UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 21, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani on U.S. grant: Whenever we work together, Kosovo wins (EO)
Hovenier: Challenges with Kurti govt affected quality of our partnership (media)
NATO looks to Serbia to help ensure full accountability for May and September 2023 violent acts (media)
CEC: Parties have right to spend up to €2 million on campaign (media)
Camaj: Over 6,000 Serbs applied to convert their drivers’ licenses (EO)
Maqedonci: Turkiye gives donation for KSF capacity building (media)
Vukovic meets Kurti, “we hope, work for EU future of Western Balkans” (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic met Ruge: Necessary coordination with KFOR forces in accordance with Resolution 1244 (RTS)
Djuric: The embassy in Bern also received threats, citizens and consular representations are safe (RTS, Beta, N1, Tanjug)
"After a failed attempt to take over a safe house in Z. Potok, they decided to copy our idea in North Mitrovica" (KoSSev)
KiM radio: The accused of the attack on the premises of the CEC pleaded not guilty (KoSSev)
Resident of Gorazdevac released from custody: "They are accusing me of something I didn't do" (KoSSev, Radio Gorazdevac)
Insajderi: “Ekrem Peci, the owner of ‘C'est la vie’, on his way to take over the multimillion-dollar land in Zvecan” (KoSSev)
Vuletic: The election campaign in Kosovo will certainly not seek the normalization of relations with the Serbs (Kosovo Online)

International:

Kosovo- Serbia dialogue deadlock is suffocating civic initiatives (Prishtina Insight)
Grandfather jailed in Serbia on ‘flimsy’ evidence (BBC)
EU rejects accusation that west played role in recent anti-mining protests in Serbia (RFE)
Silenced by scarcity: How poverty excludes Serbian women from civil society (BIRN)
The Director of the CIA held a Series of Meetings in Sarajevo (sarajevotimes.com)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani on U.S. grant: Whenever we work together, Kosovo wins (EO)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said after today’s signing ceremony of a US$ 34.5 million grant with the USAID that Kosovo wins whenever it cooperates with the U.S. At a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier, Osmani said the agreement is a clear sign of the power of cooperation. “As I say every time, every initiative and every success in improving the lives of the people of Kosovo bears the signs of the U.S. The agreement that we just signed is another confirmation of our vision for a better future for all our citizens without any difference. It will support a project that will encompass the institutions, government accountability and inclusiveness. The United States remains our steadfast partner in this regard. This agreement is a clear reflection of the power of cooperation between our two countries. Whenever we work together with the U.S., our citizens and our state benefit from this,” she said.

Hovenier: Challenges with Kurti govt affected quality of our partnership (media)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said today that some “challenges” related to decisions made by the Kurti-led government have affected the quality of relations. “Many of you have seen media reports about the differences of the U.S. and other members of the international community with the Kosovo Government about some actions undertaken by the current government of Prime Minister Kurti. We are facing some challenges with the current government of Kosovo which have affected the quality of our partnership. As the spokesperson of the U.S. State Department has said on several occasions, the U.S. government hopes that the Kosovo Government will return to close and constructive engagement with the U.S., EU, NATO and other international partners of Kosovo,” Hovenier told reporters in Pristina today.

Hovenier said that although cooperation in some areas with the Kosovo government is less positive than what they had hoped, the commitment of the U.S. towards the people of Kosovo remains as strong as it has always been. He said that proof of this is the agreement signed today with President Vjosa Osmani. “Today’s event and the conclusion of an agreement to provide US$ 34.5 million in additional funds for the development of the people of Kosovo and to support economic growth, good governance and EU integration, I believe this clearly outlines this objective. However, I need to say that this commitment to the people of Kosovo does not necessarily apply to a certain government or the certain actions and political choices of a government,” Hovenier is quoted as saying.

NATO looks to Serbia to help ensure full accountability for May and September 2023 violent acts (media)

NATO Assistant Secretary General, Boris Ruge, met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, and in a post on X after the meeting said: “Good exchange with President Vucic on NATO - Serbia relations which we hope to see deepened. We also discussed regional issues, including lasting security in Kosovo. NATO looks to Serbia to help ensure full accountability for the violent acts of May & September 2023.”

CEC: Parties have right to spend up to €2 million on campaign (media)

Each political entity that will be certified to participate in the February 9 elections has the right to spend two million euros. The decision was made on Wednesday by the Central Election Commission.

According to the decision of the CEC, the exact amount allowed for maximum expenses is 2 million 47 thousand 149 euros. This is equal to the number of voters registered in the preliminary voter lists. The calculation was made based on the electoral regulation for the election campaign.

The CEC has also decided on the establishment of a commission to examine the complaints of voters outside Kosovo.

Camaj: Over 6,000 Serbs applied to convert their drivers’ licenses (EO)

Blerim Camaj, head of the Agency for Civil Registration, said in an interview with the news website that “around 6,043 Serb citizens have converted their illegal drivers’ licenses to licenses issued by the Republic of Kosovo and the process will conclude in three days. The procedures were simplified, they only had to possess the drivers license issued by illegal structures and the ID card issued by the Republic of Kosovo, and then the process continued until they were equipped with new drivers licenses”.

Camaj also said that “we have all actions for Serbs in the north to integrate in the institutions of Kosovo and to be equipped with all documents and enjoy all the rights they have. As the Agency for Civil Registration, we have provided all services in the municipalities,” he said.

Maqedonci: Turkiye gives donation for KSF capacity building (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defence, Ejup Maqedonci, said in a Facebook post today that the Turkish government yesterday allocated to the Ministry of Defence 31 million Turkish liras or around US$ 1 million for the development of the military capacities of the Kosovo Security Force. “This donation is part of the foreign military support program of the Turkish government. Relations between our two countries have always been at the highest level and the contribution of the Republic of Türkiye in capacity building of the Kosovo Security Force has been continuous in terms of training and military equipment … Türkiye as a friend country remains one of the most important strategic partners for the Republic of Kosovo,” Maqedonci wrote.

Vukovic meets Kurti, “we hope and work for EU future of Western Balkans” (media)

Ivan Vukovic, member of the Montenegrin Parliament, said in a post on X that he met in the U.S. with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He said they briefly discussed the political situation in Montenegro and Kosovo as well as across the rest of the region. “We hope and work for the EU future of the Western Balkans, peaceful and prosperous, based on the principles of multiethnic democracy,” he said.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic met Ruge: Necessary coordination with KFOR forces in accordance with Resolution 1244 (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Boris Ruge. Vucic pointed out that the risk of escalation is constant; the tension that Pristina regularly causes with irresponsible decisions and behavior greatly affects the Serbian people in Kosovo, who live in a state of constant fear for life and property, reported RTS.

Serbian President Vucic spoke with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Boris Ruge about the security in Kosovo, and the possible implications of the continuation of the Kurti regime's unilateral moves.

Vucic is concerned about ''the tendency to complicate the situation, despite all Belgrade's efforts to return open issues to the framework of dialogue'', adding that ''the risk of escalation is constant, the tension that Pristina regularly causes with irresponsible decisions and behavior greatly affects the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, who lives in a state of constant fear for life and property'', reported RTS.

Vucic thanked Ruge for the attention he pays to the issue, since he himself is an expert on the situation in Kosovo.

He emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen diplomatic efforts and coordinate with KFOR forces in accordance with Resolution 1244, and the powers that those forces have as part of their mandate in order to ensure the safety of Serbs in Kosovo, return Pristina to dialogue and fulfillment of all obligations, and above all, formation of Communities of Serbian municipalities.

Serbia remains committed to military neutrality, Vucic pointed out in a buducnostsrbijeav Instagram post.

Djuric: The embassy in Bern also received threats, citizens and consular representations are safe (RTS, Beta, N1, Tanjug)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, said today that "someone must be held accountable" for the terrorist threats sent to the addresses of the Serbian embassies in Austria and Germany, which were later received and by the embassy in Bern.

"Our institutions are in contact with those countries, our consular offices and our citizens are safe," Djuric told RTS.

He said that for the threats addressed to the Serbian embassies, apart from the person "whom they chose to carry out those threats", those ''whose politics lead" to the introduction of extremism as a method of political pressure must be accountable also.

"Terrorism has always been a reflection of powerlessness and a reflection of the awareness that the ground beneath your feet is being lost. This will neither frighten us nor prevent us from acting. We will not retreat in the face of terror, on the contrary, we will unite," said Djuric.

Djuric, also the former director of the Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija, said that "every Serbian embassy and consulate will be a small office for Kosovo and Metohija", regarding the representation of state policy on the issue.

The Minister also said that in the coming period, visits of ''numerous top officials" are expected, as well as that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic talks with European and world leaders "almost every day".

"For Serbia, membership in the EU is one of the strategic priorities," Djuric concluded.

Kurti wants to take control of the Ibar bridge to put additional pressure on the Serbs

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric said today that the authorities in Pristina, led by Kosovo PM Albin Kurti, want to take control of the bridge over the Ibar in Mitrovica, to create "additional pressure on the Serbian community".

He told RTS that "Kosovska Mitrovica, as a city, is a bulwark of the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija", pointing out that it is the only urban area where the majority of Serbs live in Kosovo. He added that since 1999 the bridge over the Ibar connecting the southern part of the city where the Albanians live, with the northern part of the city where the Serbs live, was closed for vehicle traffic.

He characterized the attempt to open the bridge on the Ibar to traffic as "very precisely organized technical violence" against the Serbs, whose business, physical and every other existence is prevented by this, as well as by other actions of Pristina.

Speaking about the expectations from KFOR, Djuric said that "the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija is a red line", and that Serbia must be sure that, if Kurti's regime "attacks the physical integrity of the Serbian people", KFOR will conduct its mandate.

"Kurti is already on the restrictive measures of the EU. I would say that his regime, if not on the bridge, eventually would pay the price, in terms of denying the support of the international community,'' concluded Djuric.

"After a failed attempt to take over a safe house in Z. Potok, they decided to copy our idea in North Mitrovica" (KoSSev)

Boja Mentor, social worker in the Zupce village safe house, writes for KoSSev about the current local authority's plans to open a safe house in North Mitrovica. He said that these are ''an absolute copy of what we and the previous authorities did back in 2019. Pure plagiarism''.

“From the first day I was involved in the work of the safe house located in the village of Zupce in Zubin Potok. All four municipal assemblies in the North supported the establishment of this safe house. We had victims of violence from all communities, just as the team of officers was multi-ethnic,” writes Boja.

“However, soon after the mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atiq, took office, all the employees of the Safe House had their salaries terminated without notice, without explanation or procedure. As for us workers, it is not true that we have left our jobs.

In the previous period, the entire multi-ethnic team from the safe house attended several meetings with the mayor and his deputy, where we asked for an explanation for his decision to stop the service to victims of domestic violence and to stop paying us the earned monthly income.

We hoped that he would be understanding and that he would continue to support us as before.

The mayor, however, insisted that the municipality has nothing to do with the safe house, and that is not true either, because the establishment of the safe house was supported by all four municipal assemblies in the North of Kosovo.

Shortly after the suspension of payments, the director of health and social affairs from the municipality of North Mitrovica, accompanied by the police, visited the safe house in the village of Zupce unannounced, with the aim of, as she said, checking whether the safe house is in operation.

She then spent the whole day with us and saw that we were all at work. In order to comply with the Istanbul Convention, we, the safe house officers, also registered an NGO, so there was really no reason to challenge our work.

She even submitted a report to the mayor confirming that the safe house was fully functional, but that argument was blithely ignored.

We have reported our problem to the judicial authorities and are waiting for the final decision. However, a week ago the municipality started inviting us to interview before the municipality's disciplinary committee.

Some colleagues have already received a letter of resignation within two days. The procedures have been started for a year since we were already removed from the payroll.

Even the police stopped cooperating with us. Previously, they always called us when there was a case of a victim of violence. That practice, however, has not been applied since we have a new government.

We used to call the police when we saw in the media that domestic violence was reported, but they would tell us that they didn't need our services, and that's why they didn't inform us.

However, we later learned that they actually took the victims of violence to a safe house in the south.

Because the government does not want to cooperate with us, the safe house for more than a year did not have users.

Even today, I provide the same services as before, although I do not receive a salary for it, but there is very little work. We mainly do counseling services with former users.

What is true is that the first regional safe house that was formed in 2019-2020 was very successful. However, the authorities, after a failed attempt to take over the building in the village of Zupce, decided to copy our idea on the territory of the municipality of North Mitrovica.

There is a lot of violence, and I don't mind the fact that they want to open another safe house, but it should be said that they completely copied the entire model of establishing a safe house as we designed and implemented it then. For the sake of fairness, in front of the citizens and everyone who supported us, it is important to know this.”

KiM radio: The accused of the attack on the premises of the CEC pleaded not guilty (KoSSev)

Four Serbs from the North of Kosovo accused of attacking the premises of the Municipal Election Commission in North Mitrovica on December 6, 2022 pleaded not guilty to ''the acts of terrorism'' they are accused of, reported KoSSev.

The Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo accused Milun Milenkovic Lune, Aleksandar Vlajic, Dejan Pantic and Miomir Vakic of the crime of terrorism.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the four of them threatened the lives of representatives of the Central Election Commission in early December 2022, because they allegedly threw two hand grenades and two stun grenades at the premises of the Municipal Election Commission in Kolasinska Street in North Mitrovica.

The indictment

Presenting the indictment, prosecutor Bekim Kodraliu said that by presenting material evidence, such as videos, photographs, documentation, and telephone communication between the accused, as well as by the testimony of witnesses, some of whom are police officers, he will prove that the four accused committed the criminal offense charged against them.

Prosecutor Kodraliu said that during this process he will confirm that Milun Milenkovic Lune was the main organizer of the attack.

"From the evidence, it will be confirmed that Milun Milenkovic aka Lune was one of the main persons behind the attacks on the CEC office. This will be confirmed especially from the photographs", said the prosecutor.

At the hearing, it was said that ''Milun Milenkovic presented himself on social networks as the deputy commander of the Northern Brigade'', which is designated as a ‘’terrorist organization’’ in Kosovo.

According to the Prosecution's evidence, Milenkovic also wrote that, if they arrest him, ''to shoot ,or blow up the vehicle'' in which he would be taken away.

Aleksandar Vlajic is accused of ''criminal espionage'', as well as having a major role in organizing the attack on the premises of the Municipal Election Commission. That Vlajic committed a criminal offense will be confirmed during the presentation of evidence, the prosecutor said.

He said that the Prosecution also has evidence that confirms that Dejan Pantic and Miomir Vakic also committed the criminal offense with which they are charged.

"I suggest to the court to continue with the trial and after the evidence, declare the defendants guilty and punish them according to the criminal code of the Republic of Kosovo," he said.

Resident of Gorazdevac released from custody: "They are accusing me of something I didn't do" (KoSSev, Radio Gorazdevac)

Luka Zlaticanin from Gorazdevac was arrested on Sunday around 6 pm and was released from custody today. A process was initiated against him for "inciting hatred and intolerance", the prosecution confirmed for Radio Gorazdevac.

Zlaticanin was arrested on August 18, as the police announced at the time, for singing songs "that cause discord and hatred."

After his release, he told Radio Gorazdevac that he was being blamed for something he did not do.

"In Pec and Decani, where I was detained, I was treated fairly and correctly. During the apprehension in Gorazdevac, the behavior of police officer Enis was not correct, I don't remember his last name. The case has been released into the regular procedure; we will see what happens next. I am being blamed for something I did not do, six days after that event they took me into custody, and I was here the whole time," said Zlaticanin.

He claims that with such actions they allegedly want to intimidate the Serbs in Gorazdevac and force them to move away.

"The message is that they want to intimidate the Serbs in Gorazdevac and force them to move away. It obviously bothers them, that's why they do it. We will see what the punishment will be in the end," said Zlaticanin for Radio Gorazdevac.

The spokesperson of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Pec, Shkodran Nikqi, told Radio Gorazdevac that a trial has been initiated against Luka Zlaticanin for the criminal offense of "inciting hatred and intolerance".

"He is accused of a crime of hatred and intolerance. The case has now been forwarded to the Special Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kosovo," Nikqi said in a short message to Radio Gorazdevac, cited portal KoSSev.

Insajderi: “Ekrem Peci, the owner of ‘C'est la vie’, on his way to take over the multimillion-dollar land in Zvecan” (KoSSev)

“The ministry led by Liburn Aliu and Hysen Durmishi plan to lease real estate with an area of about 7,000 square meters. The property is in Zvecan. The announcement of the winner of this competition has been blocked for two months. Ekrem Peci, the owner of the cafe "C'est La Vie", which became famous thanks to the minister Xhelal Svecla, did not appear at first. Peci is also the brother-in-law of a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning,” reported portal KoSSev yesterday, citing Pristina based Insajderi.

According to Insajderi, a businessperson who ''became famous thanks to Xhelal Svecla, Ekrem Peci, the owner of the "C'est La Vie" cafe, asked Kurti's government to lease him a property of 6,800 square meters''. A valuable plot is in the north, in Zvecan.

“For the lease of this property, a public tender was announced by the Ministry of Environment and Infrastructure”.

Three companies applied for the competition. The company with which Peci applied is a private business under the name "Ekrem Peci B.I.", and its business name is "E.R Construction".

According to the company's registration certificate, it has only four registered employees. The certificate does not state that he owns capital, reported KoSSev, citing Insajderi.

However, despite the small numbers on the company's registration certificate, Peci claimed large sums in the Kurti government tender application.

He stated that he was ready to invest around two million euros if he was granted this property for lease.

He also stated that he was ready to pay a rent of over 9 thousand euros. It remains a mystery how the former employee of Trepca, ''fired a few days ago, managed to collect almost two million euros to invest in state property''.

On June 21 of this year, the three-member commission sent a report to the secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Izedin Bytyqi.

The report recommends that the winner of this public competition be announced. It was not Peci's company that was recommended, but another private company, "Tehnoburimi". This company offered a higher price than Peci.

They undertook to invest 2,356,000 thousand euros if they were granted the lease of a plot of 6,800 square meters in Zvecan.

The third competitor was the company "Scania", which undertook to invest only 1,400,000 euros.

The commission noted that the offer of the "Scania" company was the lowest.

Although usually only the main bidder is recorded as having the most favorable bid, in this case the procedure was different.

The offer of the company "Tehnoburimi" was evaluated as the most economically advantageous.

While Ekrem Peci's offer was rated as "the second most economically advantageous offer".

‘’Although he did not appear as the first, Peci's firm has the best chance of being declared the winner of this public competition.’’

The bid evaluation committee has only an advisory role, but not a decisive one. More instances are expected to decide on the announcement of the winner.

''Sources within this ministry told Insajderi that Peci has a better chance of winning this tender than the company "Tehnoburimi",’’ which is the first in the race’’, cited KoSSev.

Last week, “Insajderi asked for an official response from the ministry of Liburn Aliu”.

They asked this ministry what the reason was that the winner of this public competition has not been announced for two months.

Insajderi also asked “how is it possible that the process is blocked in this case when the second in the ranking is businessman Peci, who is the cousin of the director of roads in the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning Qamil Feka, and who also has connections with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla?’’ cited KoSSev.

The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has not yet given an official answer to this question, reported KoSSev, citing Insajderi.

Vuletic: The election campaign in Kosovo will certainly not seek the normalization of relations with the Serbs (Kosovo Online)

Sociologist Vladimir Vuletic says that, in Kosovo, ahead of the elections scheduled for February 9, a campaign in which nationalist sentiments will intensify should be expected and that it certainly will not be a campaign seeking normalization of relations with Serbs.

"This means that the campaign will not be aimed at seeking constructive solutions to the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina. So, the only thing we can expect is that it will be a campaign in which nationalist sentiments will intensify. In the end, we can say, and unfortunately, Kosovo, as they see it, does not prioritize economic issues or any other topics besides those concerning nationalism and the national question," Vuletic said.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4657tx2c

International

Kosovo- Serbia dialogue deadlock is suffocating civic initiatives (Prishtina Insight)

In an interview with Prishtina Insight, Marko Milosavljevic from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) in Serbia delves into how political actors make Kosovo’s and Serbia’s civil society cooperation attempts harder.

Since political talks between Kosovo and Serbia stalled, civil society in both countries are facing significant obstacles to maintain the cooperation between citizens through art and culture.

Politics took precedence over art this year, preventing the holding of a festival designed to foster exchange between the two societies.

Recently, the “Mirëdita, Dobar dan” festival,which typically alternates between Prishtina and Belgrade, was blocked from taking place in Belgrade this year.

Obstacles to cooperation

For Marko Milosavljevic, Head of Research and Advocacy of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) in Serbia, the prohibition of this year’s edition of the festival in Belgrade is clear evidence of the obstruction to cooperation.

Milosavljevic notes that non-governmental organizations had taken on the responsibility to foster reconciliation between the two countries, as state institutions have failed to do so.

“In the last five years, we see that each in our own way, the Government of Kosovo and the Government of Serbia have obstructed that process – from the censorship of audio dramas by Radio Kosova, produced by the NGO Integra, which contain the stories of the missing people, to the most recent ban of “Miredita, Dobar dan” festival by the Serbian police,” Milosavljevic told Prishtina Insight in an interview.