Headlines - 29.12.2016

• PM Mustafa comments on Serbia’s obstructions (Koha)
• PM Mustafa: Serbian List’s actions are destructive (Koha)
• Fjala calls for exclusion of Serbian List from all institutions (Koha)
• Kosovo Assembly to call for wall demolition (Kosova Sot)
• Government of Kosovo inaugurates offices in Mitrovica North (dailies)
• Djuric: Association/Community to be integral part of Serbia (Koha)
• A year of failures for the Government and Assembly (Koha)

PM Mustafa comments on Serbia’s obstructions (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, admitted on Wednesday that there are still problems in the mainly Serb-inhabited northern part of Kosovo. “I cannot say that the situation in the north is the same as in other parts of Kosovo, nor that the situation in Leposavic or Mitrovica North is the same as the situation in Gracanica and Shterpce, because they are considerably different. What we need to do in this case is normalise the situation. The whole process of dialogue is focused on normalising the situation so that we can have an approximately same situation in the four northern municipalities as in other parts of the country. This can be done only through dialogue. There is no other way,” Mustafa told reporters in Pristina on Wednesday.

PM Mustafa: Serbian List’s actions are destructive (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa commented on Wednesday on a communique issued by the Serbian List in which the latter said that Serb MPs would implement all decisions made by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and that they are suspending their participation in the works of the Kosovo Government and Assembly. Mustafa said the actions of the Serbian List are destructive and that he will complain to Brussels about Serbia’s continuous interventions. “The actions of the Serbian List are senseless and they don’t serve their interests … I believe Serbs must understand that they serve their interests within Kosovo and that they should not represent the Serbian state’s policies in Kosovo. We will never agree with the representation of the policies of another state in our Government and Assembly. Those who live in the territory of Kosovo must represent the people’s interests in the Kosovo Government and Assembly, be they Albanians, Turks, Montenegrins or Bosniaks,” he said. Mustafa also ruled out the possibility of revoking the decision to dismiss former Local Government Minister Ljubomir Maric. “He does not deserve to be a member of the Kosovo Government … They [Serbs] need to do their job as members of the government, because they cannot remain in government if they don’t do their job.”

Fjala calls for exclusion of Serbian List from all institutions (Koha)

Fjala political party called on Wednesday for the exclusion of the Serbian List from all Kosovo institutions “as a result of insulting and anti-constitutional statements against state institutions”. “Today’s statement by the Serbian List, in which they said they recognise only Vucic as their Prime Minister and called the Kosovo Assembly and Government as provisional institutions, is both insulting and anti-constitutional … The Kosovo Government needs to undertake measures in line with the Constitution against such anti-state and anti-constitutional actions. These measures should include: the immediate exclusion from Kosovo institutions and a lawsuit for threatening the constitutional order,” a press release issued by Fjala noted.

Kosovo Assembly to call for wall demolition (Kosova Sot)

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has agreed to change the text of the draft resolution it is sponsoring regarding the Mitrovica North wall erected by local authorities earlier this month. The AAK agreed to remove two items from the document which call for the resignation of Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri and the halting of the dialogue with Serbia. Head of AAK parliamentary group, Pal Lekaj, said the amended resolution has been supported by heads of all parliamentary groups. The draft resolution, expected to be put up for vote today, calls for the demolition of the wall by end of January.

Government of Kosovo inaugurates offices in Mitrovica North (dailies)

Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, inaugurated yesterday a government building in Mitrovica North where 105 employees from a number of ministries and central-level agencies will work from now on. In a press release issued by the Kosovo government, the opening of these premises marks a significant step in Kosovo authorities’ extending sovereignty to the north of Kosovo. Similar offices are planned to also open in Zubin Potok and Leposaviq/Leposavić. Pristina-based news website Klan Kosova reported on Wednesday that a hand grenade was found near the premises.

Djuric: Association/Community to be integral part of Serbia (Koha)

Head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric said that once established, the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities will enjoy a range of competencies and will be an integral part of Serbia just as Kosovo is. He said the Association/Community will maintain “active institutional links” to both Belgrade and Pristina.

A year of failures for the Government and Assembly (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Kosovo Government and Assembly have failed to carry out even half of the duties they set out to do early this year and that “boycott and the lack of work have characterised the work of these two institutions”. The Assembly adopted around 1/3 of the laws that it had planned for this year and this was confirmed by non-governmental organisations that monitor the work of the Assembly.