UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 22, 2019

Albanian Language Media:

Serb parties willing to cooperate with new government (Radio Free Europe)
Kurti reacts to Nobel prize being awarded to Peter Handke (media)
Ibrahim Gashi summoned by specialist chambers (media)
Svecla tells which ministries would LVV keep (T7)
Seven additional summonses by Specialist Chambers, protests not excluded (KosovaPress)

Serbian Language Media:

"No recognition of Kosovo within existing borders" (B92, Tanjug, Standard)
SzS: Vucic by stating “that borders are not determined” infringes Constitution again (Danas)
Hamilton: Grenell - an additional channel that bypasses Palmer (VoA)
Djuric: Kurti proves every day he is an extreme politician (TV Most)
IFJ called on Kosovo President to stop harassment of journalists (Radio KIM)
Serbian List: International community silence, sign of an approval (Kosovo online)
Church in Priluzje broken into and robbed (RTK2, Kontakt plus radio)

Opinions:

LDK risks blocking own path (Koha Ditore)

International:

Once Beaten and Imprisoned, Kosovo’s Leader Now Has Greater Test (Bloomberg)
Hague Prosecutors Summon Former Kosovo Guerrilla Commander (Balkan Insight)
[BSF Interview] Wiersma: EU should be more aggressive to leaders like Vučić and Đukanović (European Western Balkans)
Emmanuel Macron’s EU accession veto is a historic mistake (Financial Times)

Humanitarian and Development:

Salaries in the private sector experience a minimal increase (Prishtina Insight)
Southeast Europe faces dramatic population drop, U.N. warns (Reuters, Al Jazeera, Index.hr)

Albanian Language Media

Serb parties willing to cooperate with new government (Radio Free Europe) Political parties that have represented the Serb community in the October 6 snap parliamentary elections are ready to cooperate with the new government of Kosovo the news website reports. One of these parties says their participation in government is guaranteed by the Constitution, and other parties say Kosovo Serbs must not lose the opportunity to be part of the new government. Albin Kurti, leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, which won the highest number of votes in the elections, said that the Serbian List needs to go in the opposition and that they will start talks with other Serb parties about a ministerial post in the new government. Igor Simic, deputy leader of the Serbian List, told RFE that this party won the elections in mainly Serb inhabited areas and that all legal acts guarantee it the right to nominate members for the new government of Kosovo. “The attempt to deny a right to the Serb people and instead of legal and legitimate representatives to try and include in the government more acceptable Serbs, falls in opposition with all legal acts and the Constitution. It is also the same mistake the Serbs made in the 1990s by including acceptable Albanians in the institutions. Such a government would be anti-constitutional and such a move would show the real face of the political leaders …” he added. Simic said it would be cynical for someone that won 26 percent of votes from his community to put in question the position of the Serbian List which won 96 percent of votes from the Serb community. “We don’t like the supporters of the pan-Albanian idea either, but we cannot decide who will represent the Albanians, because our Albanian neighbours decide about this,” he said. Slobodan Petrovic, leader of the Independent Liberal Party, said he believes after the counting of votes, his party would get a seat in the new Assembly. He told the news website that he is open to any cooperation with the new government that would ensure a more qualitative life for the Serb community and all other citizens. He said his party has been engaged for coexistence and the resolution of problems of people at the local level. He said Vetevendosje leader Kurti is a person that stands behind his position. “They had many activities, which we all know. We have cooperated with all political parties in the Assembly. We did not agree on some things, but we had fair relations with the others and with Kurti too. I believe he will remain loyal and principled the way he has been so far. There is a difference between a role in government and a role in the opposition. I expect many challenges but results too. People have voted for change,” he added. Nenad Rasic, leader of the “Sloboda” coalition, said Serbian List representatives had a destructive approach toward Kosovo’s institutions and that they misused Kosovo Serbs. He said their activities in the institutions served personal and individual interests. He said in the recent elections, Albanians “saw a historic opportunity for Kosovo” to rebuild its institutions and that this is why they voted for two “completely unstained” people [Kurti and LDK’s Vjosa Osmani]. The inclusion of Kosovo Serbs in the decision-making processes, according to Rasic, is the strongest point where his concept matches with that of Vetevendosje leader Kurti. “I think this is a great opportunity not only for the Kosovo Albanians, in the sense that they now have a structure that is not stained, but for the Serbs too, who through communication, talks and cooperation with Kurti and Osmani, can create a political corps that can assume responsibility for everything that is happening. So far, we have only been silent observers of our fate and now we have the opportunity to change this,” Rasic said. He added that the coalition that he represents can bring a new level of representation and responsibility within Kosovo’s institutions. Kurti reacts to Nobel prize being awarded to Peter Handke (media) Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti reacted to the Nobel prize for literature being awarded to Austrian author Peter Handke, known for publicly endorsing former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and denying Srebrenica massacre. Kurti said that “if a book or literature may be judged on its own merits, as being independent from the author, the author can in no way be judged as being independent from itself, its work and words.” An author, he argues, is judged by its actions and positions and as a result, the selection of Peter Handke as the winner of the Nobel prize is “revolting”. “On this day, 22 October, 55 years ago Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Nobel Literature prize. It is as if he knew what would become of this prize in 2109 when it was awarded to Peter Handke,” Kurti writes. “This prize that is considered as the highest trophy in the life of a writer, did not win the prestige because of the money it carries, but precisely because of the names of those that it has historically adorned. So, the list of laureates has increased the value of the prize. But what is the value Peter Handke gives to the prize, this advocate of genocide and denier of the pain and trauma of other people?” “The Balkans need justice, peace and reconciliation, after the bloody wars and continuous tensions. In fact, through justice for crimes, we reach the historic and human truth, mutual trust for reconciliation in the future. With Sartre there would be no need to discuss these. With Handke it is not possible to discuss these. It is so because Sartre was on the side of the oppressed that get revolted while Handke is on the side of the oppressor that does not have any regret,” Kurti said. Ibrahim Gashi summoned by specialist chambers (media) Several news websites report that Ibrahim Gashi, former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and former Rector of Pristina University, has been summoned by the specialist chambers for an interview in the capacity of a witness. Gashi wrote on a Facebook post that he will be interviewed by the specialist chambers in Pristina this week. Svecla tells which ministries would LVV keep (T7) Former Vetevendosje Movement MP Xhelal Svecla, said two important ministries will belong to his political party. “LVV’s position is that we will not have a government of Sultans, as it happened in the past,” he said. Adding that the Ministry of Justice and that of Interior will belong to LVV. “If LDK won they would belong to them,” he added. He also spoke about the approximation of the programs with LDK now that their meetings are becoming more frequent. “We are committed to discuss about reforms not ministries, this is what our population voted for. The population said that we were right when we said that the state is captured. When you have a captured state, you have to free it, we are committed to democracy. We are seeking a European state which should have been an example,” Svecla said. He also commented on Specialist Court’s summoning of former KLA soldiers. “LVV will use all its mechanisms to defend the rightful war of the KLA. They made a mistake when they voted for the Specialist Chambers. The issue is that now you are in front of a major minus, it is a big mechanism now and it will be very difficult to end this war successfully, but this does not prevent us from heading in that directions,” Svecla said. Seven additional summonses by Specialist Chambers, protests not excluded (KosovaPress) KLA War Veterans Association informed today that seven additional summonses for former KLA members arrived today. According to the head of this Association, Hysni Gucati, over 50 such summonses were sent by the Specialist Chambers only during the last ten days. He also said that four arrests are expected to take place by November, and after these arrests the KLA War Veterans Association does not exclude the possibility of protests, to object to these actions. “The Specialist Chambers has frequented the trend of these summonses, over 40 or 50 were distributed during the last week, and these two days, so for ten days, over 50 summonses were distributed throughout the territory of Kosovo. We do not know the reason, the distribution of summonses was not commenced in the best manner as it should by an international court, or as it considers itself to be a superior court, summonses were mainly distributed in different cafeterias, in the streets, dead-ends, tea rooms…so it is a major disgrace of this judiciary not to show its seriousness,” Gucati said. “If the arrests happen, I do not exclude the possibility of demonstrations or protests. Even though, in a way, our hands are tied by the Assembly of Kosovo when it comes to protests and demonstrations, because we voted it, my friends at the Parliament themselves, there was a great number of veterans there, and a part of commanders, they voted this Court. Now they have tied our hands, but we do not intend to listen to them, and we do not intend to deal much with them. You are aware that we objected the Specialist Chamber at the Parliament and many other things, therefore, I do not exclude the possibility that we can always go out in the streets, but always by consulting the steering council and leadership,” Gucati said.

Serbian Language Media

"No recognition of Kosovo within existing borders" (B92, Tanjug, Standard) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ruled out, in an interview with the Vienna daily "Standard", that Belgrade should recognize Kosovo within its present borders He added that it was unlikely that Belgrade would recognize Kosovo at all, although he said he had heard from the US that the EU had changed its stance and could ask Belgrade for recognition. Asked if Serbia would ever recognize Kosovo as an equal member of the international community, Vucic replied that it was a difficult question for the Serbs. "However, we want to see what they (Pristina negotiators) say and why they say something. Of course, we want to hear what the EU has to say. So far, the EU has not set any preconditions for Serbia", Vucic said. "However, we have heard from Americans that this may have changed, but we want to hear it from our European partners. I cannot rule out that the EU will seek recognition, but so far it has not done so”, he explained. Vucic said that the idea of the EU was a model of an agreement between the two German states, without formal recognition by Belgrade, which, of course, as he noted, would be easier for Serbia. Asked if the recognition of Kosovo by Belgrade could be within the existing borders, Vucic said: "I can tell you, that I almost absolutely exclude it". Asked if this meant that it could only be done by changing borders or exchanging territories, he replied that he did not know what was going to happen. It is not very likely that we will recognize Kosovo. I do not think that will happen, but we cannot close the door to dialogue. Both sides must lose in order for the win-win situation to arise. It cannot be that one side gets everything - recognition, our territory and our people. "What would Serbia get? Possible EU membership in ten years? And who would guarantee us that? Would that be the guarantee that was given to North Macedonia, which had been promised to open accession negotiations", Vucic asked. He emphasized that there is only one condition for continuing the dialogue. "Pristina has to abolish tariffs and then we should discuss all things without preconditions. However, if before the possible dialogue it is said “we are not talking about territories, we are not talking about autonomy for the north, then what should we talk about? Under these conditions there is no negotiations", Vucic said. While being reminded that the winner of the previous parliamentary elections in Kosovo, Albin Kurti, is ready to abolish the tariffs, but wants Serbia to recognize Kosovo license plates, Vucic replied that the leader of the Vetëvendosje had obviously not read the agreement. "There is already an agreement on license plates, according to which vehicles with Kosovo numbers must affix a sticker and vice versa. If Kurti wants to make a new deal, then let's see what we can do. They have never been a state and are frustrated, which is why they say such stupid things", he said. Regarding the change of generations after the election and the possible impact on the dialogue, Vucic said he was afraid of that influence. "In recent days, their public statements have been three times worse than those of Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj", he concluded. See at: https://bit.ly/2pD1O8O The original interview in German is available at: https://bit.ly/2JdCY66 SzS: Vucic by stating “that borders are not determined” infringes Constitution again (Danas) The latest statement of Aleksandar Vucic that the borders are not determined and that every country sees Serbia’s borders differently, is a new infringement of the Serbian Constitution by the President of the Republic, the opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS) announced, Danas daily reports. “This is particularly dangerous, because as Vucic admitted personally, he told this to Angela Merkel, a foreign official. In the preparation of his constituency for recognition of Kosovo and Metohija, respectively its fully-fledged membership in the United Nations, Aleksandar Vucic treats Kosovo and Metohija as a state daily,” SzS added. The Alliance once again warned about the danger of the unconstitutional attitude of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the acts that once again put before the judiciary a rather serious task. Hamilton: Grenell - an additional channel that bypasses Palmer (VoA) The appointment of Richard Grenell as a White House representative tasked with speeding up the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo is a reflection of the president's policy to seek people of personal trust and from his personal environment," Daniel Hamilton, an expert on Europe at Johns Hopkins University, told Voice of America in Serbian (VoA). Unlike some who think it is good that a person of President Donald Trump's great confidence is involved in addressing a long-standing and arguably most sensitive issue in the region, Daniel Hamilton is one of those Washington experts who thinks the sudden appointment of US ambassador in Germany Richard Grenell, as Presidential Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue - brought a confusion into US Diplomatic efforts. "President Donald Trump would like to reach an international agreement during his term. The idea of reaching a lasting solution between Kosovo and Serbia is one such possibility. However, it has been almost a year now without much success in that regard." Ambassador Grenell is clearly his personal friend and like-minded man when it comes to many issues, Hamilton says, but stresses that the president's tendency earlier has complicated the mission of the State Department's Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer. "Palmer, who is an experienced diplomat when it comes to the Balkans, also has Philip Ricker above him (acting assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs). Since Riker is Palmer's superior, many countries in the region are seeking to establish a connection with him, neglecting Palmer. Because of that, an internal decision was made to get Palmer the special envoy title," Hamilton says, adding: "Now there is Grenell, an additional diplomatic channel, which bypasses Palmer, leading directly to the White House. Grenell continues to act as the US ambassador to Germany, leading the keynote in Brussels and also strongly opposing the idea that Serbia and Kosovo could swap territory as one of the conditions for reaching a lasting agreement. I do not believe that Grenell will gain support in this from the European Union as a whole.'' Hamilton does not believe in the success of the Grennell's mission but believes that he will only "create additional confusion about the role of the US in Europe". Djuric: Kurti proves every day he is an extreme politician (TV Most) Day by day, Albin Kurti proves he is an extreme politician, a politician of the past who is uninterested in the future of the Albanian people, but also uninterested in the peace and stability in the region, Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said, TV Most reports. Commenting on Kurti’s statement that the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities belongs to the distant past, Djuric told journalists in Belgrade that Kurti resorts to historical revisionism, and as he said, chauvinistic national interpretations of recent but also events from the past. Djuric also urged Albanian politicians not to replace with policy of hatred the lack of policies related to the economy, progress and development of their own people. He called upon them not to replace the policy of rational programmes for the future with the policy of hatred and returning to the past. “I urge them to think about how we can turn towards cooperation,” Djuric noted, TV Most reported. IFJ called on Kosovo President to stop harassment of journalists (Radio KIM) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in relation to the detention of Radio Belgrade crew and holding of TV Pink and Tanjug news agency crews at Jarinje crossing point sent a letter to the Kosovo President Hashim Thaci urging the Kosovo authorities to respect international standards and cease with the harassment of journalists who are following the events in Kosovo, the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) announced, Radio KIM reports. In a letter to the Kosovo President, to which UNS had an insight, the IFJ expresses deep concern over the incarceration of journalists and dissuading the media from reporting from the territory of Kosovo, as well as increasing threats and attacks on journalists. Such measures harm the freedom of media and deprave the journalists of their right to freedom of movement and carrying out of professional duties without harassment or unnecessary restrictions, it was stated in the letter signed by IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger. The IFJ informed the Kosovo authorities that based on the information provided by UNS, on Friday October 4, without any explanation, the crew of Radio Belgrade was detained in the police station for six hours, in the southern part of Mitrovica, while on the same day the television crews of Pink TV and Tanjug agency were kept for more than two hours at the Jarinje administrative crossing point, Radio KIM reported. The IJF also recalled that on September 11, the RTS convoy on their way to Mitrovica North was kept for 25 hours at the Jarinje crossing point, despite of all documentation needed to enter Kosovo was submitted timely. Serbian List: International community silence, sign of an approval (Kosovo online) Infringement of the agreement by Pristina, along with the silence of the European institutions in Brussels, is a devastating fact that shows the hypocrisy of all those who speak about the rule of law and respect for the signed agreements, the Serbian List said in a statement, Kosovo online reported. ''The post-election syndrome that Albin Kurti and his supporters suffer from is more than dangerous to the future of political developments in Kosovo,'' warns the Serbian List, adding that the silence of the international community indirectly sends a message of approval of the action. The statement of the Serbian List reads that all Pristina's statements erase all the agreements under the auspices of the EU, both those between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as the Stabilization and Association Agreement, reports Kosovo online portal. The Serbian List stresses that, as they have repeatedly pointed out, pale announcements and calls from Brussels will not move things from a dead point and force Pristina to honor its obligations. "The Serbian people will not abandon the demand for Pristina to fulfill all the signed agreements, the fulfillment of which we demanded at the peaceful protests of citizens in the previous period, guaranteed by the European Union. The Community of Serbian municipalities is Pristina's obligation, and Kurti pulls his wrong judgment on Serbs' attitude over the ZSO from discussions with Rasic, Petrovic and other defeated election participants, which speaks in favor of the fact that eligible Serbs are not and cannot be the voice of the people in the institutions,” concluded the Serbian List. Church in Priluzje broken into and robbed (RTK2, Kontakt plus radio) The Serbian Orthodox Church in the village of Priluzje, Obilic municipality was broken into and burglarized on Friday night, RTK2 reports. Money in the amount of 200 EUR and surveillance device were stolen. The person in charge of the Church Dragan Bojkovic noticed the burglary on Saturday when he intended to open it. He informed the Kosovo police that came to the spot and opened the investigation. Bojkovic said that thefts in Priluzje used to happen before as well, however this is the first time that the Church was targeted. Priluzje inhabitants who did not want to speak before the camera, said the police patrols in the village should increase. “It causes much disturbance, but what can we do? Neither thieves are found, nor anything happens. How many times I was targeted, my husband died because of that, cows (stolen) and tractor burned down, and still nothing about it,” Jelica Masic from the village said. Chair of the Provisional Interim Council in Priluzje, Aca Misic said the thefts happened before as well, but the perpetrators were never found. RTK 2 said they tried several times to contact the Kosovo police and get response from them, however, without success.

Opinions

LDK risks blocking own path (Koha Ditore) “Just as the country needs to be decriminalised, so should LDK decide how to align itself: alongside the parties of organised crime as it did until now or alongside the general spirit of citizens for change, as witnessed clearly on October 6,” writes columnist Enver Robelli in Koha Ditore. Robelli says LDK is more or less controlled by the same people for the last 15 years, none of which ever won any elections at the national level. “None of those responsible for the LDK’s lack of success showed any respect for the electorate by stepping down and paving way for new people. Even the candidacy of Vjosa Osmani this year was an emergency solution from panic that LDK would end up behind PDK.” Robelli notes that as the party marks 30 years of establishment, it risks blocking its own path by having its officials make ‘irresponsible’ statements. LDK should instead fight to restore the trust of those voters who in these elections opted to support Vetevendosje. This, writes Robelli, can only be done through clear and convincing policies.

International

Once Beaten and Imprisoned, Kosovo’s Leader Now Has Greater Test (Bloomberg) When NATO jets bombed Serb forces 20 years ago to push them out of Kosovo, Albin Kurti was packed onto a red bus with other political prisoners to be used as a human shield. He was beaten in custody, convicted of terrorism by a Serb court and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Fearing he’d never leave jail alive, it was only when Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic was ousted in 2001 that he was let go. https://bloom.bg/35Y7PNN Hague Prosecutors Summon Former Kosovo Guerrilla Commander (Balkan Insight) Azem Syla, a former commander at the Kosovo Liberation Army’s General Staff and an ex-MP, was called for questioning by Hague-based prosecutors who are probing wartime and post-war crimes. A lawyer representing Azem Syla said on Monday evening that the former senior Kosovo Liberation Army officer has been invited for questioning by the Kosovo Specialist Prosecution in The Hague, which is investigating alleged violations by KLA fighters during and just after the 1998-99 war. Syla’s lawyer Besnik Berisha told Radio Free Europe that “no details are yet known” about whether the former guerrilla commander has been invited as a witness or as a possible suspect. Syla is also former MP with the Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, which was founded by current President Hashim Thaci. http://bit.ly/2Bv9cFF [BSF Interview] Wiersma: EU should be more aggressive to leaders like Vučić and Đukanović (European Western Balkans) This interview took place on the second day of this year’s Belgrade Security Forum, just a few hours before the session of the European Council that failed to give green light to Albania and North Macedonia. Mr Jan Marinus Wiersma, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Clingendael – Netherlands Institute for International Relations, moderated the panel on justice in a divided world at BSF, while this interview searches for an answer to the question of whether there is justice for the Western Balkans in the divided EU. With a significant experience as a Member of the European Parliament at the time of Big Bang Enlargement, Mr Wiersma also shared his views on the reforms current accession process needs to undertake in order to persuade more sceptical members. https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2019/10/22/bsf-interview-wiersma-eu-should-be-more-aggressive-to-leaders-like-vucic-and-dukanovic/ Emmanuel Macron’s EU accession veto is a historic mistake (Financial Times) Emmanuel Macron’s veto against the opening of EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia last week may be remembered as a historic mistake that weakens Europe and undermines its aspirations to become a geopolitical power. In an act of neo-Gaullist intransigence, the French president torpedoed EU enlargement policy, deprived the bloc of one of its fundamental foreign policy instruments, undermined trust in its promises and destabilised its Balkan backyard. Not bad for a night’s work. And all this from a leader who claims to exemplify the European spirit of solidarity and co-operation. https://www.ft.com/content/eda39e1e-f3eb-11e9-b018-3ef8794b17c6

Humanitarian and Development

Salaries in the private sector experience a minimal increase (Prishtina Insight) In the last six years, the average net salary in Kosovo’s private sector has increased by only 31 euros, or less than 5 euros a year, while in the public sector average salaries have gone up by over 40 per cent. A 2019 report released by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, ASK, has shown that between 2012 and 2018, average salaries in the private sector in Kosovo grew at a much slower rate than those in the public sector. In 2012, the average gross salary in the private sector was 367 euros per month. By 2018, this figure had risen to 401 euros per month: an increase of 9.3 per cent, or 34 euros in six years, or just over five euros a year. See at: https://prishtinainsight.com/salaries-in-the-private-sector-experience-a-minimal-increase/ Southeast Europe faces dramatic population drop, U.N. warns (Reuters, Al Jazeera, Index.hr) Dramatic falls in population in Southeast Europe as young people seek opportunities abroad are threatening the ability of countries in the region to maintain vital social services, the United Nations warned on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southeast-europe-population/southeast-europe-faces-dramatic-population-drop-un-warns-idUSKBN1X01RY