Security Council formalises rejection for KAF (Koha Ditore) The United Nations Security Council responded positively to Serbia’s request that the concern over the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF) should be published as a document and forwarded to member states. The paper claims to have secured copies of official notes that the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to the UN Secretary General and to the Security Council, through its ambassador at the UN, along with a letter of the President of the Security Council notifying member states about Serbia’s concern. In a document dated 8 March, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic expressed his concern to UN chief Ban Ki-moon about the latest developments in Kosovo. “The decision of 4 March for the establishment of the so-called Kosovo Armed Forces constitutes a serious violation of Resolution 1244. The establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces will without any doubt provide a serious blow to all efforts for a peaceful solution and would undermine the authority and global role of the United Nations Security Council in safeguarding peace and international security,” wrote Mrkic, adding that Kosovo’s decision was in violation with the Pristina and Belgrade dialogue. Sylvie Lucas, president of the Security Council, forwarded the two documents to member states that were sent by the Serbian Government. UN officials in New York meanwhile could not say if there would be an urgent session, as Serbia requested. NATO will not impede formation of KAF (Kosova Sot) NATO officials said on Monday that the Alliance would not interfere in the formation of the Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF), regardless of Serbia’s complaints. “The structure, mandate and mission of the Kosovo Security Force are not for NATO to decide. The future of the KSF is an internal matter for Kosovo institutions and they decide about its fate. Therefore, NATO can only welcome and support the development of the KSF within its original mission and with a clear mandate through NATO and the Advisory Group,” a NATO official in Brussels said. Government, opposition against Serbian elections in Kosovo (dailies) Government and opposition representatives said on Monday that Serbian elections in Kosovo would be a violation of the latter’s sovereignty and that the government should not allow such elections. Parliamentary Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said the government should decide based on the Constitution and its respective laws. “The agreement was reached by the government. We respect every decision made by the government,” he added. Dacic replies to Tahiri on elections (Tribuna) Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday that Serbia will hold parliamentary elections in Kosovo and that Serbs will be able to exercise their right to vote and elect state representatives. “The Brussels Agreement has not stopped the right of Serbs to vote for their state, contrary to what Edita Tahiri is saying. Serbs will take part in these elections,” Dacic told Vecernje Novosti. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri said recently that the Brussels Agreement is the end of Serbia’s interference in Kosovo’s internal affairs. Tahiri: Dialogue will not stop (Epoka e Re) Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the dialogue with Serbia, Edita Tahiri, said the process will not stop despite Serbia, Kosovo, and the European Union heading to elections soon. However, she admitted that at present, there is hesitation on the part of Serbia to continue efforts in resolving outstanding issues and implementing the already-achieved agreements. “The European Union and we as a country believe that the process of dialogue should continue up until the independence of Kosovo is recognised by Serbia,” said Tahiri. Two chambers for KLA “crimes” (Zëri) Pristina agreed that it couldn’t reject the establishment of a Tribunal, which would judge possible KLA crimes. According to local and international sources, the Tribunal would have two chambers: one in Kosovo and the other outside Kosovo. The chamber in Kosovo was requested by Kosovo authorities to deal with suspected crimes in Kosovo, while the special chamber outside Kosovo will deal exclusively with protected witnesses. Serb List imposes compromises in this mandate (Tribuna) Minority communities may keep the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF) pending if they refuse to vote in favour of constitutional changes. According to the Constitution of Kosovo, in order to pass, amendments need 80 votes from MPs and a majority of votes from minority communities’ MPs. It is therefore up to the current legislation to decide if it wishes to proceed with the Constitutional changes during this mandate or wait for the next one when the Kosovo Assembly is expected to be joined by the Serb List. Ivanovic transferred to Mitrovica prison (dailies) The leader of Civil Initiative (SDP), Oliver Ivanovic, will be transferred to prison in Mitrovica, stated EULEX spokesperson Dragana Nikolic Solomon. She told Tanjug that the court decided to transfer Ivanovic. Tudorache: Visa liberalisation uninfluenced by politics (Koha Ditore) Ioan Dragos Tudorache, head of the European Commission’s evaluation mission for visa liberalisation, said on Monday that Kosovo is in the crucial phase of implementing criteria deriving from the visa liberalisation roadmap. Experts of the mission will stay in Kosovo this week to evaluate the criteria related to the integrated border management (IBM), public order and security. Tudorache said the evaluation mission would not be influenced by political events, because the process is entirely technical. He added that both blocs – IBM and public order and security – are very complex as they involve a number of issues, such as organised crime, corruption and financial investigations. Government approves pay raise for public servants (dailies) The Government of Kosovo approved a 25 percent pay rise for all categories of public servants, social assistance beneficiaries and pensioners yesterday. Former miners of the Trepca complex will receive a 50 percent increase of their incomes. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the raise would affect around 240,000 families in Kosovo, while the total number of those benefiting is 80,475.