two demands – the resignation of Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri and the suspension of talks in Brussels – if the government gives guarantees that the wall in Mitrovica North will be demolished by January 15. “We need a simple majority of votes to adopt this resolution. I hope we will unify the resolution because this is not an issue pertaining to a single political party, but rather a national issue on which we must have consensus. I am confident that the Assembly will reach consensus for demolishing the wall,” Lekaj added. Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group chief, Zenun Pajaziti, said a recent parliamentary debate on the matter showed that all political parties are in favor of demolishing the wall. “We agreed that all legal measures need to be taken to remove that barrier and other potential barriers,” he added.

Agreement with EU on Mitrovica wall (Gazeta Metro)

Pristina-based news website Gazeta Metro claims to possess a four-point document, dated December 9, which came out of the Office of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini, which stresses that all parties have agreed to set a roundabout near the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica, which would have the current wall as a basis, but which will be reduced to 80 centimeters. The agreement was reportedly sent by e-mail to Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri and to the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo Director, Marko Djuric. The agreement stresses that the lowest level of the wall will be 30 centimeters while the highest, 80 centimeters, adopted by stairs will be used by pedestrians. “This should accommodate the security concerns, by ensuring the freedom of movement,” the new agreement says.

Poll: “Albin Kurti, the most preferred leader for Kosovo youths” (media)

Several news websites cover a poll conducted by the Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) with youths from the 17-21 age group. The poll was conducted on November 26 – December 9 and included 1,200 respondents, 50.3% female and 49.7% male. 70 percent of the respondents said things in Kosovo were moving in the wrong direction. Asked about the five main concerns that should be addressed by the government, the respondents highlighted unemployment (65.1%), economic development (54.6%), the fight against corruption (51.3%) and visa liberalisation (4.1%). Asked about their preferred politician, 13.7 percent of respondents chose former Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti, 10.5 percent chose Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and 7.5 percent chose PDK leader Kadri Veseli. 76.1 percent of the respondents said they want to vote in the next parliamentary elections.