Headlines - 20.08.2013 Preparations underway to remove “Republic of Kosovo” from ballots (Koha) The paper reports on the front page that the symbol and design of voting ballots for November 3 local elections has caused a split among members of Kosovo’s Central Election Committee (CEC). Some of them have expressed concern that there are preparations to remove the CEC logo and the denomination “Republic of Kosovo” from the voting ballots. Fadil Maloku, CEC member from the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), could be dismissed from his post for rejecting changes in the design of the voting ballots. “Certain preconditions are being put in place to discipline members of the Central Election Commission and new facts will emerge from the Brussels agreement. One of these facts is that Serbs say they will not participate in elections with Kosovo symbols, and the second one is the creation of circumstances for Serbs to take part in elections with a single list,” Maloku was quoted as saying. Oath, not in the name of the state (Tribuna) The paper reports on the front page that the Government of Kosovo and EULEX have prepared the plan for the merging of illegal security structures in Kosovo institutions. The government has made all preparations to include over 300 members of Serbian MUP in Kosovo Police. The Ministry for Interior Affairs, in cooperation with EULEX, has prepared special training that northern Serbs will have to undergo before they can wear Kosovo Police uniforms. The paper claims to have seen the final draft of the oath that each member of Serbian MUP will have to sign before joining Kosovo Police. The statement obliges Serbs to accept Kosovo’s laws but the oath does not include the term “Republic of Kosovo”. A senior government official involved in the process told the paper that police officers in the north will have the same uniforms and equipment as their colleagues in the south. In a separate box within the same article, the paper reports that the government is also preparing a plan to integrate Serb members of the Civil Protection. The government views this as a big challenge because it will have to integrate them in several institutions. “Some members of the Civil Protection will be integrated in the Emergencies Management Agency, others in the Agency for Preservation of Forests and some others in the correctional service,” a government official said. Ivanovic: Mayors in the north will be dismissed this week (Koha) Oliver Ivanovic, former secretary in the Serbian Government’s Ministry for Kosovo, confirmed on Monday changes in parallel institutions in Kosovo announced by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic. Ivanovic said mayors of the northern municipalities – Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok – will be dismissed. “I know there will be changes; the mayors of the northern municipalities will likely be dismissed on Thursday. Prime Minister Dacic will make this decision in line with Serbia’s law on local self-government,” he added. Ivanovic also said that Dacic has invited the mayors of southern parallel municipalities for consultations on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he will meet the northern mayors. The final decision, according to Ivanovic, for the dismissal of mayors will be made after consultations. Pajic’s testimony should be discussed at the United Nations (Tribuna) Prenk Gjetaj, chairman of the Kosovo Government’s committee on missing persons, suggested on Monday that Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi should include in his report to the United Nations a statement by Ivan Pajic about the transport of Albanian corpses and their extermination at the Bor melting facility. The paper contacted the government but the latter did not say if the proposal of the missing persons committee will be mentioned in New York. Vetëvendosje decisive not to allow theft of votes (Koha Ditore) A smooth elections process on November 3 will depend on orders that election commissioners receive from their leaders. This conclusion was made by civil society who still fears that the election process could be riddled with misuse and manipulation. Civil society representatives have called on the Central Election Committee to follow the practices of special elections in Ferizaj and Kacanik. Meanwhile, the Vetëvendosje Movement says it will not allow the people’s vote to be misused or stolen. Vetëvendosje’s deputy leader Shpend Ahmeti said their movement has learned about all ways how votes can be misused and that they will do everything in their power to stop that from happening.