Headlines - 10.12.2013 Election reforms by January 21, national elections in late September (Koha) Leaders of the biggest political parties in Kosovo, except for the Vetevendosje Movement, met in the premises of the US Embassy on Monday and agreed that election reforms will be completed by January 21 and that national elections will be held on the third week of September next year. The meeting was hosted by US Ambassador Tracey-Ann Jacobson. Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti was not invited to the meeting, but his movement said it was ready to go to elections. “The US Embassy confirms that Ambassador Jacobson and the director of the Office for Central and Southern Europe at the US State Department, Jonathan Moore, met today with political leaders to encourage them to complete election reforms in line with Kosovo’s European aspirations,” the US Embassy told the paper. AAK spokesman Ernest Luma said all political leaders agreed on an action plan until the next parliamentary elections. “The first agreement is to complete election reforms by January 21^st. The second agreement is to hold national elections on the third week of September,” Luma added. Vetevendosje MP Visar Imeri told the paper that this sort of decision-making is in opposition with institutional sovereignty. “This is turning into a practice of discussions among certain politicians outside the premises of Kosovo institutions. They are not meeting in the government building or in parliament, and this goes directly against institutional sovereignty, democracy and transparency … This is inflicting serious damage on Kosovo. We insist that Kosovo should follow the institutional path of discussions and decision-making,” Imeri said. Thaci: Risk of Kosovo partition has been avoided (Tribuna) In an interview for Voice of America, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said talks with Serbia have avoided every possibility for Kosovo’s partition, autonomy within the state, or the creation of another Republika Srpska. He said elections in Serb majority municipalities in the north have paved way for political and physical integration of that region. Commenting on the latest round of talks in Brussels, Thaci said, “We are in a very important phase of implementing agreements that derive from the April agreement between the state of Kosovo and Serbia. In our latest meeting, we agreed on the individual integration of police in the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. Citizens there will now apply individually, and they will have to meet all conditions and standards just like all other Kosovo police officers … Under no circumstance will individuals with criminal backgrounds be integrated in Kosovo Police.” Dialogue ends in February (Tribuna) The meetings between the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dacic, with Baroness Catherine Ashton in Brussels are reaching an end. The three capitals will hold elections next year. As a result of these agenda’s, Kosovo and Serbia should reach the second agreement on normalization of relations the latest in February of the next year. And conclude in this manner this phase of dialogue. This agenda was part of the discussions that the U.S. Department of State, Director Office of South-Central European Affairs, Jonathan Moore, had with the leaders of political parties in Kosovo, on Monday at the U.S. Embassy.   Moore: Association is not an NGO (Tribuna) Department of State, Director Office of South-Central European Affairs, Jonathan Moore, stated that the pretence of the Government of Kosovo that the association of Serb communities is only a non-governmental association, does not stand. However, according to the U.S. official, Serbia’s claim that this association is a special entity does not stand either. According to him, Kosovo municipalities have many competencies and everything that happened with the association is that they can exercise these competencies now. During an interview for Klan Kosova, Moore reiterated that there is no division of Kosovo. “There were never any kind of discussions as part of the dialogue on the change of borders or exchange of territories,” said Moore. No integration plan for Serb illegal administrations (Koha) The paper notes that except for Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, other Serb majority municipalities still have two municipal administrations – a legal and an illegal one. After the election of new municipal structures, legitimate representatives of the community are not giving guarantees to their employees that their contract will be renewed after January 1^st. Government officials meanwhile said that some illegals could remain without jobs as the administration cannot become overcrowded. The Government of Kosovo has yet to address this issue, and it is expected to come up with an integration plan for illegals. EC calls on government to focus on sustainable reintegration (Koha) The fact-finding mission of the European Commission has called on the Kosovo Government to focus on sustainable reintegration before addressing the urgent needs of repatriated persons. Regarding migration, the European Commission requests more training for border police. In general European Commission has given positive evaluation in the implementation of recommendations from the report for three units. The report is not expected to be ready until next year, however, this has been told to Kosovo Government verbally. The Office of European Commission said that the detailed report will be ready in the beginning of next year. The fact finding mission of European Commission stayed in Kosovo to verify implementation of engagements from Kosovo Government, which are connected with three units for visa liberalization: Unit 0 – repatriation, reintegration; Unit 1 – documents security and unit 2 migration and asylum. The Office of European Commission said for the newspaper that they appreciate for the legislation for that Kosovo did in summer. OIC Secretary General calls for recognition of Kosovo (dailies) Several dailies report that the Secretary General of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has called on the remaining OIC member states to recognize the independence of Kosovo. 30 member states have recognized Kosovo so far. “There are many challenges ahead, not only for our countries, but also for the organization we are representing. 30 member states have already decided to recognize Kosovo’s independence,” Ihsanoglu said at the 40^th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held in the Republic of Guinea. AAK leader Haradinaj writes to chief prosecutor Kabashi (dailies) Alliance for Future of Kosovo leader Ramush Haradinaj wrote an open letter to the Kosovo chief prosecutor Ismet Kabashi where he urges his to launch investigations on any public accusation of criminal acts. “For a long time we see in our media people of different profiles who make open accusations against Kosovo citizens as being actors of killings, extortion, and other serious crimes sanctioned by the Kosovo Penal Code”, wrote Haradinaj. He said a democratic society cannot be stable and functional if justice doesn’t do its work. “When the innocent are accused and denigrated and the perpetrators remain free and untouchable, the society is morally crushed”, stressed Haradinaj. The letter was written following allegations from the new mayor of Peja, Gazmend Muhaxheri, that AAK is involved in several high-profile killings after the war in Kosovo. Koha Ditore reports that Peja’s prosecution is waiting for reply from the Kosovo Special Prosecution as to who should investigate Muhaxheri’s claims. Lushtaku not granted temporary release (dailies) EULEX judge has refused the request of Sami Lushtaku to be released so that he could be sworn in as Skenderaj mayor. The judge ruled there is no legal basis to grant Lushtaku’s temporary release from custody and that it could send a wrong message to the witnesses in his trial. The decision means that Skenderaj citizens are likely to head to the polls once again by February of next year at the latest as the law stipulates that new mayors should be sworn in before their respective municipal assemblies.