UNMIK Headlines 14 April
Serbian elections in Kosovo to take place according to 2014 model (Koha)
Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa said that there will be no Serbian elections in the territory of Kosovo but only ‘collection points’ run by the OSCE. Mustafa said talks are underway with the OSCE to determine the ballot collection points where the Serb citizens, based on the principle of dual citizenship, will be able to cast their votes. “There will be no counting points, there will be no elections in the classical term but there will be places where ballots will be collected,” said Mustafa yesterday during a visit to Mamusha municipality. The paper recalls a statement from the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo saying that parliamentary elections in the territory of Kosovo will take place according to the 2014 model when the OSCE had opened ten polling stations which, similarly to now, the government of Kosovo had referred to as ‘collection points’.
Mustafa: Demarcation is a closed subject (dailies)
Kosova Sot quotes Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa saying yesterday in an interview for RTK that the border-demarcation with Montenegro is a closed subject and it is expected to be ratified in the Assembly. “The findings of the international commission for border-demarcation were clear. The ratification of this agreement will be made in the Assembly before visa liberalization happens for Kosovo,” Mustafa said. In regards to the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Mustafa said the government of Kosovo will implement the decision of the Constitutional Court. He added that during the establishment of the Association/Community, the government will try to involve the opposition parties as well. However, Koha Ditore quotes a source from the office of PM Mustafa as saying that there is no urgency to push forward the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. “It could be years before we decide to proceed with it. This is not an urgent matter,” the source added.
Selimi: State Prosecution should initiate war crimes cases (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo’s acting-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, told the paper that the Kosovo government should clarify the rules for visits of Serb generals to Kosovo, and that this issue should be discussed in Brussels as well. He also called on the State Prosecution to initiate war crimes cases. Regarding the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Selimi said that he is not a candidate for Minister and that former Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj would be the appropriate person to hold this position. In the interview, Selimi also argued in favour of introducing religious education in Kosovo schools but added that these lessons would not be taught by priests or imams but should include secular knowledge on different religions. “Radicalism and extremism derive from human ignorance and these should be addressed in schools,” he stressed.
Collaku: Visa liberalization, within a few months (dailies)
Kosovo European Integration Minister, Bekim Collaku, during his visit in Strasbourg yesterday met with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, and MEP Ulrike Lunacek. The topic of discussion at these meetings was the conclusion of the process of visa liberalization for Kosovo. “Kosovo institutions and citizens expect the visa liberalization process to be concluded soon. Based on the work we have done, I am convinced that visa liberalization is very close and will be concluded within a few months,” Collaku said. Commissioner Hahn said he was satisfied with the progress on visa liberalization. “The SAA is a major step forward, now implementation is crucial. I expressed satisfaction with progress on visa liberalization and discussed next steps.” Hahn wrote on his Twitter account after meeting Collaku.
US, EU: Freedom of press is foundation of democracy (Koha Ditore)
The United States and the European Union have expressed concern over the incident where the head of the Kosovo Medicines Agency (KMA) banned a Koha Ditore reporter from covering Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s press event at the KMA premises. The US Embassy in Pristina said through its spokesperson Michelle Schohn that the freedom of the press is a fundamental requirement in any democratic society. The EU Office in Kosovo spokesperson Dinka Zivalj said that while they do not know all the detail of the incident in question, the freedom of press is a guaranteed right.
Serbian official Djuric not granted permission to enter Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
The paper quotes reports from the Serbian news agency Tanjug that Kosovo authorities have not granted permission to the director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo Marko Djuric to enter Kosovo yesterday.
Dikovic banned from entering Kosovo territory (Zeri)
Kosovo’s acting-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Petrit Selimi, has banned the entry into Kosovo territory of the Serb general Ljubisa Dikovic. In a decision that the paper claims to possess, Selimi has ordered law enforcement agencies not to allow general Dikovic to enter Kosovo. Dikovic was expected to visit Kosovo in the coming days.