• Kosovo leaders attend Tirana Morning Prayer (media)
• PDK: Early elections would have same outcome (media)
• Hoti: Those who are negotiating secretly will face people’s opposition (media)
• Mujka: Municipal authorities in the north blocking bridge opening (media)
• Bedri Krasniqi’s group failed to flee high-security prison (Gazeta Express)

Kosovo leaders attend Tirana Morning Prayer (media)

Kosovo Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, said during the Tirana Morning Prayer that the integration of the region in the European Union depends also on the understanding of religious traditions. Veseli said that both in past and present times, religious traditions were a source of inspiration for peace, tolerance, understanding, good neighborly relations and coexistence between people and nations. “As such, they are a spiritual wealth that we must foster together beyond our differences or problems from the past. The democratic future of our region, and the integration of our countries in the European Union, depends on understanding this bigger truth,” Veseli said. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who also attended the Morning Prayer, said: “Peace is in the hearts and minds of people. In our country, Kosovo, we are not only committed to peace but we also know very well how important it is to live in peace and reconciliation. This is why I treat with respect and integrity all colleagues from the communities of our country, including Serb colleagues. Open issues from the past need to be closed because they constitute a threat … All open issues in our region, if they are not concluded, especially a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, will constitute a threat to our region and our children”.

PDK: Early elections would have same outcome (media)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) representatives say they are ready for possible early general elections and said they will win the elections whenever they are held. PDK MP, Ganimete Musliu, told Ekonomia Online that the other parties are not ready for early elections. “Even if we go to elections tomorrow, the PDK will be part of the government and will win the elections,” she said. “I don’t see that the other political parties are ready, regardless of what opposition parties say in the Assembly and in different meetings. If you ask them behind the cameras they will tell you they are not ready for elections because they have internal matters to resolve. Therefore, to be honest, I said we are ready as much as the other parties are. If a decision is made on early elections, we will be ready”. Musliu also said that given the current circumstances, new elections would not bring about solutions but only damage the budget and the citizens.

Hoti: Those who are negotiating secretly will face people’s opposition (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group chief, Avdullah Hoti, said today that any agreement with Serbia that threatens the functioning of the Republic of Kosovo by making constitutional re-arrangements will not be accepted. Hoti wrote in a Facebook post: “The Republic of Kosovo, with its constitutional arrangements based on the Ahtisaari Plan, is the most sublime achievement of Albanian nationalism and compromise for peace in the region. Any agreement with Serbia that threatens this achievement and the functioning of the Republic, by making constitutional rearrangements, will not be accepted. Those who are conducting secret negotiations and without a mandate should know that they will face the opposition of the people”.

Mujka: Municipal authorities in the north blocking bridge opening (media)

The main bridge in Mitrovica is still not functional despite the fact that works on revitalizing the bridge have concluded for some time now. Mitrovica North municipal officials do not want to comment on the issue, while the EU Office in Pristina, which supervises the process, says work is ongoing. Residents of the southern part of Mitrovica say they are using alternate routes to travel to the north. “No one in the city knows when the bridge will be opened. Only God knows this,” a Serb resident of Mitrovica North said. “I don’t know why they are prolonging the construction. The children cannot play”. Municipal authorities in the north have recently started removing some parts of the road to make it seem as if the construction is not over yet. Serb citizens meanwhile claim this is done for money laundering. Mitrovica South deputy mayor, Faruk Mujka, said municipal authorities in the north were blocking the opening of the bridge with the aim of renegotiating the administrative boundaries. “There is talk now about the final phase of dialogue [between Pristina and Belgrade] and Rakic [Mitrovica North mayor] hopes to block the issue of the bridge so that he can renegotiate the administrative borders one more time. The administrative borders are defined with the Ahtisaari Package but also with the Constitution of Kosovo and it is known that the four villages in the north are under the municipality of Mitrovica South. Rakic and Serb structures are trying to shift the border to the riverbed and make it easier for them to control according to the project of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities,” Mujka added. The EU Office in Pristina told the paper that “construction at the bridge is ongoing and are now entering the final phase. The EU believes this will be concluded soon”.

Bedri Krasniqi’s group failed to flee high-security prison (Gazeta Express)

The news website reports that there Bedri Krasniqi, sentenced to 44 years in prison for killing police officers and abducting people, failed to flee the high-security prison in Dyz on Friday night. Members of the Kosovo Police Special Unit surrounded the high-security prison on Friday. Unnamed sources told Express that this happened because Krasniqi tried to flee. The news website contacted the high security prison director, Rasim Selmani, but he refused to comment on the matter. “I cannot comment, talk to the General Director,” he said. The General Director was also not available for comment.