UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, January 4, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

State Department: Kosovo, Serbia should create climate for reconciliation (Reporteri)
“European” plan to intensify the dialogue in January (Koha)
Deputy Defence Minister: Serbia’s request to deploy troops in Kosovo is absurd (KP)
Haxhiu: Mechanism to monitor human rights implementation by Special Court (Koha)
LDK’s Hoti: Govt to explain why now is not time for mutual recognition? (media)
Von Cramon on how non-recognising states could vote at PACE (Koha)
Hoti: We don’t accept Serbia’s added paragraphs in missing persons document (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Recently detained Serbs - Pantic under house arrest, Trajkovic without therapy, and request for extending detention to Adzic (RTS)
Slovak Ministry: Any change of position to depend on Belgrade-Pristina normalisation (Tanjug)
Director of Museum of Genocide sent letters to ambassadors over plans to renovate Xhafer Deva’s house (Kosovo Online, N1)
Quartet of Western envoys to visit Serbia after Orthodox Christmas (Tanjug, Novosti)
Serbs from northern Kosovo call for protest, dissatisfied with Belgrade’s policy (Danas)

Opinion:

After barricades: Instead of new Kosovo policy, old problems persevere in new year (KoSSev)

International:

Soaring Air Pollution in Region Stokes Health Fears (BIRN)
The DJ and the War Crimes (Rolling Stone)

Albanian Language Media

State Department: Kosovo, Serbia should create climate for reconciliation (Reporteri)

The United States of America has welcomed the unblocking of the north of Kosovo from the barricades and the return to function of the border points between Kosovo and Serbia. This is what a spokesperson of the US State Department told exclusively to Gazeta Express when asked about Washington's expectations for the dialogue process now that the situation has calmed down.

"We welcome the news about the removal of the barricades in the north of Kosovo and the re-opening of the main border points between Kosovo and Serbia," this DASH spokesperson told Express.

The U.S. already expects that Kosovo and Serbia will return to efforts to promote the creation of a favourable environment for reconciliation, regional stability and cooperation for the benefit of all citizens living in Kosovo and Serbia.

In their answer given to Gazeta Express, they also showed their expectation regarding the implementation of the Brussels agreements by the parties, one of which is the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority.

"All the obligations of the Dialogue must be fully implemented without delay," said the spokesperson of the State Department.

In order to lead the parties to the resumption of dialogue, the main advisers of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to land in Pristina and Belgrade this month.

One of the closest people to the U.S. Secretary of State Derek Chollet, has announced that he will visit Kosovo during the first part of this year.

“European” plan to intensify the dialogue in January (Koha)

The French-German plan, also known as the “European” plan, to resolve the political dispute between Kosovo and Serbia, is expected to intensify in early January. Representatives of the United States of America, the European Union, France and Germany, are expected to visit Pristina and Belgrade next week to speed up the resolution of the issue. U.S. special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, the EU special representative for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, advisor to French President, Emmanuel Bonne, and advisor to German President, Jens Plotner, are expected to visit next week. The purpose of the visits is to start negotiations for resolving the issue based on the “European” plan.

Jeton Zulfaj, advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, said in an interview with KTV on December 30 last year, that the dialogue would be intensified.

Since late summer last year, there has been information about the existence of a proposal which was initially called the French-German plan, but until lately they were not confirmed by EU officials.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the proposal is a good basis to start negotiations for a final settlement, but the Serbian side said the proposal is unacceptable.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that the final goal is mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia, but that for the time being this is not possible.

Deputy Defence Minister: Serbia’s request to deploy troops in Kosovo is absurd (KP)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Shemsi Syla, said in an interview with the news agency that Serbia’s request to KFOR to deploy its police and military troops in Kosovo is absurd. He argued that the return of the Serbian army to Kosovo is impossible and that such requests are games played by the Serbian President and that they are creating tensions.

“The time has come to sign an agreement which is most probably not in Serbia’s favor and whenever it does not suit them, Serbia creates other situations with which it builds tensions … Above all, Serbia is playing the games of a hybrid war by spreading lies and making requests which are absurd,” he said.

Haxhiu: Mechanism to monitor human rights implementation by Special Court (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said today that they have sent a request to Kosovo Assembly President Glauk Konjufca for creating an international mechanism that would monitor the implementation of human rights by the Specialist Chambers. She said that this all that can be done in this phase.

“We cannot do more, and we have already sent the request to the Assembly President. According to the information I have, there are discussions underway for a professional mechanism that would address the aspect of human rights, because there is no such instance now … for example the ICTY had the United Nations, but the Special Court does not have one,” Haxhiu said.

LDK’s Hoti: Govt to explain why now is not time for mutual recognition? (media)

MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and former Prime Minister, Avdullah Hoti, said in a Facebook post today that “government officials must tell the people where did they mess up that forced the U.S. – the main ally of Kosovo – to say that now is not the time for recognition from Serbia. What happened with Kosovo’s relations with the U.S. that mutual recognition is no longer at the centre?!”

Von Cramon on how non-recognising states could vote at PACE (Koha)

European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, commented on a Twitter post today on the likelihood of delegates from non-recognizer states of Kosovo’s independence in its membership bid at the Council of Europe. “Many of them at the PACE will most likely not participate in the vote or in the worst case vote against. That’s at least what I have heard,” she tweeted.

Hoti: We don’t accept Serbia’s added paragraphs in missing persons document (media)

The head of the Governmental Committee for Missing Persons Andin Hoti said that Serbia has added several paragraphs to the document on the missing persons, which is claimed to be signed by the parties within the framework of the Brussels dialogue.

Last month, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, announced that he had received a draft document from the European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, which is intended to be signed on the issue of missing persons. Bislimi had stated that the document, which it was said could be signed during the month of January in Brussels, if there will be a high-level meeting, will first be reviewed by Andin Hoti.

In this regard, Hoti says that every time the opportunity approaches for signing a document for the missing, Serbia sets new demands that are unreasonable.

"In the December draft that I have seen, Serbia added one or two more paragraphs, only to prolong this process, which was very close to signing, even though they have now abandoned this major problem that they had (with) ‘forcibly disappeared persons', it is there now, it already exists there. They do not deal with it, but they have added some new unnecessary, unreasonable, incomprehensible requirements, and I of course do not accept them as such and believe that if they are removed, hopefully it would be signed, I don't know if it will be signed... (The paragraphs) are unnecessary, they are out of touch with what happened in Kosovo, they do not touch the reality in Kosovo and they are unreasonable. That would lead us to another path that takes the focus away from the forcibly disappeared persons of the last war in Kosovo," Hoti said.

He announced that Kosovo is ready to sign the document but without Serbia's new demands.

Serbian Language Media

Recently detained Serbs - Pantic under house arrest, Trajkovic without therapy, and request for extending detention to Adzic (RTS)

One of the main demands put forward by local Serbs who protested for 20 days at barricades erected in northern Kosovo was release of their recently arrested compatriots, two former Kosovo policemen, Dejan Pantic and Sladjan Trajkovic and civilian Miljan Adzic, RTS reports.

Pantic is currently under house arrest until January 9, Sladjan Tajkovic is detained in Podujevo without adequate therapy, while the prosecution requested a two-month detention extension for Miljan Adzic.

Lawyer of Dejan Pantic, expects prosecution will request extension of house arrest for his client also after January 9.

“He is completely certain he is not guilty, although he feels disturbed, because the punishment for that criminal act is rather harsh, however, he firmly believes and I have all the reasons to believe that he is not guilty and that prosecution will manage to prove nothing during the course of the investigation”, lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic said.

Sladjan Trajkovic, who worked as a member of Kosovo police since 2013, arrested on December 16, under the accusation of allegedly committing war crimes is staying in Podujevo and although suffering from diabetes does not receive necessary therapy, RTS says.

“At that detention centre in Podujevo, they do not allow to bring medications with a Serbian tax mark, and those medications do not exist in Kosovo, and then there is a problem to bring in adequate therapy. There are several detainees there and convicted persons who have problems with supply of medications”, Trajkovic’s defence lawyer, Dejan Vasic told RTS.

As far as the third recently arrested Serb from northern Kosovo, Miljan Adzic is concerned, he is accused of allegedly assaulting an official during the protest.

His lawyer said the prosecution requested extension of detention for Adzic for two more months.

Slovak Ministry: Any change of position to depend on Belgrade-Pristina normalisation (Tanjug)

In a comment on Pristina's EU membership bid, the Foreign Ministry of Slovakia says any change in Bratislava's position on the self-declared independence of Kosovo will depend on normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations, Tanjug news agency reports.

Slovakia does not recognise Kosovo.

"As we have reiterated several times, Slovakia's position regarding Kosovo is based on a 2007 declaration by the National Council of the Republic of Slovakia. Any change in the Slovak position on this matter will depend on normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations", the ministry said in response to a query by Pristina-based paper Gazeta Express.

The ministry added that active involvement in the EU-led dialogue was the only way to normalise relations and that the dialogue should gradually lead to a legally binding agreement.

Director of Museum of Genocide sent letters to ambassadors over plans to renovate Xhafer Deva’s house (Kosovo Online, N1)

Director of the Museum of Genocide, Dejan Ristic sent letters today to ambassadors of US, Germany, Israel, Sweden and the head of EU Delegation to Serbia, over the announcement of Kosovo authorities related to the renovation of a house of documented Nazi collaborator, Xhafer Deva, located in southern part of Mitrovica, Kosovo Online reports.

In his letters, Ristic listed details of possible dangerous consequences of such a decision of Pristina authorities, which he said, was utterly irresponsible and extended the plea that ambassadors acquaint their governments, respectively the European Union with the content of his letters.

The Museum recalled that decisive, clear and exclusively based on historic facts warning of the Museum and subsequent reactions resulted in the decision of the UNDP and European Union to revoke their decisions to finance the project of restoration and conservation of the house of a Nazi collaborator.

The Museum also voiced expectations that inspirers and implementers of, as they said, in Europe unseen case of renovating an object linked with a Nazi collaborator, would cease planned activities and give up from an act that rightly causes disturbance and concern of the public.

It added such acts are impermissible in Europe, which is still healing from the consequences of WWII and remembers dozens of millions of innocent victims Nazism has claimed.

Quartet of Western envoys to visit Serbia after Orthodox Christmas (Tanjug, Novosti)

Several envoys of key Western states are expected to visit Serbia after Orthodox Christmas to step up the pressure and expedite a resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue, Tanjug news agency reports citing Vecernje novosti daily.

According to the report, US and EU special envoys Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak and German and French envoys Jens Plattner and Emmanuel Bonne are expected to be among the first to arrive. The four are expected to make a joint visit.

Western envoys are in a rush because of the approaching first anniversary of the outbreak of the Ukraine war, February 24, set in informal diplomatic circles as the deadline by which Pristina and Belgrade should at least agree on an outline of a future deal on normalisation of relations, the paper says.

Belgrade sees such an agreement as unacceptable because it essentially implies a recognition of “a false state” and stipulates that Serbia should not block Pristina's admission to the UN, the daily says.

A visit by another envoy of Quint states is also not ruled out because the UK also has a Western Balkan envoy - Stuart Peach, the report adds.

Serbs from northern Kosovo call for protest, dissatisfied with Belgrade’s policy (Danas)

A protest of Serbs in northern Kosovo is supposed to take place on January 9, because of dissatisfaction of the local people there with the Kosovo policy of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, one of the organisers, Ivan Miletic told Danas daily.

He told the daily that Serbs in Kosovo “were hostages”. The protest should take place at one minute after midday, near the Tzar Lazar monument in the centre of Mitrovica North.

Asked who the organisers of the protest are, Miletic responded that those are dissatisfied people from northern Kosovo. He said people saw where things go, following removal of barricades, and agreed not to accept games “by neither Kurti nor Vucic”. He added he is not sure how many people would come, as according to him there is fear among the people, the daily said.

At the same time, Nebojsa Jovic form Movement for Defense of Kosovo and Metohija, also called people to attend the protest.

Talking about demands local Serbs protesting at barricades put forward in order for them to be removed, Miletic noted that not a single vehicle of Kosovo special police left the north, and that was one of the demands to remove the barricades. He added although it was said there will be no further provocations by Albanians, they continued. He said the visits of Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla at New Year Eve at Brnjak crossing and police base in Leposavic were provocations, including also interrogation of physical education professor I.M. at Jarinje crossing point by Kosovo police, and that Sladjan Trjkovic and Miljan Adzic were not released either. He also mentioned the statements of official Belgrade on guarantees that members of Kosovo Security Forces will not come to the north, although Serbs at barricades demanded Kosovo special police forces not to come to northern municipalities.

He also said no Serbian List representative addressed citizens in Rudare after the meeting in Raska where it was decided to remove the barricades.

Opinion

After barricades: Instead of new Kosovo policy, old problems persevere in new year (KoSSev)

By Dragutin Nenezic

(Text was originally published on December 31)

Everyone is well acquainted with the epilogue of the barricades, but it still deserves a pre-New Year review, if for no other reason than to enter the new year ready for new trials.

What was written

The joint statement of the US and the EU is on the short side, but can nevertheless be extensively analysed.

For starters, it is one in a series of joint statements issued by the US and the EU on different topics, which primarily concern transatlantic cooperation in various areas such as energy, new technologies, or security (all examples from this year).

Content-wise, the following should be highlighted:

The US and the EU “welcome the assurances of the leadership of Kosovo confirming that no lists of Kosovo Serb citizens to be arrested or prosecuted for peaceful protests/barricades exist,“ so it is not a matter of US and EU guarantees, but Pristina’s guarantees;
Also, they emphasised that “the rule of law must be respected“, which could mean, for example, that the Pristina regulations will continue to be implemented in a way where by referring to the rule of law, deep-seated discrimination against Serbs in Kosovo is concealed;
In this regard, the US will support the EU, i.e. EULEX, in “closely monitoring all investigations and subsequent proceedings to promote respect for human rights,” which means that Pristina will preside over cases, and the US and the EU will observe, which has also been done so far;
Finally, all obligations from the “Dialogue“ must be fulfilled in full without delay.

International

Soaring Air Pollution in Region Stokes Health Fears (BIRN)

Alarming levels of air pollution are being registered in several Western Balkan countries, with some towns among the most polluted on the planet.

Air quality in the Western Balkans has again become a hot topic with some towns in the region registering among the worst polluted on the planet. Pljevlja in northern Montenegro on Tuesday was ranked in the top 10 most polluted places in the world by IQAir, a popular real-time air quality information platform.

Montenegro’s Agency for Environmental Protection said Pljevlja had a PM 2.5 particles concentration that was almost 13 times higher than the World Health Organization WHO quality guideline value. Agency official Gordana Djukanovic said on Tuesday that severe air pollution was also registered in the capital Podgorica, Niksic and Bijelo Polje.

“Due to the temperature inversion, the warmer layer above the towns doesn’t let the colder air escape, so polluting substances remain trapped and concentrations in certain parts of the day are really high. We urge citizens to avoid physical activities outdoors and stay at home until the situation improves,” Djukanovic told the media.