UNMIK Headlines 13 July
Kosovo Assembly will not vote border demarcation deal this week (dailies)
Koha Ditore on the front page quotes sources saying that the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro will not be put up for vote at the Kosovo Assembly this week as has been widely reported in the media over the last days. Government officials said there have been no prior consultations between the ruling parties on the matter. Another source said that Prime Minister Isa Mustafa from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is keen to see the agreement voted on as soon as possible but that he lacks the support of the coalition partner, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). Similarly, Zëri also reports on the cover that the voting of the border demarcation agreement has been postponed on the request of the PDK. The head of the party’s parliamentary group, Adem Grabovci, said the demarcation agreement is a very sensitive issue and all alternatives need to be exhausted before it can be submitted to the Assembly for endorsement.
LDK leadership discussed demarcation and government reshuffling (Epoka)
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leadership during an extraordinary meeting held on Tuesday afternoon discussed the latest developments in Kosovo, border-demarcation with Montenegro and the reshuffling of the government. According to government’s spokesperson Arban Abrashi, the party only discussed this issue but did not take any decision. “The demarcation is an issue of opposition’s political cause. The facts are on our side and soon we will present them in the Assembly,” Abrashi said. He also said that the government meeting foreseen to take place on Wednesday, was postponed due to Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s busy agenda.
Haliti: Zero information on border demarcation process (RTK)
Kosovo Assembly Vice President and senior Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) official, Xhavit Haliti, said that he personally has zero information about the border demarcation process and, as a result, has not yet made up his mind on whether to support the agreement or not. Haliti said it is important to sit down and discuss the issue based on arguments and not media reports.
O’Connell proposes public debate on border demarcation (Kosova Sot)
The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairí O’Connell, called on the government of Kosovo to organise a public debate in order to explain in detail the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro. At the same time, he urged the people of Kosovo to look at the matter based on facts and not rumours. O’Connell made the remarks after meeting Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj.
Simić: We did not discuss KAF with Thaçi (Zëri)
The leader of the Serbian List, Slavko Simić, said on Tuesday that his party did not discuss the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into Kosovo Armed Force (KAF) with Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi. “I talk to many institutional representatives and I need to be honest that until now no one has approached me with the topic of the transformation of the KSF into KAF. In general, we try to discuss the topics of concern to the Serbian community, from economic issues to security concerns,” Simić said. His statement comes after media reports quoting President Thaçi as saying he discussed the transformation of the KSF into KAF with Serbian List representatives.
Tahiri: EU increased pressure on Serbia (Epoka)
Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, told the paper that the European Union has increased the pressure on Serbia for the implementation of agreements reached with Kosovo in the frame of Pristina – Belgrade dialogue. She said that during the Western Balkans Leaders’ Summit in Paris, Germany strongly urged Serbia to implement these agreements. According to her, Serbia has created a political blockade on the issues of telephone code, independent functioning of KOSTT (Kosovar Electricity Transmission, System and Market Operator)and the opening of the Ibër/Ibar River Bridge. Tahiri also said that Kosovo has made it clear that it will not take any action to implement the agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities before Serbia lifts the blockade on these issues.
Deputy PM Stojanović does not trust Kosovo Police (Koha)
Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and member of the Serbian List, Branimir Stojanović, said that Kosovo Police is incompetent and uninterested to protect Serbs and called on KFOR to put a roadblock in the village Paralovë/Paralovo to protect the people there. According to him, many attacks targeting members of the Serb community are happening in that region. “We are alarmed by recent attacks which are occurring continuously. We are surprised with the incompetency of the Kosovo Police, and now we also suspect the complicity of police in systematic harassment that Paralovo residents are being subjected to,” Stojanović said through a press release. He condemned the incident that occurred on Sunday in the village of Paralovo, Novo Brdo, and warned that the patience or trust in the police is running thin.
Police refute reports of gunfire along the Kosovo-Montenegro border (Koha)
A group of residents from the village of Haxhaj situated alongside the Kosovo-Montenegro border strip reported hearing gunfire from the Montenegrin territory. Kosovo Police spokesperson for the Peja/Peć region, Xhevat Ibra, said they received information from a citizen of gunfire but failed to find any evidence of such activity.