• Bislimi: Postponing elections in the north, not a good option (VoA)
• Vela: Vucic wants to block 23 April elections in the north (media)
• Serbia conditions disputed elections in north on Serb municipalities body (BIRN)
• Election Commission expected to approve voting centers today (Telegrafi)
• If elections are held in the north, “99 percent of Serbs will boycott them” (AP)
• Abazovic: Serbia should recognise Kosovo as soon as possible (Klan Kosova)
• Escobar: Ohrid agreement is historic (media)
• One month detention on remand for police officer in wounding incident (media)

Bislimi: Postponing elections in the north, not a good option (VoA)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, said in an interview with the Voice of America on Thursday that postponing the extraordinary elections for mayors in the four northern municipalities is not a good option. He argued that the postponement would be in the interest of those that think that the north should be turned into a zone of crisis management.

“At the moment, the main protagonist demanding the postponement of the elections is Mr. Vucic, who is also seeking concessions for participating in the elections. It is very wrong that even voices from politics in Kosovo join this narrative of Mr. Vucic. What is important to say is that with his statements yesterday, Mr. Vucic in several instances violated the basic agreement of February 27, but also the annex-implementation of March 18, for the reason that his statements clearly show that he is not interested in building good neighborly relations with Kosovo, he is still interested in interfering in the internal affairs of Kosovo and preventing the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” Bislimi said.

Bislimi also argued that Kosovo and Serbia are not agreeing on the structure of the Joint Monitoring Committee for the implementation of the Ohrid agreement which should be set up by April 18. He said that Pristina believes that the people leading the group should not be the chief negotiators from both sides. Bislimi said that Kosovo has appointed its ambassador to Brussels, Agron Bajrami, as head of the monitoring committee.

Vela: Vucic wants to block 23 April elections in the north (media)

Chief of Staff to President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, Blerim Vela, argued in a Twitter post that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic continues to misuse the Serbian List to stoke tensions in the north of Kosovo. “Serbia’s President continues to (mis)use Srpska Lista to stoke tensions in Kosovo: Acts against article 1 of the agreement with Kosovo on recognition of Kosovo car plates. Makes illegal request for removal of Kosovo Police from north Kosovo. Seeks to block April 23rd elections,” Vela tweeted.

Serbia conditions disputed elections in north on Serb municipalities body (BIRN)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia will insist that extraordinary local elections for four Serb majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo be held after the long-promised Association of Serb Municipalities is established.

“We just want, and from today we will warn all those who support the holding of such elections, fake, fraudulent or as they would say for some other elections around the world, sham elections, that these are the worst example of exactly such elections … and we will ask that elections are held after the formation of the Association of Serbian Municipalities,” Vucic said.

Vucic met Kosovo Serb representatives on Thursday in Raska, Serbia, in a three-hour live broadcasted meeting. Serbian PM Ana Brnabic and almost the whole government was present. During the meeting, in the parts in which Vucic was not addressing the audience, Kosovo Serbs – politicians and residents – complained about specific everyday life problems they have.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3KwaCTA

Election Commission expected to approve voting centers today (Telegrafi)

Kosovo’s Central Election Commission (CEC), in its meeting today, is expected to adopt the list of voting centers for the extraordinary elections in the four northern municipalities. CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi confirmed the information to Telegrafi. “I inform you that the next meeting of the Central Election Commission will be held on Friday, April 14, starting at 1:30 p.m. The agenda foresees that the members of the CEC will review and approve several issues in the framework of the preparation of the April 23 elections,” he said.

If elections are held in the north, “99 percent of Serbs will boycott them” (AP)

Elections in the four northern municipalities in Kosovo are scheduled for April 23 but no one knows yet where they will be held as the security situation remains unstable. Commentators of developments in the north, Branislav Krstic analyst from Mitrovica North, and Nexhmedin Spahiu political commentator from Mitrovica South, told Albanian Post that the best solution would be to postpone the elections.

Both Krstic and Spahiu – aware that the Serbian List, which holds the real power in the north, is not going to take part in the elections and also due to problems with the organisation of elections – argue that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti should postpone the elections again, as they did in December last year.

“The Office of Prime Minister Kurti and the Office of President Osmani must listen to voices from democratic institutions in Pristina, because there are no conditions to hold elections in the north,” Krstic said.

Spahiu said: “Given what is happening in Pristina and in Belgrade, in my opinion it would be more reasonable for the President of Kosovo to postpone the elections indefinitely until the conditions are created”.

Abazovic: Serbia should recognise Kosovo as soon as possible (Klan Kosova)

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said in an interview with Klan Kosova on Thursday that Serbia should recognise Kosovo’s independence as soon as possible.

Commenting on the Ohrid agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, he argued that it has good implications for the whole region. “I repeat my opinion and the position of my government, but especially my opinion that the reaching of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia has exceptionally good implications for the whole region. I understand that it is a matter between two states, and we have no ambitions to interfere there. But as someone who is a real friend and wishes well, I think it would be really good to reach a final agreement. It would be a great boost for all,” he said.

Escobar: Ohrid agreement is historic (media)

U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said in an interview for Albanian media that the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in Ohrid is historic and that it will lead to the normalisation of their relations. “I must say that with regards to the Kosovo-Serbia issue, what we have now is a new normalisation agreement which is a historic agreement for friendly and constructive relations between two partners that did not have much trust,” he said.

Escobar also said that the agreement which was made possible by the European Union and supported by the United States of America was supported in almost every aspect by countries in the region.

One month detention on remand for police officer in wounding incident (media)

The Basic Court in Mitrovica ordered a one-month detention on remand for a member of Kosovo Police suspected of wounding a Serb in the north on Monday evening. The three other officers, involved in the incident have been put under house detention. The officer in detention is suspected of the criminal offence “attempted murder” and for “failing to report criminal offenses or perpetrators.”