Pacolli is not part of AAK’s plan for co-governance (Koha Ditore)

If Ramush Haradinaj decided to join Hashim Thaçi’s coalition, then he does not see Behgjet Pacolli and his party as part of it. AAK deputy leader, Ahmet Isufi, said that there are discussions for a coalition with PDK and Hashim Thaçi and not with Behgjet Pacolli and his party. “The discussion concern coalition with PDK, in order to be able to lead a Government which guarantees increased dynamics,” he said. “Discussions are not being held with the others.” According to AAK deputy leader, his party will offer its plan for governance, and Pacolli or his party are not included.

EU enlargement continue under strict conditions (Koha Ditore)

Brussels based correspondent of Koha Ditore reports that heads of the European Union or governments during their summit in Brussels have not spent much time on the discussions for the EU enlargement. This process was mentioned in one line of the summit conclusions, where they “welcome and confirm the conclusions of EU Ministers three days ago.”

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that it is not the time to start the negotiations with any other state and expects Croatia to join the EU on 1 July of 2013 as the 28 member state. She added that any state seeking to go down this road should take careful considerations.

UNMIK shuts down Office in northern Mitrovica (Koha Ditore)

Sources of Koha Ditore informed that on 31 of December, UNMIK will definitely shut down its administrative office in northern Mitrovica, UAM. According to this source, the entire local staff in northern Kosovo has received notifications for dismissal on 31 December and the mission of UAM will conclude its work.

Sources, however, stressed that this does not include dismissals of international staff, who are paid by UNMIK according to the agreement by former chief administrator of Kosovo, Hans Hakeroop, and former chief of Serbia’s Coordination Center for Kosovo, Nebojsa Covic, at the end of 2001.

The Spokeseperson of UAM, Dusan Milisavlevic, told Koha Ditore that they have received information that UAM will shut down on 31 December. “We do not have any other information regarding this UNMIK office in the north,” he said.

Sources of this daily informed that UAM has not paid their employees since July because Kosovo institutions ceased financing UAM. It remains unknown whether the UN or Kosovo institutions will pay the employees, said the source.

Government disappointed with EU (dailies)

The Kosovo Government was disappointment on Friday by the conclusions of the European Union member states, which leave the possibility to begin discussions only by the first half of 2013.

Kosovo’s Minister for European Integrations, Vlora Citaku, stated that each criteria requested by the European Council has been already addressed - except for two laws and a strategy already under parliamentary procedures; all the other criteria have been fulfilled. “I have full confidence that, by the end of January, we will fulfill all the short-term criteria set in October. But I also have to express my and the Kosovo Government's disappointment on how the conclusions in December are substantially different from those in October,” said the Minister. “Now, in December, a direct relation of the process of European integration with the results of the process of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has been made.”

IBM is not over (Express)

European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton announced that the discussions for Integrated Border Management at the technical level will continue. This was announced after Baroness Ashton's meeting with Serbia’s Prime Minister on Friday, where Dacic requested for goods that enter northern Kosovo not to undergo customs procedures until 10 January. Dacic requested for the payments not to be made prior to an agreement on the distribution of funds collected by customs. The office of the High Representative informed that it has contacted Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi on this issue as well. “During the discussions, they have reconsidered the progress made in the context of the IBM implementation and discussed possible ways to address all issues related to this. They agreed that discussions at the level of experts should continue next week,” said a press release issued by this office.

The secret plan for the north (Kosova Sot)

The Kosovo Government has not publicized the plan for the integration of northern Kosovo, which for 13 years is out of the constitutional authority of central institutions in Pristina. The latest EU conclusions set a necessary condition where drafting and presenting a concrete plan would resolve the problem of this region. The Minister for European Integrations, Vlora Citaku, stated on Friday that the Government has its own plan on this issue, which was offered to senior EU officials in Brussels, however, officials there unjustly insist for the plan to be a formula deriving from the compromises made at the discussions between the prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia.