The Thaçi-led Kosovo Government is seriously considering expanding its delegation for talks with Serbia. In addition to including opposition representatives, it aims to ensure the participation of civil society.

Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi said the Kosovo Government wishes to have a broader spectrum of representation, be it political or at the level of experts. “We will include adequate people of opposition parties, experts, and civil society as well,” Kuçi said.

However, leading opposition party LDK refused the prospects of entrusting any of its members to the delegation. The head of the party’s parliamentary group, Ismet Beqiri, said that LDK supports the dialogue in the Assembly and will continue to contribute.

Government against KFOR, EULEX in north (Koha Ditore – front page)

The Kosovo Government will not accept that EULEX and KFOR have a special mandate in northern Kosovo and will insist that all of KFOR’s obligations in Kosovo, along with the EU rule of law mission, be conducted in the framework of their present mandate.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi, NATO troops and the EU mission have a lot of work to do in the most problematic area of Kosovo but they cannot have a special mandate. Both the Government of Kosovo and Serbia are expected during December to begin implementing the integrated border management agreement, where joint border presences would be established at border crossings.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic agreed that the agreements be implemented in December but both disagree on how they will be implemented. Belgrade has requested to begin implementing the agreement at only two border crossings and EULEX would have a special role at the border crossings in northern Kosovo. The Kosovo Government wants to start in four border crossing points and not have EULEX maintain a special role there.

“We expect the agreement to begin being implemented according to EU standards during December. During the implementation, every country must play its role and begin implementing EU standards with concrete actions. Furthermore, Kosovo and Serbia should play their role. KFOR and EULEX are in Kosovo and their role is according to their existing mandate. They don’t need another mandate. EULEX will act in the north with the mandate it has,” said Kuçi.

EULEX cannot be only one to blame (Koha Ditore – front page)

Although two weeks have passed since the European Auditors Court released report on the work of the EU in Kosovo, concluding that the EU failed in the rule of law field and wasted millions of euros of assistance, the EU diplomatic circles continue to debate on the report’s findings.

Some of these officials expressed concern over the situation in Kosovo and noted that justifications for failures ‘are running thin’, in particular with regards to the fight against organized crime and corruption. Officials stressed that the EU could have and should have done much more in the rule of law field but noted that it would be unfair to blame all the failures in Kosovo on EULEX.

“Kosovo authorities are mocking the fight against corruption. There are no results or readiness to fight this phenomenon and this is rightly observed by the judges of the Auditors Court,” said an anonymous official.

Berisha supports dialogue with Serbia (Zëri – front page)

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha met with Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj in Tirana expressing support of his government for the progress in Kosovo. He also supports the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on normalizing relations and added that neighbouring countries should resolve their outstanding issues in a bilateral way.

Difficult for membership in UN (Express – page 6)

Following the recent Kosovo-Serbia dialogue on normalizing relations, Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations continues to be a question. Kosovar analysts are skeptical regarding ‘unblocking’ Kosovo from Serbia following the dialogue.

According to director of KIPRED Ilir Deda, it is unlikely that the dialogue will lead Kosovo towards the UN. “It is a hope that is not enough for Kosovo, that maybe normalizing relations with Serbia will move five EU countries and Russia and China; maybe this hope is insufficient because Kosovo needs more guarantees that after the normalization of relations with Serbia the recognizing countries will not block Kosovo’s membership in the UN,” Deda told Radio Free Europe on Monday.

Suspicion of possible mass grave in Serbia (Kosova Sot – page 14)

Head of the Kosovo Government commission for missing persons Prenk Gjetaj said there are several sites in the north suspected of being mass graves but because of the security situation there, excavations are impossible. Gjetaj added that the Raska area in Serbia continues to remain a suspected mass gravesite and only international pressure can force the Serbian side to offer more information and reveal the exact location of the mass grave.

Velijaj arrested for fraud, theft (Koha Ditore – front page)

Natali Velijaj, a German national, was arrested last night in relation to the missing 1.4 million euros, which was to be the final payment to an Austrian company for producing Kosovo passports. The company accused the Kosovo Interior Ministry for not settling its debts while the other alleged it had carried out the final payment to the sub-contracting company run by Natali Velijaj. Velijaj is alleged to have convinced the Interior Ministry to make the payment to her Kosovo-based company without producing any authorization to support her claim.