Headlines - 09.09.2013 Calls from Kosovo to Serbia – “local calls” (dailies) Koha Ditore reports that the Kosovo Prime Minister said that the agreement on telecom and energy has been achieved, but did not give details. Serb Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said that Serbia has achieved the maximum of what it requested. He said that Kosovo can receive a three digit telephone code, but the telephone calls from Kosovo to central Serbia would be considered local “calls”. Serb Prime Minister was in a good mood and spoke of the details of the agreement before the journalists. He said that, regarding telecom, Kosovo can receive a temporary three digit international telephone code, but this might take a few years. Dacic also said that Serbian operators can continue to operate in the territory of Kosovo as before until a new tender would be announced for mobile operator in Kosovo, which will not happen before 2015. CEC recommended not to certify the list “Srbija” (Koha Ditore) Koha Ditore reports that experts on political issues have recommended to the Kosovo Election Commission not to certify the Serb unique list “Srbija”, who applied for registration within the deadline to run during the 3 November elections. Fisnik Korenica from the Group for Judicial and Political Studies said that the above mentioned decision by Serb politicians contradicts with the law. “CEC should declare the name of the list that carries a name of a foreign country invalid. If CEC accepts that name, it would consist of an action that will encourage Serbs to refuse the state of Kosovo and its political actions,” said Fisnik Korenica from the Group for Judicial and Political Studies. Analysts see the name of a political initiative with the name of a Serb state as provocation. Petrovic: List “Srbija”, deceiving for Serb citizens (Epoka e Re) Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Serb Liberal Party, Slobodan Petrovic, said Serbia’s interference in Kosovo elections, especially through the united list “Srbija”, is a dangerous and deceiving trick for Serb citizens living in the Republic of Kosovo. “I think it is really dangerous that the Serbian Government is taking sides. This is going to be damaging for the Serb community in Kosovo,” Petrovic said in an interview for Kosovapress. Asked if the situation in northern Kosovo will change after the November elections, Petrovic said: “I don’t expect everything to end on 3 November. Problems are not going to be solved by themselves. I think we should use this opportunity to try and solve problems that have accumulated over the years. We are in a process that requires the involvement of all stakeholders. It is not enough for the Kosovo Government and Belgrade to be part of the process. This requires the involvement of the international community and, first and foremost, the Serb community.” Ivanovic: Yes to elections, no to statehood (Tribuna) One of the Serb leaders in northern Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, considers that the participation of the state of Serbia with a joint list in municipalities with a Serb majority will damage democracy. He is not part of the list of state of Serbia, while he races with his citizens’ initiative called” Srbija, Democracy and Justice”. In an interview for Tribuna, Ivanovic said that local elections of 3 November are not to be understood that Serbs have recognized or they will recognize Kosovo. Ivanovic said that there is not a single Serb who has embraced the independence of Kosovo, but which, according to him, the Serbs living in the south live the newly created reality, while those in the north can choose to refuse the statehood of Kosovo. Merovci: List “Srbija” is no threat (Epoka e Re) Adnan Merovci, former chairman of Kosovo’s Central Election Committee (CEC), told the paper that the CEC should not certify the united Serbian list “Srbija” for the November local elections. Merovci however added that there is no legal basis to reject the certification of this entity. He also said the list poses no threat to Kosovo. Commenting on the removal of the logo of the Republic of Kosovo from voting ballots, Merovci said: “The decision is political. Political decisions are not popular, but one should look at their effects. I think there will be a long-term positive effect.” Macedonia introduces entry tax for Kosovo citizens (dailies) Macedonian authorities have introduced a tax for citizens of Kosovo entering the country in the amount of 2 euro per citizen, 5 per vehicle and 10 for trucks and buses. The measures outraged citizens of Kosovo and led to long queues at the border points. Minister of Trade and Industry Mimoza Kusari-Lila said the Government of Kosovo will not impose reciprocity measures as they will largely affect the Albanian population in Macedonia and added that the tax conflicts with European norms and principles of good neighbours. Kusari-Lila however said the Government has decided to block Macedonian goods entering Kosovo as a response. “If it continues to treat Kosovo citizens this way, we will show Macedonia that it will feel losses directly on its economy and budget,” Kusari-Lila was quoted in Koha Ditore. Serbia demands 200 million euro from privatisation in Kosovo (Zëri) Head of the Serbian office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said that one of the upcoming topics in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be the privatisation of socially-owned enterprises in Kosovo. Vulin said that over 700 enterprises, owned by the Serbian state, have been illegally sold in Kosovo during the 58 rounds of privatisation. “Privatisation in Kosovo is unacceptable to us and has taken up a purely national criteria, which means Serbs have not taken part in the process,” said Vulin. “No one prevented the illegal expropriation of Serb assets carried out by the so-called KTA, but no one accepts the results of privatisation in Kosovo, not even UNMIK,” he added. Slovenian President Pahor to visit Kosovo (Lajm) Slovenian President Borut Pahor is set to visit Kosovo on 10 September and will undertake the two-day visit on the invitation of his Kosovo counterpart, Atifete Jahjaga. Serbs of the north want to have Kosovo identification cards (Tribuna) The number of Serbs applying for Kosovo ID’s is growing. As Klan Kosova reports, the registration office in Bistrica, in the municipality of Leposavic, registered 5000 people so far. Citizens in this part have started to lose hope in Serbia and looking towards the integration in the institutional life of Kosovo.