UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, July 26, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

RTK acting director resigns after publication of Slobodna Bosna article (media)
Can the bridge in Mitrovica be opened without the consent of KFOR? (RFE)
Hasani: Poverty the biggest concern of Serb community, not security (KTV)
Brussels says that validity of Basic Agreement should not be questioned (Koha)
AJK reacts to threats against editorial office of online media “Sbunker” (media)
Guterres: Humanity suffering from an extreme heat pandemic (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic to attend opening ceremony of Paris Olympics (Tanjug)
Serbian Democracy reacts to Kosovo police calls to owners of weekend houses to provide documents (Danas, social media)
By jumping off bridge at Gazivode lake, Albanians intend to pay tribute to killed Kosovo police officers (KoSSev)
Surveillance cameras installed at Gazivode lake (Kosovo Online)
AAK MP Kadrijaj says people who were visiting Gazivode organised by Self-determination (Kosovo Online)
“Gallery of Threats” to Serbian Democracy (social media)
Drecun: Investigation to reveal objectives of policeman's killer, Germany not cooperating (Tanjug)
Serbian Government adopts Anti-Corruption Strategy (N1)

Opinion:

Opening the Iber Bridge to car traffic is a bad idea (Sbunker)

International Media:

‘We have built a name: Kosovo Sunny Hill festival founder eyes record year" (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

RTK acting director resigns after publication of Slobodna Bosna article (media)

The leading story in most news websites on Thursday night was the resignation of acting general director of public broadcaster, the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), Zana Spahiu. RTK announced the news saying that the decision comes “after recent developments related to the publication of a news by the public broadcaster”. The resignation will enter into force on July 30. Jeton Musliu, editor at RTK, also resigned his post on Thursday.

Can the bridge in Mitrovica be opened without the consent of KFOR? (RFE)

The news website reported on Thursday that even though Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in mid-July that his government aims to open the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica, NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo – KFOR – says that any decision to open the bridge should be made within the EU-facilitated dialogue for the normalization of relations.

KFOR told Radio Free Europe that NATO supports the dialogue and that it is in Kosovo to contribute to a safe environment for all people of Kosovo. “This includes the constant presence on the bridge in Mitrovica and regular patrols in the surrounding areas,” the mission said. KFOR did not say if it is contacted by the Kosovo government on the matter.

The civilian sector in Kosovo says KFOR is the main factor in the opening of the bridge. The main bridge is currently open only for traffic on foot, although it was decided in the dialogue that it should be opened for vehicle traffic too.

While the Kosovo government believes that the opening of the bridge would secure free movement for all, the government of Serbia views the issue as “provocation”. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on July 17 raised the topic in a meeting with QUINT ambassadors and the EU Head of Office in Kosovo, and after the meeting said that no one can argue that the opening of the bridge is not good and fair. “We want the law to be enforced and for freedom of movement to be respected, but also to have peace and security for all,” he told reporters.

The UK embassy in Pristina told Radio Free Europe that they believe the opening of the bridge should be done in line with the respective agreements reached in the dialogue for the normalization of relations. “We are open for discussions with the Kosovo government on how this can be done,” they said.

The news website asked other QUINT embassies to ask them about their position on the opening of the bridge and if they support the government’s plan to open it for traffic, but received no response.

Hasani: Poverty the biggest concern of Serb community, not security (KTV)

Alisa Hasani from UNDP Kosovo said in an interview with the TV station on Thursday that the latest Public Pulse report shows that there is growing satisfaction with the work of the Kosovo government. The satisfaction rate is around 53.3 percent or around a 11 percent increase compared to last year’s report. “In this Pulse, we saw an increased perception of the citizens with all institutions, except for the judicial institutions,” she said.

Hasani said that there is growing satisfaction with the work of the Kosovo Assembly and the Office of the President of Kosovo.

Hasani said that the latest report shows that poverty is the main concern for the Kosovo Serbs. “Poverty is the main problem for the Serb community, while urban spaces, illegal constructions, and traffic, are the second problem. If we look at the report and the ranking of problems, security is always mentioned, but it is 3.1 percent on the list. There are many other problems that are ranked higher than security,” she argued.

Brussels says that validity of Basic Agreement should not be questioned (Koha)

The European Union called on Serbian officials to refrain from statements questioning the validity of the Basic Agreement to which Kosovo and Serbia agreed last year. The remarks come after a statement by Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic who said that Belgrade did not agree to the French-German plan, and they would not sign anything confirming Kosovo’s statehood, the news website reports.

Asked to comment on the remarks, Brussels said that parties are aware of the obligations they assumed from the dialogue. “As we have said on several occasions, the Agreement on the Path to normalization is valid and binding in its entirety, both for Kosovo and Serbia. Its enforcement is an integral part of their respective European paths, which was recently confirmed by its inclusion on chapter 35 of negotiations for Serbia’s membership. If progress on its accession to the EU is in Serbia’s strategic interest, we call on Serbian representatives to refrain from statements that question the validity of the Agreement and to start implementing their obligations,” a spokesperson for the European Commission told Koha on Thursday. “To recall the consistent public position of the EU, the Agreement and its Implementation Annex have become legally binding through the written statement of HRVP dated March 18, 2023. This was accepted by President Kurti and Prime Minister Kurti”.

AJK reacts to threats against editorial office of online media “Sbunker” (media)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo said in a statement on Thursday that the online media
“Sbunker” received a series of insults and threats after publishing an op-ed (read op ed here: https://shorturl.at/VxglA) about the possible opening of the main bridge over Iber River in Mitrovica. The Association said that “calls to kill reporters are alarming” and that “it condemns the campaign against this media in the strongest terms”. “The threats against Sbunker come at a time when several media in Kosovo were faced with public smearing and calls for violence. The AJK calls on the Kosovo Police to investigate all threats against reporters, with full seriousness and the greatest urgency,” the statement notes.

Guterres: Humanity suffering from an extreme heat pandemic (media)

Several news websites in Kosovo cover a statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday calling for action to limit the impacts of heat waves intensified by climate change. “"Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic - wilting under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world. That’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit. And halfway to boiling,” he said.

Guterres repeated his call for humanity to fight its “addiction” to fossil fuels. “Today, our focus is on the impact of extreme heat. But let's not forget that there are many other devastating symptoms of the climate crisis: ever-more fierce hurricanes. Floods. Droughts. Wildfires. Rising sea levels. And the list goes on … To tackle all these symptoms, we need to fight the disease. And the disease is the madness of incinerating our only home. The disease is the addiction to fossil fuels. The disease is climate inaction,” Guterres argued, calling in particular on G20 countries to take action.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic to attend opening ceremony of Paris Olympics (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will be in Paris on Friday to attend the opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games, the presidential press office has announced, Tanjug news agency reported.

Vucic will be a guest at a reception to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron for the world leaders. While in Paris, Vucic will also attend the ceremonial opening of a Serbian House, the statement added.

Serbian Democracy reacts to Kosovo police calls to owners of weekend houses to provide documents (Danas, social media)

"Yesterday, in Zubin Potok, invitations to the owners of cottages at (Gazivode) lake to bring documentation about cottages to (Kosovo) police station for inspection began”, Serbian Democracy said in a statement on Thursday, Danas daily reported. “First, how did police get the right to staple these invitations onto the doors of cottages that have already been built? Who did they get that order from? As far as we know, this should be dealt with by the municipality (or a ministry, if it believes some property is theirs) or has the Kosovo Government decided to formalise its police state in the north, so the police commander is also the mayor at the same time", they added in a statement.

Serbian Democracy argued it is senseless to request from people those documents before Agreement on Cadaster and Agreement on Judiciary from 2013 and 2016 respectivley on recognition of judicial decisions (validity appeal) are implemented, by which Pristina undertook an obligation to enforce decisions of the Serbian courts in Kosovo which functioned before the integration, that happened after the Brussels agreement was made.

They also said the vast majority of people do not have Kosovo documents about their properties, but Serbian ones only, as people built their houses, properties and registered them in the Serbian institutions which were the only functional on the ground. Therefore, as they said, Pristina should accept that documentation as by above-mentioned agreement decisions of the Serbian courts (made by December 2016) had been legitimised as valid by Pristina and Kosovo Judicial Council. They called upon the European Union to immediately exert pressure on Pristina to implement the Agreement on Judiciary and agree with parties on modalities to implement the Agreement on Cadastre.

It also said that given previous experience with this enforcement of the "rule of law", there are serious doubts that this measure of Kosovo authorities was adopted with the aim of declaring those properties "illegal" and further make the life miserable for Serbs, provoking and expelling them, all under the pretext of "establishing legality".

By jumping off bridge at Gazivode lake, Albanians intend to pay tribute to killed Kosovo police officers (KoSSev)

By jumping off the bridge at Gazivode lake, Albanians intend today to pay tribute to the killed members of Kosovo police, KoSSev portal reports. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is mentioned as an organiser of the event, according to Kosovo Albanian media.

“To pay tribute to the killed police officers, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) will organise activities in the north on Friday. As of 14.00, sportive-recreational activities by jumping off the brigade will be organised at Ujmane (Gazivode) lake”, KoSSev portal reported citing Pristina-based Koha. The activities will take place on the anniversary of the murder of Enver Zymberi, a police officer killed on July 26, 2011, in a place called Varage, Zubin Potok municipality. It was also said that activities will involve “professional jumps”.

KoSSev portal further reported that as far as jumps off the bridge at Gazivode lake are concerned, they were already taking place on a bridge, near so-called 5^th tunnel as seen on videos published by media and on social networks. Last weekend a bomb was thrown there, damaging two parked vehicles. Albanian swimmers are coming to this place called Kolasinske Stene, at Gazivode, as of recently, and they are visited by Kosovo special police both from the ground and the lake.

Over the previous days, following the bomb incident, construction machinery was seen on that spot. KoSSev portal asked Kosovo police what is being constructed there and was told unofficially that “perhaps some parking lot will be there” and “that there will not be any police checkpoint”.

Surveillance cameras installed at Gazivode lake (Kosovo Online)

Surveillance cameras have been installed near Gazivode lake over the previous day, and apart from that, Kosovo institutions are working on arranging the infrastructure around the lake, Kosovo Online portal reported, citing RTV Dukagjini.

The company that made the contract with Kosovo police, is installing surveillance cameras around the lake, while others have already been installed at majority locations in the north. According to Kosovo deputy commander for the region North, Veton Elshani, surveillance cameras “would help police to resolve the cases”.

Kosovo Online portal reported that machinery is used to construct the road leading directly to the shore of the lake and a parking lot would be arranged. Kosovo police were also present on the spot, the portal added.

AAK MP Kadrijaj says people who were visiting Gazivode organised by Self-determination (Kosovo Online)

Alliance for Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP, Time Kadrijaj said that Self-determination Movement is using Gazivode lake as propaganda, adding there are information that people who were visiting the lake over the previous days “were organised by the ruling party”, Kosovo Online portal reports citing Pristina-based Gazeta Blic. As she said, the propaganda of Self-determination is focused on expanding sovereignty and integrity in the north.

"Also, they are using Ujman (Gazivode) lake these days, saying that for the first time they see the citizens of Kosovo being able to use Ujman lake by uploading videos of citizens interviewed, where they say they thank Albin Kurti for this opportunity", she said.

She claimed to have knowledge that people who visited Gazivode lake over the previous days were groups organised by Self-determination, which, as she said, aim to promote the supposedly good work of this government. Kadrijaj also said there is no sovereignty and integrity with this government, because people are protected by Kosovo police special units.

“Gallery of Threats” to Serbian Democracy (social media)

Serbian Democracy said in a statement posted on its official website that it received thousands of messages containing threats with death, beatings, but also those inciting religious and national hatred, undermining Kosovo constitutional order as well as calling for violence against the Serbs and other non-majority communities in Kosovo. The party also posted on the website the screenshots of some of the comments it said were received and called upon responsible institutions to react.

Screenshots of comments using derogatory and offensive language against Serbian Democracy or its leader Aleksandar Arsenijevic can be seen at: https://shorturl.at/VuWIv

In a separate post on X social media leader of Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijevic said that while they receive thousands of threatening and insulting messages and yet no institutions had reacted, at the same time Serbs are arrested at Merdare crossing point for invented criminal acts “of spreading racial, religious hatred and intolerance” (in relation to Belgrader Sasa Z. arrested on Monday at Merdare and sent to 30-day detention) or children and youth sentenced for wearing T-shirts which politicians in Pristina do not like.

Drecun: Investigation to reveal objectives of policeman's killer, Germany not cooperating (Tanjug)

Chairman of the Serbian Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Interior Affairs Milovan Drecun said on Thursday an investigation would reveal the objectives of Faton Hajrizi - an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo who killed one Serbian border police officer and wounded another last week - and why he had come to central Serbia, adding that German authorities did not seem to be willing to cooperate and provide the necessary information, Tanjug news agency reported.

He said Hajrizi's illegal armed presence in the territory of central Serbia showed that "smuggling channels" were quite active. Without a doubt, all organised crime groups are quite interconnected, which is manifested in joint illegal activities, Drecun added.

"Of course, not all findings will be revealed during the investigation until the whole picture is finally put together. I suppose our agencies, our police and all relevant authorities have a bit more information than what has been revealed to the public and I hope the investigation will succeed in putting the whole picture together", he said.

Serbian Government adopts Anti-Corruption Strategy (N1)

The Serbian Government adopted a National Anti-Corruption Strategy for the 2024-2028 period, a press release said on Thursday, N1 reported.

It said the Strategy defines processes to prevent and combat corruption comprehensively and systematically. “This document covers the areas of police, health, education, local self-government, construction, financing of political activities, taxes and customs, public procurement, privatisation and public enterprises as risky, while the areas of whistleblower protection and lobbying are represented within these areas”, the press release said.

It added that the implementation of the strategy will contribute to the meeting of 14 transitional benchmarks for Chapter 23 – Justice and Fundamental Rights in Serbia’s European Union accession process.

Opinion

Opening the Iber Bridge to car traffic is a bad idea (Sbunker)

Opinion piece by Bronwyn Jones, Executive Director of New Perspektiva a media NGO that highlights the issues of majority-minority relationships in Kosovo.

The Kosovo government has said it is planning to open the main Iber Bridge to car traffic this summer leading many - including the international community - to be concerned about yet another unilateral action from Pristina in the north of Kosovo that could trigger fresh tensions.

The Bridge is perhaps the most iconic symbol of the war and the divided communities in Kosovo, with a majority of Serbs living in the north and a majority of Albanians south of the river. The Italian Carabinieri (serving under the KFOR mission) are permanently stationed on the bridge to maintain security.

Opening the Bridge to car traffic would be an affront to many in the north who find the behavior of the Kosovo government and the special police to be particularly insulting and abusive. This has undermined trust-building efforts between the communities.

This decision will further fuel the impression, in the Kosovo Serbian community, that the Kosovo government is trying to pressure the Kosovo Serbs to leave Kosovo altogether.

The European Union immediately made clear its opposition to the plan but the government, both in the Municipality of North Mitrovica (now run by Vetevendosje after the Serbian community boycotted the local elections) and the central government pushed back. The Deputy Minister for Local Administration, Arbër Vokrri, said that “the EU and international organizations must learn that the Republic of Kosovo is responsible for these issues.”