UNMIK Headlines 16 October
Delawie: Assembly is no place for weapons (Epoka)
The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, met on Thursday with Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga to discuss the latest developments in the Kosovo Assembly. Delawie condemned the violence and the teargas thrown in the Assembly, adding that this institution is no place for weapons but for debate. Delawie called on all political parties to discuss and try to find a solution for the current political crisis. “Violence in the Assembly is hurting Kosovo and its people. I encourage parties to consider whether they want Kosovo integrated or isolated,” Delawie said.
Government calls on opposition to renounce violence (Epoka)
The Kosovo government issued a press release on Thursday condemning the release of teargas during the Assembly session on Thursday. The government said this was irresponsible behaviour and inconsistent with any code of ethics, moral and democratic practice. “The Kosovo government urges representatives of the opposition to renounce violence and attacks on constitutional institutions and to try achieve their political agendas through democratic means. The Kosovo government expresses its highest commitment to debate based on democratic rules and in the institutions in order to preserve national consensus and the support of the international partners,” the press release said.
“Different interests within the opposition bloc” (Zeri)
The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Angelika Viets, during an interview with the paper expressed her belief that there are different interests within the opposition and that for this reason, they cannot be a unified block. Although the opposition has managed to collect more than 170 thousand signatures against the agreements on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro, Viets said that the opposition is a minority and she is convinced that Kosovo citizens will not respond to calls for protest. In regards to Assembly’s work, according to her the current situation doesn’t represent an institutional crisis, since the ruling-coalition partners have a stable majority in the Assembly. Viets also spoke about the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, saying that this Association/Community will not have executive competencies because this was also a precondition for the international community. She said that if the opposition blocks the work of the government, then there will be long delays in the visa liberalization process.
Vetevendosje: Kurti and Haxhiu will not reply to the prosecution (Koha)
Vetevendosje officials said on Thursday that their MPs Albin Kurti and Albulena Haxhiu will not reply to an invitation from the Basic Prosecution in Pristina to give statements on October 22 in relation to the teargas incident in the Kosovo Assembly on October 8. The paper also reports that if Kurti and Haxhiu do not reply to the invitation the prosecution will issue an arrest warrant.
Krasniqi suggests moratorium on disputed agreements (Kosova Sot)
Co-founder of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) and former Assembly president, Jakup Krasniqi, said the recent developments prove that Kosovo is experiencing an institutional crisis. To resolve the situation, Krasniqi proposed a moratorium on the agreements for establishment of Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro so that the ruling and opposition parties can sit down and find a sustainable solution.
Malaysia arrests Kosovo man for ties with ISIS (RTK)
Malaysian authorities have a man in Kuala Lumpur for allegedly supplying information of US personnel to ISIS. According to the US Department of Justice, the man is identified as Ardit Ferizi from Kosovo. Malaysian police chief said preliminary investigations show that the suspect was in contact with a senior ISIS leader in Syria. Ferizi entered Malaysia in 2014 and enrolled into computer science and forensics studies.