UNMIK Headlines 15 May
International interest in elections (Tribuna)
EU Special Representative Samuel Zbogar, EULEX head Bernd Borchardt and KFOR Commander Salvatore Farina all had separate meetings yesterday with the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, and discussed the early elections. Jahjaga noted in the meetings that elections need to be democratic, fair and comprehensive. She also said that security institutions in Kosovo – EULEX, the Kosovo Police, KFOR – should guarantee safety so that the people will be able to vote freely.
Calls for free elections (Lajm)
The US Ambassador in Pristina, Tracey Ann Jacobson, called for the 8 June election process to be fair and transparent. She called on the people of Kosovo to take part in elections, because as she said, this is the only way that their voices could be heard. Meanwhile, the head of the Kosovo Central Election Commission (CEC), Valdete Daka, has assured the American Ambassador that the CEC will do everything possible to ensure that the process fulfills international standards. The American Ambassador called for free, fair, transparent and democratic elections. After the visit to the CEC, Ambassador Jacobson said that the elections will be a tool for the development of Kosovo.
EU may send monitoring mission for elections (Zeri)
Zeri reports on the front page that President Jahjaga’s request, for the EU to send a monitoring mission for the 8 June elections, may be accepted by Brussels. The paper’s sources in the EU Council said that “President Jahjaga’s request, to send a similar mission to the one during the last elections, is being treated positively.” A European official, speaking anonymously, told the newspaper that the main problem is that the elections will be held very soon, and that under such a short timeframe, a monitoring mission would normally not be deployed. Meanwhile, the US Embassy has decided to establish 40 election monitoring teams.
Minority communities could win more than reserved seats (Tribuna)
Failure to extend the mandate of reserved seats for members of minority communities in Kosovo does not prevent them from winning more seats than the constitutionally guaranteed number. Allocation of assembly seats will be in proportion with the votes minority communities win in upcoming elections. An official from the Central Election Commission said that if minority communities exceed the 10 seats guaranteed by the Constitution of Kosovo, they will be able to gain even more than that in the Kosovo Assembly.
Kosovo’s political mafia (Koha Ditore)
On the front page, the paper quotes documents drafted by NATO’s intelligence service, in which the former Kosovo Intelligence Service (SHIK) is described as a powerful criminal organisation. The US and UK are reported to have linked SHIK to killings, blackmail, attacks, drug smuggling, and elimination of political opponents. The paper is publishing the first of what it says is a series of articles based on NATO documents that detail criminal and business activities of Kosovo leaders including Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Azem Syla, Adem Grabovci, Xhavit Haliti and Fatmir Limaj. “SHIK is engaged in criminal activity and is linked to elements of organised crime through the leadership and its personnel. The PDK leadership, which is the political sponsor of SHIK, is at least aware and most likely allows the criminal activity of SHIK”, one of the documents reads.
Kosovo asks EU to make Serbia recognise Kosovo diplomas (Koha)
Following the decision of Serbia’s Constitutional Court not to recognise university diplomas issued by Kosovo, authorities in Pristina have asked the EU to step in and take measures to ensure implementation of the agreement with Belgrade, which guarantees mutual recognition of diplomas. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci told the paper that the agreement with Serbia is of an international character, and as such, should be respected by Serbia. “The Government of Serbia made a mistake by not ratifying it in its Assembly, because if it had done so, there would be no problem with the Constitutional Court”, Kuci added.
Municipalities in the north have Friday deadline (Lajm)
Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri said she is hopeful that by Friday, when the legal deadline expires for the review of statutes of four municipalities in the north, the statutes will be harmonized with Kosovo laws. Tahiri confirmed that the heads of the northern municipalities have requested a meeting with her, through EU representative Samuel Zbogar, and that this meeting will take place next week. Tahiri also said that, during this period, three long meetings took place with mayors of northern municipalities, which according to her, were very constructive. Tahiri called reports that northern leaders refused to meet her yesterday evening “media speculation” even though such a meeting had been planned at the EU House in Mitrovica North.
Serb prosecutor talks about execution of 82 Albanians (Lajm)
The Prosecution for War Crimes of Serbia has information that says that during the conflict in Kosovo, in the vicinity of Rudnica, in the municipality of Rashka, 82 Albanians were executed. This was confirmed to TV B92 by the Prosecutor for War Crimes of Serbia, Vladimir Vukcevic. He said that it is being verified if their bodies are located in the quarry of Rudnica, where excavations are taking place, following suspicions that there was a mass grave there with Albanian bodies. The Prosecutor said that these persons are identified as missing “and we are looking to see if their bodies are indeed in Rudnica” and “for the time being we cannot say who did this.” Vukcevic said that suspicions have been supported by satellite footage. The case of the mass grave in Rudnica was revealed by a witness protected by EULEX.
Kosovo becomes member of ICPEN (Epoka e Re)
On the occasion of Kosovo being accepted into the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), the Minister of Trade and Industry, Bernard Nikaj, together with the representative of the Kosovo Organization for Protection of Consumers, Selatin Kacaniku, visited the Meridian Company in Pristina. Nikaj emphasized that the acceptance of Kosovo in ICPEN is a reflection of the achievements reached in recent years on the protection of consumers.