UNMIK Headlines 27 September
Recruitment of illegal structure members to be done in package (Koha Ditore)
Implementation of the achieved agreement of 19 April between Kosovo and Serbia has stalled on the point that refers to the integration of illegal security and justice structures acting in the north into Kosovo state institutions. Kosovo meanwhile has given up from insisting on legal recruitment procedures.
Sources of the newspaper close with the process of dialogue said on Thursday that in the police but also in courts and prosecutions members of illegal structures who express readiness to work based on the Kosovo laws will be recruited and not be subjected to a competition process. Furthermore, they will not be obliged to formally recognize the state of Kosovo. “The procedures of integration of members of illegal security and justice structures it is not anymore an issue in the dialogue. All of them who want to work in our institutions will be accepted in package,” said the source of the newspaper.
Ashton writes to Jahjaga about elections (Tribuna)
European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Catherine Ashton, sent a letter to Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga informing her about the deployment of an EU mission that will monitor the November local elections in Kosovo. “The November 3 municipal elections are an important step for the future of Kosovo and for normalizing relations between Pristina and Belgrade. I am closely following preparations for elections in the context of the EU-facilitated dialogue. On September 8, we discussed the progress with Prime Minister Thaçi and Prime Minister Dacic to ensure a fair election process and a broad-based participation. I am confident the monitoring mission will contribute to improving the transparency of the process and I have instructed our officials to contact respective authorities to discuss all technical aspects before the deployment of the Elections Monitoring Mission,” Ashton wrote in the letter.
Jankovic: Those who committed crimes have no place in KP (Tribuna)
Dejan Jankovic, deputy general director of Kosovo Police, said in an interview for the paper that people who have committed crimes cannot become members of Kosovo Police, regardless of their ethnic background. Jankovic said he hopes the agreement between Pristina and Belgrade will be implemented successfully. He said former members of the Serbian Ministry for Interior Affairs (MUP) will have the same treatment as other members of Kosovo Police. Jankovic however said he does not know how their past will be verified.
Commenting on the recent killing of a EULEX customs officer in northern Kosovo, Jankovic said it was a sign that the implementation of the agreement is going to be a difficult process. Jankovic said he was confident that law enforcement mechanisms will nonetheless be able to restore a normal life in the problematic northern part of Kosovo.
Idea for the G6 not yet defined, encounters no support (Koha Ditore)
The meeting of Western Balkans foreign ministers to discuss the creation of a so-called Western Balkan Six initiative as proposed by Montenegro ended yesterday with no conclusion reached. Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj told the paper over the phone that the only thing the ministers agreed on was to schedule another meeting while he said the idea itself received no support.
“We expressed concern first with the geography of this organization, namely the member states it includes. Secondly, I think we have to redesign the character, nature and functioning of this organization. Thirdly, it is very important to us to have cooperation and integration is different fields and such mechanisms should be informal and not have any institutionally executive character,” said Hoxhaj.
Scenario of September 2012 reactivated (Lajm)
Last year, after the temporary release of AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj, from the Hague Tribunal, there was gossip for a scenario, according to which the leaders of AAK and PDK after discussions, reached an agreement to create a joint governing coalition. This scenarios has been reactivated, only that different from the previous one, the arguments for the coalition are different this time. According to this daily, the leaders of these two parties had three meetings during their visit in New York, initiated and strongly supported by powerful figures of U.S. politics.
Thailand recognizes Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Kingdom of Thailand has become the 104th country to recognize independence of Kosovo, papers report. The announcement was made by Foreign Minister of Kosovo Enver Hoxhaj and European Integration Minister Vlora Çitaku on Twitter. A following statement issued by the Government notes that Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi met in New York Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and received official confirmation of the country’s decision to recognize independence of Kosovo.
Limaj visits Prizren but speaks no politics (dailies)
Kosovo Assembly MP Fatmir Limaj visited Prizren yesterday and held a public meeting with former KLA fighters whom he asked to demonstrate unity of action and solidarity for establishment of rule of law. However, Limaj made no comments about the political situation in Kosovo but only spoke of the purity of KLA’s war and the need to preserve war values. “Today I am amongst fellow-fighters. Today there is no politics. Today was a meeting between those who shared everything: death, pride, hope, dreams,” Limaj told the gathered crowd.
One month detention for the rape suspect (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that the prosecution represented from Mauricio Salustro claims that Ismet Haxha and Nexhat Qubreli have exercised violence on the two female victims forcing them to accept that they are spies of Serbia. The basic court of Mitrovica has given them one month detention. The suspects were arrested on Wednesday for the charge war crimes against civilians. Haxha former KLA officer and Qubreli former KLA fighter in the operational zone of Shala have been arrested in an EULEX police operation.