UNMIK Headlines 1 August
Mustafa invites opposition to present arguments on 3 August (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said on Sunday that the opposition parties and their experts have the chance to present arguments against the demarcation agreement with Montenegro on the debate to be held on 3 August. Mustafa said if it is determined that Kosovo has lost 8,000 hectares of land, then those who drafted the agreement will bear the responsibility for it. But according to him, if not enough facts are provided for this, then the responsibility will remain with “those who wanted to set Kosovo on fire for this cause.” “The opposition and its experts who created this cause, which in my opinion is false and ungrounded, will have the opportunity on 3 August to prove which municipality or cadastral area is losing land,” Mustafa said.
AAK leader Haradinaj to take part in demarcation debate (RTK)
The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, is expected to take part in the upcoming debate on the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro on Wednesday. Haradinaj is reported to have requested permission to take part for the fact that he has renounced his MP mandate and his request was granted by the Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli.
Haliti: Demarcation to be solved through a broad consensus (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo Assembly Deputy Speaker and senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, told the paper that it would be good if the agreement on border-demarcation with Montenegro is ratified with the consensus of all parliamentary groups and not by just two-thirds majority. “Personally I would not wish that this agreement be ratified with 80 votes. It would be better to have a broader consensus by all parliamentary groups,” Haliti said. According to him, before the ratification, it should be clarified if everything was done in accordance with the agreements that Kosovo signed with the international community.
Northern municipalities still operating under illegal administration (Koha)
The paper writes that apart from Mitrovica North, the three other municipalities in the north of Kosovo continue operating under illegal administration while their staff receive salaries from both Kosovo and Serbia. The documents that the municipalities of Zveçan/Zvečan, Leposaviq/Leposavić and Zubin Potok issue to the citizens bear the logo of Serbia and the municipal officials said they will continue functioning in this manner until the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities is established. At the same time, the Ministry of Local Government and Administration said it is providing training to the northern municipalities’ staff in order to integrate them into the Kosovo system.
EULEX’s reconfiguration, 800 persons to lose their jobs (dailies)
The dailies report today that the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) will have 800 employees less by December this year. This follows the renewal of the mission’s mandate until June 2018 which foresees a reconfiguration process. Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the mission is expected to finish its reconfiguration by December this year. “EULEX will have 800 employees, half its size compared to 1,600 that worked there during the last mandate,” Kocijancic said, adding that this reconfiguration will affect both international and local staff.