UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 19, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: There are no proposals that are accepted and which are in opposition with CBK regulation (RFE)
Varhelyi on Kosovo’s EU application: Seeing new elements of escalation (Klan)
Assistant Secretary of State Robinson to visit Albania, Kosovo this month (media)
KCSS: What is Serbia’s 5000 project and why should we be concerned? (media)
Reactions to Vucic’s statement about West choosing between Serbia and, Kosovo (media)
Korac: Banjska raised EU awareness, Europeans won’t forgive Vucic (media)

Serbian Language Media:

KIN: People with disabilities have not received pensions and social benefits since January due to the dinar ban (KiM radio)
The tripartite meeting of Lajcak, Petkovic and Bislimi began in Brussels (Kosovo Online)
Meeting of Belgrade and EU delegations headed by Petkovic and Lajcak started in Brussels (Tanjug)
Varhelyi: We are not considering Kosovo request for EU membership yet (Kosovo Online)
UNS and DNKiM reacted to the RTK's news corrections (KiM Radio)
Controversies in reporting: March violence and RTK - lesson not learned (?) (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)
Elshani says investigation into burning of Dusan Milanovic’s car ongoing, EULEX monitoring case (Kosovo Online)
Cleaning of spray-painted traffic signs from Rudar to Jarinje underway (KoSSev)
Law professor writes to Kurti: After Cyrilic signboards, to remove green religious signboards from streets (Kosovo Online, social media)
Open Balkan: Serbia and Albania agreed on the text of the Agreement on Social Security (KoSSev)
Parliament to reconvene Tuesday, Brnabic not elected Speaker (N1)
Aleksic: Vucic buying foreign support using realty, lithium, Kosovo (N1)

Opinion:

The EU’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans: solid foundations but shaky details (WiiW)

International:

Kosovo President Demands ‘Equal Treatment’ in Implementation of Normalisation Deal with Serbia (Prishtina Insight)
Common Regional Market: How far did ratification of the signed agreements go? (EWB)
‘Dangerous Trend’: Serbia Ignoring Alleged Trafficking Cases, UN Rapporteur Says (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: There are no proposals that are accepted and which are in opposition with CBK regulation (RFE)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with the news website today that “all problems that the Serb citizens may have, we will address them swiftly”. He said that he expects concrete things from today’s meeting in Brussels on the Serbian Dinar. He did not want to talk about the possible proposals to resolve the issue, because revealing them before time would damage Kosovo’s negotiating position. He also said that the process is ongoing, “but there are no proposals that we can accept, and which are in opposition with the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo”.

Mr. Prime Minister, meetings at the level of chief negotiators are being held in Brussels. It was said that the issue of the Dinar will be discussed. Meanwhile, the Kosovo President said yesterday [March 18] there is an agreement on one part of the U.S. proposal. Can you tell us what this is about?

Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, as chief negotiator of the Republic of Kosovo, is in Brussels and is holding talks there. I don’t know if there will be a trilateral meeting or only two bilateral meetings, with the European facilitator and Special Envoy [of the European Union Miroslav] Lajcak. I believe he needs to inform us what topics were discussed and what conclusions could have been reached.

But I need to say that this is not an issue of the Dinar, it is an issue of the Central Bank of Kosovo, an independent institution of our Republic. So the question is not whether there will be a Dinar or not, but if the CBK should be an independent institution or not. I believe it needs to be [an independent institution] and this is our constitutional and legal obligation. The Dinar has not been banned in Kosovo, but the Constitution in Article 11 notes that there can only be one currency as means of payment and that this should be the Euro.

Meanwhile, all problems that the Serb citizens may have, we will address them swiftly. Again, the Central Bank of Kosovo – which is in the lead in the process because the regulation dated December 27 is an independent decision – it addresses with them [the Serbs] ten steps it has foreseen in a plan for a three-month transitional period.

It will be three months on March 27, and I believe that all those that predicted an apocalypse on February 1, it did not happen on February 1, it didn’t happen on March 1, and it won’t happen on April 1.

What do you think the President [of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani] meant when she said there is an agreement on what the Americans have said?

My chief negotiator is there now, and I believe he will discuss within the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, where we stand and with what we can move forward. But I also assume responsibility that certain consequences that can be caused on the ground can be a matter for the government. Not the decision as such, because it is a sovereign decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo, but again, we only enforce the law and the Constitution on the ground. If there are certain consequences that are referred to our ministers on the issue of the Dinar. But I believe this round of talks needs to conclude before we can speak more precisely.

Do you expect anything concrete today?

I always expect that there will be something concrete.

What is that?

I expect there will be [something concrete] in terms of the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia because the meetings that are held in Brussels at the level of the chief negotiators and also at the high level, are held precisely because of this.

I want to go back to what I said earlier. The President said there is some sort of agreement on this. Have you consulted with the President?

There have constantly been different options on the issue of the Dinar. I don’t believe they should be discussed now because it would damage Kosovo’s negotiating position if they were revealed before time. What I can say is that the government is doing the best it can, with maximal commitment, and certainly we have support for the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo. There is no penalty for Serbs there. The new regulation is not a penalty but the next and very serious effort to formalize and legalize financial transactions.

You know that we have divided a budget for Albanians in Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanoc. We send our financial aid there in Euros, and it is withdrawn from the banks in Dinars. It could be similar here too. The payment that comes in Dinars can be withdrawn in Euros.

Is this going to happen in Kosovo too?

Yes this will happen and it is already happening because we have over 33,000 bank accounts of Kosovo Serbs where they get the Euros from the budget of the Republic as social assistance, pensions, added payments for children and so on. And so far there has not been a single Serb that told us ‘I refuse the Euro’. There is none. Also, the Dinar has no martyr. So, no Serb says ‘either in Dinars, or nothing at all’.

But has Serbia agreed to make the payments in Euros?

Serbia has a unique opportunity for the governor of the Serbian National Bank to reply to the governor of the Central Bank of Kosovo, Ahmet Ismaili – and in this way the two central banks could regulate any uncertainty.

So one of the options to resolve this matter, and our international partners have been informed about this, is for Governor Ismaili to finally get the response letter.

Mr. Prime Minister, you told us that several issues were discussed with the international factor, but that you cannot reveal them now. What proposals did [U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel] Escobar make?

They constantly make proposals. I don’t have to publicly disclose their proposals and play the spokesperson of the embassies. I cannot do this. I am saying that the governor has offered a letter to the Serbian National Bank, and the governor in this case, represents all of us as citizens of the Republic, you as reporters, myself as Prime Minister, and we expect a response from the other side.

And you expect a response …

I believe that the Americans, Germans, and the others, should speak about the options they have proposed.

Does this mean that the proposals that Escobar made were not rejected?

Look, this is an ongoing process and there are several proposals. But there are no proposals that we accept, and which go against the new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo. At the same time, we can deal only with the part of support on the ground if there are problems. Because the Central Bank of Kosovo cannot necessarily solve on its own the problems that can be caused. In a democratic Republic, the duties and functions are separated.

What changed in your government that the issue of the Dinar became part of dialogue?

On December 27, the new regulation was adopted. There was no reaction. For over two weeks, there was no reaction.

By whom?

By Serbia and the internationals, no reaction. No reaction from the Kosovo Serbs. One day before I traveled to Davos for the World Economic Forum, the President of Serbia, who went there a day earlier, announced the news that a catastrophe for the Serb community in Kosovo would begin on February 1. When he saw that there were no reactions to the replacement of the Dinar with the Euro as a means of payment, he started making apocalyptic predictions.

Only later did the foreign ambassadors start contacting Governor Ismaili, Minister [of Finance] Murati, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, myself, and so on. So, only later. Until the President of Serbia spoke there was absolutely no problem in Kosovo. And he started speaking because he saw that preparations were going well. The President of Serbia hoped that there would be a bottom up reaction. When he saw that there is no bottom up reaction, he reacted. Namely, when his infantry failed, he used the artillery. This is why we are in this problem now. The exaggerated reactions and bullying from Belgrade cause the problem, not the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo.

This became even more serious when in late January, same as Vucic, spoke [the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs] Maria Zakharova from the Kremlin. When Maria Zakharova joined Vucic, then the alarm of the internationals became even bigger.

So, there was no catastrophe on February 1, or on March 1, and there shall be none on April 1. But the alarm and distress is happening in Belgrade and in Moscow and then the echo of this distress is heard in Kosovo too.

How do you respond to criticism from the international factor that not enough time was given to Serbs living in Kosovo to adjust, namely to move from using the Dinar to Euros?

First of all this concerns an adjustment that has been going on for more than two decades. From 1999, we had the Deutsche Mark, and from January 1, 2002, we have the Euro as a currency in our country. From January 1, 2002, there was a transitional phase of adjustment. If over two decades did not suffice, and I believe they did, then for any eventual concern there are another three months given by the Central Bank of Kosovo with the ten steps that it has foreseen.

Let me reiterate that there are no refusers of the Euro or martyrs of the Dinar in our country.

Was there any rush on this issue, on this decision?

There was no rush, one can say that there have been delays because Article 11 of the Constitution of Kosovo provides that there can be only one currency as means of payment. On the other hand, the so-called Komercijalna Banka, which operated with a branch in Kosovo, has been left without its mother, because it was sold to Nova Ljubljanska Banka, Slovenia’s NLB.

The Komercijalna Banka in Kosovo had three options from the Central Bank of Kosovo, and it chose one of them, liquidation. The self-liquidation ended last year. Now that they no longer have the Komercijalna Bank, for their illegal financial activities, for financing terrorism, which was proved to have happened last year, they only have cash now. So the whole problem in fact is not the Euro-Dinar, but transparency and lack thereof, official financial banking channels or non-banking channels, or bags with Dinars in cash. They want the latter, because the political pluralism among the Serb community in Kosovo was killed with the cash coming from Belgrade. And we cannot allow that cash.

So the Dinar that came as cash with bags into Kosovo is no longer coming and Belgrade’s concern is not that Serbs cannot use the Euro, but that they [Belgrade] cannot send the Dinar. Just watch the interviews of the President of Serbia or the government ministers there. Anytime they speak, they speak in Euros. They speak in Euros in terms of capital projects, they speak in Euros when they lease their flats in Belgrade. They always speak in Euros. They want to keep the Dinar for the cash bags that end up with people that report to Milan Radoicic.

Did you have the chance to meet with representatives of the Serb community to discuss these matters?

I have Nenad Rasic as a minister. His deputy minister is [Radoica] Radomirovic. I am the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo that has a respected ministry with the highest budget in terms of increase, except for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports … Nenad Rasic is the most popular Serb politician in our country. So there is not only the minister and his deputy, but there are other institutions where there are Serbs with whom I communicate and cooperate.

After the transition period, some four-five weeks, what will happen? Will Serbs be able to use the Dinar in Kosovo?

You can have savings in Dinars, no one forbids that. You can receive payments from Serbia as financial aid in Dinars. But the means of payment in Kosovo is the Euro. I believe you have seen that in restaurants in the north of Kosovo there are menus in Euros and in Dinars. Before it used to be only in Dinars.

I believe that slowly but surely, we are moving toward the Euro as a currency, and the only means of payment. And let us not forget that I am not telling the Serbs to use the Albanian Lek as means of payment or to use the new ‘Dardanian’ currency of the Republic of Kosovo, but the Euro.

This is why we proposed, but it was not accepted, for a meeting to be held between Governor Ismaili and his Serbian counterpart, in Frankfurt, at Christine Lagarde [the President of the European Central Bank] where the European Central Bank is. The Euro, Europe … This is what we are saying.

Varhelyi on Kosovo’s EU application: Seeing new elements of escalation (Klan)

The EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said today that “unfortunately the latest events in Kosovo do not make it easy for the EU Council to tell the Commission to assess Kosovo’s membership application. We have said many times that whenever the Council tells the Commission to give its opinion about the application, we are ready to do so. But we are seeing very clearly that instead of de-escalation, there are new elements of escalation. The latest is the decision of the Central Bank, which bans a foreign currency”.

Assistant Secretary of State Robinson to visit Albania, Kosovo this month (media)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Todd Robinson, will visit Albania and Kosovo this month. During his stay in Tirana on March 18-20, Robinson will meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and INL partners who are supporting Albania’s work to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption and organized crime, and build strong institutions. On March 20-22, will stay in Pristina, where he will meet Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and with INL partners in the law enforcement and justice sectors.

KCSS: What is Serbia’s 5000 project and why should we be concerned? (media)

Several news websites cover the latest report by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) titled “What is Serbia’s ‘5000 project’ and why should we be concerned”. The KCSS notes that “the paper examines the potential consequences and concerns surrounding Serbia’s “Project 5000,” emphasizing why it warrants attention not just from neighboring states in the Western Balkans but also from NATO. Given the geopolitical landscape, any escalation of conflict within this region directly impacts NATO’s strategic interests, considering its significant presence in the Balkans. Moreover, Russia’s overt military backing of Serbia and its advocacy for a militaristic approach towards Kosovo are of particular concern. This stance by Russia can be interpreted as an attempt to embolden Serbia to adopt a military intervention in Kosovo, serving dual purposes for Russia: shifting international focus from the brutal invasion of Ukraine and undermining NATO’s credibility and influence in the region. The unfolding situation underscores a broader strategy by Russia to exploit regional tensions, thereby challenging the Euro-Atlantic integration process. Such maneuvers not only threaten to destabilize the Western Balkans but also aim to fracture European unity and weaken NATO’s strategic coherence, particularly as it pertains to its eastern flank and broader engagement in conflict resolution and peacekeeping efforts”.

See full report at: https://shorturl.at/lxCMV

Reactions to Vucic’s statement about West choosing between Serbia and Kosovo (media)

Agon Maliqi, political commentator, commented on a recent statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who implied that the West would have to choose between Serbia or Kosovo. Maliqi shared the video of Vucic’s statement and said “this is the real/raw Vucic laying out game plans and showing clear signs of late-stage authoritarian derangement. I'd say the warmongering results less from appeasement than from weakness/fear and growing isolation. Yet it's clear that the West has failed to establish deterrence.”

Reinhard Butikofer, member of the European Parliament, shared Vucic’s video and added “Hey, Josep Borrell, Miroslav Lajcak, Oliver Varhelyi, you heard this loud & clear. How can you continue pretending that the "problem" is PM Kurti? You claim to pursue "stability", but you allow Vucic to sow the seeds of war! Von Der Leyen you reverse the EU's course! NOW!”

Demush Shasha, Executive Director of the Pristina-based EPIK Institute, said in a post on X that “in his latest veiled warmongering threats Vucic yesterday warned the West that they must choose between Kosovo and Serbia. If they choose Kosovo, Serbia will “wait for the best possible momentum and we will seize our opportunity”.

Ditmir Bushati, former Foreign Minister of Albania, said that “a stable security environment in our region should have as its starting point the democratic containment of the aggressor states. The question is not for the West to choose between Kosovo and Serbia but for Serbia to accept post-war reality in the region & join the family of democratic states in the European Union”.

Nikola Sandulovic, leader of the Republican Party in Serbia, said in a post on X: “I have spoken and warned the EU and the USA that this will happen on time...many years ago. They did not listen to me and believed his false promises about peace in Kosovo and the Balkans. They kept silent for years about his obvious criminality, election theft, relations with Putin, Dodik, Orban, and the dictatorship he is implementing in Serbia. Now they got the result of their naivety and lack of interest in what I was offering and presenting.”

Korac: Banjska raised EU awareness, Europeans won’t forgive Vucic (media)

The Albanian Post reruns an interview that former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Zarko Korac, gave to Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, highlighting his remark that the European Union “will not forgive” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for the attack in the north of Kosovo in September last year. Korac said that the attack raised the awareness of European decision-makers who then changed their approach toward Vucic. He said that the Europeans finally understood that Vucic is ready to go much further to hold on to power. “The armed attack in Kosovo raised Europe’s awareness: they realized they were dealing with a politician that is willing to do anything … I don’t believe that Brussels will easily move on from Banjska and the theft of elections in Serbia. Europe doesn’t want a war in the Western Balkans. I think that turning a blind eye to what Vucic does has come to an end. Another problem is that Europe believes that there is no clear political alternative to Vucic in Serbia. The honeymoon between Vucic and the EU is over. Certainly things would have changed if he were to sign an agreement with Kosovo, which I don’t believe he will do,” Korac said.

Serbian Language Media

KIN: People with disabilities have not received pensions and social benefits since January due to the dinar ban (KiM radio)

The decision of the Central Bank of Kosovo to ban the use of dinars has dire consequences and affects the position of people with disabilities in Serbian communities in Kosovo, warns the Kosovo Inclusive Network (KIN), a coalition of organizations that promote the rights of people with disabilities, reported KiM radio.

"The controversial decision of the CBK and the Government of Kosovo made access to social benefits from the Republic of Serbia much more difficult for a large number of people with disabilities and made it completely impossible for some of them to exercise this right."

From January 2024, for more than thousands of users who received their income by delivering cash to their home address, such as disability pensions and other people's care, access to money from social benefits is completely impossible.

"Additionally, an even greater number of beneficiaries of these forms of social assistance face major problems, delays and increased costs in exercising their rights to material income, which further endangers their financial status."

The Kosovo Inclusive Network points out that people with disabilities often live on the social margins, that they are faced with existential financial risks and poverty, so social benefits of this kind represent the only source of income for them and their families.

"Rigid political and unilateral decisions of the Government of Kosovo threaten existence, the right to innate dignity and equal access to services guaranteed by international conventions for persons with disabilities."

This coalition of non-governmental organizations consisting of NGO CASA, NGO Factor from Mitrovica, Alliance of the Blind from Gracanica, NGO Primo la tolleranza from Strpce and Handikos from Ranilug, call on the international community to exert additional pressure on the relevant Kosovo institutions in order to postpone the implementation of the decision of the CBK until finding of a comprehensive and functional solution that, as they state, will allow all social categories unhindered access to social benefits and services.

The tripartite meeting of Lajcak, Petkovic and Bislimi began in Brussels (Kosovo Online)

A tripartite meeting between the EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak, the chief negotiators of Pristina and Belgrade, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovic, has begun in Brussels, and experts from the delegations are also attending the meeting, reported portal Kosovo Online.

The portal recalls that previously today Lajcak met separately first with Bislimi, and then with the Serbian delegation led by Petar Petkovic.

The EU warned a day earlier that it would step up pressure to implement the agreement reached a year ago to normalize relations.

Meeting of Belgrade and EU delegations headed by Petkovic and Lajcak started in Brussels (Tanjug)

A meeting of experts’ delegation from Belgrade headed by chief negotiator Petar Petkovic and EU delegation headed by special envoy for Belgrade-Pristina Miroslav Lajcak started in Brussels today, Tanjug news agency reported.

The meeting started around 11.00 hrs, and as Petkovic announced earlier it would include discussions about all issues important for de-escalation of the situation, including establishment of Community of Serbian Municipalities and also ban of dinar in payment transactions in Kosovo.

Previously Lajcak met with Pristina chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi and it is still unknown if a trilateral meeting will take place.

Varhelyi: We are not considering Kosovo request for EU membership yet (Kosovo Online)

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivier Varhelyi said today Kosovo request for membership to the EU is not considered yet, mentioning as reasons growing tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, apostrophising recent decision of Kosovo Central Bank to ban dinar, Kosovo Online portal reported citing Pristina-based Albanian Post. He stressed that instead of de-escalation of the situation between Belgrade and Pristina, recent events showed the contrary.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti submitted an application for EU membership on December 15, 2022. The day before it was signed by President Vjosa Osmani and Assembly Speaker Glauk Konjufca.

Out of 27 EU member states five do not recognize Kosovo, including Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus, the portal recalled.

UNS and DNKiM reacted to the RTK's news corrections (KiM Radio)

KiM radio reported that Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo, Association of Journalists in Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM), again reacted to the writing on the RTK portal about the March pogrom and their correction of the disputed news.

Namely, after the previous reaction of UNS and DNKiM, yesterday Radio-Television of Kosovo spoke out and minimally changed the news, stressing that "the text was corrected after a previous unintentional technical journalistic error, for which they apologize".

KiM radio recalls that in the integral news about the anniversary of the March violence on the RTK portal in the Serbian language, it was written that three Albanian boys drowned "while running away from a group of Serbian youths". In the same way, RTK reported in March 2004, which was the reason for two days of violence directed towards Serbs in Kosovo. Representatives of the international community then, however, said that the Serbs were not responsible for the drowning of the Albanian children. However, this did not prevent violence, murders of Serbs, expulsions, burning of houses and churches.

RTK reports the same way 20 years later

UNS and DNKiM strongly condemn the "corrections" which are only formal and basically retain the spirit and essence of the previous news and do not at any moment inform the readers and the public that it is fake news. The wording that the Albanian children drowned "while running away from a group of Serbian youths" was removed from the previous article.

The "new news" of this Public Service does not for a single moment mention that the March pogrom, or "riots" as the author of this text writes, were directed against the Serbs, their heritage and property. The destruction of temples and property of the Serbian Orthodox Church was described in the news as "an event accompanied by the burning of Orthodox religious buildings and houses in Kosovo."

This interpretation of the facts and "correction" of the news led to the fact that it does not mention Serbs and the reader cannot conclude that it is about them, while it is written that "on the other hand, property and hundreds of private buildings of Albanians were destroyed."

UNS and DNKiM reiterate that the news should be urgently removed from the site because it contains hateful language, unprofessional and inaccurate reporting, and revision of the crime committed in March 2004.

UNS and DNKiM notified all international institutions in Kosovo, local regulatory bodies with the request to react and prevent the spread of fake news that had and could have tragic consequences.

The collegium of RTK2 and the Serbian editorial staff at RTK1 distanced themselves from this news, stating that they have no control over the website of RTK, and requested an investigation into this case.

Controversies in reporting: March violence and RTK - lesson not learned (?) (Kontakt plus radio, KiM radio)

Despite criticism of Kosovo public broadcaster (RTK) in international reports that it reported incendiary and referred to unverified claims before the March violence, which is why it is considered one of the causes of this violence, RTK on the day of the March violence, but now twenty years later - published a controversial, manipulative, unprofessional, biased and incomplete text, Radio Kontakt plus reported yesterday.

The public was misreported on the causes and consequences of the violence, while pacifying the rioters. The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija, strongly protested this type of reporting. They assessed that the text falsifies the facts and incorrectly informs the public about the facts of the event known to the public as the March Pogrom. In the meantime, RTK changed the text from March 17, clarifying that it was "improved" due to an "unintentional technical journalistic error", stating that they are apologizing. Nevertheless, the new text also misinforms the public, manipulates the facts, and again does not explain either the real causes or consequences of violence.

Radio Kontakt plus analyzed the text from March 17 (which is no longer available to the public), with explanations of what is incorrect and what official reports claim against the text of RTK.

RTK: "Today marks the 20th anniversary of the protests known as the March Riots in which 19 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured."

RTK does not specify anything regarding the victims and the injured, as well as the fact that the violence was mostly directed at the Kosovo Serbs, then the Ashkali and Roma by the Albanian demonstrators.

According to the data of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), 15 Albanians and 12 Serbs died in ethnic violence on March 17 and 18. About 170 Serbs were seriously injured, of which 150 were beaten in their homes, while 20 of them were injured in attacks on the roads.

"Nineteen people - eight Kosovo Serbs and eleven Kosovo Albanians - were killed, and over a thousand wounded - including more than 120 KFOR soldiers and UNMIK policemen, and fifty-eight officers of the Kosovo Police Service" - data from the Human rights watch report.

"In the clashes and riots, 19 people died, and 954 civilians were injured. In addition, 65 international police officers, 58 officers of the Kosovo Police Service and 61 members of KFOR were injured" - according to Jean-Marie Guehenno, Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, as of April 2004.

RTK: "News about the drowning of three children, E.D. (13 years old), A.V. (12) and F.V. (age 9), while fleeing from a group of Serbian youths, was widely publicized. One of the surviving children told the cameras that the Serbs were chasing them and that they were running away, when some of their peers drowned in the river."

The boy did not tell the cameras that the Serbs chased them with a dog - this was confirmed in the OSCE report from 2004, which dealt precisely with the role of the media in the March violence.

The report also includes the boy's original statement.

To the RTK question to tell what happened, the boy, F.V. said:

"Yes, we, some of my relatives and some of my friends, and I were walking, and we went near the river when some Serbs with a dog cursed at us from the house. We looked at them, I can identify them if I see them, and I know their house, and we tried to escape, but we couldn't because we were near the river. My brother, F.V. (9), he was with me, he can't swim. I put him on my back, I swam 15 meters, I can't swim more than that. He fell off my back, I don't know anything more about him, and the other two swam in front of me, I don't know anything about them either. But there were two others who did not go into the river Ibar, they were further from us, further from the bridge. It was 16:00, 15:55, and the Serb was hidden in the corn, and we tried to tell them to run, we called them but they didn't hear us and we jumped into the Ibar, but they survived, I don't know how they survived except for my brother who was on my back, he fell from my back, because the waves were big, Ibar was big, he fell from my back, I came out of Ibar kind of tired".

Human Rights Watch specified that ''the interpretation that the boys were chased by Serbs in the river comes from other sources, such as Halit Berani, an Albanian human rights activist from (southern, ed.) Mitrovica. Such subtleties were not important to the private and public state media, which began to broadcast and print unequivocal reports that the boys of Albanian nationality were chased into the river by Serbs", cited Kontakt plus radio.

"Kosovo Albanian TV media decided to characterize the drowning incident of three children as cases of death that were directly and without a doubt caused by hostile local Serbs. No evidence was offered to support this, and the child interviewed never claimed it, as the media clearly and forcefully presented. Reporting on the riots created a new dimension of biased reporting when references to violence were preceded by 'justifications'. The strong visual images that were used were not intended to appall, but to inflame (situation. prim. aut.)" - stated the same OSCE report.

RTK: "Citizens from all over Kosovo started protests the next day on March 17, 2004, which quickly got out of control and resulted in violence. The protest was addressed to UNMIK, at a time when Kosovo was under total international administration. The event was followed by the burning of houses and religious buildings in Kosovo."

RTK does not specify which religious buildings are involved, nor who owned the houses.

"Around 800 Serbian, 90 Ashkali and two Albanian houses were either completely destroyed or seriously damaged. In addition to civilian buildings, 36 Orthodox, religious buildings were completely demolished and burned," according to data from the Humanitarian Law Fund.

"A large mass of ethnic Albanians targeted Serbian and other non-Albanian communities, burning at least 550 homes and twenty-seven Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries" - data from the Human rights watch report.

"Approximately 730 houses belonging to minorities, mostly Kosovo Serbs, were damaged or destroyed. In the attacks on the cultural and religious heritage of Kosovo, 36 Orthodox churches, monasteries and other religious and cultural buildings were damaged or destroyed. The attacked places of worship date back to the fourteenth century. Two are on the UNESCO list as major sites of universal importance, and the third is on the list of regional importance. In addition, the property of UNMIK and KFOR was damaged or destroyed" - data from the then UNMIK report.

According to data from the Government of Serbia from 2004, 35 churches and monasteries were damaged, and the preliminary damage estimate at the time was 30 million dollars. According to the same data, 561 Serbian houses were destroyed, and another 218 were severely damaged. According to the data of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, the number of destroyed and damaged houses exceeds 1,000 - the Government of Serbia also stated at the time, specifying that the list is not complete and will be updated as the international community continues to collect and confirm new information.

RTK: "The Serbs retaliated by doing the same to the Albanian houses there."

According to the data of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), it is about two Albanian houses in Caglavica where 12 Serbian houses were set on fire at the same time. The HLC report does not specify that the Serbs were the ones who set the houses on fire, but at the same time it is clarified that Caglavica was also the scene of a conflict between KFOR and UNMIK with Albanian rioters, that the burnt houses were located at the beginning of the village, and that were set on fire after the protesters initially broke through the cordon.

"Without the reckless and sensationalist reporting on March 16 and 17, events could have turned out differently. They might not have reached the intensity and level of brutality witnessed, or they might not have happened at all. In particular, the clear spin given by the media to reports of the fatal drowning of a group of children on March 16 does not appear to be supported by any journalistically valid reports. Nor can it be said that they were motivated by the desire to help avoid violence. In fact, the media coverage appears to have led to mass demonstrations of a violent nature involving 50-60,000 people on March 17, compared to the 18,000 who demonstrated before the incident was reported by the media. It should also be noted that the media, especially the broadcasting sector, displayed unacceptable levels of emotion, bias, inattention and falsely applied 'patriotic' fervour. In particular, the coverage of the three main Kosovo TV channels on the evening of March 16 deserves the harshest possible criticism. The performance of RTK (Radio Television of Kosovo) during the riots, as well as the previous evening, should be viewed with special concern, because this is the only public broadcaster" - it was said in the OSCE report on the role of the media in the March violence.

Conclusion

Yesterday's RTK text can be characterized as controversial, manipulative, unprofessional, biased, and incomplete, which indicates serious deficiencies in its preparation and publication.

Controversial - the report is controversial due to its apparently tendentious nature, which has led to a harsh critical response from journalists' associations.

Manipulative - the report is manipulative, because it selectively presents information that supports a particular perspective, without providing an objective picture of the event.

Unprofessional - lack of precision, presence of incorrect statements and lack of objectivity indicate a lack of professionalism in the preparation and presentation of the report.

Biased - the report is biased because it favors one side, conveying information that supports the interests of the majority community in Kosovo, without considering the perspectives and experiences of other communities. RTK's report lacks neutrality, which should be a key principle of journalism, especially when dealing with sensitive topics such as violence and conflict.

Incomplete - the lack of precision in depicting victims, injured, and destroyed objects, as well as the absence of vital details, makes the report incomplete and inadequate to provide a complete picture of the event.

Influence on public opinion - such unprofessional and biased reports have the potential to influence public opinion, both locally and globally, shaping the perception of events and actors in conflicts.

The consequences of information manipulation are the deepening of divisions between communities, inciting hostility and making the reconciliation process more difficult. On the other hand, the media also play a role in the promotion of truth and objectivity.

Social context - this kind of biased and inaccurate text was published by RTK at a time of increased tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, but also between the Kosovo government and Kosovo Serbs. Increased tensions can encourage certain media to present information in a way that supports the interests or attitudes of the ruling structures, or it can influence the audience's attitude towards certain groups or events. Especially in situations of heightened tensions, objectivity, professionalism, and responsibility in journalism are of outmost importance.

Elshani says investigation into burning of Dusan Milanovic’s car ongoing, EULEX monitoring case (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo police deputy commander for the region North, Veton Elshani told Kosovo Online portal that investigation into the burning of Dusan Milanovic’s car is ongoing. Milanovic is the founder of the Kosovo Online portal.

“For the time being we have no new information, investigation is ongoing, by which we will establish if it is related to the job he was doing”, Elshani said.

In line with its mandate EULEX monitors reactions of Kosovo institutions to alleged criminal acts against journalists, given that crimes targeting journalists may have detrimental impact on freedom of expression, the EULEX Mission told the portal.

The EU Office in Pristina responding to the portal’s media enquiry said they are aware that Kosovo police are investigating this case currently. “We expect relevant institutions to shed light on this case”, the EU Office said.

Cleaning of spray-painted traffic signs from Rudar to Jarinje underway (KoSSev)

KoSSev reported today that the recently spray-painted bilingual road signs on the Rudare – Jarinje road are being cleaned today.

The employees of the Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure, the ministry responsible for the maintenance of these roads, have already cleaned the spray-painted signs in Rudare and Grabovac. Their plan is to clean all the signs all the way to Jarinje today. Once again, the Kosovo Police of the region are assisting these workers north.

Opinion

The EU’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans: solid foundations but shaky details (WiiW)

By Branimir Jovanovic

The EU Commission’s new economic plan for the Western Balkans may sound promising, but it falters upon closer inspection. It lacks substance, fails to address key issues, and doesn't fix past flaws

The EU’s New Growth Plan correctly identifies the economic and political challenges facing the Western Balkans.
However, the suggested measures are underwhelming.
The plan should commit diplomatic efforts to resolving political disputes in the region.
It should expand its scope to encompass common economic and social policies.
It should assist local companies in obtaining EU export documentation.
It should eliminate EU border controls for companies from the region.
It should streamline work permit requirements for citizens of the Western Balkans.
And it should increase financial support to the region.

Introduction

The New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans (Growth Plan) that the European Commission (EC) presented in November 2023 starts on a promising note. The plan’s foundations rest on four pillars, which seem to be precisely what the Western Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia need to achieve enhanced growth rates, economic convergence with the EU, and social progress.

International

Kosovo President Demands ‘Equal Treatment’ in Implementation of Normalisation Deal with Serbia (Prishtina Insight)

Monday marked the first anniversary of the Ohrid implementation annex agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. Little has been done to implement this agreement..

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, on the one year anniversary of the 2023 Ohrid deal, demanded equal treatment of Kosovo and Serbia on the implementation plan of the agreement reached under European Union mediation.

The agreement includes the establishment of an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities in Kosovo that would protect Serbs’ interests, but also insists that Serbia “not object to Kosovo’s membership in any international organisation”.

“I request that there be equal treatment of the parties, that the sequential implementation plan takes into account that both Kosovo and Serbia implement their obligations in a parallel, immediate manner, and not that one party has to all the benefits at the beginning, and then think about Kosovo at the very end because this creates a situation where Serbia benefits while Kosovo is told to wait a little more, give even more,” Osmani stated.