UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 27, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani: Serbia's dark forces are still very active today (Ekonomia)
Osmani on Association: Commitment also made with Basic Agreement (Koha)
Hovenier: NATO had moral imperative to act, use of force was necessary and legitimate (Klan)
Kurti: Waiting period for review of Law on Office for Confiscation of Unjustified Assets continues for more than a year (Ekonomia)
Davenport visits Lajcak in Brussels, discusses "expectations for coming months" (Klan)
Memli Krasniqi expected to propose Bedri Hamza as candidate for prime minister (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucevic: Kosovo CoE application breaks all rules (Tanjug, media)
Who decides on Kosovo's admission to the Council of Europe and when – procedure, precedents and principles (RTS)
Why is the path to membership in the Council of Europe being paved for Kosovo? (Kosovo Online)
Surlic: Criticism of Lajcak, preparation for parliamentary elections, Pristina suspended dialogue already (Kosovo Online)
Vucic: I had long, open discussion with Quint and EU representatives (Tanjug, media)
Brnabic meets with Hill (Tanjug, media)
Lajcak meets Davenport, discusses latest developments in Kosovo (Kosovo Online, social media)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Serbia's dark forces are still very active today (ekonomia)

The University of Prishtina and the University of Arkansas organized on Wednesday the conference for the 25^th anniversary of the NATO intervention in Kosovo, with the theme “Democracy, human rights and peace building”.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, has said that NATO’s intervention was a decisive historical moment in modern human history. She said that NATO’s post-war stability operations, together with the U.S., the EU and the international community, have helped create the conditions for Kosovo’s efforts to build strong institutions: “NATO’s intervention marked not only decisive turning point in the history of our country, but also a decisive historical moment in the modern history of humanity".

"The responsibility to protect sets the standard for generations to come and remains to this day one of the most successful interventions in modern history. On March 24, 1999, justice, freedom and international solidarity triumphed over the brutality of regime's merciless genocide on us. That day the world said no, that day a united democratic front gave a clear and strong message that it would not stand idly by as ethnic cleansing and a brutal genocidal war was being waged by Milosevic's forces. Kosovo has emerged from the ashes of war to become a vibrant democracy, aspiring to contribute to international peace and security as your partner. NATO's post-war stability operations together with the U.S., the EU and the wider international community have helped create the conditions for Kosovo's efforts to build strong, resilient and accountable institutions based on the rule of law, human rights and democracy," she said.

She said that the dark forces of Serbia are still very active today and that with each passing day, Serbia is not ashamed to remind us of its true intentions. "NATO's presence in Kosovo has continued to play a key role in our ability to rebuild, develop and consolidate democracy, as well as serve to protect all our citizens across the ethnic spectrum. Let me repeat what I mentioned in my press statement with the NATO Secretary General recently: NATO is our destiny, this destiny is based on our desire to share responsibilities for ensuring peace and stability in our region and beyond. NATO's decision in 1999 was a reminder that as an international community, as a democracy, when we come together, determined and united, we can face the forces of darkness and bring about a brighter future. This intervention was not only about achieving peace. It was about affirming our shared values, the sanctity of human life and the rights of all people to live free from fear and persecution. It underlined the necessity that when one of us is threatened by tyranny, it is a threat to all. It reminded us of the imperative to act not as separate nations, but as a united force for the good of the world. Unfortunately, dark forces are still very active today. Every day that passes, Serbia is not ashamed to remind us of its truest intentions", she said.

Osmani on Association: Commitment also made with Basic Agreement (Koha)

Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, has said that Kosovo has given its commitment to the establishment of the Association, through the ratification of the agreement in the Assembly in 2013, but also with the Basic Agreement of February 2023.

"Let's not forget that the full commitment to its establishment was given in 2013 through ratification, but this was repeated in the last agreement, the basic agreement of February 27, 2023. It is not the commitment of March 2024, but of the basic agreement of 2023 which was accepted by the Kosovo delegation and as you all know includes the obligation to establish the Association. My request was in the letter to include a part where every obligation of the Republic of Kosovo is implemented in accordance with the constitutional law, the laws of the Republic of Kosovo, the Constitution and the judgments of the Constitutional Court. This is our framework, we will never go outside of it", Osmani told reporters after the conference organized by the University of Pristina and the University of Arkansas, for the 25th anniversary of NATO's intervention in Kosovo.

Today, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Council of Europe (CoE) will examine Bakoyannis’ report. Osmani has said that she hopes that it will be approved and that the General Assembly will then recommend the membership.

She added that all levels of institutions are engaged in lobbying.

Hovenier: NATO had moral imperative to act, use of force was necessary and legitimate (Klan)

The U.S. ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has reiterated today that NATO had a moral obligation to intervene in Kosovo, to save innocent people from the growing Serbian military offensive. He said that the use of force by NATO was necessary and legitimate.

"We are very sorry for the loss of innocent civilian lives, including those who died during the NATO operation. Having exhausted all alternatives to stop the bloodshed, NATO had a moral imperative to act – and we did. And the use of force in this case was necessary and legitimate, given the humanitarian crisis the world was seeing unfold in real time."

As President Clinton explained at the time: "We act to protect thousands of innocent people in Kosovo from an escalating military offensive. We act to prevent a wider war… we act to stand united with our allies for peace.”

"As President Bill Clinton said on March 23, 1999, the day before NATO launched Operation Allied Force, ‘If President Milosevic is not willing to make peace, we are willing to limit his ability to go to war with the Kosovars’", Hovenier said at the conference of the 25th anniversary of the NATO intervention, an event organized by the University of Pristina and the University of Arkansas.

Kurti: Waiting period for review of Law on Office for Confiscation of Unjustified Assets continues for more than a year (Ekonomia)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the third anniversary of the government, has said that Vetting is taking its course. He criticized the Constitutional Court saying that they waited more than a year for the Bureau for the Confiscation of Unjustified Assets.

"At the end of the third year, after a wait of more than 10 months until the Constitutional Court dealt with the case, we finally have the confirmation on the constitutional amendments for Vetting. So, the long-awaited and much-needed Vetting is on its way. But the wait for the review of the Law on the State Bureau of Unjustified Asset Forfeiture, which we passed in February 2023, by the same court has been going on for more than a year,” he said.

He mentioned the establishment of the Commercial Court, the Administrative Court, the Institute for War Crimes. "And when things depended on us, things moved faster. We established and operationalized the Commercial Court, as we promised, and we approved in the government the bill for the establishment of the Administrative Court, as we promised. We established and operationalized the Institute for Research and Documentation of Crimes Committed during the War in Kosovo. In January of this year, the submission of the first documents to this Institute was accepted. Also, we have enabled the trial in absentia for war criminals," Kurti wrote.

The head of the executive wrote that they have completed the legal package against corruption.

Davenport visits Lajcak in Brussels, discusses "expectations for the coming months" (Klan)

The head of the OSCE mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, visited Brussels, where he was received by the European emissary for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

"I was very happy to welcome the Head of the OSCE, Davenport, in Brussels yesterday. We talked about the latest developments in Kosovo, our respective portfolios and our expectations for the coming months", Lajcak wrote.

Memli Krasniqi expected to propose Bedri Hamza as candidate for prime minister (Klan)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, is expected to propose today Bedri Hamza as a candidate for the next prime minister of Kosovo.

The head of the PDK has invited a press conference today, while according to sources within the PDK, the leader of this party is expected to come up with the official proposal that the current mayor of Mitrovica, Bedri Hamza, be the candidate of the PDK for prime minister in the new parliamentary elections.

Serbian Language Media

Vucevic: Kosovo CoE application breaks all rules (Tanjug, media)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister in technical mandate Milos Vucevic said on Wednesday that Kosovo application for Council of Europe (CoE) membership, to be discussed during the day, was evidently a result of the policy pursued by the sponsors of its so-called independence, Tanjug news agency reported.

Speaking to RTS, Vucevic said the application broke all rules and violated all conditions for CoE membership, which he noted Kosovo did not meet. For the first time ever, a territory that is not a state is getting an opportunity to join the CoE, he said.

Vucevic said “the sponsors of the so-called Kosovo did not comply even with what they themselves had set as Pristina's tasks or obligations”.

"They have set three conditions - a return of land to the Decani Monastery after eight years, pursuant to a final and executable ruling. The second is what we have been waiting for 11 years now, if I am not mistaken - a Community of Serb Municipalities, under the Brussels Agreement, sponsored by the EU. And the third is a halt of land and property expropriation in Serb municipalities. But they have now reached a conclusion that the fact Pristina has agreed to execute the court ruling after eight years and return the land to the Visoki Decani is sufficient, and that it is the green light and the time for them to launch the (CoE membership) procedure, so, unfortunately, what we have seen again is a festival of hypocrisy", Vucevic said.

Who decides on Kosovo's admission to Council of Europe and when – procedure, precedents and principles (RTS)

The Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will vote on Dora Bakoyannis' recommendation that Kosovo become a member of this organization in a session taking place today. Previously not a single member was admitted to the Council of Europe (CoE) by two-third majority, but rather by consensus only, RTS reported.

There is no consensus about Kosovo, Suzana Grubjesic, Serbian representative in the Council of Europe told RTS. Discussion in Strasbourg, does not mean admission of Kosovo to the CoE, but one of the steps towards potential membership, RTS added.

Today’s meeting of the Political Committee is extraordinary, and if Bakoyannis' report is adopted, the next step is to go to plenum in April. The further procedure says that Kosovo request would then be a topic of a regular ministerial meeting in May.

“This is an accelerated procedure. When you look at the history of CoE you would see that not a single member was admitted by two-third majority but by consensus only. There is no consensus about Kosovo. The only question now is if it would be on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers, because we all try not to have it there. If it is on the agenda, there will be voting on it. Kosovo has two-third majority, it had it last year, it has it now”, Grubjesic said.

Numerous unfilled requirements

In a letter signed by Kosovo top officials, Vjosa Osmani, Albin Kurti and Glauk Konjufca a promise was made that Pristina will fulfill all requirements, under condition that it becomes a member of the CoE.

Establishment of Community of Serbian Municipalities, expropriation in the north are still unresolved issues, and only one has been fulfilled – returning the land to the Visoki Decani Monastery – eight years after court’s decision on this matter was passed.

“There is still a long list of unresolved issues related to democracy and human rights in Kosovo and strong resistance of Pristina at different fronts. All those concerns related to democratic status of the Serbian minority will all be mentioned in detail in the report”, Bakoyannis said.

Discussion about membership does not mean admission

Discussion in Strasbourg, according to connoisseurs, does not mean admission of Kosovo to the CoE, but rather one of the steps towards potential membership.

“If we speak about precedents, we can say it never happened, that a state which had the level of disputed sovereignty as Kosovo has at this moment, including CoE member states which do no recognize Kosovo, became a fully-fledged member (…)”, Stefan Vladisavljev from BFPE Foundation said, adding it would be a sort of precedent to have Kosovo as fully-fledged member, firstly because within the organization itself there are states that do not recognize Kosovo.

Serbia, for example, filed a request to the Council of Europe at the end of 2000, received a report two years later, and got admitted in 2003. Croatia waited for admission for 6 years.

“The facts are inexorable, the fact is that such a decision would violate not only international law but also the statute of the organization that Kosovo wants to join, the CoE Statute in articles 3 and 4 clearly states that any European country can apply to become a member. First, the very statehood of Kosovo, which is not recognized by most of the world, and which is not recognized even by the 12 members of the Council of Europe, is questionable. Then, since CoE rests on the three pillars of the rule of law, human rights and democracy, Kosovo does not meet the conditions prescribed by this organization", Grubjesic added.

Why is the path to membership in the Council of Europe being paved for Kosovo? (Kosovo Online)

The Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will have only one item on the agenda at today's extraordinary meeting – voting on the report of Dora Bakoyannis, recommending Kosovo admission to this organization, Kosovo Online portal reported.

Although Bakoyannis, who is the rapporteur for Kosovo in PACE, indicated three main unresolved issues regarding Kosovo membership in the Council of Europe before the same Committee on March 5th: the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Visoki Decani Monastery, effective protection of the Serbian community in the northern municipalities, i.e., the formation of the CSM, and expropriation of land in municipalities with a Serbian majority, the Greek delegate quickly gave the green light for Kosovo to become a member of the Council of Europe, as Pristina had meanwhile implemented the court decision to return land to the Visoki Decani Monastery, awaited for a full eight years.

Why is the path to membership in the Council of Europe for Kosovo being openly paved when the legal experts' report on the compatibility of Kosovo's legal system with Council of Europe standards noted that Kosovo's legal framework was generally in line with international standards, but that "this does not mean that there are no problems regarding the application of standards in practice"?