Headlines - 22.03.2017.

• Kosovo army to be voted after presidential elections in Serbia (Zeri)
• Kosovo government committed to establishing Association/Community (Zeri)
• Hoxhaj receives U.S. support for new recognitions (Epoka e Re)
• Molliqaj: With LDK in coalition, but without Isa Mustafa (Epoka e Re)
• Media publish names of people in the “People’s Eye” assassination list
• New “moratorium” on Trepca mining complex (Koha)

Kosovo army to be voted after presidential elections in Serbia (Zeri)

The paper on the front page quotes sources saying that the bill on Kosovo Security Force (KSF) transformation is expected to be submitted to the Assembly for approval during April following presidential elections in Serbia. Officials from the Kosovo government did not comment on when the draft law would be sent to the Assembly while Nuredin Ibishi, MP from the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), said the government has thirty days to review the bill.

Kosovo government committed to establishing Association/Community (Zeri)

Officials from the government of Kosovo and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are in Brussels discussing developments over the last year with regards to normalisation of relations with Serbia. Both the government of Kosovo and EEAS agreed on the importance of implementation of agreements reached within the EU-facilitated dialogue. Kosovo officials reaffirmed the commitment of the government to implement the agreement on establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities while EU representatives said the statute of this mechanism should be drafted without further delays.

Hoxhaj receives U.S. support for new recognitions (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, has continued with his busy agenda during his visit to Washington. Except for  meetings with senior officials of the State Department, Congressmen and Senators, Hoxhaj met on Tuesday with  U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, Hoyt Yee. They discussed  bilateral relations as well as U.S. support for recognitions and Kosovo’s membership at international organizations, as well as recent developments in the region.

Molliqaj: With LDK in coalition, but without Isa Mustafa (Epoka e Re)

Dardan Molliqaj from Vetevendosje movement, presented on Tuesday results of a survey, where his party appears to be the first in Kosovo, with 26 percent, proceeded by PDK with 23 percent, then LDK with 20 percent, AAK 14 percent, AKR with 5 percent, NISMA 3 percent and Alternativa with 2.9 percent. Speaking about eventual coalition, Molliqaj said that in principal, Veteverndosje is in favor of coalition with opposition parties. He did not exclude the possibility of a coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), but without the current leader of the party and Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa.

Media publish names of people in the “People’s Eye” assassination list

Bota Sot carries a list originally published by  Gazeta Fjala news website with names of people who the so-called ‘People’s Eye’ organization plans to assassinate. The so-called ‘People’s Eye’claimed responsibility for the recent assassination attempt on Kosovo lawyer Azem Vllasi.. The list contains names of thirty people from Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the Presevo Valley. Apart from political leaders whom the organization accuses for betraying interests of Kosovo, the list also includes publicists, opposition representatives and media figures.

New “moratorium” on Trepca mining complex (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Trepca mining complex, as a whole, is under the management of the Privatization Agency of Kosovo (PAK), although it has been six months since the law was adopted making the government the biggest shareholder of the three key assets of the enterprise. Unnamed sources told the paper that there is a new moratorium on the mining complex as a result of an agreement between the government and PAK. “The agreement namely provides that for a certain period of time there will be no activities in registering as a shareholder association of the three key units of Trepca, the mines and the flotation, and that the process of transferring wealth and competencies from PAK to the government will not begin for another period of time. The registration will be done after the feasibility study is published,” an unnamed source is quoted as saying. The paper also notes that neither the government nor PAK have published the content of their agreement.