UNMIK Headlines 21 May
Lushtaku conditions the justice (Koha Ditore)
On the front page, the paper writes that Sami Lushtaku once again showed his power towards institutions of Kosovo with the police and correctional service being unable to transfer him and the other members of the so-called “Drenica Group” to the prison in Mitrovica North.
Until late hours of yesterday, the whereabouts of Lushtaku and the others from the group, Ismet Haxha and Sahit Jashari, remained unclear with reports suggesting that the three men had escaped from the Kosovo Clinical and University Centre (QKUK) where they were receiving medical care. However, neither the Kosovo Police nor EULEX officially confirmed their escape while Lushtaku’s family insisted he is in the premises of QKUK. Despite this, the police sealed all exit roads in Pristina yesterday afternoon.
The paper further reports that Kosovo Police called in reinforcements to search for Lushtaku at QKUK and quotes eyewitnesses claiming to have seen Lushtaku escape. “He was wearing a hat, jeans and a blue sweatshirt”, one witness said.
At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Hajredin Kuci said he was not informed at what was happening at QKUK. “EULEX deals with this issue, they don’t tell us”, he said.
CDHRF: EULEX is using double standards (Lajm)
The Kosovo-based Council for the Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) concluded that the decision of the EULEX judge Dariusz Sielicki for the transfer of the so-called “Drenica Group” is discriminatory, damages the defence of the accused, fair and unbiased trial and puts the defendants in the position to fear for their lives. CDHRF says that the defendants of the “Drenica Group” could have been placed in the high security prison in Gerdoc, municipality of Podujeva/Podujevo and tried there. “Implementation of double standards does not contribute to the respect of human rights and in particular the rights of persons deprived of freedom”, evaluates CDHRF.
Around 25,000 voter applications come from Serbia (Koha Ditore)
Preliminary number of the received applications from the voters outside of Kosovo is 27,239. Majority of these applications come from Serbia. Just before the deadline, during the late hours on Monday, 20,000 applications arrived from Serbia. According to the preliminary report of the Central Election Commission Secretariat, from 4,771 applications that have already been assessed, 2,771 are approved and 2,483 rejected.
Government enters compromise with northerners (Koha Ditore)
Government of Kosovo has pledged around one million euro to the municipalities in the north as an immediate assistance following their decision to adopt municipal statutes. “Minor changes to the statutes have been conditioned with immediate investment. The northern mayors now have their partner [Slobodan Petrovic] in the government who has given guarantees that the money will be transferred to the municipalities’ bank accounts”, said a Kosovo Government official.
Ashton: EU with monitoring mission for elections of 8 June (Botapress)
EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Catherine Ashton wrote a letter to the Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga whom she informed about the decision to send a monitoring mission for 8 June elections. In the letter, Ashton thanks Jahjaga for the invitation to monitor general elections in Kosovo. “I believe that the monitoring mission of 2013 has contributed to a transparent and comprehensive election process. After consultations with member states and European Parliament, I am pleased to inform you that we are going to send an EU monitoring mission for elections. In addition, I express my happiness to inform you I have named European Parliament MP, Roberto Gualtieri, as the head of the Monitoring mission of elections, a task which he also had during municipal elections last year”, reads the letter Lady Ashton sent to President Jahjaga.
Thaci allows headscarves in exchange for votes (Zeri)
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci is reported to have agreed to the condition put by the Justice Party (PD) leader Ferid Agani to allow schoolgirls attending classes to wear a headscarf in exchange for Agani’s joining the pre-election coalition with PDK. To this end, Minister of Education Rame Buja has revoked the administrative instruction which until now banned wearing headscarves in schools.
New Assembly with old deputies (Tribuna)
Even though the fourth legislature of Kosovo Assembly was considered the weakest in history, political parties run again with almost the same candidates. Furthermore, deputies such as Azem Syla, Flora Brovina, Bali Muharremaj, Florin Krasniqi and many others have never said a single word at the Assembly. A simple comparison of the lists of the candidates in 2010 shows that the number of the new candidates is very small, the only thing that differs is candidates’ ranking in the lists.
First European monitors arrived (Lajm)
The first mission of European monitors for early parliamentary elections on 8 June has headed to Kosovo. European Parliament has sent to Kosovo its first team of eight monitors who are going to be led by MEP Roberto Gualtieri. They are going to follow closely preparations for 8 June elections, while over 80 monitors are expected to arrive in the coming days.
Tahiri: I will be part of “Thaçi 4” government (Epoka e Re)
The leader of the Democratic Alternative of Kosovo (ADK) Edita Tahiri stated in an interview for this daily that her party has entered the coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo because it has a visionary approach towards Euro-Atlantic integration. She added that she has a cooperation and mutual respect with PDK leader Hashim Thaci, ever since the Rambouillet peace conference. She added that after PDK’s victory on 8 June she will be again part of the new government.