UNMIK Headlines 11 August
Lack of votes leads to postponement of demarcation vote (Koha Ditore)
The Kosovo Assembly presidency decided yesterday to put the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro up for vote on 1 September, instead of this weekas initially anticipated. Koha Ditore reports that the move comes as a result of the ruling coalition not having secured enough votes to ratify the deal. Sources say that the lack of votes is particularly evident within the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). Furthermore, the government is said to be concerned that if it ratified the agreement ahead of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Kosovo, tensions could rise due to civil unrest.
PDK and LDK support ratification of demarcation deal (Kosova Sot)
The Presidency of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Presidency of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) announced through separate press statements that they unanimously support the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. However, the paper reports that despite these announcements, there are MPs from both parties who openly declared that they do not support the current version of the agreement and that their vote would be against it.
Selimi: Demarcation will be undone by protests (Epoka e Re)
Member of the Vetëvendosje leadership Rexhep Selimi, expressed conviction that the agreement on the demarcation of the border with Montenegro will be undone by protests and civic reaction. He added that if it was not for the civic reaction, this agreement would have been ratified last September. The Vetevendosje MP called on the two other opposition parties to join the Vetëvendosje movement in organizing protests to object the demarcation of the border with Montenegro.
Çollaku: If demarcation passes, visa liberalization by November (Zëri)
Kosovo’s European Integration Minister, Bekim Çollaku, told Zëri that without ratifying the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro, there will be no visa liberalization for Kosovo. However, according to Çollaku, if this agreement is approved by the Assembly, chances are that Kosovars would be able to move freely in the Schengen area by November this year. “However, whatever the Assembly will decide, we must respect that decision. In case of failure to ratify the agreement, then of course there will be consequences, not only for the visa liberalization process, but also for other integration processes,” he said.
Vučić: The solution is recognition of Kosovo, but we are not doing it (Epoka e Re)
Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said on Wednesday at the Serbian Parliament that the “Gordian knot” of the Kosovo issue would be overcome by the recognition of Kosovo, but the Government of Serbia cannot and will not do it.
Mustafa: Serbia cannot block privatisation in Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, said in yesterday’s meeting of his cabinet that no one can block Kosovo assets from being privatized. He said the only thing Kosovo institutions need to worry about is attracting foreign investment. Mustafa’s statement comes after Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić announced that his government will fight to prevent privatization of Trepca, Gazivoda and Brezovica.
U.S. State Department: Religious groups with obstacles to function (Epoka e Re)
The U.S. State Department published on Wednesday the annual report on the situation of religious freedoms in the world in 2015. The chapter on Kosovo stresses that Kosovo laws do not allow legal registration of religious groups, which consequently causes obstacles to their functioning. The report further notes that the government undertook measures to endorse a draft law registration of groups with more than fifty members. The report also stresses a range of incidents during the last year, including when Albanian protesters threw stones and tried to stop Orthodox pilgrims attending a mass in Gjakova/Djakovica. The report notes that the Government has drafted a strategy to confront violent extremism.