Headlines - 05.09.2018 (002)

• Assembly fails to discuss border changes, negotiating team (dailies)
• Thaci not to raise ‘border adjustment’ idea on Friday (Zeri)
• Veseli: Serbian List will never be able to blackmail Kosovo (Epoka)
• Mustafa: Today was a difficult day for the Parliament of Kosovo (Zeri)
• Hahn does not rule out border change option (RFE/Zeri)
• Thaci’s negotiators (Zeri)
• Sources: Kusari-Lila is expected to join negotiating team (Indeksonline)
• “Dialogue aim: Kosovo’s recognition and membership at UN” (RTK)
• Austria supports Kosovo in Interpol membership bid (dailies)
• Circumstances behind killing in Intelligence Agency remain unclear (Koha)
• Civil society to hold another protest today (Koha)

Assembly fails to discuss border changes, negotiating team (dailies)

Kosovo Assembly did not manage to discuss yesterday President Hashim Thaci’s proposal for ‘border adjustment’ with Serbia or the government’s proposal for appointing a negotiating team for dialogue with Serbia. Both items failed to be discussed for lack of quorum. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj criticized the opposition for not taking part while opposition parties said they would only attend the session they called to discuss border changes. Koha Ditore describes yesterday’s failed session as being the outset of a crisis saying both the ruling coalition and the Assembly are now in precarious position. The paper further quotes what it says are reliable information suggesting that President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic played a part in yesterday’s failed session. Vucic is said to have told Kosovo Serb MPs that he would not agree to negotiate with Fatmir Limaj who the government of Kosovo proposed to lead the negotiating team. At the same time, officials from Limaj’s Social Democratic Initiative (NISMA) said he agreed to lead the negotiating team on condition that he would be allowed to prepare a platform that sets red lines to border talks and competencies of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. Officials from NISMA said Limaj would seriously consider leaving the ruling coalition if his conditions are not met.

Thaci not to raise ‘border adjustment’ idea on Friday (Zeri)

The paper reports on the front page that President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci will not be raising his idea of ‘border adjustment’ with Serbia in Friday’s meeting with Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic. Thaci’s office said the upcoming meeting of Kosovo and Serbia presidents will focus on modalities of reaching a final, legally-binding agreement. The paper says that the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities will also not be on the table of talks on Friday.

Veseli: Serbian List will never be able to blackmail Kosovo (Epoka)

Kosovo’s Assembly President Kadri Veseli announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the Assembly session will resume today, Wednesday, at 14:00 hours. Speaking about the statement of the caucus of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Avdullah Hoti, who said that they will make Kosovo’s division impossible, Veseli said “Kosovo is not in the state to be defended by Avdullah Hoti and to be shattered by us. Kosovo is a shelter where we live together. LDK and Avdullah Hoti should have been today at the session and to bring joint decisions in order for the government and opposition to face Serbia. It is not serious. Perhaps it is a game of gaining power through such manipulations, but Kosovo will not benefit from this,” Veseli said. Asked if the Serbian Lists has conditioned resumption of the session, Veseli said “there will never be conditionings by the Serbian Lists in Kosovo, because we were never impressed by Serbia. But we respect the colleagues of the Serbian List, and call them on decision-making, but more than the others, today Albanians should have been united and we will not obey to any conditioning.”

Mustafa: Today was a difficult day for the Parliament of Kosovo (Zeri)

Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK,) took to Facebook to comment failing of the Kosovo Assembly MP to hold the session on Tuesday. “Today we faced a difficult day for the Parliament of Kosovo. What we saw, speaks itself that it is in vain that the government coalition wants to deceive itself, and try to deceive Brussels and Washington that they are the majority, because in fact they are not. Therefore, they can as individuals and teams go to Brussels and take pictures, but neither the President nor the government cannot reach any agreement because they cannot be ratified at the Assembly without the opposition. It is clear that for a substantial dialogue, serious and in interest of the country, Kosovo needs a strong government and opposition, outside the margins of the Serbian List; people with civic political legitimacy. New elections are required for a serious and responsible dialogue, not manipulations to keep power,” Mustafa wrote.

Hahn does not rule out border change option (RFE/Zeri)

Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Enlargement, has not ruled out the option of border changes as part of the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia but underlined that any settlement would have to contribute to sustainability of the region. Asked by Radio Free Europe whether a possible Kosovo-Serbia border change could have repercussions in the region, Hahn said: “I think a legally-binding agreement between Serbia and Kosovo should include many elements. I think both sides are aware, I would not say perhaps of international concerns, but of limitations and there are many possible solutions amongst them.”

Thaci’s negotiators (Zeri)

The government team for the dialogue with Serbia, nominated on Monday by the government of Kosovo, will participate on Friday at the President Hashim Thaci’s meeting with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. Their participation at the meeting was confirmed by Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behxhet Pacolli. The negotiating team has to draft a platform on the discussions, which should be then voted by the Assembly of Kosovo. Avni Arifi, head of the Kosovo team for technical discussions with Serbia, said this group will participate at political talks together with President Thaci.

Sources: Kusari-Lila is expected to join negotiating team (Indeksonline)

The news website reports that Mimoza Kusari-Lila, member of the Kosovo Assembly, met on Tuesday with President Hashim Thaci, and according to unnamed sources, she is expected to join Kosovo’s negotiating team in talks with Serbia. The news website tried to contact Kusari-Lila, but she was not available for comment. It also recalls that several days ago, Kusari-Lila and MP Ilir Deda decided to leave the parliamentary group of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). The Kosovo government on Monday appointed the negotiating team, which is led by Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj, Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj will be the deputy head of the team. The team also includes Deputy Prime Ministers Behgjet Pacolli and Dardan Gashi, Avni Arifi and Mahir Jagcilar.

“Dialogue aim: Kosovo’s recognition and membership at UN” (RTK)

Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Enver Hoxhaj said the Friday’s Assembly session should have ended within the same day. ‘The dialogue does not belong only to the government. We will be able to conclude this process tomorrow. Today’s day showed presence of hasty policies. We saw that we had 63 votes. The goal of the dialogue is mutual recognition and Kosovo’s membership at UN. Opposition’s behavior showed political immaturity,” Hoxhaj said. According to Hoxhaj, the Serbian Lists is Belgrade’s instrument.

Austria supports Kosovo in Interpol membership bid (dailies)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior, Bejtush Gashi, met yesterday in Pristina Austrian Deputy Minister of Interior, Karoline Edtstadler, and said on the occasion that Kosovo’s Interpol membership would contribute to not only regional but global security. Edtstadler on her part said Austria supports Kosovo’s membership bid for Interpol and that Kosovo is an important partner in the security aspect.

Circumstances behind killing in Intelligence Agency remain unclear (Koha)

The paper reports on page four that an employee working in the cafeteria of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (AKI) was shot dead on Tuesday by a security guard. According to the paper, the gun that the shooter used was without a permit and the motive behind the incident is not known yet. The Agency said the incident is not related to the activities of the institution and did not provide further explanation. “Today, at around 09:00 a shooting took place within the Kosovo Intelligence Agency premises, when a security guard opened fire towards an employ of the cafeteria. The victim passed away at the Pristina Hospital. The incident has nothing to do with the KIA activities. Relevant institutions are dealing with the investigation,” the Agency said in a press release.

Civil society to hold another protest today (Koha)

Civil society organisations have announced another protest today against the situation in the judicial sector. Organisers said the judiciary has been put in the service of politicians thus preventing the citizens from living in a safe environment. Organizers also said their demands remain unchanged and include dismissal of chief prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi, judicial vetting process and cleaning-up of KLA veterans’ lists.