UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 9, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti and Lajcak to discuss roadmap for implementation of European plan (Koha)
S. calls for mutual recognition after European plan (Demokracia/The Pavlovic Today)
Freedom in the World: Kosovo, among countries with greatest improvement (RFE)
The last diplomatic shuttle (Albanian Post)
Haziri: How can we support Kurti? We don’t know what he negotiated (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbian List says it will not take part at extraordinary elections in northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Brnabic: We are pursuing best but most difficult policy for our country (Tanjug)
Vucic with Botsan-Kharchenko on situation in Kosovo (social media, media)
Office for KiM reacts to beating of two young Serbs by Kosovo police (Danas, Kosovo Online)
Protest in Josanica over beating of two young Serbs by Kosovo police (RTV)
Kosovo police on media reports on beatings in Josanica (KoSSev)
Zlatan Arsic sent to one month detention (Radio KIM)
UNS and DNKiM: Sanctions for organisers of conferences in Kosovo for not providing translation in Serbian language (Radio KIM, media)
Ombudsman met landowners in Leposavic affected by expropriation (KoSSev)
Analysts on announcements of creating Peoples’ Movement for State (Danas, media)
Opposition failed to collect signatures necessary for extraordinary assembly session on European plan (media)
Freedom House: ‘Dramatic’ decline in liberties in Serbia (Voice of America, N1)

International:

Southeast Europe Marches for Women’s Rights (Balkan Insight)
US Urges Prompt Mutual Recognition Between Serbia And Kosovo Following EU Proposal (The Pavlovic Today)
Freedom House: Southeast, Central Europe – Except Kosovo – Sees Freedoms Decline (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti and Lajcak to discuss roadmap for implementation of European plan (Koha)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, will meet Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti today at 16:00 to discuss the roadmap for the implementation of the European plan for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Prior to meeting Kurti, Lajcak is scheduled to meet President Vjosa Osmani.

U.S. calls for mutual recognition after European plan (Demokracia/The Pavlovic Today)

Ned Price, speaking on behalf of Secretary Blinken, tells The Pavlovic Today that the United States wants the “EU Proposal – Agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia” to ultimately lead to “mutual recognition.”

The United States is calling for the prompt finalization of “mutual recognition” between Serbia and Kosovo. Ned Price, speaking on behalf of Secretary Blinken, told The Pavlovic Today that the United States wants the “EU Proposal – Agreement on the path to normalization between Kosovo and Serbia” to eventually result in “mutual recognition.”

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3mG7ufs Freedom in the World: Kosovo, among countries with greatest improvement (RFE)

In the latest Freedom House report on Freedom in the World, Kosovo is ranked third on the list for improvements made in this area. Although it remains in the category of partly free countries, Kosovo is ranked with plus four points for improvements in political rights and civil liberties. In the category of partly free countries are also other countries of the Western Balkans: Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The last diplomatic shuttle (Albanian Post)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, will stay today and tomorrow in Pristina and is expected to discuss with Prime Minister Albin Kurti the implementation plan of the EU proposal for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, to which the two countries have agreed on February 27 in Brussels.

The visits will also be in the service of the March 18 meeting in Ohrid, North Macedonia, between Prime Minister Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Lajcak is also scheduled to meet Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Memli Krasniqi, Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Lumir Abdixhiku and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj.

The two biggest opposition parties in Kosovo, the PDK and LDK, argue that the European plan does not favour Kosovo, because it is not centred around mutual recognition, but rather around the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. The AAK meanwhile is certain that the European plan, which has been embodied in an 11-point agreement, includes the recognition of Kosovo.

But is Lajcak trying to form a unity team in Kosovo?

Political commentator, Dorajet Imeri, said in an interview with the news website that he doesn’t think that the LDK and PDK are against the EU proposal. “I believe that the opposition parties, except the AAK, regardless of their statements against it, in principle have held an accepting position to the project,” he said.

Imeri said that Lajcak’s visit is about maintaining the right pace of negotiations, as in several days the leaders will meet in Ohrid and the agreement could be signed. “This is why the European diplomat thinks all political actors must be consulted,” he said.

Lecturer of political sciences, Dritero Arifi, told Albanian Post that Lajcak will attempt to “unify the Kosovar political spectrum” before the “final” meeting between Kurti and Vucic in Ohrid on March 18. “I believe it has more to do with preparing a unified position between the government and the opposition about the European plan so that when the time for implementation comes in the future there are no problems or political objections in terms of the implementation,” he argued.

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, said that Lajcak’s meetings with opposition leaders are not “something unusual, but the same as previous informative meetings”. “This is part of Lajcak’s work and in most cases Lajcak met the opposition too to inform them about the progress and problems that emerged in negotiations between the Kosovo Prime Minister and the Serbian President,” he said.

Haziri said he expects Lajcak will inform the opposition, especially about the last meeting between Kurti and Vucic. He also criticised Kurti saying that instead of him inviting the opposition parties to an informative meeting, the international mediator is having to do this, and that this is unacceptable for them.

Haziri categorically ruled out a possible attempt by Lajcak to unify or create a unity team among the Kosovo Albanians, saying that it is not even the mediator’s duty. “This is not his duty, and he doesn’t have that role, and I don’t believe that an international mediator will take on such a role … ,” he said.

Haziri criticised the government for failing to coordinate with the opposition about the dialogue with Serbia. “No invitation, no request came for a meeting with the opposition, at least I am talking about the LDK in this case, and it is clear that he [Kurti] doesn’t even intend to coordinate anything with the opposition,” he added.

Haziri: How can we support Kurti? We don’t know what he negotiated (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lutfi Haziri, said in an interview with Radio Free Europe that he understands the concern expressed by Western partners, especially the United States, about the lack of consensus in Kosovo over the European proposal. But he adds that Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani are mostly responsible for the lack of consensus because, as he said, they lacked the political engagement and readiness to build a broad-based consensus on capital processes.

“We understand the role and position of the U.S. and we have been told about it. We had more meetings with the U.S. Envoy [Gabriel Escobar] than with the Prime Minister, and we had more meetings with the U.S. Ambassador [Jeff Hovenier] than with the Prime Minister and the President together. This is the situation in which the LDK has reviewed and reformulated [its position]. In principle, we did not change our position. The Prime Minister changed his position,” he argued.

Haziri said that the LDK supports the process of dialogue, but that Prime Minister Kurti has damaged the process because mutual recognition with Serbia is no longer being discussed. He added that Kurti did not invite the opposition parties “to explain what he has achieved, what are the difficulties and expectations from the EU proposal for normalisation”.

According to Haziri, the LDK cannot support the government on the European proposal. “How can this be done, one-sidedly? Tell us … the opposition to react one-sidedly and to support the government on issues that we don’t know what has been negotiated, what has been promised and what is expected to be achieved in Ohrid? We still haven’t been informed. We obliged the Prime Minister to come and talk [at the Kosovo Assembly] through a motion, which is an urgent measure. There is no normality and while there is no normality in the process, we don’t believe it and the agreement will be to Kosovo's detriment,” he argued.

Serbian Language Media

Serbian List says it will not take part at extraordinary elections in northern Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Serbian List said today it will not take part at extraordinary elections in northern municipalities due in April this year, because, as they said, conditions for which they left Kosovo institutions were not fulfilled, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Serbian List said it received notification from the Central Election Commission that the deadline for political parties’ registration for upcoming elections runs from 9 to 18 March.

They said that apart from not taking part at those extraordinary elections because their demands for which they left Kosovo institutions have not been fulfilled, they will also not take part at any elections as long as their legitimate demands are not met.

They noted it has become clear that “Pristina and Central Election Commission without honouring legitimate interests of the Serbian people, contrary to the will of citizens, attempt to unilaterally organise elections in the north of Kosovo and Metohija”.

Brnabic: We are pursuing best but most difficult policy for our country (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday the policy being pursued by Serbia at this time was the best but also the most difficult for the country, Tanjug news agency reports.

"We are defending the policy we are pursuing with arguments - international law, the UN Charter, the international order, the things that have happened to us, the aggression on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the attempt to take a part of our territory away from us", Brnabic said at the 30th Kopaonik Business Forum.

Serbia must be treated as a specific case, Brnabic said.

"However much some may doubt that we will maintain the course, we are maintaining it with the arguments we have - I am not sure for how long we will maintain it, but every day matters", Brnabic noted, adding that the EU and integration with the bloc were Serbia's strategic direction.

"To enlarge or not to enlarge? That is the Hamletian question - unfortunately, the dilemma does not exist in the EU because the majority of member states are not in favour of enlargement. Regardless of whether you fully respect and follow the EU common foreign policy, regardless of the rule of law reform, I think that, at this time, their answer is no, but should that change our policy on the EU and on the path to the EU? Absolutely not", Brnabic said.

She noted that reforms underway in Serbia on the EU path were in the interest of the country, its economy and its citizens.

Vucic with Botsan-Kharchenko on situation in Kosovo (social media, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Russian Federation Ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and discussed with him bilateral relations and the situation in Kosovo.

Vucic said in a post on his official Instagram account that he had a good and useful conversation with the Russian Ambassador.

“I informed his Excellency, in particular with the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia’s stance. Serbia will continue preserving correct relations with the Russian Federation”, Vucic also said.

Office for KiM reacts to beating of two young Serbs by Kosovo police (Danas, Kosovo Online)

“Brutal and unprovoked beating of two young Serb men Djordje M. (24) and Lazar Dj. (23), in the village of Josanica, near Leposavic depicts true realty in which Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija are forced to live”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement.

The Office also said that “excessive use of force and police torture is not an isolated case, but rather a direct order of Pristina authorities to mistreat and intimidate Serbs in Kosovo at every step”.

The Office said police officers of Albanian ethnicity have nothing to do in northern Kosovo, terming their presence as illegal and directly opposite to the Brussels agreement.

The Office requested the international community and Brussels to clearly condemn this and similar incidents, and from Pristina to hold police officers who acted violently accountable.

Todic: Situation tense, difficult and painful

Former Leposavic mayor and president of Interim Municipal Authority Zoran Todic said that Serbs living in Kosovo for the last 24 years are faced with incidents and difficulties on a daily basis, adding the situation following the latest incident caused by Kosovo special police units was tense, difficult and painful.

“(…) I spoke with the parents of two beaten men and I saw despair, anger and suffering. This is yet another in a series of incidents that occurred. They shot at children on Christmas Eve. Not that long ago there was shooting in the back at Bitrica bridge. I am afraid that at some moment the situation would explode”, Todic said.

He pointed out that a full scale militarization of northern Kosovo was underway for the last year and a half, by construction of special police bases and setting checkpoints at Bistrica River.

“We have constant mistreatment. Special police units carry out routine checks here, patrol the villages armed with long barrel arms. I understand they have the intention to fight crime and smuggling. We are all in the service of preventing crime. But you can’t use armoured vehicles with machine guns posted on top of it on the ground all the time. This way you are only mistreating and carrying out repression. You do checkups of people and hold long barrel weapons pointed at them”, he added.

He said it was a high time to put an end to irresponsible behaviour of those sitting in Pristina and in Kosovo police. He said nobody from Leposavic municipality requested increased police presence, because there is a KFOR base located in the municipality.

Protest in Josanica over beating of two young Serbs by Kosovo police (RTV)

Residents of Leposavic municipality protested in Josanica village today beating of their two neighbours Lazar Dj. and Đorđe M. by Kosovo special police, adding their protest is a form of struggle against violence against Serbs, Radio Television of Vojvodina reports.

According to the media, about a hundred residents of the Leposavic municipality, at the invitation of a sister of one of the injured young men, protested peacefully.

Protestors said this is their form of democratic struggle against the violence suffered by the Serbian people. Serbian media, over the previous period, reported on a number of incidents and mistreatment local Serb population said it experienced from Kosovo special police forces in northern Kosovo.

Kosovo police on media reports on beatings in Josanica (KoSSev)

Kosovo police, referring to media reports of two young Serbs being beaten up by Kosovo special unit in Josanica village, near Leposavic, said the case had not been reported to them, adding that they informed Kosovo Police Inspectorate of media reports about this case.

They also called on citizens to address police “regarding any occasion or request” and on media to ask for official information from the police.

Media reported earlier that one of the two beaten young men, Dj. M. said yesterday that the case had not been reported to the Kosovo police, adding they plan to do so “tomorrow or the day after”.

Zlatan Arsic sent to one month detention (Radio KIM)

The Basic Court in Pristina has decided to send Zlatan Arsic, arrested by Kosovo police two days ago under charges of allegedly committing war crimes against civilian population during the conflict, to one month detention, Radio KIM reports.

Arsic’s defence lawyer can appeal decision at the second-instance court.

His wife, Zorica Arsic denied that Zlatan was a member of Serbian police at the time of conflict in 1999, as charges said. She also said the accusations against her husband were false and that he had good relations with Albanians and Serbs, cooperated with all and had not mistreated anybody.

Zlatan Arsic’s father Predrag said that a person who reported his son to the police has mixed him up with someone else, adding that a person said a box of cigarettes was confiscated under the threat of weapons.

UNS and DNKiM: Sanctions for organisers of conferences in Kosovo for not providing translation in Serbian language (Radio KIM, media)

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo (DNKiM) lodged a protest because no translation into Serbian has been provided at a news conference organised by Kosovo Agency for Gender Equality on the occasion on International Women’s Day, March 8, Radio KIM reports.

At the conference, where Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti also spoke, translation was provided into Albanian and English languages, however translation into Serbian for the journalists reporting in that language was missing, as it happened many times before, the media recalled.

After the journalist of the Media Centre in Caglavica asked for an explanation as to why there is no translation into Serbian, the Agency for Gender Equality official said translation was not provided because there was no confirmation from Serbian media outlets that they will attend the event.

However, the news invitation sent to the Media Centre in Caglavica by the Agency for Gender Equality contained no remark that media outlets should confirm their attendance in advance.

Media Center journalist Sanja Djokic sent a complaint to the Kosovo Language Commissioner Slavisa Mladenovic over this latest violation of the Law on Use of Languages by Pristina institutions.

UNS and DNKiM demanded respect for the law and right to equal use of Serbian language and alphabet in Kosovo and those responsible for violation to be sanctioned.

Ombudsman met landowners in Leposavic affected by expropriation (KoSSev)

“People have the right to be dissatisfied and express their dissatisfaction”, legal representative of the landowners affected by disputable expropriation in Leposavic municipality, Nebojsa Vlajic told KoSSev portal. Vlajic said the meeting held in Leposavic today was called as per request of the Kosovo Ombudsman, Naim Qelaj so he could hear from people about their problems.

“The talks were, as the last one, held in a cultural manner, supported by arguments”, Vlajic said, adding that such a meeting should also be organised in Zubin Potok municipality.

Ombudsman Qelaj visited Leposavic municipality today and held a meeting with owners of private properties in this municipality affected by the decision of the Kosovo government to expropriate their land. Their legal representatives, former Leposavic mayor Zoran Todic, and Ombudsman’s associates also attended the meeting.

Qelaj said he came to Leposavic in order to hear about problems of the citizens, what they are facing and why they have filed complaints. The meeting came one month after a public discussion on expropriation held in the same building on February 15, and related to the Kosovo government decision on expropriation.

In mid-January Kosovo government made a decision to expropriate 83 hectares of land in cadastral zones of Dren and Lesak, in Leposavic municipality, including both privately and socially owned land. This decision was met with strong dissatisfaction and protest by affected landowner and Leposavic municipality, who noted a number of legislative norms’ violations by the Kosovo government while making this decision. The EU Office in Kosovo also warned publicly of flaws in this expropriation process.

The decision on land expropriation in Leposavic is only one among several decisions of the Pristina authorities on expropriation in northern Kosovo, affecting more than 138 hectares of land there in the last couple of months, the portal recalled.

Affected landowners in addition to the protests, also filed lawsuits for confirming non-existence of the public interest, given that mostly police bases are built on their properties, requesting all works to cease, their land return to them and to be able to use it unobstructed.

Analysts on announcements of creating Peoples’ Movement for State (Danas, media)

The tour of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic across Serbia that should begin this Saturday in Vranje and announcement of creating People’s Movement for State, Danas interlocutors perceive as a path toward his resignation from the leading position of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and diminishing responsibility for signing new European agreement for Kosovo which, according to them, has already impaired ratings of both, the SNS and Vucic personally.

Historian and political analyst Dragan Andjelkovic told Danas daily the key to Vucic’s decision to establish the movement, which he speaks about for almost a year, is “shifting responsibility”.

“He knows the (European) agreement on Kosovo is unpopular among the great part of the society and within his party. He now wishes to achieve two goals. First, to relax members of his party and tell them that they are not alone, that a movement will spread around them and those would be SNS proxies. (…) And second is to relax himself as probably in the next step he would leave the leading post of SNS and bring some new Ana Brnabic to be a president of it”, Andjelkovic opined, adding that by doing so, Vucic will lead the movement which directs nothing and have “a marionette” leading the party and doing whatever he says.

Political analyst Mladen Mrdalj opined that should President Vucic be “content with the reputation of the SNS among citizens he would not have launched transformation of his political machinery into some new movement. The last elections showed that Vucic receives much bigger support than SNS, but he needs SNS support to carry out each campaign”, Mrdalj said.

According to him it would not be surprising that Vucic’s movement would be some umbrella organisation for SNS and its proxies and to create the impression that Vucic is heading the movement that is an opposition to corrupted parts of SNS and destructive right-wing opposition which “wants war with NATO”.

Asked if Vucic will use his tours to explain to the people European agreement on Kosovo, Mrdalj responded Kosovo would be an inevitable topic of those visits.

Political analyst Boban Stojanovic also thinks that the creation of the People's Movement for State is yet another attempt to present President Vucic as “the only protector of Serbia and Kosovo”.

According to him this is preparation for extraordinary parliamentary elections, most probably next year along with local elections. The reasons for this, according to Stojanovic are the latest results of the survey, following tentative acceptance of the European plan for Kosovo, indicating decline in the popularity of Vucic’s party and increase in the rating of national and conservative parties.

He also said with the latest campaign Vucic will try to explain that he is not a traitor, as accused by opposition, and that he sold or signed nothing, aiming to conceal the facts from Franco-German proposal that this is about de facto and de jure recognition of Kosovo.

Opposition failed to collect signatures necessary for extraordinary assembly session on European plan (media)

Four opposition parties, members of NADA coalition, Nova DSS, POKS, Zavetnici and Dveri failed to collect a sufficient number of signatures necessary to call for an extraordinary Serbian Assembly session to discuss the latest European plan for Kosovo, agreed upon verbally in Brussels.

The People's Party (NS) and two independent MPs supported their request, while other opposition parties, including United around Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), Democratic Party (DS), Green-Leftist Club and We Must-Together along with other independent MPs chose not to support the initiative.

Freedom House: ‘Dramatic’ decline in liberties in Serbia (Voice of America, N1)

Serbia is ranked 16th, between Afghanistan and Myanmar, on the list of countries in which a dramatic decline in liberties has been recorded over the past 10 years, but it is still considered a partly free country, said Freedom House in its Report entitled ’Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy.’

Looking at the state of liberties in the world in 2022, Kosovo is still partly free, but has improved by four points in 2022, and is ranked in the Report between Kenya and Slovenia, reported Voice of America (VOA).

On the list of countries from the region in which there has been a dramatic decline in liberties in the past 10 years Bosnia and Herzegovina is ranked 31st, with minus 10 points, between Russia and India.

International

Southeast Europe Marches for Women’s Rights (Balkan Insight)

Women’s rights organizations in countries all over Southeast Europe staged Women’s Day marches and rallies, demanding equal rights and better protection against domestic violence.

Domestic violence survivor Elvedina Hajdari on Wednesday joined the Women’s Day march in Kosovo organized by civil society and women’s rights NGOs in the capital, Pristina, sharing her own experience of judicial institutions’ neglect.

“I came here to demand justice for women near the justice institutions that often become accomplices to the violence committed against us,” Hajdari said at the Palace of Justice in Pristina, where different justice institutions are located.

Hajdari reported domestic violence committed against her in 2021 and explained that despite her former husband being charged with a criminal violation, he was released in regular procedure and continued to bother her.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3ZOgddO US Urges Prompt Mutual Recognition Between Serbia And Kosovo Following EU Proposal (The Pavlovic Today)

The upcoming round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, scheduled to take place in Ohird in North Macedonia on March 18, 2023, will focus on implementing the European proposal agreed upon by Serbia’s President Vucic and Kosovo’s PM Albin Kurti.

The Serbian side has stated that the implementation of the Association of the Serb Majority Municipalities, a provision of the 2013 Brussels Agreement that has yet to be fulfilled, should be the first item on the agenda.

When asked by The Pavlovic Today in what order the implementation of the Association of the Serb Majority Municipalities will be addressed, Price said that the agreement on the implementation annex is essential to normalization under this EU proposal.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3mG7ufs Freedom House: Southeast, Central Europe – Except Kosovo – Sees Freedoms Decline (Balkan Insight)

Rights watchdog's 50th anniversary report painted a bleak picture of the state of freedom in several countries in the region, although Kosovo bucked the trend.

The 2023 annual “Freedom in the World” report by rights organisation Freedom House says several countries in Southeast and Central Europe, except for Kosovo, saw a decline in freedoms.

The report, which is also the 50th anniversary edition, registered the 17th consecutive year of falls in global freedom but remained hopeful for the coming years.