Zbogar: Have a little patience (RTK)

The European Union's Special Representative in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, called on the people of Kosovo to be patient for the visa liberalization process. "Every day we see Kosovo's commitment to the European path and I believe that Kosovo has achieved progress in this respect. Negotiations for the Stabilization/Association Agreement have concluded recently and I think we have made a huge step forward in the process of visa liberalization. We are evaluating if Kosovo is ready to join the visa-free movement. There will be a report before summer that will assess what has been achieved and what steps need to be made in order for the Commission to recommend to member states to open their borders for Kosovo. I realize this has been a long process and I call on the people of Kosovo to have a little more patience as we are making very important steps," Zbogar told RTK.

Belgrade wants united Serb list for Kosovo national elections (Koha)

Dejan Pavicevic, Belgrade's liaison officer in Pristina, said on Friday that Serbs should run with a united list in the forthcoming national elections in Kosovo. "We were successful with the Serbian List and with the establishment of local institutions and I expect that at the central level we will manage to strengthen the influence of Serbs," Pavicevic was quoted as saying.

Milovan Drecun and Goran Bogdanovic echoed the call for a joint participation of Serbs in the 8 June elections. "A united list is very necessary if we want to have greater capacity especially now that there are no more reserved seats for Serbs," said Drecun, a member of the Serbian Parliament. Bogdanovic, former Serbian Minister for Kosovo, said the impact of Serbs in Kosovo has grown weaker in time and that this is the reason they should run with a single list.

LDK: Thaci is using public funds for his election campaign (Koha)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) issued a press release today accusing Prime Minister and PDK leader Hashim Thaci for using public funds for his election campaign. "Thaci is violating democratic rules by conducting an election campaign before the timeline specified by law. Thaci is misusing public funds for his party's objectives and promotion. We call on all political parties to respect democratic rules and the timelines for election campaign. We call on the Central Election Committee and other relevant institutions in charge of organizing elections to prevent such actions as they pose a direct threat to the election process," the LDK press release said.

Limaj: PDK-LDK coalition, damaging for Kosovo (Epoka)

In an interview for Klan Kosova on Friday, Fatmir Limaj, leader of the Initiative for Kosovo, said an eventual coalition between the PDK and LDK would not be good for Kosovo. Asked about a possible coalition agreement between PDK and LDK leaders, Thaci and Mustafa, Limaj said: "I don't know that there is such an agreement. It would be best to ask them. I believe the country needs changes. The past has shown that even if there are agreements they don't respect them. If they make such arrangements, they will be damaging for Kosovo. Any agreement between these two political parties will not bring the changes wanted by the people. Kosovo needs something different. Such a coalition would not help changes in the way Kosovo is governed and would not help democracy."

Ramiz Kelmendi joins PDK (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister and PDK leader, Hashim Thaci, confirmed today that renowned businessman and former AAK MP, Ramiz Kelmendi, has joined the PDK. Thaci told reporters today that Kelmendi was joining the list that will win the 8 June elections and the new mission for economic development and for creating new jobs.

Kelmendi said he decided today to join the PDK after realizing that through this party he will implement his plan for economic development. Kelmendi's inclusion in the PDK comes only several days after he resigned from all positions in the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo.