Headlines - 22.08.2013 Pristina: Dacic doesn’t decide on voting ballots (Lajm) Kosovo Government representatives on Wednesday rejected as irrelevant statements by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic to remove state symbols from voting ballots for the November local elections in Kosovo. Bekim Çollaku, principal advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, told Radio Free Europe that the decision on voting ballots will be made by the Central Election Committee and that Dacic’s statements have no effect on preparations for the November local elections. “The Government of Kosovo and its mechanisms, in this case the Central Election Committee, are the only legitimate institutions that decide on the design of voting ballots. Statements by Serbian officials, in this case by the prime minister of Serbia, are irrelevant and have no implications in the elections process,” Çollaku added. Daka: There were attempts to discuss the ballots (Epoka e Re) Head of the Central Election Commission, Valdete Daka, stated that the issue of ballots was not discussed during the meetings in Brussels, but that there were attempts to open the issue. “There were attempts to open this issue, but it was not discussed,” said Daka. “There were no discussion on ballots and I am continuously repeating this. We are speaking Albanian, so I believe that I am clear. I have not come to CEC from the street, I am a judge of the Supreme Court, and I am telling you that there were no discussions on the ballots,” said Daka. She added that the issue of the ballots was not discussed at CEC either. She stated that the ballots will look according to the decision of Central Election Commission. Political pressure risks putting CEC in deadlock (Koha Ditore) As Kosovo enters an important phase of the elections process, the institution in charge of organizing elections – the Central Election Committee (CEC) – is faced with internal problems. Some CEC members claim that chairperson Valdete Daka is trying to eliminate their voices because they constantly asked explanations for her involvement in political negotiations in Brussels. Some CEC members claim recent actions by the CEC chairperson are tendencies to prepare the ground before concessions with Serbia, especially about the design of voting ballots. Meanwhile, Daka denied claims that the institution is entering a deadlock. Baraliu: Ballots without symbols, violation of constitution (Epoka e Re) Mazllum Baraliu, former chairman of the Central Election Committee, has called on CEC representatives not to succumb to international pressure for removing symbols of the Republic of Kosovo from voting ballots for the November local elections. In an interview for the paper, Baraliu said the removal of state symbols would constitute a violation of the Constitution of Kosovo and the law on state symbols. He also argues that the OSCE mission should not have an executive role in elections. Kosovo requests complete implementation of the agreement (Epoka e Re) Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Edita Tahiri, stated that the next meeting in Brussels between Thaçi and Dacic, on 27 August, has for intention acceleration of the implementation of the agreement for normalization of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “This meeting will be held because there is determination of all parties to accelerate the rhythm towards the complete implementation of the agreement for normalization of the relations between the two countries,” she said. The President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga stated that some of the points of the agreement are being implemented successfully while the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa expressed skepticism on the implementation of the agreement. “We always suspect that the Government of Serbia has the will to implement the agreement reached at the table. We have experience, they always agree, but when implementation is concerned, it is difficult to be realized,” said Mustafa. EULEX, don’t leave! (Zëri) The paper reports on the front page that civil society in Kosovo is greatly concerned about the government’s strategy for the departure of EULEX in June next year, arguing that Kosovo is not able to overcome by itself the challenges awaiting her. Civil society representatives argue that an exit strategy for EULEX should have been drafted when the EU rule-of-law mission deployed following an invitation by Kosovo institutions. KIPRED senior researched Shpend Kursani told the paper that Kosovo should have known from the beginning why the EU mission is deploying, how long will it remain here and when it will depart. “In addition to its deficiencies, the plan was drafted by a government with a very low credibility. Such a proposal needs to be made by the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, constituted by the free vote of the people of Kosovo,” Kursani said. Florian Qehaja, from the Kosovo Center for Security Studies, said the government’s request for the end of the EU mission lacks arguments. “The government should answer a simple question: are Kosovo prosecutors and judges ready and skilled to take over EULEX cases? I think the answer is NO, bearing in mind the fact that Kosovo prosecutors and judges refuse to take on serious criminal cases and hand them over to their international colleagues,” Qehaja said. Agreement foresees operation in the north of one out of three illegal Serb operators (Koha Ditore) The paper notes that the according to the proposed agreement on telecom, until the unique state code (383 or 384) enters info force which is expected to happen in January 2015, one out of three illegal Serb GSM operators in the north will be allowed to operate there. The operator will be selected three months after it is confirmed that there has been considerable progress in securing a telephone code for Kosovo and will be shut down after the end of the tendering procedure for the third GSM operator. Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri told the paper that Pristina expects Serbia will accept the agreement drafted by the European Union. MSA negotiations in November (dailies) All line institutions, which will be included in negotiations for the Stabilization/Association Agreement, have submitted their initial negotiating reports. Kosovo’s European Integration Minister Gëzim Kasapolli told Radio Kosova that after the Ministry, as coordinator of the process, prepares the final document, negotiations on the SAA will begin in November and are expected to conclude in spring next year. “We, as the Ministry for Integration, are playing the role of coordinator and we are preparing a document that will serve as a sound basis for negotiations; we hope negotiations will begin in November,” Kasapolli was quoted as saying. Serbia drafts statute for Association of municipalities in the north (Tribuna) The Government of Kosovo is not managing to control officials appointed by Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Petrovic to prepare the establishment of the association of Serb majority municipalities and to draft the statute of the association. These officials are reportedly receiving instructions from Serbia and they have received a ready-made statute from Belgrade. The paper argues that details surrounding the establishment of the association are expected to cause major problems and disagreements in future meetings between the Kosovo and Serbia delegations in Brussels.