Headlines - 19.07.2017

• Thaci to call meeting of political leaders (RTK)
• PAN making efforts to secure votes for Assembly speaker (Koha Ditore)
• Hoxhaj: Government to be created by PAN with a few MPs (Epoka)
• No new institutions this week either (Zeri)
• Selimi: If they have the numbers, let them call the constitutive session (Epoka)
• Delawie: Fate of missing persons should be determined (Zeri)
• Specialist chambers deny meetings with Serbian President Vucic (Bota Sot)

 Kosovo Media Highlights

Thaci to call meeting of political leaders (RTK)

President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, will invite leaders of all parliamentary parties to a meeting on Monday, 24 July, to discuss the situation following June parliamentary elections. Ardian Arifaj, advisor to President Thaci, said a decision on when to call the Assembly’s constitutive session will be taken after this meeting. “In accordance with his mandate, the President has decided to call representatives of parties that have won seats to a consultative meeting on Monday at 10 o’clock to agree on the date for the Assembly’s constitutive session”, Arifaj said.

PAN making efforts to secure votes for Assembly speaker (Koha Ditore)

The paper reports on the front page that the PAN coalition has also not yet secured votes for election of Kosovo Assembly speaker. Sources said that the coalition’s candidate for prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, is making utmost efforts not only to secure votes for forming the government but also for candidate for Assembly speaker, Kadri Veseli, although the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) says they have not yet decided on the candidate for the post. Sources further said that the delays in calling the Assembly’s constitutive session are related to the concern that Veseli would not get enough votes to be elected speaker. “Expectations are that Albanian MPs outside of PAN could vote for Haradinaj as prime minister but not for Kadri Veseli as Assembly Speaker,” the source from PAN said. However, the source added, this does not mean to say that Haradinaj has managed to secure votes for himself either.

Hoxhaj: Government to be created by PAN with a few MPs (Epoka)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said that the PAN coalition with a few MPs will be establishing the new government of Kosovo. “We as PDK think that the future governing coalition should be constituted by PDK, AAK, NISMA, possibly some MPs who would have to support creation of the institutions together with minorities,” Hoxhaj said. He denied claims about crisis in forming the new government. He noted that significant decisions, starting from demarcation of the border with Montenegro to the conclusion of the dialogue with Serbia, await Kosovo after the establishment of the new government.

No new institutions this week either (Zeri)

Kosovo Assembly’s constitutive session is expected to take place on 27 or 28 of July, reports the paper on the front page quoting officials from the PAN coalition who also said the session is not being called for “technical reasons”. However, analysts consider the reason why the session has not taken place yet is because PAN has not managed to secure sufficient votes to elect Assembly Speaker and form the government. Analyst Ramush Tahiri said if PAN had the numbers, President Hashim Thaci would have announced the date for Assembly’s session. Nevertheless, it may very well be the case that the session is being postponed for the fact that a number of elected MPs are away on holidays, added Tahiri. Arben Rugova at the same time believes that summer holidays are not the real reason for not convening the Assembly. He said that Vetevendosje and LAA coalition have made it clear they would not support Kadri Veseli’s candidacy for Assembly speaker’s post even if Ramush Haradinaj secures the votes to form government.

Selimi: If they have numbers, let them call the constitutive session  (Epoka)

Vetevendosje MP, Rexhep Selimi, told the paper that the PDK-AAK-NISMA coalition do not have the required numbers to establish the new government. According to him, delay of the constitutive session is proof that PAN does not have the required votes. “More than five weeks have passed, and they are still stuck with the same sentence ‘we have the numbers’. If they have the numbers, let them call the session now. If not, they should say so,” said Selimi. He added that the Vetevendosje movement has the required allies to make the government without Serbia’s conditions and votes of the Serbian List. He also rejected the idea of a broad-based government. 

Delawie: Fate of missing persons should be determined (Zeri)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said in a visit to the Missing Persons Family Resource Centre that everyone has the right to learn the fate of loved ones. “All must do more to support this effort”, Delawie tweeted after the visit.

Specialist chambers deny meetings with Serbian President Vucic (Bota Sot)

Officials from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers have denied meeting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after Kosovo’s Liaison Officer in Belgrade, Valdet Sadiku, was reported to have raised concern over the chambers’ increased activity in Serbia and their meetings with officials there, including Vucic. Specialist Chambers spokesperson Avis Benes said no such meeting occurred. In a note to the Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry which Koha Ditore claimed to have gotten hold of, Sadiku said the Specialist Chambers are planning to open an office in Belgrade and even met Vucic. Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said the information was unconfirmed and based on sources and that Sadiku was instructed to follow up on the matter and demand official clarification.