UNMIK Headlines 15 June
UN Security Council discusses situation in Kosovo (dailies)
In the UN Security Council debate on the recent developments in Kosovo, Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi said that agreement with Serbia of 19 April is decisive and historic and this should make the Security Council review the mandate of the Resolution 1244 and subsequently end its mission in Kosovo. He stressed that the importance of the agreement extends beyond the western Balkans region and that its implementation is paramount. “Timely implementation of agreement is crucial for eliminating criminal activity in the north”, Thaçi is quoted as saying.
At the same time, Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic said the situation in the north of Kosovo is quite fragile but added that Serbia continues to believe that negotiations can bring about an acceptable solution for all. Unlike Thaçi, Dacic said the mandate of UNMIK should remain unchanged and even argued in favour of more competencies being granted to the mission.
Member states of the Security Council hailed the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia and expressed support for continuation of dialogue. Cooperation of the Serb community with Kosovo institutions has been seen as a step towards their integration in the Kosovo society. Member states said the agreement opens the doors of regional and European integration for the two countries.
Serbia decides on composition of association’s predecessor (Koha Ditore)
Government of Kosovo issued a press release noting progress in preparations for the setting up of the association of Serb municipalities. The statement says that members of the managing team that will be tasked with setting up of the association have been selected but the paper claims Kosovo officials had no say on who will take part in the group as the list of names was prepare by the Government of Serbia. It notes it has secured two documents drafted in Brussels that show the composition of the managing team was decided by Serbia.
Symbolic implementation of agreement (Tribuna)
There have been symbolic steps undertaken in implementation of agreement between Kosovo and Serbia for normalization of relations, concludes the paper but notes that this progress is viewed more as a justification before the EU than genuine commitment.
In this regard, Belgrade has closed down an office of Serbia’s internal affairs ministry in Leposaviq and its officials have undertaken several visits in predominantly Serb areas in Kosovo aimed at explaining the agreement. Authorities in Pristina, on the other hand, have put the agreement under the voting procedure but have yet to ratify it and the same goes for the amnesty law.
Kosovo represented by its state symbols in regional meeting (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports that for the first time, Kosovo took part in a regional meeting with its own flag and state symbols. In the “US-Adriatic Charter” meeting in Ohrid, Kosovo was represented by Kosovo Security Force Minister Agim Çeku in the role of the visitor while representatives from Serbia refused to take part as a sign of protest against Kosovo’s state representation. Çeku said Kosovo is ready to join the “US-Adriatic Charter” in the near future and that regional and trans-national cooperation is crucial to longstanding peace.
Borchardt: Kosovo law obliges us to investigate war crimes (dailies)
EULEX chief Bernd Borchardt said in an opinion piece sent out to the media that EUILEX and local prosecutors are not pursuing cases based on politics but based on evidence. He admitted that the majority of suspects for war crimes committed in Kosovo are Serbs but that they are no longer in Kosovo. “We all follow Kosovo Law, and Kosovo Law says that nobody can be tried in absentia”, said Borchardt. He said justice has to take its course and this is particularly true for a society that wishes to take its place in the community of nations.
“It is disappointing and deeply frustrating that so few perpetrators have been punished so far. But this is no excuse whatsoever to pardon, ignore or forget others who committed war crimes”, said the head of EU rule of law mission in Kosovo expressing further EULEX’s commitment to continue efforts, along with Kosovo partners, in providing justice for the most vulnerable in this society.
Local elections to take part late October? (Zëri)
President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga had a meeting yesterday with EU Special Representative Samuel Zbogar and discussed the issue of local elections which, according to the law, have to take place before 15 December. Jahjaga is reported to have said that local elections have to take place throughout the territory of Kosovo and that this would send out a positive message for all citizens.
According to the paper, in order to respect the Kosovo-Serbia agreement, elections should be scheduled for either 20th or 27th October.