UNMIK Headlines 18 September
Opposition launches petition against Association/Community (Kosovapress)
The opposition parties in Kosovo from today will start the next activity against the formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. The Vetevendosje Movement issued a press release on Thursday saying that the parties will start collecting signatures in a petition throughout Kosovo against the Association/Community. The leaders of the three parties, Visar Ymeri, Fatmir Limaj and Ramush Haradinaj, will sign the petition at 11:00 today at a tent located near the Ministry of Culture, where they will also address the media.
“Annulment of Association/Community would save the government” (Zeri)
The head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, told the paper on Thursday that the opposition parties will refrain from protests if the government cancels the agreement on the formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. He said that otherwise the three opposition parties are preparing for massive protests that will not stop until the fall of the government and the annulment of this agreement. He said that violence has no room in the principles of the Vetevendosje Movement, but that the government is the one mentioning violence. “Through protests, citizens must show the international community that they will not give up on Kosovo,” Konjufca said.
Thaci: EU should treat Kosovo as other countries in the region (Epoka)
Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met during his official visit to London with the UK Minister for Europe, David Liddington. During this meeting, Thaci stressed the importance of advancing the Euro-integration processes for Kosovo, adding that the EU should not be late in its relations with Kosovo. Minister Liddington congratulated Kosovo for “the recent difficult but just and courageous decisions”.
Rasic: Serbs fear the Kosovo Armed Forces (Kosova Sot)
The Progressive Democratic Party MP, Nenad Rasic, said on Thursday that Kosovo Serbs fear the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces of Kosovo (KAF), because they think that the KAF will not serve the interests of the Serb community. He emphasized that there are many conspiracy theories that things that are in the interests of one side would not be in the interests of the other side.
Kastrati: Army cannot be established by changing the law (Epoka)
The former commander of the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), Kadri Kastrati, told the paper that Kosovo lost its historic chance when it couldn’t conclude the transformation of the KSF into the Armed Forces in the previous legislature. He said that now constitutional changes are necessary for this transformation. He indicated that with the amendments to the Law on the KSF, the role of the KSF could only be strengthened in some areas but it cannot change its mission. "Political parties need to sit down and make a compromise to pass the constitutional amendments in the Assembly,” Kastrati said. He suggested that Kosovo should not lose time and the KSF should upgrade its equipment, weapons and other training until the planned transformation occurs.
Chiti: Don’t expect visa liberalization too soon (Koha)
The paper runs an interview with Vannino Chiti, chairman of a delegation of Italian senators from the European Union’s Policy Committee, highlighting his quote that “even though the date for removing visas may not be too far, given the complexity of the process it is better to be patient and have faith and not to expect [visa liberalization] too soon”. Chiti also said that after a several-month debate on the formation of the special court, the Kosovo government and assembly should now focus on fighting organized crime and corruption. Chiti, along with two other European senators, is visiting Pristina to measure Kosovo’s progress in the path toward EU integration.
“Fighting corruption, the main challenge” (Epoka)
The UK Ambassador in Kosovo, Ruairi O’Connell, met on Thursday with Kosovo’s chief prosecutor, Aleksander Lumezi. The latter expressed appreciation for the support of the United Kingdom and stressed that the main challenges remain the war against corruption and organized crime, and adequate conditions in order for this system to function. O’Connell expressed readiness to help the prosecution system of Kosovo in all the fields that the UK could contribute, in order to increase the efficiency of this system.