Headlines - 18.10.2014

U.S. Senator visits Kosovo (dailies)

President Atifete Jahjaga hosted on Friday Chris Murphy, member of the committee for foreign relations of the United States Senate and Senator of Connecticut. However, Hashim Thaci, the outgoing Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Isa Mustafa, the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), and Ramush Haradinaj, Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), met with Senator Murphy at a cafetera in Pristina, during a cocktail reception organized by the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo. LDK leader Isa Mustafa stated after the reception that they greeted with Thaci but they did not discuss politics.

The Office of the President of Kosovo issued a press release which informs that while welcoming Senator Murphy to Kosovo, President Jahjaga highly praised the role of the United States government, of the Senate and of the Congress of the United States for Kosovo and the entire Western Balkans region, and stressed that the achievements of Kosovo during the 6 years of its independence are closely related to the commitment and the strong support of the United States, just as they have been associated with the freedom and the peace that the citizens of the country enjoy today.

“President Jahjaga emphasized that Kosovo as a new and inclusive state is consolidating its internal democracy, and also its international representation and is transformed into a factor of peace and stability and good neighborliness with all the countries of the region, including also the Republic of Serbia.

She said that Kosovo is committed to the dialogue with the Republic of Serbia, as the best way to normalize relations between the two countries and to pave the way for integration with the EU. President Jahjaga stressed that the results of the dialogue can be judged only through fully meeting of all the reached agreements during the facilitated process by the EU and Serbia's progress towards EU membership must be conditioned on the progress in the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels.

President Jahjaga said that Kosovo is interested to conclude this process with the normalization of relations between the two independent states, so that both countries can move towards the EU on their individual paths, because the EU for Kosovo and at the same time for the countries of the region has no alternative,” stresses the press release.

The Constitutional Court is not expected to make additional announcements (Koha Ditore)

The Constitutional Court is not expected to deal once again with the issue of the election of the Assembly President of Kosovo. The coalition block is not authorized to address the Constitutional Court on this issue and there are no signals from the Presidency that they would act according to the request of the coalition block to do so.

 Ramush Haradinaj, one of the representatives of the coalition block that has the majority at the Assembly, stated that there is a need for further clarification of the decision of the Constitutional Court. He continues to express faith that Article 127 of the decision of the Constitutional Court allows the coalition block to propose the Assembly President. “It could happen that the President considers to agrees the Constitutional Court herself, but at the same time we are considering to address the Court for additional explanation,” said Haradinaj.

Jahjaga should request for the session to continue (Zeri)

The political leaders of the coalition block and political analysts consider that President Atifete Jahjaga should request form Flora Brovina, speaker of the constitutive session of the Assembly of Kosovo, to continue with the constitutive session and allow debate that would lead to a solution of the political crisis. They consider that if the debate at the Assembly does not produce any result, then the President could call the leaders of the political parties for joint meetings. They consider that this is the way to fulfill the requests of both political blocks. The Democratic party they say, requests continuously meetings among leaders while the coalition blocks requests debate at the Assembly. However, Arber Vllahiu, adviser to the President, stated for this daily that the President does not intend to interfere in the issues that belong to the legislative government.

Edita requests a stability government (Zeri)

Edita Tahiri, the outgoing deputy Prime Minister and deputy of the coalition led by the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), considers that Kosovo needs a government of stability, that would involve all major political parties. She considers that Kosovo does not have the commodity for further polarization. In an interview given to this daily, Tahiri also spoke about the incidents at the football match between Albania and Serbia held in Belgrade. According to her, Serbia is stuck in the old hegemonistic mentality and remains far from the European concept.

Krasniqi: NISMA does not become PDK’s tail (Epoka e Re)

Jakup Krasniqi, leader of the National Council of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), stated in an interview for this daily that his party would not allow the coalition block to create new institutions with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). He said that NISMA members did not leave PDK to become its tail on its bad governing. “I only hate that the current situation proves the claims of our enemies that Albanians are not capable of building a state,” he said. According to Krasniqi, solution of the current situation is an easy one: “In parliamentary democracy, those who have the majority, govern. There is no constitutional solution to hold new elections, because no one can take the mandate of the deputies gained in regular elections,” said Krasniqi.