Headlines - 21.07.2016

Mustafa: There won’t be new agreement on demarcation (dailies)

Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said on Wednesday that there is no room for a new agreement on the border-demarcation with Montenegro. He said that opinions and arguments will be presented during the debate on demarcation scheduled for 3 August, but added that everything must be in accordance with the documents based on which Kosovo declared its independence.  “We declared independence based on the Ahtisaari Package. If we go beyond that, finding a solution will prove problematic,” Mustafa said.

Thaçi: Failure of demarcation jeopardizes visa liberalisation (RFE/Kosova Sot)

Kosovo’s President, Hashim Thaçi, during an in interview with Radio Free Europe called on the Assembly and the political spectrum to as soon as possible conclude the issue of border-demarcation with Montenegro, in order for the European Commission to review the recommendation for visa liberalisation for Kosovo. “Any delay or failure to ratify this agreement would imply serious consequences for Kosovo’s European future,” Thaçi said. In regards to the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Thaçi said Kosovo institutions have an obligation to fully respect the decision of the Constitutional Court on this matter.  “The Government of Kosovo in the near future will announce the formation of the management team for the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. The Association will not have legislative or executive powers and will be in line with local government and European standards,” he added. On the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, Thaçi said Kosovo and Serbia must focus on implementing the agreements reached so far. Thaçi also called on political parties to overcome any problems only through dialogue.

Opposition sends signals it will not obstruct demarcation vote (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that opposition parties, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), are not expected to obstruct the Assembly’s vote on the border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro. According to the paper, both parties are trying to win over as many MPs from the ruling parties as possible so that the agreement is not ratified. Muharrem Nitaj, member of the AAK presidency, told the paper on Wednesday: “We’re doing our best to show to other MPs that the agreement in the version offered to us is damaging for Kosovo’s territory”. Representatives of the Vetëvendosje Movement, the biggest opposition party, did not say what will be their course of action when the Assembly meets to vote on the agreement. If the current version of the demarcation deal is ratified, opposition parties have warned they will intensify their actions both inside and outside the institutions. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa meanwhile has said that reaching a new agreement with Montenegro on the matter would prove difficult.

Kurti: Prison and bullets won’t stop us from opposing demarcation (Koha)

Vetëvendosje Movement MP, Albin Kurti, during an interview for KTV’s show Rubikon said his party will take part in the debate on border-demarcation scheduled for 3 August. He further added that prison and bullets will not stop them from trying to prevent the ratification of this agreement by the Kosovo Assembly. “We will be even more radical than we were a month ago. Neither prison nor bullets can stop us from preventing the ratification of the border-demarcation with Montenegro,” Kurti said. “August of last year was dark because several harmful agreements were signed. This year’s August will turn white because of the smoke of the teargas.”

Konjufca: For Serbs, nothing more than municipality (Epoka)

Head of the Vetëvendosje Parliamentary Group, Glauk Konjufca, told the paper that opposition parties will continue to oppose establishment of the Association/Community of the Serb-majority Municipalities. He stressed that it was organizing of the opposition to object the Association and the decision of the Constitutional Court that delayed drafting of the statute of the Association. Konjufca said in the interview for the paper that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo should focus on Ahtisaari’s Plan and nothing more than that. “Ahtisaari’s Plan in the territorial sense, does not go further than a municipality,” Konjufca said and added that Kosovo’s position should be clear that there will be nothing more than municipality.

A roundtable for demarcation, today (Epoka)

Another roundtable on demarcation of the border between Kosovo and Montenegro, prior to the one planned for 3 August, will be held today. Representatives of the coalition government and opposition parties are expected to present their arguments and counter-arguments on the demarcation. The “Demarcation of the Kosovo-Montenegrin border from the perspective of Montenegrin citizens of Kosovo” roundtable is organized by the Association of Montenegrins in Kosovo, as a demonstration of the engagement of genuine determination of this community for integration and cooperation among the two populations and states. The initiative is supported by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Vetëvendosje accuses Hyseni of banning its activists to enter Kosovo (dailies)

Vetëvendosje Movement MPs have accused Kosovo’s Interior Minister, Skender Hyseni and Prime Minister Isa Mustafa for not allowing its activists from Albania to enter Kosovo. During a press conference, Vetëvendosje parliamentary group chief, Glauk Konjufca, told journalists that activists from Albania were banned to enter territory of Kosovo only because they were members of Vetëvendosje.

Thaçi: I pray with pain and sympathy for all victims (media)

Several media report that President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, on Wednesday laid a wreath at a memorial dedicated to fourteen Serbian citizens who were killed immediately after the war, seventeen years ago, in the village of Gracke in Lipjan. Thaçi said that this criminal act was an act not only against the victims and their families but also an act against freedom and the democratic future of Kosovo. “I pray today with pain and sadness for all the victims of all communities, during and after the war. Every crime must be brought to light and punished. Crime is crime whomever it is committed against or by anyone who has been committed,” he said. Thaçi further said the fate of all missing persons must be brought to light, whether they are Albanian, Serb, Roma or members of any other community. “We all have a responsibility to work towards this goal. We have responsibility towards their families and for the future of our children. We must help each other in this respect. The pain of every mother for the loss of their loved ones is the same … Today, as we are working to build peace, reconciliation and cooperation between the nations of our region, it is important to reiterate that for a sincere reconciliation we need justice … As Kosovo, we have achieved a lot since the end of the war, seventeen years ago. We are now building bridges of communication and cooperation. In the near future, this will bring trust and reconciliation between communities … With justice being served reconciliation will happen, and reconciliation will occur in the near future, because there is a will for this. Only reconciliation and cooperation will make Kosovo, and the region, truly European”.