UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, August 7, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Western politicians call for balance and proportionality in dealing with Kosovo and Serbia (media)
EU denies siding with Serbia, “parties responsible for agreement” (Koha)

Kosovo PM Kurti to visit North Macedonia (RTK)

Court orders 30-day detention for two Serbs suspected of war crimes (Koha)

Police give details about explosion at Serb’s bar in Ranillug (media)

Milatovic: Recognition of Kosovo, a closed matter for Montenegro (media)

Walls of institutions painted with slogans against violence against women (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

Arrests, explosive device and threats to Serbs in Kosovo, lawyers say there is a matrix (RTS)

Serbian List, Petkovic react to bomb attack against property of Serbian List official in Ranilug (Tanjug)

Serbs in Suvi Do near Mitrovica North disturbed after “KLA” graffiti appeared on health facility entrance (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

CEO of Telekom Srbija: MTS will continue operating in Kosovo despite pressure (N1)

Serbian, RS PMs agree to build WWII death camp memorials (N1)

International Media:

West must protect Kosovo from Serbia and Russia, senior politicians warn (The Telegraph)

BIRN Wins Solar Power Investigation Case Against Kosovo Media Regulator (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Western politicians call for balance and proportionality in dealing with Kosovo and Serbia (media)

Most media cover a joint letter signed by Senator Bob Menendez, Chair of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Michael Roth, Chair of the German Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs, Alicia Kearns MP, Chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, and heads of foreign affairs committees of several other countries, addressed to James Cleverly, UK Foreign Minister, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief.

The letter notes:

We write to raise our concerns over the current policy of the EU, U.S. and UK towards Serbia–Kosovo relations. We believe that recent events and crises have highlighted flaws within our collective approach and would request it is reconsidered.

Whilst our focus must remain on the normalisation of relations and continued Euro-Atlantic pathway for both Serbia and Kosovo, the recent unrest requires all parties to renew focus on de-escalation and deterrence.

The boycott of the Municipal elections by Kosovan Serbs on 23rd April, subsequent attack on KFOR soldiers on 29th May and arbitrary detention of Kosovan police officers by Serbian authorities on 14th June all point toward a rapidly deteriorating situation which not only threatens the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, but regional peace itself. Recent discoveries of arms caches in northern Kosovo and reports of continued weapons smuggling across the Serbia-Kosovo border highlight the risks of further escalations.

Kosovo is a sovereign country and functioning democracy. This fact should form the basis for our collective policy towards the current crisis. Attempts to disrupt democratic elections in Kosovo by Serbia must be criticised publicly as foreign interference with tangible measures implemented to hold them accountable if they continue to undermine free and fair elections. This will help to facilitate future elections with full participation from all communities present in the northern Municipalities. We must exercise deterrence diplomacy if the current crisis is to be resolved, the EU-facilitated dialogue is to yield positive results, and the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement is respectfully adhered to.

We are asking for balance and proportionality to return in dealing with Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo has faced significant repercussions following the efforts by Mayors to enter their offices in Northern Kosovo. Kosovo must coordinate with KFOR in the future to prevent escalations. But the lack of pressure placed on Serbia following the arbitrary detention of three Kosovan police officers and failure to hold to account those responsible for attacks on KFOR highlights the current lack of even-handedness in addressing such flash points.

We do note the recent sanctioning by the US Government of Aleksandar Vulin, head of the Serbian Security and Information Agency (BIA).

The current approach is not working. We would ask that the international community learns from our past and ensure we do not adopt a Belgrade-centred policy for the Balkans. We also ask that you consider adopting a policy of deterrence diplomacy to prevent further aggravation of the security and political situation in the north of Kosovo, with balance and proportionality guiding any statements and any punishments or sanctions issued and that those who do up-hold the rule of law and democracy are not scolded.

Alicia Kearns wrote in a Twitter post: “10 Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees and 56 Parliamentarians have called on the US, EU & UK to change our approach to Kosovo and Serbia. We need deterrence diplomacy, where we ensure there is balance in our dealings, and we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.”

EU denies siding with Serbia, “parties responsible for agreement” (Koha)

European Union officials denied they are supporting Serbia’s requests in ongoing discussions about the sequencing of the annex for the implementation of the Brussels agreement. Responding to criticism from Kosovo government officials, they said the goal is to reach a legally binding agreement which ultimately is the responsibility of the parties.

“The EU is not biased. The EU is an honest facilitator that has invested impartially to help the parties – Kosovo and Serbia – to reach a compromise solution that also contributes to security, stability, and prosperity for the whole region. Dialogue is at the center of the EU engagement in the Western Balkans,” the EU said in its response.

“Through dialogue, the EU aims to reach a comprehensive legally binding agreement for the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, by addressing unresolved issues, so that both parties can advance on their respective European paths, create new opportunities, and improve the lives of their citizens. It is up to the parties to reach this agreement. The EU works only as a facilitator and the responsibility to reach European solutions ultimately falls on the parties. The EU remains committed to continue its sustainable engagement alongside the parties in dialogue”.

Kosovo PM Kurti to visit North Macedonia (RTK)

Prizren is soon expected to be linked with the municipality of Tetovo, North Macedonia, through a road that will serve the mountain tourism on both sides of the border. With the construction of the new project, the road from Tetovo to Prizren will be shortened from three hours to 30 minutes. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is expected to visit Tetovo for this purpose on Friday. The information was announced by a spokesperson of the municipality of Tetovo.

Court orders 30-day detention for two Serbs suspected of war crimes (Koha)

The Basic Court in Pristina has ordered a 30-day detention for two Serbs, Zarko Zaric and Momir Pantic, who are suspected of committing war crimes against the civilian population in 1998-1999. The defence lawyers of the two suspects confirmed the news. Zaric, who was commander of the police station in the village of Rakosh in Istog municipality in 1998-1999, is suspected of crimes against the civilian population in the municipality of Istog. Pantic was head of the militia in Istog in 1998-1999, and is also suspected of war crimes.

Police give details about explosion at Serb’s bar in Ranillug (media)

A Kosovo police spokesperson for the region of Gjilan said on Sunday that an explosion occurred at the bar of a Kosovo Serb in Ranillug on Saturday night, and that there was only material damage and no injuries. The police spokesperson said that police could not meet with the owner of the bar as he is on holiday outside Kosovo. The spokesperson also said that regional police investigators are investigating the incident in full coordination with the State Prosecution.

The Serbian List said in a statement that it condemned the attack with an explosive device against the property of the member of the Kosovo Assembly, Zoran Maksimovic.

Milatovic: Recognition of Kosovo, a closed matter for Montenegro (media)

Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic said that the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, Montenegro’s membership in NATO and sanctions against Russia are closed matters for Montenegro. “The recognition of Kosovo’s independence, the membership of our country in NATO, and sanctions against Russia, as part of the joint foreign and security policy of the European Union, are closed matters,” he said in an interview with RTV Slovenia.

Walls of institutions painted with slogans against violence against women (Koha)

The Collective for Feminist Thinking and Action has painted the walls of institutions and public spaces in Pristina with slogans opposing violence against women and girls. “On the streets of Prishtina, we call for an all-social mobilisation and engagement to undo the patriarchal structures that are producing violence, rapists and an apathetic society. We call for a collective revolt and solidarity with all survivors of violence,” a press release issued by the organisation said.

Serbian Language Media

Arrests, explosive device and threats to Serbs in Kosovo, lawyers say there is a matrix (RTS)

Serbian national broadcaster RTS writes on Sunday that Serbs in Kosovo have been exposed to various pressures. Over the last 24 hours in addition to “KLA'' graffiti written on the wall of a health facility in Suvi Do village near Mitrovica North, arrests of two Serbs for alleged war crimes, an explosive device was also thrown at business facility of Serbian List MP in Ranilug, part of his family home.

Defense lawyers of arrested Serbs claim there is a matrix based on which Serbs who have properties in Kosovo and want to reclaim it, are accused and reported for the war crimes by the same persons who had usurped their properties.

The Basic Court in Pristina decided to send to one-month detention Momir Pantic and Zarko Zaric, two Serbs arrested on August 4 and 5 respectively, for allegedly committing war crimes in Istok municipality during the conflict in Kosovo in the period from 1998 to 1999. RTS said there are no additional details from prosecution and police about their alleged responsibilities.

Pantic and Zaric were former members of the Serbian police and they did not hide it. Zaric returned to the village of Ljubozda, near Istok in 2017 and lived there with a group of Serb returnees. He was arrested at his home village on August 5. The prosecution accused him of allegedly committing war crimes against the civilian population. He was a commander of a police sub-station in the village of Rakos.

Momir Pantic was a police station commander in Istok. He was arrested on August 4, at Merdare crossing point over alleged commanding responsibility for some events that took place in Istok municipality during the conflict in 1999, RTS said. As a displaced person Pantic lived in central Serbia, but was coming often to Kosovo becasue of his property.

There is a matrix – Serbs are accused by those who have usurped their properties

Momir Pantic is not the only one to get arrested upon deciding to resolve his property related issues.

There are dozens of Serbs staying in the prisons in Kosovo whose trials have already started or they are waiting for indictments to be raised. They started being accused for alleged war crimes upon regulating their properties in court proceedings or during the processes of proving their legal ownership, RTS further writes.

Their defense lawyers argue there is a matrix, based on which Serbs in Kosovo are accused and reported for the war crimes by the same persons who have usurped their properties.

Such are the cases, the lawyers said, of Dusko Arsic from Maticane, near Pristina, Milorad Djokovic from Vitomirica, near Pec, Gavrilo Milosavljevic from Istok, Caslav Jolic from Djurakovac and others.

RTS also said that Pantic and Zaric were arrested within 24 hours, a few days after Driton Goxhaj, former KLA member from Albania was arrested in Tirana, as per warrant of the Specialist Court in The Hague.

Serbian List, Petkovic react to bomb attack against property of Serbian List official in Ranilug (Tanjug)

Reacting to the incident in which an explosive device was thrown at the property of Serbian List MP Zoran Maksimovic in Ranilug, Serbian List said that series of attacks against Serbs in the south of Kosovo come as a consequence of “Pristina’s regime rhetoric and impunity for the previously committed misdeeds”.

The Serbian List in the strongest terms condemned this “heinous act” saying it disturbed all Serbs in Kosovo, in particular those living in Kosovo Pomoravlje. It also demanded those responsible for the attack be brought to justice and all facts and circumstances of the attack be determined as soon as possible.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said the bomb attack against the property of a Serbian List MP was impermissible and concerning, and urged the international community to help in shedding light on this crime.

Petkovic said that “by sheer luck no one was injured” in a bomb attack which came after a series of pressure and provocations against Serbian people south of the Ibar River. He stressed this attack must be taken seriously and treated with due diligence “as it sends a message to the Serbs and their legitimate representatives that they are not safe at their own homes, at their own doorsteps”.

Serbs in Suvi Do near Mitrovica disturbed after “KLA” graffiti appeared on health facility entrance (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Serbs in Suvi Do village, near Mitrovica North said they feel unsafe and disturbed after Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) graffiti was painted on the entrance of a health facility in this ethnically-mixed settlement, Tanjug news agency reported.

Branko Radovanovic, resident of the village told the agency this is not happening for the first time, adding graffiti was painted also before. Another resident, Mico Kragovic said this incident demonstrates that the situation is not calming down.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija in its reaction condemned the inscription of the graffiti in Suvi Do village, stressing that this “health facility has often been the target of Albanian vandals and that over the previous years it was pelted with stones, its windows broken and anti-Serb graffiti inscribed on it”.

The Office also said this incident instills fear among the Serbian people in the north and does not contribute to the de-escalation of the situation there.

CEO of Telekom Srbija: MTS will continue operating in Kosovo despite pressure (N1)

The CEO of Serbian Telekom Company, Vladimir Lucic, told Tanjug news agency that the company MTS.doo will continue to operate and provide service to users despite the Pristina authorities' decision to terminate the company’s license in Kosovo, N1 reports.

He said that, in the last few months and with the current government in Pristina, the pressure on the company is increasing, but also that it will resist the pressure and continue working on the territory of Kosovo.

“We are one of the few companies that works in all six countries of the former Yugoslavia and we have no problems anywhere, so I think that what is happening is more a matter of political pressure, which, when reduced to the legal framework, we will be able to resist“, he said.

He pointed out that the company MTS formed on the basis of the Brussels Agreement and “instead of being an example of good application of the Brussels Agreement, the Brussels Agreement is now being violated, and the highlight of it was the cancellation paper we received, which is completely absurd and meaningless, and we are convinced that it was sent to us by mistake“.

Serbian, RS PMs agree to build WWII death camp memorials (N1)

The prime ministers of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska (RS) (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serb-majority entity) signed a memorandum to build memorials dedicated to the victims of the WWII Jasenovac death camp, in Serbia and Bosnia, N1 reports.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic signed the memorandum to build the memorials in Belgrade and the town of Donja Gradina with Republic of Srpska Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic in Banja Luka.

A Serbian government press release said that the they expressed determination to “foster a culture of remembrance of the victims of the Ustasha genocide (under the Nazi Independent State of Croatia), the worst of which is the Jasenovac concentration camp system”, adding that Donja Gradina was chosen “as the place of suffering where the executions were carried out, torture and abuse”, and Belgrade as the capital of the Republic of Serbia.

International Media

West must protect Kosovo from Serbia and Russia, senior politicians warn (The Telegraph)

The West is failing to protect Kosovo from Serbian and Russian aggression because of its naive and biased policies, senior politicians from Britain and the US have warned.

In a letter shared with The Telegraph, they said that the West’s approach to nation-building in Kosovo was “flawed” and will leave its Balkan ally vulnerable.

“Kosovo is a sovereign country and functioning democracy,” the 54 politicians said. “Attempts to disrupt democratic elections in Kosovo by Serbia must be criticised publicly as foreign interference.”

The letter was addressed to James Cleverly, UK Foreign Minister, Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs chief.

Tensions have soared in northern Kosovo this year, with Serbia accusing the Kosovan government of “silent ethnic cleansing” and the Kosovan government accusing Serbia of stoking unrest.