Headlines - 06.10.2016

• Mustafa: Trepca belongs to Kosovo (Bota Sot/Koha Ditore)
• Lunacek denies claims regarding the border demarcation process (Bota Sot)
• Apostolova: Kosovo has two conditions for visa liberalisation (Epoka e Re)
• LDK MPs Gashi and Osmani offer solution on demarcation (Zëri)
• Internal Affairs Committee calls for Thaci’s immediate release (dailies)
• EU with ultimatum for Belgrade on the agreement for telecom (RTK)
• Janjic: These are facts about the Orthodox Church in Pristina (Indeksonline)
• Guterres elected new UN Secretary General (media)

Mustafa: Trepca belongs to Kosovo (Bota Sot/Koha Ditore)

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, said yesterday at the meeting of the government that they have come up with an optimal solution for the Trepca mining complex. He said mineral resources belong to Kosovo while the Trepca mine will become a unified, consolidated organization. He said there was no political background to the decision to approve the draft law on Trepca. “The law has been drafted to constitute Trepca in the future as an organization that will work on the basis of market economy”, Mustafa said. Under the leading front-page headline Government aims shares in only three mines of Trepca complex, Koha Ditore reports that the Kosovo Government adopted on Wednesday the draft law on the Trepca mining complex with three votes against by the Serb members of government. The draft law foresees changes in the status of three flotation mines, which are the key business units of the mining complex. These units will be transformed into shareholder associations, whereby the government will own 80 percent of shares and the workers will own the rest of the shares.

Lunacek denies claims regarding the border demarcation process (Bota Sot)

Vice President of the European Parliament, Ulrike Lunacek, reacted to the statement made by Kosovo opposition MP, Valdete Bajrami, that in a meeting in Brussels she said that the Kosovo government asked for the border demarcation to be imposed as a condition for visa liberalisation. Lunacek said she was misquoted by Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) MP Bajrami and that what she told the Kosovo MPs visiting Brussels was that they needed to move forward in ratifying the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro as soon as possible. “I also told them the government needs to fulfill the second condition, which is to provide evidence of prosecution of high-level corruption and organised crime”, Lunacek said.

Apostolova: Kosovo has two conditions for visa liberalisation (Epoka e Re)

The head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, said during her meeting with members of the Kosovo Assembly European Integration Committee that Kosovo has two conditions to fulfill before it can get visa liberalisation: the ratification of the border demarcation agreement with Montenegro and concrete results in the fight against corruption. Kosovo Assembly Vice President, Xhavit Haliti, said during the meeting that Kosovo is being conditioned with too many criteria and added that the condition on the war against corruption was not mentioned during earlier meetings with EU representatives in Brussels.

LDK MPs Gashi and Osmani offer solution on demarcation (Zëri)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MPs, Arben Gashi and Vjosa Osmani, have offered a solution to the issue of border demarcation with Montenegro. According to them, the political parties in Kosovo can come to an agreement in which they show their willingness to resolve the issue of demarcation within a few months and that this arrangement become a Resolution in the Assembly so the European Union can vote pro visa liberalisation for Kosovo, provided that visas be lifted after the ratification of demarcation. This proposal was presented on Wednesday during a meeting of the government Committee on European Integration and the head of the EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova.

Internal Affairs Committee calls for Thaçi’s immediate release (dailies)

Kosovo Assembly MPs who are part of the Internal Affairs Committee have urged the Serbian side to immediately release the Kosovo Police director for Mitrovica region, Nehat Thaçi. Daut Haradinaj, head of this committee, said Thaçi’s arrest clearly proves Serbia’s old politics in relation to Kosovo. While the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP, Ganimete Musliu, said that there is no value to continue talks with Serbia as long as such cases happen. “We must demand reciprocity in implementation of agreements signed in Brussels, or we should take a decision on continuation or not of talks with Serbia," she said, calling on Kosovo citizens to be careful and not go through the territory of Serbia, citing the violation of the freedom of movement agreement. During the meeting it was also urged that Kosovo authorities undertake appropriate measures for Thaçi’s release.

EU with ultimatum for Belgrade on the agreement for telecom (RTK)

The European Union has set an ultimatum for the Serbian party to declare if it accepts the proposed agreement on telecommunication for Kosovo reached in Brussels. The Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti noted on Wednesday that the Serbian state has to give up Telekom property “in our southern province and leave everything that was invested there to Albanians”. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that his country will make a decision that is in accordance with the interests of the country, however he admitted that rejection of this agreement would impact Serbia’s European integration. “If we refuse, they will not open negotiations,” Vucic said.

Janjic: These are facts about the Orthodox Church in Pristina (Indeksonline)

The news website reports that Sava Janjic, representative of the Serb Orthodox Church in Kosovo, said on Wednesday that the Serb Orthodox Church has ownership over the unfinished temple of Christ the Savior and 4.2 hectares in downtown Pristina and that UNMIK confirmed this in 2003 and 2012. In a Facebook post, Janjic also asked why the Kosovo government is allowing the municipality of Pristina to interfere in the church and why Kosovo media are waging a merciless campaign against the church.

Guterres elected new UN Secretary General (media)

The former Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres was elected on Wednesday as the new United Nations Secretary-General. Member States of the UN Security Council with the right of veto - the United States of America, Great Britain and France – voted against Vuk Jeremic’s candidacy for the post because of his positions vis-a-vis NATO and Kosovo.