Headlines - 14.08.2017

• Fourth attempt to elect Assembly President today (RTK)
• Quint countries call for forming of institutions (media)
• Ahmeti: Quint called on PAN not to block institutions (media)
• Krasniqi: VV is trying to impose an authoritarian mindset in Assembly (RTK)
• Hoxhaj: Dialogue should conclude with mutual recognition (Koha)
• Dacic: Kosovo to be debated at UN also in the future (RTK)
• Dacic: Division of Kosovo, only an idea (Zeri)
• Vucic: Kosovo, EU’s main condition for Serbia (Koha)

Fourth attempt to elect Assembly President today (RTK)

The Assembly of Kosovo announced on its website that the constitutive session will resume today at 10:00. The only point of the agenda is nomination of the Assembly President and Deputies of the Assembly President. However, the PDK-AAK-NISMA (PAN) coalition has reiterated that they would not attend the session. A member of the chairmanship of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said PAN MPs would not participate at the session “as it was called unilaterally”.

Quint countries call for forming of institutions (media)

A day before the fourth attempt to continue the constitutive session of the Assembly, Quint states appealed to MPs to participate at the session. “We are concerned by the ongoing political situation in Kosovo. Kosovo faces many challenges, both immediate and long term, including both the IMF program, energy situation, but also the need for economic development, strengthening of the rule of law, Kosovo’s European perspective and Kosovo’s relationship with Serbia. Kosovo’s citizens deserve an Assembly and Government that can meet these challenges. It is the responsibility of Kosovo’s leaders to form these institutions, but also to make the necessary reforms to prevent similar deadlock in the future. We hope that Kosovo’s leaders, both in politics and civil society, will take the lead in resolving this issue, including by providing concrete proposals. An important first principle is that deputies elected to the Kosovo Assembly should attend Assembly sessions and allow its work to begin,” reads their press release. Under the front-page headline PAN ignores Quint’s criticism, Koha Ditore reports that Quint countries reacted to the boycott of the constitutive session by PAN MPs, calling on MPs to attend the session and make way to functioning institutions. PAN MPs however have ignored the call saying they will not attend the session on Monday. Meanwhile, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is looking into the possibility of addressing the Constitutional Court to see if delays by PAN can be considered as consumption of the right to nominate a candidate for the post of Assembly President.

Ahmeti: Quint called on PAN not to block institutions (media)

Several news websites report that Pristina Mayor and senior Vetevendosje member, Shpend Ahmeti, commented on the statement issued by Quint countries, calling on political parties not to block the forming of new institutions. Ahmeti said the Quint called on PAN MPs to attend the constitutive session of the assembly on Monday. “Stop delaying the process. You lack the numbers to create institutions, let’s continue with alternatives, do not block Kosovo. Stop making slanderous statements against the municipality of Pristina it won’t help you. Kosovo has no time to lose!” Ahmeti posted on his Facebook account.

Krasniqi: VV is trying to impose an authoritarian mindset in Assembly (RTK)

Memli Krasniqi, deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said on Sunday that PAN MPs will not attend the assembly session Monday. “We will not attend any session as long as they ignore consultations to appoint a date for the session,” Krasniqi told Pristina-based Indeksonline news website. “We feel bad that Adem Mikullovci chair of the constitutive session] is being misused by his party [the Vetevendosje Movement] in their attempt to impose an authoritarian mindset in the highest institution of the country.”

Hoxhaj: Dialogue should conclude with mutual recognition (Koha)

Kosovo’s former Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, reacted to a statement by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic who said his proposal to define “what is Albanian and what is Serbian in Kosovo” is not aimed at Kosovo’s division and that Serbia would not recognize Kosovo’s statehood at the end of dialogue. Hoxhaj said in his reaction that “if internal dialogue is not about recognizing Kosovo’s independence and statehood, it would be destined to fail”. “If Serbia continuously campaigns against Kosovo’s membership of international organisations,  what normalisation are we talking about,” Hoxhaj posted on his Twitter account.

Dacic: Kosovo to be debated at UN also in the future (RTK)

Serbia’s Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, said that the regular quarterly session of the UN Security Council will be held on the 16th of this month, however, he added, major powers and Pristina are engaged to annul these meetings. “Pristina has each time stressed that Kosovo has to be removed from the agenda of the UN Security Council and that the UN Mission in Kosovo is not needed, but this will not happen thanks to our friends, who have the right of veto, Russia and China,” Dacic said. Dacic also told  Serbian public broadcaster RTS,  that Ramush Haradinaj, Hashim Thaci and other politicians in Kosovo, cannot resolve any problem without the Serbian state. He added that Kosovo politicians benefit from the dialogue with Serbia. “If Serbia is not important, then why do they call Serbia for this dialogue? Why cannot Haradinaj, Thaci and other giants of political thinking resolve problems, because they cannot resolve any problem without the Serbian state,” Dacic said.

Dacic: Division of Kosovo, only an idea (Zeri)

Serbian media report that Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, said that he has mentioned division of Kosovo only as an idea for an internal dialogue, initiated by President Aleksandar Vucic. “I do not speak about division but for defining what is Serbian and what Albanian. This is an idea that has to be discussed and there is no division,” Dacic said.

Vucic: Kosovo, EU’s main condition for Serbia (Koha)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters in Belgrade that Kosovo is the main condition of the European Union for Serbia. “The key issue is Kosovo. The second issue is Serbia’s relation with Russia, and not the rule of law, even though Western politicians keep pointing to this,” Vucic said. “Internal dialogue on Kosovo is important because as long as there is no progress on this matter there will be no progress on our path toward the European Union”.