UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, December 18, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Rohde: Germany continues its support for Kosovo's integration into EU (RTK)
Haxhiu: Venice Commission supports proposal for 7 members in KPC (media)
Hoxhaj: Foreign policy without any results, only with tourist visits (media)
LVV MPs continue boycott - meeting of Investigative Committee for Reserves fails (media)
Kusari-Lila: Committee of Inquiry on reserves, absurd, its purpose is unknown (Klan)
Serwer: Election results in Serbia are not good sign for dialogue (RFE, media)
Haradinaj: The Association's draft statute has disturbing elements (media)
Russia complains to UN about "good conditions" of former KLA leaders in The Hague (AP)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic on elections results, future of Serbia (N1, Kosovo Online, social media)
Serbia Against Violence calls protest, alleges election fraud (N1, KoSSev, media)
Bosnian Serb politicians respond to opposition claims (N1, media)
Dacic on SPS election results (media)
Petkovic: Serbian people demonstrated once again they are loyal to their state of Serbia (Kosovo Online)
Pisonero: EU will not declare on elections in Serbia, before OSCE and ODHIR present their preliminary findings (FoNet)
Kremlin on SNS elections results (Danas, BETA)
Grenell on SNS election victory, Kurti (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, social media)
Centre of Zvecan without electricity since last night because of malfunction (Radio Mitrovica sever, Radio kontakt plus)
MFA of Germany: Our ambassador in Kosovo did not ask memorial plaque to be moved (Kosovo Online)
Stefanovic: The checking of Radoicic's testimony ongoing, evidence being collected (N1, Kurir)

International:

Serbian Progressives Win Parliamentary Election, Control of Belgrade in Question (Balkan Insight)
‘This is Kosovo’s Reality’: How Ethnic Insults Persist in TV Entertainment (Balkan Insight)
Serbia’s Leader Tightens Grip on Power in General Election, Early Results Show (The New York Times)

Albanian Language Media

Rohde: Germany continues its support for Kosovo's integration into EU (RTK)

The ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said today after the ceremony of handing over the last tourist visa of the German state to the citizens of Kosovo that Kosovo must work to overcome the challenges that await it also in 2024, which are the membership in the Euro-Atlantic structures as well as the normalization of relations with Serbia.

"Germany will continue working next year to bring Kosovo closer to the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures in general. As you know, Kosovo needs to join important international organizations such as: European Union, Council of Europe and NATO. Germany will continue to support this process without reservation," said Ambassador Rohde when asked by Radio Kosova about the political challenges that await Kosovo in 2024.

The biggest challenge for Kosovo remains the work towards the normalization of relations with Serbia", said Ambassador Rohde.

Speaking about the liberalization of visas from January 1, Ambassador Rohde emphasized that "with the liberalization of visas, Kosovo benefits a lot, as it enables free movement for people to visit Germany, their relatives and family members there."

He emphasized that Kosovo’s economy will also benefit from the liberalization, because "from January 1, contacts for business connections with German companies are facilitated, the opportunities for trade between the two countries are also facilitated, but also for different activities from other areas of life." .

Ambassador Rohde warned Kosovars not to misuse the visa liberalization process. "Citizens of Kosovo should travel to the Schengen countries for tourism, but not for employment. From January 1, citizens of Kosovo can travel without visas to Germany and other "Schengen" countries and stay there for 90 days within 180 days. So stay as tourists, but not to work. For work visas, family reunification and other purposes, you should apply for the corresponding visa in the future as well", he emphasized.

Haxhiu: Venice Commission supports proposal for 7 members in KPC (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, told the media on Monday that she presented the government's intention to reform the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to the Venice Commission and the Commission agreed on the legal changes of this institution.

"The Venice Commission does not recommend expanding the number of members of the Prosecution Council of Kosovo, but to remain at 7, as we have pointed out, and this is considered a reform that we consider important. The Council must function with international standards and be an independent institution and have a democratic debate within the prosecutor and non-prosecutor members", she said.

According to Haxhiu, changes in the KPC Law should be made in order to ensure balance within the institution, and this Council should be composed of prosecutor and non-prosecutor members.

"Two changes in the Law on KPC: Permanent composition of 7 members; 3 prosecutors, 3 non-prosecutor members and the chief prosecutor of the state... And from 13 members of the KPC to 19 until January 2026, to ensure a balanced composition until the members of the KPC finish their mandates. When the changes are concerned, we have proposed additional criteria for the members of the Council", she stressed.

Hoxhaj: Foreign policy without any results, only with tourist visits (media)

The former Foreign Minister of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, reacted through a status on the social network Facebook, to Prime Minister Kurti who announced the joining of the Association of Architects of Kosovo into the Council of Architects of Europe at the end of the year.

The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, said that the perversion of Kosovo's foreign policy and, as he called it, the culture of irresponsibility of this government "shows that Prime Minister Kurti instead of having as a result at the end of the year the status of the EU candidate, obtaining the NATO Partnership for Peace, membership in the Council of Europe and Kosovo's membership in other international organizations, announced that the Association of Architects of Kosovo has joined the Council of Architects of Europe as an observer member, which is the merit of the architects themselves and not of Kosovo's politics!".

Hoxhaj further wrote that this shows that Kosovo ended this year without a single result and, as he said, only with news about visits abroad that were nothing more than political tourism. "What a ridiculous mess of diplomacy today and what a political misery!", PDK MP Enver Hoxhaj concluded in his Facebook post.

LVV MPs continue boycott - meeting of Investigative Committee for Reserves fails (media)

The meeting of the Parliamentary Investigative Committee regarding the procedures of the supply and management of state reserves, the possible misuse and abuse of state reserves through the qualification of the procedure as a state secret for such supplies, has failed to hold due to the non-participation of the MPs of LVV, media report.

PDK MP Rashit Qalaj said that LVV MPs are not participating in the meeting to hinder the work of this Commission. According to him, their absence in the Committee is creating doubts that the allegations of misuse are facts. "You know that the MPs of the party in power are still missing, who apparently have taken an obligation to boycott this committee. Their non-arrival is only an obstacle to the work of this Committee. Today we had two important points without which this Committee cannot function. Again, the work of the Committee is becoming impossible because of the LVV MPs and all those who called for justice", he said.

Kusari-Lila: Committee of Inquiry on reserves, absurd, its purpose is unknown (Klan)

The head of the parliamentary group of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV), Mimoza Kusari-Lila, has stated that the Parliamentary Investigative Committee regarding the procedures for the supply and management of state reserves, is doing the opposite of what such committees are intended to do. According to her, this is an absurd commission whose purpose is unknown.

“We, as a Parliamentary Group, have voted for the formation of the Commission in the session, and of course we have also said that we believe that it is useless due to the fact that there is an investigative process here. Investigative committees aim to bring something to light in cases where they believe there is a basis for further criminal investigations. This has gone the opposite way, it means the cart has gone before the horse, which cannot happen like this. Since the investigations have only just begun, there have been arrests while there is an enormous amount of material in the Ministry's file, they will be needed by the Investigative Committee in the near future, they will be owned by the Prosecutor's Office, which will not share with them, for the reason that the Prosecution does not share materials which it possesses or which it has confiscated from the relevant Ministry for the purpose of the criminal investigation", she said.

Serwer: Election results in Serbia are not good sign for dialogue (RFE, media)

The expert in the field of conflict management and one of the best-known observers of political developments in the Western Balkans, Daniel Serwer, said that the results of the elections in Serbia held on December 17, are not at all positive in terms of the dialogue process for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations under the mediation of the European Union.

In an interview for "Radio Free Europe" on Monday, he emphasized that he sees no sign that the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, is ready to substantially change the approach so far in the dialogue for the normalization of relations, while adding that the United States of America (USA) should toughen the actions against the Serbian executive in Belgrade.

"On the contrary, he went in the opposite direction. He again calls for the establishment of Serbia's sovereignty. He disputes the importance of the March and February accords, which the U.S. and EU say are legally binding. I think that this is not a good sign for relations with Kosovo", Serwer said.

Commenting on Vucic's convincing victory, Serwer emphasizes that the campaign took place under the conditions of "strong media control by the authorities and the use of state resources".

Serwer also spoke about the Serbian president's relations on the situation in Kosovo and the handover of Milan Radoicic to the Kosovo justice authorities adding that the U.S. should be much tougher towards Serbia.

"They should be much tougher towards Serbia and when it comes to the events of September 24. They should tell Vucic that, if they want Milan Radoicic to be responsible for those events, then they should hand him over to Kosovo for trial."

"Vucic has managed to conquer both the pro-Russian and the pro-European space, even though he is much closer to the pro-Russian direction than the pro-European one", assessed Serwer.

He also commented on the request for extradition as the first challenge for the next government of Serbia, more specifically that of Milan Radoicic, after he admitted that he was behind the terrorist attack in Bajska on September 24 of this year.

"For me it is a simple thing. The crime took place in the territory of Kosovo. In Kosovo, there are authorities recognized by Serbia in the Brussels Agreement of 2013, which also required the formation of the Community of Municipalities with a Serb majority. So, if you want the Community, you must fulfill your obligations under the 2013 agreement. And this means that Radoicic is judged by the competent authorities in Kosovo. The agreement is absolutely clear, that the judicial system of the authorities in Pristina applies to the entire territory of Kosovo", he said.

Haradinaj: The Association's draft statute has disturbing elements (media)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj has said that the draft statute of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority proposed by the Euro-American emissaries has disturbing elements.

He said that Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Speaker of Parliament Glauk Konjufca and President Vjosa Osmani have seen the draft statute and have accepted it despite these disturbing elements.

However, he said that the Constitutional Court can clean and remove those articles that are not constitutional.

Haradinaj said that if the document is submitted to the Constitutional Court as it was presented to the opposition, then they will send comments to the Constitutional Court to oppose some of the articles of the draft statute.

Russia complains to UN about "good conditions" of former KLA leaders in The Hague (AP)

Maria Zabolotskaya, representative of Russia in the Security Council of the United Nations Organization (UN), while addressing the conference on the activities of the remaining international mechanisms for criminal courts, devoted a part of the speech to the judicial process against the former heads of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in The Hague, Netherlands.

She compared the conditions of detention of Serb accused of war crimes and those accused by the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo. Zabolotskaya complained of "soft measures" against former KLA leaders and fighters who are in the detention center in The Hague, while mentioning the walks, gym, prayer room and bank accounts.

"The detention regime for eight Kosovo Albanians, including the so-called former president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, is very lenient. It includes the right to use the gym, the library and the prayer room, to walk in the designated area and to pay for goods and services with money from a separate account," said the Russian representative.

And the sanctions for violating the rules of detention, according to the Russian permanent representative, are also very mild. She has claimed that the former leaders and fighters of the KLA, in case of violation of the regulations, are only fined and temporarily deprived of some of their privileges. She called former president Thaci's visit to Kosovo to see his parents a privilege.

Zabolotskaya also commented on allowing visits and phone calls of family members and associates of former KLA leaders. She also claimed that in 2022 alone, former KLA leaders were allowed 880 visits, adding that this happened despite "high-profile scandals".

"In other words, we see a clear difference in the conditions of detention between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian convicts. We believe that 'discrimination' is the right word to describe this situation. We demand that the mechanism take measures to eliminate discrimination and provide Serbian convicts with adequate conditions for serving their sentence".

Serbian Language Media

Vucic on elections results, future of Serbia (N1, Kosovo Online, social media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday night in relation to elections results that the election ticket headed by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) list will have an absolute majority in parliament. “This is an absolute victory which makes me very happy,” he said.

In a post on his official Instagram account today, Vucic said for the future of Serbia it is the most important that people see their voice is heard.

“Our job has been and will remain the fight for Serbia and for everything we have promised. Much more has been left to do for our people and our country. For the future of Serbia it is most important that we change ourselves, to work much more than before and demonstrate to the people that we have heard their voice”, he said.

He noted despite difficult times ahead Serbia will continue the European path and talks, as well as difficult concessions but that Serbia will always be safeguarded and developed.

“So that Serbia can go ahead, without interruption”, he stressed.

Serbia Against Violence calls protest, alleges election fraud (N1, KoSSev, media)

The Serbian Against Violence (SPN) demanded an annulment of the Belgrade City Assembly elections alleging election fraud and called for a protest on Monday evening, N1 reports.

The coalition claims that more than 40,000 people who were not legally resident in the Serbian capital had been bussed in to vote by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

It called for a protest in front of the City Assembly in central Belgrade at 6 pm on Monday followed by a march to the headquarters of the Republic Election Commission (RIK). The SPN also demanded a review of the electoral rolls.

Bosnian Serb politicians respond to opposition claims (N1, media)

Opposition criticism of voting by Serbian nationals from Bosnia-Herzegovina caused accusations of hate speech from politicians in the Republika Srpska (RS) on Monday.

RS Parliament Speaker Nenad Stevandic said that RS citizens were not to blame for the opposition losing the elections and accused them of closing factories and destroying the military when they were in power.

A spokesman of Milorad Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) Radovan Kovacevic said RS and Bosnia-Herzegovina citizens who voted in Sunday’s elections do not live in Serbia but “have lived and died for Serbia for centuries”. He listed a number of historical figures who were not born in Serbia including Nikola Tesla, Zoran Djindjic, Ivo Andric and Patriarch Pavle.

RS President Dodik, who holds dual Bosnian and Serbian citizenship, said he was proud of all people in Republika Srpska who cast their votes and thus “showed our further integration with Serbia”.

RS Socialist Party leader Goran Selak congratulated President Aleksandar Vucic on the election victory saying that the RS supports Belgrade’s state and national policies “because we can only expect prosperity for the RS and Serbia and the entire Serb nation united and relying on each other”.

Dacic on SPS election results (N1, media)

Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic said he thinks the party needs a new leader following the bad results at Sunday’s elections, N1 reports.

Dacic said results of the elections were not satisfactory for the SPS and added that the party leadership would analyze the situation and see if he can continue in his position. “My personal view is that a new SPS leader should be found”, he said and recalled that he took over the party in 2006. The SPS is projected to win just over 7 percent of the vote.

He said that cooperation with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is an option at all levels of government if that party wants that. “We absolutely support the policy of Serbia’s development and are proud of everything we did in cooperation with the SNS”, Dacic said.

Petkovic: Serbian people demonstrated once again they are loyal to their state of Serbia (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said in a statement today that Serbian people from Kosovo by casting the ballots in large numbers and despite numerous obstructions by Pristina, demonstrated that nothing can stop them from support their state of Serbia and their president Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo Online portal reports.

He also said that more than 73 percent support to the Serbian Progressive Party List – Aleksandar Vucic – Serbia Must Not Stop is yet another evidence that “Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija support state-building policy of President Vucic and recognize his true and unwavering fight for national interests in Kosovo and Metohija”.

He also said that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti by preventing Serbian people from exercising their right to vote in Kosovo once again “attacked basic human and civic rights of the Serbs”.

Pisonero: EU will not declare on elections in Serbia, before OSCE and ODHIR present their preliminary findings (FoNet)

European Commission Spokeswoman Ana Pisonero said the EU would not declare on elections in Serbia, before the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) present preliminary findings, FoNet news agency reports.

We have been following the elections closely and we have always refrained from commenting before OSCE/ODIHR present preliminary assessment, and that will be later this afternoon, Pisonero told a media briefing.

Kremlin on SNS elections results (Danas, BETA)

Russia closely follows and welcomes the success of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s party at parliamentary elections in this country, Kremlin Spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said, Danas daily reports.

Speaking of preliminary results of the parliamentary elections in Serbia Peskov said this “is an exclusive internal matter of a friendly and fraternal Serbia”, adding Moscow “of course, welcomes such success of Mister Vucic”, TASS reported.

Peskov also expressed hope that it would contribute to the further development of Serbia and that “the trajectory of further advancement of friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and respect between the two states will continue”.

Grenell on SNS election victory, Kurti (Kosovo Online, Tanjug, social media)

Former US presidential envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks, Richard Grenell said convincing victory of Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at snap elections in Serbia was helped because, as he said, President Aleksandar Vucic “handled well the crisis caused by extremist Kosovo leader Albin Kurti”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“I’m hearing a lot of evidence claiming that Independents and retirees in Serbia ultimately voted for SNS because Vucic handled Kosovo’s extremist leader Albin Kurti very well. When the international community universally condemned Kurti, they liked how Vucic managed the crisis and stayed above it.

I remember having to pressure Serbia and Kosovo equally when Thaci was President. But once Kurti came to power, the situation became off-balance.

Kurti created problems and his radicalism was a top issue for these voters”, Grenell wrote in a post on X.

Centre of Zvecan without electricity since last night because of malfunction (Radio Mitrovica sever, Radio kontakt plus)

Centre of Zvecan remains without electricity since last night, because of a malfunction of the network, which took place near the kindergarten Lane in this town, Radio Mitrovica sever reports.

It also said the teams are on the ground and the supply is expected to be restored during the day, coordinator of EPS in northern Kosovo Zoran Obradovic told Radio Mitrovica sever.

Meanwhile, Radio kontakt plus also reported that part of Bosniak Mahala in Mitrovica north was left without electricity today following a malfunction. The supply is expected to be restored soon.

MFA of Germany: Our ambassador in Kosovo did not ask memorial plaque to be moved (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo Online reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany announced that the country's ambassador in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, did not advocate moving the memorial plaque at the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Pristina, while, as they say, regarding the Visoki Decani monastery, he was referring only to its geographical location, reported Kosovo Online portal.

With that, the Ministry, in a letter that Kosovo Online had access to, answered the question of Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Petr Bystron "why the German ambassador to Kosovo, Jern Rohde, declared in favor of moving the monument to the fallen Serbs from 1912 to 1918 and why he characterized the Serbian monastery Decani as a 'Kosovo monastery'".

"The claim that the German ambassador declared himself in favor of moving the monument is incorrect. The fact is that, without the knowledge of the German embassy, a memorial plaque at the Serbian Orthodox cemetery in Pristina was moved in connection with the installation of a new monument on the eve of 11 November, the French commemoration of the victims of the First World War. Both embassies have publicly spoken out and expressed their regret for that incident. At the end of November, the memorial plaque was returned to its place," the answer of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Katia Coyle indicated, reported the portal.

Coyle recalls that the MFA and the German Embassy in Kosovo have advocated for the SOC on several occasions.

"In a tweet from November 17, the German ambassador referred to the geographical position of the monastery in Kosovo," added the answer to the parliamentary question, reported Kosovo Online.

Stefanovic: The checking of Radoicic's testimony ongoing, evidence being collected (N1, Kurir)

The testimony of Milan Radoicic, who admitted that he organized an armed group in the village of Banjska, is being checked, and evidence is being collected in cooperation with the MIA and the Customs Administration in order to determine the origin of the weapons and the channels through which they arrived in Kosovo, said the chief prosecutor of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanovic.

In an interview with Kurir, he said that "the pressure of either the public or the international community must not influence the course of any procedure, including this one, which is in the investigation phase", reported N1.

International

Serbian Progressives Win Parliamentary Election, Control of Belgrade in Question (Balkan Insight)

According to preliminary results, Serbia's ruling party easily won legislative elections on Sunday – but it remained unclear who will control the city assembly in the capital.

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party won Sunday’s legislative elections with 46.6 percent of the votes, or 129 of the 250 seats in parliament, preliminary results by the election observer NGO CESID announced. The opposition coalition Serbia against Violence won 23 per cent, or 63 seats.

“We will have an absolute majority in parliament with 127 seats,” President Aleksandar Vucic told reporters.