• Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia to resume in late February (Koha)
• UNSG report focuses on Special Court and Ivanovic murder (media)
• Haradinaj reconfirms position against demarcation (RTK)
• Limaj close to an agreement on demarcation (Gazeta Express)

Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia to resume in late February (Koha)

Avni Arifi, head of the Kosovo delegation in the Brussels talks, told Koha that talks between Pristina and Belgrade will resume in late February. “Dialogue will resume in late February but we still haven’t agreed on a specific date,” Arifi said. The news website notes that the process was supposed to resume on January 16 but the Serbian delegation cancelled their participation following the murder of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic in northern Kosovo. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said recently that Kosovo and Serbia will reach an agreement on normalization, peace and reconciliation. Thaci also commented on Ivanovic’s murder saying that it had nothing to do with relations between Albanians and Serbs and that talks between the two countries  must resume.

UNSG report focuses on Special Court and Ivanovic murder (media)

Several news websites report that the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in his report on Kosovo, focuses on developments surrounding the Special Court and the murder of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic. Guterres called on law enforcement authorities to resolve Ivanovic’s murder, calls for rule of law, and hails the free and democratic elections at the local and central level.

The report notes that the situation in the northern part of Kosovo remains fragile with a number of incidents and adds that Ivanovic’s murder could have had major ramifications not only in the north.

On dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, the Secretary General hails some of the actions by both countries in implementing the agreements reached so far, and also the internal dialogue in Serbia on the Kosovo issue, but it also highlights the lack of a timeline for establishing the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. The report also takes note of the conviction of Vetevendosje Movement activists for the attack on the Kosovo Assembly premises, the ongoing trial of Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj and most of the key developments in Kosovo’s judiciary.

Haradinaj reconfirms position against demarcation (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, reconfirmed today that he maintains the same position against the current border demarcation deal with Montenegro. “The situation remains the same. There is nothing new in this respect. We, in the Kosovo Assembly, are divided on the issue. The current version of the agreement lacks the support of majority MPs, this however does not prevent the Assembly Presidency from proceeding with the issue. Until the agreement does not reach the plenary session, we need to work on a solution that does not harm Kosovo in any way,” Haradinaj said.

Limaj close to an agreement on demarcation (Gazeta Express)

The news website reports that Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj is close to reaching an agreement on ratifying the border demarcation deal with Montenegro, but that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) are not supporting his initiative. The AAK continues to back their leader Ramush Haradinaj in what the news website calls a false cause against the current border deal, whereas the PDK does not want to support Limaj fearing that he could get the merits for resolving the biggest problem in post-independence Kosovo. Limaj, who recently visited Montenegro, believes that the Kosovo Assembly must ratify the deal whereby authorities in Podgorica would pledge to hold discussions on eventual mistakes in the process. Citing unnamed sources, Gazeta Express notes that Limaj met in Podgorica with Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic on Thursday. The two leaders discussed options on how to unblock the situation which is preventing Kosovo citizens from travelling freely in the Schengen Zone.