Headlines - 29.06.2018

• Thaci: There are no red lines in dialogue (media)
• Opposition alarmed over Thaci’s statement for “no red lines” in talks (Koha)
• Shala: Thaci told Mogherini ‘we want formal recognition from Serbia’ (media)
• Hoxha: Visa liberalization recommendation, before summer break (media)
• No visa liberalization before 2019 (Koha)
• Bajrami: Dialogue without visas (Koha)
• Government: ASMM, according to Constitution and no executive powers (Koha)
• Assembly establishes investigating commission on expelling of Gulenists (Zeri)
• T-shirts with Milosevic’s photo and Mladic masks for Vidovdan (Zeri)

Thaci: There are no red lines in dialogue (media)

The President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci said on Thursday that during the first meeting of the final phase of the dialogue the parties only discussed the framework of the final agreement. Thaci said the dialogue will conclude with reciprocal recognition of the two countries, otherwise this process would not make sense. Thaci expressed optimism that an agreement among the political parties in Kosovo will be reached soon. “Only to make it clear: there will be no red lines in the dialogue as they were from the Contact Group in Vienna discussions, there will be discussions only on the matters on which both parties agree, as a possibility that leads towards reach of the final agreement, there will be no other temporary agreement, parties are not allowed to condition negotiations, dialogue with this or that matter,” Thaci stressed. “What is well known now is that the agreement has to be legally and internationally acceptable,” Thaci said. He added that there will be other meetings in Brussels very soon. He said the agreement is extremely important to enable Kosovo’s membership at the United Nations. He further stressed the importance of reach of a consensus among the political parties and added that demarcation agreement is a good example of what should not happen to Kosovo again. “The reached agreement should go through the Assembly, but this should happen very quickly. The World does not wait for us, does not waste much time on us. It is a good fate that we have an EU and U.S. focusing on Kosovo, and Euro-Atlantic future of the entire region,” Thaci said.

Opposition alarmed over Thaci’s statement for “no red lines” in talks (Koha)

The paper reports in one of its front-page stories that opposition parties in Kosovo have reacted to President Hashim Thaci’s statement that there will be no “red lines” in the final part of talks between Kosovo and Serbia. The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) issued a reaction saying that “Kosovo’s President, who is unauthorized to lead dialogue with Serbia, removed all red lines from the table of dialogue that disputes our statehood. For the LDK, which has projected and founded the state of Kosovo, Kosovo’s statehood was concluded during the Vienna Process, it took shape with the Declaration of Independence and won international legitimacy with the ruling of the International Court of Justice”. The LDK also said the Kosovo Assembly and the people’s representatives must urgently set the red lines for the President.

Shala: Thaci told Mogherini ‘we want formal recognition from Serbia’ (media)

Blerim Shala, advisor to Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, said in a debate on RTV Dukagjini that Thaci told EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on Sunday that Kosovo’s official position is that it seeks formal recognition from Serbia. “The formal recognition from Serbia is very important. We are trying to achieve this recognition,” Shala said. He also said that Kosovo’s eventual membership of the United Nations would depend on the Security Council and not on EU member states. “China, according to Ahtisaari, said that Kosovo is a European problem and that it will not use the right of veto. But Russia said that they won’t recognize Kosovo’s status until Serbia does. Meanwhile, from the five non-recognizing EU member states, Spain might still not recognize us because of its internal problems … If four out of the five non-recognizing member states recognize us, we can get the candidate status, join NATO, and then start talks for EU membership,” Shala said.

Hoxha: Visa liberalization recommendation, before summer break (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for European Integration, Dhurata Hoxha, told a press conference in Pristina on Thursday that “we were told that the European Commission will make its recommendation [on visa liberalization] before the summer break and then the next step is for this report to be adopted by the European Parliament’s Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs”. “EU institutions too want this process to end before their elections, which are due next year, because the commissioners won’t be able to make any decisions and the Parliament will be campaigning … So everyone is interested for this process to conclude before the elections,” Hoxha added. Epoka e Re quotes Hoxha on the front page as saying that she received guarantees from the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs that all its members will vote in favor of visa liberalization for Kosovo.

No visa liberalization before 2019 (Koha)

Although Kosovo’s citizens were hoping to get visa liberalization after the Assembly adopted the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, this did not happen as the European Commission has delayed the process for three months now, the paper’s Brussels-based correspondent reports in the leading front-page story. The final criteria in the process is the track-record in the fight against organized crime and corruption, a requirement that Kosovo’s politicians had set aside. At the same time, the European Commission seems to have agreed to play the game of certain members for buying time and delaying the announcement that Kosovo has met the requirements. EU officials still say “there is no date when they can confirm the announcement” but they imply it could happen next week. Asked to comment on media reports from Kosovo that “the Commission will publish a positive report this week”, officials in Brussels say, “it seems that Pristina knows more than we do”. The European Parliament’s Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs has included this topic in its agenda for July 10. Some serious member states are against visa liberalization for Kosovo, therefore EU officials advise that it is not wise for Kosovo’s politicians to give any dates. For the time being, no one in Brussels believes that visa liberalization for Kosovo can happen this year and one of the timelines they are mentioning is 2019.

Bajrami: Dialogue without visas (Koha)

The paper’s editor-in-chief, Agron Bajrami, writes in an analysis that Kosovo’s expectations to get visa liberalization this year are receiving a final blow as some EU member states have already made it clear that there will be no visa liberalization this year even if the European Commission makes a positive recommendation. Next year and even 2020 are mentioned as more realistic possibilities.

Government: ASMM, according to Constitution and no executive powers (Koha)

The Office of Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj told the paper on Thursday that in their latest meetings with EU officials it was made clear that the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities will be formed in line with the Constitution of Kosovo and that it will have no executive powers. “Kosovo’s delegation in technical talks with Serbia, led by Avni Arifi, visited Brussels on June 18. At the meeting, the EU has made it clear that the Association will be formed according to the Constitution of Kosovo and it will have no executive competencies,” a government spokeswoman told the paper.

Assembly establishes investigating commission on expelling of Gulenists (Zeri)

The Assembly of Kosovo endorsed at Thursday’s session the composition of the investigating commission engaged to shed light to the case of expelling six Gulenists to Turkey by the end of March. Xhelal Svecla from Vetevendosje Movement will lead the commission while Driton Selmanaj from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), will be his deputy. The other members of the commission will be Sami Kurteshi from Vetevendosje Movement, Anton Cuni from LDK, Hajdar Beqa and Ganimete Musliu from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Dardan Molliqaj from the Social-Democratic Party, Muharrem Nitaj from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Haxhi Shala from the Social-Democratic Initiative. The commission has two present its findings in four months.

T-shirts with Milosevic’s photo and Mladic masks for Vidovdan (Zeri)

Serb citizens celebrated on Thursday Vidovdan or the Battle in Gazimestan. The number of the participants was smaller this year, however there were also provocations against Albanians. Some of the Serbian citizens gathered at this ceremony were wearing T-shirts with “Kosovo is Serbia” logo, carrying Serbian flags and other nationalist pamphlets. They also carried photos of the Serbian criminals such former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and former commander of the Serbian army in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ratko Mladic. Religious leaders of the Serb Orthodox Church did not forget to call Kosovo “Kosovo and Metohija” while Bishop Anasie Jeftic called on Serb citizens not to leave Kosovo and added that if required they will give their lives for Kosovo.