• US Embassy: Immediate steps needed to de-escalate tensions (media)
• Osmani, Djukanovic and Komsic concerned over latest developments (media)
• Montenegro President: Balkans, again an arena of geopolitical clashes (Kallxo)
• Serbian govt, state-affiliated media falsely accuse Kosovo police of brutality (Exit News)
• Serbian troops on alert on Kosovo border as tensions mount (AP)
• Reports of Russian nationals joining Serbs protesting in the north (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo is blessed with friends like President Clinton (media)
• Abdixhiku: Lack of governance can’t be compensated with actions in north (media)
• ‘Fake War Veterans’ case causes long-term recriminations in Kosovo (BIRN)
• COVID-19: 7 deaths, 173 new cases (media)
• Minister of Health announces new measures against COVID-19 (media)

US Embassy: Immediate steps needed to de-escalate tensions (media)

All media cover a statement by the Chargé d'Affaires at the United States Embassy in Prishtina, Nicholas J. Giacobbe, Jr, who after a meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Thursday said that immediate steps are needed to de-escalate tensions.

“Good meeting Prime Minister Albin Kurti on importance of reengaging in the EU-facilitated dialogue to resolve license plates and other issues. Immediate steps are needed to de-escalate tensions. Actions can have unintended consequences adversely impacting everyday lives of citizens,” he wrote in a Twitter post.

The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, retweeted the message adding that he fully agrees and that “de-escalation and re-engaging are the need of the hour”.

Osmani, Djukanovic and Komsic concerned over latest developments (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Montenegro President Milo Djukanovic and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zeljko Komsic in a joint statement on Thursday expressed their concerns over the latest developments in the region. The three leaders also expressed their shared objective to safeguard stability as a precondition for the European perspective of all Western Balkans countries. “The three presidents agreed to continue communication and dialogue on this matter,” a statement issued by Osmani’s office noted.

Montenegro President: Balkans, again an arena of geopolitical clashes (Kallxo)

Montenegro President Milo Djukanovic said in an address at the United Nations General Assembly that the Balkans remains a region of clashes of the strategic interests and objectives of different international actors. “There are challenges and threats against the multiethnic democracy in the Balkans. The Western Balkans has again become an arena of geopolitical interests, the consequences of which are slowing down the integration of societies in the Western Balkans in their natural European environments,” he said.

Serbian govt, state-affiliated media falsely accuse Kosovo police of brutality (Exit News) The Serbian government and some state affiliated media have been spreading false information accusing the Kosovo police of beating up Kosovo Serbs who have been blocking the roads to two border checkpoints.

On Wednesday, Serbian government-affiliated Kosovo Online reported the police had beaten up a Serb who refused to purchase a temporary car number plate, only to be saved by a KFOR patrol that just happened to be there. The “report” was quickly picked up by several other state affiliated media outlets and the Serbian government, who accused the Kosovo police of brutality against protestors.

Kosovo police issued a statement on the same day, denying allegations and the false report.

On Thursday, the same portal reported that the police had beaten up three Serbs this time for the same reason. The Serbian government picked up the “report” alongside its media outlets, this time adding that tensions between protesting Kosovo Serbs and the police “are flaring up”.

“We won’t tolerate physical violence, provocations and attacks against the Serbian people in Kosovo, and everyone should understand this well,” said Petar Petkovic, the head of a government office working for Kosovo Serbs.

Speaking from Hungary, where he is on a visit today, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said he was worried about the three Serbs beaten up by Kosovo police.

“I believe in my people’s courage,” he stated. “ If they attempt to persecute our people, this is not going to happen.”

The Kosovo police denied the allegations again in an official statement, stressing the repeated attempts by the Serbian media and government to incite protestors into violence against the police.

Despite the police statement, Goran Rakic, the leader of the Belgrade-backed Lista Srpska political party in Kosovo, who is also a member of parliament and a minister in the Kosovo government (imposed by the constitution), visited protestors and repeated the claim that three protesters were beaten up by the police. He said tension was high among protesters.

For both Vucic and Rakic, the solution to the alleged crisis stemming from Kosovo’s decision to impose on Serbia the same requirement for temporary car plates that Serbia has been implementing on Kosovo for over ten years is to establish the Association of Serb Communities.

The association was agreed between Kosovo and Serbia in 2013, but two years later Kosovo’s Constitutional Court found it unconstitutional. It stated that it cannot have executive rights reserved exclusively for the central government.

Despite the two blocked roads, on the fourth day of the implementation of the new rule in Kosovo, about 6,400 temporary car number plates have been purchased by Serbs entering their neighboring country, Kosovo police reported on Thursday.

Serbian troops on alert on Kosovo border as tensions mount (AP)

Serbia has raised its troops’ combat readiness on the border with Kosovo amid increasing tensions with its breakaway former province, the Serbian defense minister said Thursday.

Ethnic Serbs in Kosovo were blocking the border for a fourth straight day to protest a decision by Kosovo authorities to start removing Serbian license plates from cars entering the country.

There are fears the latest incidents could unleash much deeper tensions between the two Balkan foes.

Kosovo has deployed its special police force to the predominantly ethnic Serb-populated area of Kosovo to enforce the new license plate rule. Serbia itself has for years been taking off registration plates from Kosovo-registered cars entering Serbia and Kosovo officials say the new rule is a tit-for-tat measure.

Serbian media reported Thursday that three Serb protesters have been severely beaten by Kosovo policemen, a claim vehemently denied by Kosovo authorities.

Belgrade described the alleged incident as use of “brutal force.” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he was “concerned,” and warned violence is unacceptable.

“We have made clear what are the boundaries by which we will tolerate violence by (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti and his special forces,” state Serbian RTS TV quoted Vucic as saying.

“Both the Europeans and Americans know that. We have said very precisely what our next moves will be, and in which order they will be made,” he said.

Serbia is unlikely to intervene militarily in Kosovo, where thousands of international peacekeepers, including U.S. troops, have been deployed after the 1998-99 war that stopped a bloody Serb crackdown against ethnic Albanians..

Still, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Sefanovic, inspecting troops on the border, said Serbia stands ready to protect its citizens.

“Our army is not provoking, but it’s ready to protect its people,” Sefanovic said.

The war in Kosovo ended after a NATO intervention, Kosovo declared independence in 2008. It has been recognized by the U.S. and other Western nations, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.

Both the European Union and the U.S. have urged Kosovo and Serbia to exercise restraint.

Reports of Russian nationals joining Serbs protesting in the north (media)

Kosovapress reported on Thursday that four Russian nationals joined Serbs protesting in Jarinje and according to the news website they had computer devices in their bags which they reportedly opened only after night fell.

Citing unnamed sources, Dukagjini TV reported on Thursday evening that two Russian nationals and a Belarus national tried to enter Kosovo on Thursday and two of them were stopped by Kosovo Police and not allowed entrance whereas the third managed to enter Kosovo’s territory and joined the Serb protesters in the north. The TV station published the identities of the three men.

Osmani: Kosovo is blessed with friends like President Clinton (media)

The President of the Republic of Kosovo who is currently in New York, met with the former President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton. President Osmani thanked former President Clinton for everything he has done for our people. "To say that Kosovo has been blessed with the most dedicated and loyal friends would be an understatement. Mr. President Bill Clinton, thank you for everything you have done for our people," President Osmani said. During her stay in New York, President Osmani held on the margins of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly number of meetings with delegations of several participating states.

Abdixhiku: Lack of governance can’t be compensated with actions in north (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, said in a debate on T7 on Thursday evening that what he called mismanagement with the governance cannot be compensated with actions in the north. “As a decision [the decision on reciprocity for license plates] it is part of the Brussels agreement. I was several times in the [Presevo] Valley and the problems that people face to go there are unreasonable. As a decision it is part of the agreement and I congratulate the government for implementing the Brussels agreement,” he said.

Abdixhiku also said that the government must now properly manage the situation. “We must not do two things: turn the north into a uniform topic which could then become an international topic and to have security tensions in Kosovo,” he argued.

‘Fake War Veterans’ case causes long-term recriminations in Kosovo (BIRN)

A prosecutor’s allegations that thousands of people who never fought for the Kosovo Liberation Army were falsely registered as war veterans, making them eligible for benefits, has caused anger among ex-guerrillas and a long-running court case.

Walking unsteadily and leaning heavily on his crutches, Muhamet Lani barely manages to sit down at the table at the small coffee shop close to his house in Obiliq/Obilic. He grips the table, his hands trembling with anger, as he speaks about his deteriorating health.

“Since last year I have been having difficulties walking and COVID made this condition even worse,” the 71-year-old told BIRN.

Alongside his health, his greatest concern is that he has been officially classified as a ‘fake’ war veteran who did not fight for the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA against Serbian forces in the 1998-99 conflict despite claiming that he did.

“We are in a pandemic era, and people are dying every day in spite of their age and health. I am afraid I might die without my status being resolved,” he said. “My family doesn’t deserve this humiliation.”

Muhamet Lani is one of around 19,000 people who it is claimed falsely applied for KLA war veteran status, which bestows certain benefits. The contested process of verifying those who applied became a huge scandal in Kosovo and has led to a long-running court case.

The effort to establish the real number of people who took up arms to fight for the KLA began with the adoption of legislation in 2011, and the following year, a government commission to verify veterans started work.

In 2016, the government verification commission issued a list containing 46,000 names of people who it said had been KLA members.

But in 2017, an investigation of the list caused special prosecutor Elez Blakaj to draw up an indictment which alleged that 19,000 of those named on the commission’s list did not really fight for the KLA. His indictment claimed that paying these ‘fake veterans’ benefits had cost the state over 68 million euros.

Blakaj then resigned, claiming he was threatened by “known and unknown people” who wanted him to drop the probe, and left Kosovo for the US.

He also alleged that 2,000 more names had been inexplicably added to the list of allegedly fake veterans after he quit his job in 2018. One of those names was Muhamet Lani.

Read full article at: https://bit.ly/3CELdS8

COVID-19: 7 deaths, 173 new cases (media)

Seven deaths from COVID-19 and 173 new cases with the virus were recorded in Kosovo in the last 24 hours. 1,434 persons recovered from the virus during this time. There are 7,635 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Minister of Health announces new measures against COVID-19 (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Health, Arben Vitia, announced on Thursday new measures against the spread of COVID-19 which he said would enter into force next Monday. Vitia said all public and private institutions that work with parties will require vaccination certificates or tests that individuals are not infected with the virus before they enter the premises. “This also includes activities in trade centers, call centers, bars and restaurants,” he said.

Vitia said that schools and kindergartens will open on Monday.

The new measures will be voted by the government today.