UNMIK Headlines 6 November
PDK says yes to elections, but coalition bloc against that (Epoka e Re)
Hashim Thaci, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), mentioned on Wednesday, during a meeting with his party’s Steering Council, two options for overcoming the political stalemate. He said that, first, the new institutions cannot be formed without involving the PDK, because this is the will of the people. And second, if the leaders of the coalition bloc continue with their old grudges, then the only solution can be extraordinary elections. Leaders of the coalition bloc held a meeting on the same day which lasted three hours, but they did not come up with any decision that would lead to the resolution of the political crisis. The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, stated that Kosovo does not need new elections, since the parliamentary majority already exists.
New elections on 14 December? (Epoka e Re)
Reliable sources of this daily said that if the leaders of the political parties do not find a solution to overcome the political stalemate, then President Atifete Jahjaga, through a special decree, will dissolve the Assembly on Friday or eventually on Tuesday. Furthermore, she will announce extraordinary elections for 14 December. The same sources said that Kosovo is late in forming the new institutions; therefore there is no time to create the government through regular procedures.
Internationals losing patience (Tribuna)
The political crisis in Kosovo is continuing to deepen while the international community is extremely concerned with this situation. “International pressure is expected to increase in the coming days in order to find a solution,” an unnamed international official told Gazeta Blic. Meanwhile, a senior official from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said that the party leader, Hashim Thaci, has made it clear to the internationals that he does not plan to give up his goal of being part of the new government.
Haradinaj: No elections, but protests instead (Zeri)
The paper reports on the front page that the leaders of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Isa Mustafa, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, said that there could be no new elections as the solution lies in the Assembly. Haradinaj warned that they could decide to support Vetevendosje’s idea of organizing protests to bring down Hashim Thaci, if all possibilities of political dialogue are exhausted.
18 members of EULEX being investigated (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports on the front page that officials in Brussels are shocked not only at the seriousness of allegations against EULEX staff but also at claims that the mission leadership tried to cover up the scandal. Sources in the EU said that there are at least 18 persons from EULEX and many more from member states that are currently being investigated. EU officials also said there will be zero tolerance for possible corruption in its Kosovo mission.
MEPs Brok and Lunacek write to Mogherini (Koha Ditore)
Chairperson of the European Parliament (EP) Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok, and EP Vice-President and Rapporteur on Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek, wrote a letter to the new EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, regarding recent allegations of corruption in EULEX. The two MEPs thanked Mogherini for her prompt reply to have a debate at the Foreign Affairs Committee but expressed disappointment at, as they said, “lack of depth and substantiation” in the replies provided by EU officials in the EP debate. They said that they did not receive any answers during the debate and asked Mogherini to provide them as soon as possible. One of the questions Brok and Lunacek asked is how it was possible for such serious accusations not to have been investigated as a matter of urgency. “If allegations were to be confirmed, it would be a disastrous situation. The credibility of EULEX mission and of the EU in Kosovo is at stake”, warn the two MEPs.
Brussels’ position on dialogue remains unchanged (Tribuna)
The head of Pristina’s negotiating team, Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri, does not expect that the appointment of Federica Mogherini will influence policy changes of the European Union towards the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. According to Tahiri, for the EU, it is clear that the Brussels dialogue is one of the very important factors to strengthen neighbourly relations. “The EU will therefore give high importance to the continuation of this dialogue. We expect this dialogue to end with recognition of Kosovo from Serbia,” said Tahiri.
Hoxhaj in Berlin speaks of importance of dialogue with Belgrade (Tribuna)
Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, is on an official visit to Berlin where he attended a meeting of Western Balkans foreign ministers with European MPs, diplomats and representatives of EU member countries. Ministers spoke of how to strengthen cooperation and move faster towards EU integration. Hoxhaj stressed that it is very important for Kosovo to sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), gain visa liberalization and continue dialogue with Belgrade.