UNMIK Headlines 13 July
Amnesty law to the Constitutional Court or to the President (Koha Ditore)
Amnesty law, proceeded hastily from the Government to the Assembly, will have to wait at least ten days to come into force, and it will not be sent to the President at least for a week. The President then has eight days to decide if the law objected by a petition of more than 12 thousand citizens, has to be returned to the lawmakers or not.
Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi, who refused to participate at the voting session, has not even signed the law, which was supported by 90 deputies on Thursday. Krasniqi told this daily that lack of his signature is not related to his personal position. “It has not been prepared for signature yet,” he said. From now, the Assembly will consume all its time recognized by legislation in power, by keeping the laws at this institution, prior to proceeding them for declaration.
Indictment against “Drenica Group,” in October (Koha Ditore)
Sylejman Selimi, Sami Lushtaku and the others, are expected to be indicted for war crimes in the beginning of October. Sources from the investigation process told this daily that investigations are almost completed and that evidence gathered so far, will result with raise of charges against former commander of KLA General Headquarters, known as “Sulltan” and his former subordinates. They will be accused for war crimes suspected to be committed in 1998, in village Likoc.
“There is sufficient evidence for indictment. And this will happen the latest in October,” said this source who added that the last ones to be interviewed, are the suspects. Sylejman Selimi and Sami Lushtaku will be questioned on Wednesday, at the Special Prosecution of Kosovo.
Krasniqi: My absence was a vote against the law (Koha Ditore)
Rejection of the Agreement with Serbia has pushed the Assembly Speaker of Kosovo, Jakup Krasniqi, not to accept the amnesty draft law, being a product of this agreement. He stated on Friday that his decision to leave the session during the voting of this law was made for several reasons. “I voted against the Agreement as such. This means that I was for an agreement which would normalize the relations with Serbia and which would later guarantee Kosovo’s membership at the United Nations and other international mechanisms. Therefore, I voted against the Agreement and its products, also because of the lack of transparency. I did not participate at voting of the law for amnesty, not because I was against the law, but because of I was against its incompleteness and politicization,” said Krasniqi. He said that there are also other reasons why he had decided not to vote for the law.
MFA plans to apply for CE during the following months (Koha Ditore)
Kosovo is expected to apply for membership at the Council of Europe during the following months, where from 47 member states, 34 have recognized Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. Kosovo Government has made this decision a few weeks ago, when Kosovo became member of the Council of Europe Bank for Development. A document of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which this daily claims to posses, says that “membership at the Council of Europe Bank for Development was a strategic step to observe the political support for membership at CE.”
“We plan to submit our application to the CE in a near future, or during the following months,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj, and added that this process lasted from one to three years for the countries of the region.
Kosovo to start negotiations for SAA in September (Epoka e Re)
After the EU President Van Rompoy and Baroness Catherine Ashton, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Stefan Fule, is expected to visit Kosovo next Thursday. The news was confirmed by the Minister for European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, who stated that this visit will mark symbolically the new relations between Kosovo and EU. She also said that Kosovo will start SAA negotiations with EU in September.
Serbs from the north will not participate in elections (Epoka e Re)
The illegal mayor of Zvecan municipality, Dragisha Milovic, said on Friday that Serbs in the north will not participate in elections of 3 November, organized by Pristina. During the solemn gathering for the Day of Zvecan, he stated that they want to stay in their own state; therefore they have established the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, reported TV Most.
“We did not do this out of rampage or in an anti-constitutional manner, but in order to remain within the Constitution and state of Serbia,” said Milovic. He added that Belgrade and the international community can and should offer better solutions with rights that would have been acceptable and sustainable for all those who live in Kosovo.