Headlines - 14.07.2016

Mustafa: Demarcation, condition for establishment of armed forces (RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, called on all those who have argued that Kosovo would lose territory through the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro to come forward and present their views but also warned about the consequences if the agreement is not ratified by the Assembly. “Demarcation will happen sooner or later but we could be left without visa liberalisation if we are late”, said Mustafa in an interview. He also referred to border demarcation as a condition for the establishment of armed forces.  Mustafa said the US and EU will not support the creation of an army if Kosovo has problems with neighbouring countries.

Hoxhaj: Border demarcation process is fine (Koha)

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said that the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro will be approved by the government in the coming week and then submitted to the Assembly. He said he doesn’t believe the demarcation process was marred by irregularities and that there is no need to fear that Kosovo is losing territory through the deal. “This process needs to be concluded. I did not visit every mountain in Kosovo but judging from the reports I have read dealing with delineation of the border and the conversations I had, I got the impression that everything is fine”, said Hoxhaj.

Haradinaj: Association/Community to be revised by autumn (RFE/RTK)

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj, told Radio Free Europe that the current version of the border-demarcation agreement with Montenegro should be annulled and a new commission must be created to find a solution to this issue by autumn this year.  Haradinaj said the AAK will not use non-conventional forms to oppose the agreement in the Assembly. According to him, the issue of border-demarcation with Montenegro has not been in the focus of the visit of the United States Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland in Pristina. He also welcomed the call of the United Kingdom Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairi O’Connell, for the government to organise a debate to clarify the demarcation agreement.

Initiative for roundtable of political leaders to discuss demarcation (Koha)

The paper reports on page two that Naim Rashiti, an analyst with the Balkans Policy Research Group, who has so far organized four rounds of meetings between PDK, LDK, AAK and NISMA representatives, has now taken the initiative to organise a roundtable with political leaders discussing the border-demarcation deal with Montenegro. During the fourth round of discussions between representatives of the ruling parties and the opposition on Wednesday, the main idea was to organise the joint meeting of political leaders in an attempt to find a consensus and a joint approach on the demarcation issue. During the meeting, Quint ambassadors called for a quick resolution of the matter, opposition representatives maintain their position and support debate in the Assembly, whereas representatives of the ruling parties did not speak in one voice. An unnamed source, who was present at the meeting, told the paper that the Quint ambassadors want the matter to be resolved in line with the agreement signed by Kosovo and Montenegrin authorities. “The Ambassadors were clear. They said you declared independence with this map and these borders and that’s how they recognised us. The French Ambassador said this issue should be resolved as quickly as possible because her country cannot waste too much energy on this issue,” the source said.

Vetëvendosje calls on PM Mustafa to report to Assembly (Zëri)

The Vetëvendosje Movement has called on Prime Minister Isa Mustafa to report to the Assembly regarding the construction of the Sunny Valley settlement in Zveçan/Zvečan. “Vetëvendosje asks for accountability of Mustafa for the situation in northern Kosovo. There is enough evidence that Albanians are being discriminated and that Serbia is colonising the northern part of Kosovo,” reads a press statement issued by Vetëvendosje.

Germany does not give in toward Serbia on Kosovo (Epoka)

The European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, David McAllister, stated on Wednesday that the process of Serbia’s membership in the EU, requires sustainable and visible engagement on the improvement of the relations with Kosovo. In an interview for the European Western Balkans portal, EU MP McAllister said that the process of integration of Serbia and Kosovo will depend on the improvement of their relations. This process will ensure continuance of the European path for both parties, by avoiding blockade of each other on these issues,” he said. Speaking about Germany’s policy toward Serbia, the German Euro-Deputy said that Berlin’s policy is the same and it will not change. “Chancellor Merkel is having a close and open dialogue with the Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vučić …When the Bundestag is concerned, the relevant document is the 2013 Resolution for Serbia, which explicitly calls for normalisation of the relations with Kosovo, and Germany will have the same approach when Serbia’s dialogue with the EU is concerned,” McAllister was quoted as saying.

Odalović does not deny the possibility of a mass grave in Pristina (Telegrafi)

Veljko Odalović, chairman of the Serbian government’s commission for missing persons, told Klan Kosova that reports that there could be a mass grave in the vicinity of the Orthodox Church building in Pristina university campus need to be investigated. “I have no verification but we do not deny the possibility of a mass grave here,” said Odalović. On the same issue, Koha quotes Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Branimir Stojanović, saying that Serbs are not against excavations near the Orthodox Church but that the issue should not be politicized. “We were told that there is no honest intention to find mass graves but for this issue to be politicized, and create a negative context for this church,” Stojanović added.