Headlines - 26.10.2015

Mustafa: Coalition is stable (RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa commended the law enforcement authorities and Assembly leadership for their behaviour during the last session of the Assembly. He also praised the ruling coalition MPs for managing to work in a dangerous environment. “The Assembly can function, the coalition is stable and we as a government will continue cooperation,” said Mustafa who further called on the opposition to join the Assembly by respecting its regulations.

Quint representatives to meet PM Mustafa this week (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that representatives of the Quint countries will meet Prime Minister Isa Mustafa early this week to see if the government has a plan to respond to the demands of the opposition bloc. Opposition representatives have reiterated that there are three ways to emerge from the crisis: withdrawal from the agreements on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, referendum or early elections. The government meanwhile is determined to reject all ultimatums as far as the Brussels agreements are concerned.

Opposition: Recall of agreements or government’s resignation (Kosova Sot)

In a press conference yesterday, opposition representatives from Vetevendosje, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) reaffirmed their position against the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities and the border demarcation with Montenegro. “Withdrawal or resignation,” said opposition to the government of Kosovo. They also said that the last session of the Assembly was illegal and violated the regulation of the Assembly. NISMA representative, Haxhi Shala, demanded the resignation of Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli after the offensive vocabulary he used against Vetevendosje MP, Albulena Haxhiu.

Calling new session is a call for chaos (Zeri)

The paper reports that the ruling-coalition parties will call another Assembly session during this week, even though the opposition parties warned that they will again block the Assembly’s work. Political analysts say that the situation is expected to get very tense again. This situation is seen as a call for chaos from both sides. Adem Grabovci, Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) parliamentary group chief, said that the work of the legislative cannot be held hostage by a few MPs who want to come to power violently. According to him, the Assembly will continue its work regardless the challenges by the opposition.

Limaj proposes referendum or elections (Epoka e Re)

The leader of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), Fatmir Limaj, made the alternatives to overcome the current crisis clear to the government, if the latter does not withdraw the signatures from the last agreement with Serbia and Montenegro. He said that under the current circumstances, the population should be asked through a referendum or elections. According to him, with these agreements, the government of Kosovo has lost its legitimacy and its mandate.

Meta: Recent developments to not promote Kosovo (Epoka e Re)

The President of the Albanian Parliament, Ilir Meta, said that the recent political developments in Kosovo do not help the promotion of the state. He appealed to the Kosovo government and opposition to find a solution through dialogue. “It is a situation that blurs all the other arguments and it does not help on clear and solid progress to the promotion of the state of Kosovo and strengthening of its institutions, as well as European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo,” Meta said.

Administrative border disputed by two Mitrovica municipalities (Kosova Sot)

The mayors of the Mitrovica and Mitrovica North, Agim Bahtiri and Goran Rakic, are disputing the administrative borderline between their two municipalities, reported Radio Free Europe. Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Local Government and Administration, Bajram Gecaj, said that the administrative borderline will be defined in accordance to the Ahtisaari status package which was the basis for Kosovo’s declaration of independence. “We have the original maps of the Ahtisaari package and the border will be defined based on them. There will be no shifting from those maps,” said Gecaj. However, Mitrovica North mayor Goran Rakic said there are two valid maps from the Kosovo Cadastral Agency and on one, Suhodoll village is part of the southern part of Mitrovica, and on the other, it belongs to the northern part of the city. Rakic further disputed the authenticity of the map Gecaj referred to as being from the Ahtisaari plan. “That map that they got from UNMIK claiming to be Ahtisaari’s has no seal or official signature,” said Rakic.

Government approves proposal for early elections in UP (RTK)

The government of Kosovo has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to announce early elections in the University of Pristina (UP) in an attempt to resolve the crisis following the dismissal of rector Ramadan Zejnullahu by the university’s steering council. Elections are expected to take place before February of next year and until that time, the government called on the rector Zejnullahu and other authorities to continue their work and maintain the university’s stability.

Geci: Names of Kosovo leaders were in my first indictment (Bota Sot)

The former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Sabit Geci, told Tribuna Channel that in his first indictment for war crimes were included the names of Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Fatmir Limaj, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi. But according to him, the indictment was then changed and it included some other names that were unknown to him.