UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, May 20, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani and Kurti host Qatar's Minister for Social Development (media)
U.S. official Nicole Chulick visiting Kosovo (Klan)
Hovenier on reasons for the visit of U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary (Klan)
Kusari-Lila: No official request to dissolve the Assembly (media)
Tahiri: May 30 is last date to dissolve the Assembly (Indeksonline)
AAK’s Tahiri: Government resignation, not Assembly dissolution (media)
Kosovo government approves agreement with Denmark, Danes will serve their sentences in Gjilan prison (ekonomia)
LVV MP: With liberalization of visas, we have put an end to isolation (ekonomia)

Serbian Language Media:

Jevtic: I informed Theodoros Roussopoulos about institutional violence against Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
Mijacic on Kosovo membership in CoE (media, social media)
Vucevic welcomes Gabonese PM in Belgrade (Tanjug, RTS)
Vucevic: Gabon will not vote for the resolution on Srebrenica (RTS)
Court in Pristina refuses to commute detention measure of Sladjan Trajkovic (RTS)

International:

Kosovo Must Learn from Croatia’s Mistakes in War Crimes Trials in Absentia (Balkan Insight)
Vucic: “I am going to New York to fight for Serbia” (sarajevotimes.com)
EU Policy. Commissioner touts imminent agreement with Serbia on raw materials (euronews.com)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani and Kurti host Qatar's Minister for Social Development (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and the Prime Minister Albin Kurti have received in separate meetings the Minister for Social Development and Family of Qatar, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad.

After the meeting, Osmani said that she informed her that Kosovo appreciates the continuous support of this country, especially in the help for membership in international organizations, but also for the provision of humanitarian aid during and after the war.

In the announcement issued by the Presidency, it is stated that Osmani has underlined the importance of further strengthening relations with Qatar and in this context has mentioned the field of social welfare, support for war invalids, the health sector, tourism and other investment projects. They also stressed the need for deepening cooperation and exploring joint initiatives for the benefit of both countries.

"It is our pleasure to be here today in Kosovo. We had the honor to meet the lady president. We discussed many areas of cooperation between Kosovo and Qatar, especially in the field of social protection for women, children and people with disabilities", said Al-Misnadi in the meeting with Kurti.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for Qatar's invaluable contribution to Kosovo.

U.S. official Nicole Chulick visiting Kosovo (Klan)

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department from the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Nicole Chulick is visiting Kosovo.

She will meet with the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani at 11:00 hours and the prime minister, Albin Kurti at 02:30.

Hovenier on reasons for the visit of U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary (Klan)

The U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has said that he welcomed the deputy assistant secretary, Nicole Chulick, with pleasure. Through a post on the X platform, he noted that Chulick oversees the Europe and South/Central Asia offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department.

“Pleased to welcome Deputy Assistant Secretary Nicole Chulick to Kosovo. DAS Chulick oversees Europe and South/Central Asia offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the Department of State. During her visit, DAS Chulick will focus on critical issues for our bilateral relationship, including minority rights and human rights in Kosovo,” Hovenier wrote.

Kusari-Lila: No official request to dissolve the Assembly (Telegrafi)

After today’s meeting of the Kosovo Assembly presidency, head of the parliamentary group of the Vetevendosje Movement, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said that there is no official request to dissolve the Assembly, and that MPs will hold two sessions this week. “There will be sessions on Thursday and Friday. There is no official request to dissolve the Assembly, but only a debate on the last three years of governance,” she told reporters.

Kusari-Lila also said that Vetevendosje never said they were scared to go to early parliamentary elections, and that the opposition is calling for early elections. “We never said we fear going to elections or reconfirming the mandate, but we cannot do this with a single parliamentary group from the opposition. If the opposition is united in calling for the dissolution of the Assembly, we can jointly agree on a date,” she argued.

Tahiri: May 30 is last date to dissolve the Assembly (Indeksonline)

Head of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group, Abelard Tahiri, said today that June 30 or July 11 are the dates when Kosovo should go to early parliamentary elections.

After today’s meeting of the Kosovo Assembly presidency, he said that the session to dissolve the Assembly should be called next week. “I call on the opposition parties to vote next week on the motion to dissolve the Assembly. The dates for new elections, according to PDK’s proposal, are June 30 or July 11,” he said.

AAK’s Tahiri: Government resignation, not Assembly dissolution (media)

Besnik Tahiri, head of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has said that they will not support the request for dissolution of the Assembly of Kosovo. In a media conference, he emphasized that the Kurti government should resign.

“The dissolution of the Assembly at this stage means an exit, and ‘exit’ for the Kurti government. In a certain way, the Assembly takes the blame for the failure of the government. The government must be dismissed, because a harmful government must declare the resignation itself,” he said.

Kosovo government approves agreement with Denmark, Danes will serve their sentences in Gjilan prison (ekonomia)

The government of Kosovo has approved the Draft Law for the Ratification of the Treaty between Kosovo and Denmark. This treaty foresees the use of the Correctional Institution in Gjilan for the execution of the sentences of Danish citizens. This was announced through a press release.

"The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has held an electronic meeting in which it approved the Draft Law for the Ratification of the Treaty between the Republic of Kosovo and the Kingdom of Denmark, for the use of the Correctional Institution in Gjilan for the purpose of executing Danish sentences", the announcement states.

The Treaty, signed by the Ministers of Justice on April 26, 2022 in Pristina and on May 16, 2022 in Copenhagen, aims to improve capacities and cooperation in the field of criminal justice between Kosovo and Denmark. The government of Kosovo has emphasized the importance of this treaty, stressing that it will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations and will help in the more efficient management of criminal sentences. The Correctional Institution in Gjilan will be used to serve the sentences of Danish citizens, thereby easing the pressure on Denmark's correctional system and ensuring suitable conditions for prisoners.

LVV MP: With liberalization of visas, we have put an end to isolation of citizens (ekonomia)

The MP of the Vetevendosje Movement, Valon Ramadani, has spoken about the successes of the government led by its leader, Albin Kurti and its political entity, Vetevendosje. ''We are the majority, not the opposition. The opposition assesses and criticizes the government. They are doing it continuously. I don't believe they need our help. As for the successes and progress, they are in many different fields that directly affect the citizens of the country. Starting with visa liberalization. Today our citizens travel freely, without obstacles in all the countries of the Schengen area. So, we have put an end to the unjust isolation of our citizens," he said.

According to Ramadani, the progress in the legality of the country's territory is another success. "The progress in legality throughout the territory is more than evident. The fight against organized crime, drug trafficking and smuggling is higher than ever before. We have the army stronger than ever," he stressed.

MP Ramadani said that with the approved laws, the judicial system has been advanced, facilitating and speeding up procedures for disputes affecting businesses and companies. "Unfortunately, two key laws in this field, such as the Bureau of Unjustifiable Asset Confiscation, and the Law on Vetting, have remained hostage to the Constitutional Court," he added.

Another success according to LVV MP, is the decision on the subsidy for allowances for children and expectant mothers. “For the first time in our country we have allowances for children and expectant mothers, we have subsidized and helped families in need with energy subsidies and we have promoted evidence of electricity by subsidizing equipment efficient for heating,'' he said.

He added that the infrastructure projects are other successes of the government. “Many infrastructure projects that were protracted and blocked for years, are now receiving an epilogue, such as the Pristina - Podujeva and the Pristina - Mitrovica roads. In agriculture, we have increased subsidies by promoting the growth of cultivation of agricultural crops incomparable with previous years. These are just some of the government's successes, but other areas such as culture, sports, diplomacy, etc., have had the best period since the post-war in Kosovo, he said.

Serbian Language Media

Jevtic: I informed Theodoros Roussopoulos about institutional violence against Serbs in Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Strpce mayor and Serbian List official Dalibor Jevtic told Kosovo Online that he briefed the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Theodoros Roussopoulos, about devastating information of the institutional violence against the Serbian community in Kosovo, as well as that the authorities in Pristina do not want to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.

“Today, on the sidelines of the ‘Balkan Gathering - Prayer Breakfast’ conference in Thessaloniki, I spoke with PACE President Theodoros Roussopoulos and informed him of numerous facts that speak of the difficult position of the Serbian community in Kosovo, and in particular that due to the institutional violence that is being carried out since (Albin) Kurti came to power, a large number of Serbs was forced to leave the territory of Kosovo. I also told him that Patriarch Porfirije was recently banned from entering Kosovo, but also that many rights stipulated by Kosovo laws do not apply to the Serbian community. I also informed him about the fact that many Serbs are in detention without any basis or evidence”, Jevtic told the portal.

He added he got the impression the PACE President was not familiar with much of this data.

Asked to comment on Kosovo Government announcement that Strpce municipality also requested an extension of the deadline for the population census, Jevtic said he was shocked when he read that information.

“I was shocked when I saw that information. We immediately refuted it yesterday. None of the officials asked for an extension of the census. I called on the government of Kosovo to withdraw such information because it is completely incorrect. Therefore, we neither asked, nor are we asking, nor is there any need to extend the population census. I don’t know why and for what reason the municipality of Strpce was mentioned, except that they wanted to show that, well, it wasn’t just municipalities with an Albanian majority that were asking, so they found a municipality, and it was probably convenient for them to mention Strpce in that context. The information is completely incorrect”, he emphasized.

Mijacic on Kosovo membership in CoE (media, social media)

Coordinator of Working Group of EU National Convent for Chapter 35 Dragisa Mijacic said in a post on X media platform that “failure of Kosovo’s application (to the Council of Europe) had nothing to do with Serbia, yet with (Albin) Kurti's inability to deliver what he has accepted within the Brussels Dialogue. There’s no international affirmation of Kosovo without establishing A/CSM. Writing letters and giving empty promises doesn’t work”.

“On multiple occasions Kurti was informed by QUINT what they are expecting from Kosovo in order to move forward. These demands cannot be played around by support from various parliamentarians or think tankers, it's a game on a high political level. The recent letter from the highest authorities of France, Germany and Italy once again sent a clear and straightforward message to Kurti about what is expected from Kosovo Gov't in order to get membership to Council of Europe @coe. It was a reply to Kurti-s letter from 1 May that is still kept in secret”, he added.

“No matter how much Pristina doesn’t like to hear, the fate of Kosovo is tied with the fate of K-Serbs. There are no regional and EU integrations of Kosovo when K-Serbs are pressured to the extent to leave their jobs, their institutions and their houses. Kurti and the Kosovo Government are now in front of the historic dilemma, either to go towards normalization, cooperation, and regional/EU integrations, or to continue further to isolation. It’s Kurti/Kosovo’s decision, the one that doesn’t depend on Vucic/Serbia, or from the QUINT”, Mijacic concluded.

Vucevic welcomes Gabonese PM in Belgrade (Tanjug, RTS)

Serbian PM Milos Vucevic welcomed Gabonese counterpart Raymond Ndong Sima outside the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade on Monday.

The welcoming ceremony was followed by a tete-a-tete meeting between Vucevic and Ndong Sima and a plenary meeting of Serbian and Gabonese delegations. The two sides are due to sign a MoU in sports and an agreement on defense cooperation, with Vucevic and Ndong Sima to speak to reporters afterwards.

Ndong Sima arrived in Belgrade in the morning and was greeted at the Nikola Tesla Airport by Serbian Minister Nikola Selakovic.

Serbia maintains traditionally close ties with Gabon, one of the countries that have derecognised Kosovo.

Vucevic: Gabon will not vote for the resolution on Srebrenica (RTS)

Prime Minister of Serbia Milos Vucevic said that the Prime Minister of Gabon, Raymond Ndong Sima, informed him that the country will not vote for the resolution on Srebrenica, which will be discussed at the United Nations, reported RTS.

''PM Sima informed us that their country will not vote for the proposed UN resolution on the so-called genocide in Srebrenica, for which we are extremely grateful,'' said Vucevic at a joint press conference in the Palace of Serbia after the signing ceremony of the agreement on cooperation between the two countries in sports and defense.

"Of course, we informed the prime minister and the delegation from Gabon about Serbia's position on that resolution, not underestimating or minimizing the war crime that happened there and not disputing the individual responsibility of anyone who may have participated in the commission of those crimes," said Vucevic.

PM Vucevic also emphasized that Gabon supports the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and integrity of the Republic of Serbia.

"Gabon is one of the countries that in the previous period withdrew the recognition of the so-called Kosovo, which for us is of inestimable importance and a confirmation of our good and sincere relations, which have been going on since the non-aligned movement, and still have strong potential to this day," said Vucevic.

The Minister of Defense of Serbia, Bratislav Gasic, and the Minister of Defense of Gabon, Brigitte Onkanoa, signed an Agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, while the Minister of Sports of Serbia, Zoran Gajic, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of sports with Onkanoa.

Court in Pristina refuses to commute detention measure of Sladjan Trajkovic (RTS)

The court in Pristina has refused suggestions of Sladjan Trajkovic’s defense lawyers to commute detention to a milder measure for which a bail had been offered, RTS reported. Following the court’s decision, the defense filed an appeal.

Sladjan Trakovic remains in a high security prison Grdovac near Podujevo, ever since his arrest in December 2022. His trial for alleged war crimes against the civilian population during the conflict in Kosovo continued today. One of the witnesses of the prosecution did not come to the trial today, and lawyer Dejan A. Vasic said an important number of witnesses had been interviewed in the trial proceedings.

“It is indicative that a certain number of witnesses that relate to one event from the indictment are not coming to the trial”, Vasic said. He did not wish to comment on the testimony of a witness today. The trial will continue on July 4 and 5, RTS added.

International

Kosovo Must Learn from Croatia’s Mistakes in War Crimes Trials in Absentia (Balkan Insight)

As Kosovo gets closer to Council of Europe membership, bringing access to the ECHR, experts tell BIRN that it must take notes from Croatia’s mistakes in conducting war crime trials without the presence of defendants.

The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, ruled in February 2015 that Croatia did not give former Serb paramilitary Mile Sanader a fair trial when he was convicted in absentia for war crimes.

The ECHR ruling came 24 years after Sanader was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in September 1991 for his involvement in the killing of 27 Croatian prisoners-of-war in the town of Petrinja.

Sanader, convicted in absentia alongside three other Serb paramilitaries, appealed 18 years after the verdict was issued for the case to be reheard in his presence in 2009. Croatia’s Supreme Court then rejected his plea two years later, in 2011.

But the ECHR said that Croatia had not fully respected Sanader’s right to legally defend himself because he “had no opportunity to challenge the factual findings of the judgement by which he had been convicted”.

Kosovo has also introduced trials in absentia for war crimes, considering that very few suspects have been tried since the end of the Kosovo war, mainly because of a lack of judicial collaboration with Serbia.

The Kosovo prosecution on May 14 said it had filed one indictment in absentia against three persons accused of war crimes. In 2023, eight indictments were filed in absentia against 61 accused.

As Kosovo increases the focus on war crime trials, 25 years after the war, experts warn that Kosovo must learn from Croatia and follow legal procedures rigorously.

If Kosovo joins the Council of Europe, its citizens will have the right to seek justice from the ECHR, an option not possible so far, which might have financial and time consequences.