Headlines - 19.06.2015

Slovenia waiting for ICTY reply on Haradinaj (Zeri)

The paper reports on the front page that Slovenian authorities have not ruled out the possibility of extraditing the former Kosovo prime minister and leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, to Serbia after detaining him at Ljubljana airport on Wednesday. The district court in Kranj said only once Serbia’s arrest warrant for Haradinaj is verified and the reply of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is secured will the court reach a decision whether to extradite Haradinaj to Serbia or not.

Assembly urges government to send letter of protest to Slovenia (dailies)

Members of the Kosovo Assembly approved yesterday a resolution calling on the government to send a letter of protest to Slovenia over the detention of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj on Serbia’s arrest warrant. The resolution says the government and the president of Kosovo should press Slovenia for immediate and unconditional release of Haradinaj and also address the issue of Serbia’s arrest warrants against people of Kosovo in Brussels. However, not everyone was in favour of the letter of protest being sent to Slovenia. Foreign Minister Hashim said that while Haradinaj’s detention is “concerning” it should not affect “our excellent relations with Slovenia.’ Similarly, Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said there is no reason to send a letter of protest as the issue needs to be resolved through an international agreement in Brussels.

PM Mustafa has a phone conversation with Slovenian counterpart (Bota Sot)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa had a telephone conversation on Thursday with his Slovenian counterpart Miro Cerar on the detention of the former Kosovo prime minister and leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj on an arrest warrant issued by Serbia. Mustafa expressed concern over Haradinaj’s detention and said that Haradinaj’s innocence has already been confirmed twice by international courts. The two prime ministers agreed to work together on avoiding such situations in the future and called on Interpol to review arrest warrants whose charges have already been cleared by relevant courts.

Vandalism targeting Slovenian businesses in Kosovo condemned (dailies)

Kosovo institutional representatives and the business community condemned acts of vandalism targeting Slovenian companies operating in Kosovo. President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga said such acts hamper democratic development and damage Kosovo’s image while the government of Kosovo called on the people to demonstrate maturity and refrain from any violent act. It also assured the people that the detention of Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) leader Ramush Haradinaj is being addressed at the highest institutional level and is soon expected to be resolved.

Demarcation with Montenegro according to 1974 Constitution (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said at the Kosovo Assembly yesterday that the border demarcation with Montenegro will be in accordance to the Constitution of 1974, Constitution of Kosovo and Martti Ahtisaari status package. Anything, said Thaci, that goes beyond these documents is unacceptable.

Legal shortcomings, a result of UNMIK regulations (Kosova Sot)

The paper reports on page three that, even seven years after the declaration of Kosovo’s independence, the local authorities in some areas continue to work according to regulations adopted by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). This has recently triggered major criticism from political representatives and legal experts. Adem Salihaj, a Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP, told the paper: “I am surprised that in some areas the authorities continue to work according to UNMIK regulations. Even after so many years, our state has not passed some necessary laws”. The government of Kosovo announced recently that it was in the process of replacing some UNMIK regulations with new laws. Meanwhile, the Vetevendosje Movement calls for the full departure of the UN mission from Kosovo. “The documents adopted by UNMIK should be declared null and void. Even the presence of UNMIK in Kosovo is no longer tolerable and cannot be justified,” a Vetevendosje official was quoted as saying.