• Government, opposition clash over telephone code and the north (media)
• Tahiri: Thaci’s arrest by Serbian authorities, unacceptable (Zeri)
• Natasa Kandic reacts against arrest of Kosovo Police director (Lajmi)
• KLA veterans to protest in front of the government today (RTK)
• Jablanovic: Serb ministers take 70% of tenders (media)
• “Israel will not recognise Kosovo’s independence” (media)

Government, opposition clash over telephone code and the north (media)

One of the leading stories in all daily newspapers this morning is yesterday’s session of the Kosovo Assembly and discussions on the telephone code for Kosovo and the situation in the north. Under the leading front-page headline The Brussels agreements have legalised Kosovo’s division, Koha Ditore reports that opposition MPs expressed their concerns that the Brussels agreements are paving way to the division of the northern part of Kosovo. In his response, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade has enabled the integration of Serbs and the northern municipalities in Kosovo’s institutions. Kosova Sot quotes Mustafa as saying that the situation in the north of Kosovo has significantly improved over the last years due to the ongoing dialogue in Brussels. He however added that the difficult situation in the north was inherited from UNMIK. Nevertheless, “we have established sovereignty in the territory of Kosovo. We have borders with Serbia, we have the Kosovo Police there and work is underway for revitalisation of the Ibër river bridge that connects both parts of Mitrovica”, Mustafa said.  Epoka e Re reports on its front page that due to lack of quorum, MPs could not vote on two resolutions proposed by the Vetevendosje Movement. The first resolution proposed by Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri suggested that Albania’s telephone code should be applied for Kosovo, and the second resolution proposed by Vetevendosje MP, Ismail Kurteshi, called on the Kosovo government not to allow the construction of the “Sunny Hill” settlement in the north and to focus on the return of Albanians who were displaced from the north. The paper also notes that both resolutions are expected to be voted in the next session of the Assembly.

Tahiri: Thaci’s arrest by Serbian authorities, unacceptable (Zeri)

Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, reacted on Thursday against the arrest of Nehat Thaci, Kosovo Police director for the Mitrovica region, by Serbian authorities. Tahiri said the arrest was an arbitrary and unacceptable act. “I call on the European Union to intervene with Serbia and demand Thaci’s release. Serbia must respect the spirit of dialogue and the normalisation of relations between the two countries,” Tahiri said.

Natasa Kandic reacts against arrest of Kosovo Police director (Lajmi)

Natasa Kandic, leader of KOMRA, a regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed in the former Yugoslavia from January 1, 1991 until December 31, 2001, told Radio Free Europe that by arresting the Kosovo Police director for the Mitrovica region, Nehat Thaci, “Serbia has entered a position that belongs neither to the past nor the future”. Kandic said that with such arrests, Serbia can directly threaten the establishment of the special court that will address allegations of war crimes committed by former KLA members. Kandic also said that the accusations made against Thaci are politically motivated.

KLA veterans to protest in front of the government today (RTK)

Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) veterans have announced a protest today in front of the government building against delays in the process of payments of pensions. The protest is organised by the Council for Protection of KLA veterans whose chairman, Xhevdet Qeriqi, said they will no longer tolerate the injustices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. “We have been meeting representatives of this Ministry for two days and asked for the annulment of their recent decision, but we made no breakthrough”, said Qeriqi. Recently, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare said it has not enough funds to pay off pensions to the KLA veterans due to their large number.

Jablanovic: Serb ministers take 70% of tenders (media)

Dragan Jablanovic, mayor of Leposavic municipality, told a Mitrovica North based news website Kossev that Serb ministers in the Kosovo government are commanded by Marko Djuric, the head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo. “I do not want to listen to the way they talk. Mafia stands behind them. They want to take all the tenders, to work for thirty percent and divide among themselves seventy percent of the value of tenders. I do not allow this,” Jablanovic said.

“Israel will not recognise Kosovo’s independence” (media)

Several news websites report that Alona Fisher, the recently appointed Israeli Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia, said that her country will not recognise the independence of Kosovo. “I will make it very clear. Our position has not changed. We will not recognise Kosovo’s independence,” Fisher told a Belgrade-based daily newspaper.