European Parliament’s Vice President comments on visa liberalization (media)

The Vice President of the European Parliament, Rainer Wieland, said today that he cannot give a specific date or say if Kosovo will get visa liberalization soon, online media report. Wieland also said that Kosovars should not point fingers at any EU member state blaming them for lack of visa liberalization, because these countries too will have to vote on the eventual decision and that is why it is not good to speak against any EU member state.

Kosovo wants to apply for Council of Europe membership (media)

Political representatives in Pristina say that Kosovo will soon apply for membership of the Council of Europe. Representatives of Kosovo’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs told Radio Free Europe that the application is expected to be submitted this year. Deputy Foreign Minister, Rejhan Vuniqi, said they are working on the action plan. “Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has created a professional team for the process. This group, which has been managed by the Minister, has drafted a strategy and an action plan for Council of Europe membership. The action plan will start being implemented after political consensus is reached on the matter and this is the first phase of the process,” Vuniqi added.

11 points of the Washington Plan kill Serbia’s hopes on Kosovo (Lajmi)

The Pristina-based news website reports that Serbian media have published the 11 key points of a document titled “The support plan for Kosovo’s international integration” which was adopted in Washington by the Quint countries (U.S., Germany, France, Britain and Italy). According to Serbian media, the detailed plan foresees Kosovo’s full independence and Serbia’s turning away from Russia. The key points of the plan are Kosovo’s full sovereignty and membership of the United Nations, pressure on all EU non-recognizing member states, lobbying at the UN Security Council to completely stop or keep close to the public the regular sessions on Kosovo. The letter also highlights efforts to reject any initiative aimed at Kosovo’s division, no executive competencies for the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Kosovo’s membership of INTERPOL, Council of Europe, the World Customs Organization, and pressure on countries that consider withdrawing their recognitions of Kosovo’s independence.

Drecun: First indictments by special court next year, Thaci cannot escape charges (media)

Milovan Drecun, chairman of the Serbian Parliament’s Committee on Kosovo, said today that the chief prosecutor of the Specialist Court, Jack Smith, will take one year to get to know the procedures and cases and that the first indictments will be raised within this period. According to Drecun, it will be impossible for Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to escape charges. “Knowing that Dick Marty has identified the ‘Drenica Group’, led by Hashim Thaci, as a criminal enterprise and the indictments will be raised based on the chain of command, it is impossible for Thaci not to be included in the indictment, unless there is strong political pressure from a country for this not to happen,” he added.