Headlines - 20.01.2014 Kosovo and EU close to agreement on EULEX, north disputable (Koha Ditore) Both Government of Kosovo and European Union agree conditions on the ground require change of EU mission’s structure that will result in EULEX completing its mandate this year. Sources from the EU told the paper that the parties are close to an agreement on EULEX’s end of mandate and the future EU presence in the field of rule of law. However there is no agreement yet on possible executive powers of international judges and prosecutors or on the prospect of EULEX having a different type of presence in the north of Kosovo. Diplomatic sources said Kosovo authorities insist on courts in the north be incorporated into the rest of the country’s legal order but do agree to the EU having a greater role in the north, in case it is necessary to carry it out. Tahiri: There will be no ethnic court in the north (Koha Ditore) The Government of Kosovo is rushing to end the unresolved issues with Serbia, deriving from the 19 April Agreement, prior to the elections in Kosovo and Serbia. Government officials expect that the two Prime Ministers, Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dacic will reach an agreement on the courts. Officials involved in the dialogue, said that there will only be a basic court in Mitrovica, including an office of prosecution, while the issue of the number of judges and prosecutors who are willing to integrate in Kosovo institutions, remains to be discussed. Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, and head of Kosovo delegation on technical discussions, Edita Tahiri, spoke about Kosovo’s position on the issue. “Our position is clear, and derives from universal values, there cannot be division of courts on any ethnic lines”.  EU-Serbia negotiations, Kosovo main condition (Zëri) Serbia is expected to start today negotiations for EU membership while the issue of Kosovo is likely to be the main condition in the process. British Balkans analyst, James Ker-Lindsay, said that Serbia will need to undertake major reform in relation to Kosovo in order to get the best from the talks with EU. “Issue of Kosovo is the key element of the whole negotiations process”, he said. At the same time, Kosovo analyst, Ardian Arifaj, said the EU should clearly condition Serbia with Kosovo but noted that very often the EU has changed its stance. “The EU has often changed its words and positions towards Serbia, therefore even the present position could change”, said Arifaj.  Çitaku: SAA to be initialed in spring (Epoka e Re) The Minister for European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, denied the possibility of delays on European agenda for Kosovo. She stated for this daily that negotiations for Stabilization Association Agreement will conclude in spring, while initiation and signing of the agreement between the Government of Kosovo and European Commission will take place in the end of spring. She also rejected allegations of civil society that this agreement is not the same as those offered to the countries of the region.   Mustafa: We prefer June for elections (Tribuna) Leader of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Isa Mustafa, reiterated the party’s position against extending the mandate of reserved seats for members of communities in the Kosovo Assembly. He said LDK will not vote in favour of the proposal “because we consider that Ahtisaari’s package and its elements integrated into the Constitution have ended with two mandates for reserved seats and there is no reason to go further”. He said his party supports conclusion of election reform but not opening of the Constitution. Mustafa also noted that June would be the optimal time to hold national elections and not leave it for autumn when the weather worsens and days get shorter which could lead to other problems. Meta: Joint embassies with Kosovo should open (Epoka e Re) The Speaker of the Parliament of Albania, Ilir Meta, stated that the relations between Kosovo and Albania are unique, therefore it would have been good to have joint consular offices and embassies. “The relations between Albania and Kosovo are unique. They are relations of two neighboring countries, but this s not all, they are more than that. There are two countries which see the future of their citizens in the European Union. We have greater possibilities to use resources  for a faster development, integration, and use better each other’s resources. Albania and Kosovo have greater possibilities to profit from energy systems. Albania has hydro-systems as its basic, reparable resource of energy, while Kosovo uses thermo-centrals as the source,” said Meta.