Headlines - 25.02.2019

• Assembly to discuss documents that don’t limit President Thaci in dialogue (Koha)
• Haradinaj: Belgrade’s blackmails are coming to an end (Klan)
• Maas: Germany committed to supporting Kosovo (dailies)
• France calls for suspension or lifting of tax (Zeri)
• Shala: Tax will not be lifted (RTK)
• Isufi: No one has asked Haradinaj to step down because of tax (EO)
• Vucic: No maps or agreements on territories with Kosovo (Tanjug, media)
• Kurti against the idea of a broad-based government (EO/Zeri)
• COMKFOR: Inciting statements by politicians can lead to incidents (media)
• Kusari-Lila: Mogherini lacks credibility to talk for Kosovo (Ekonomia Online)
• Presevo Valley Albanians support platform with Serbia (Epoka)
• Ombudsperson: Civil draft code violates rights on same-sex marriages (Kallxo)

Assembly to discuss documents that don’t limit President Thaci in dialogue (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that the Kosovo Assembly will discuss this week documents on dialogue with Serbia: the Platform on dialogue on a final and legally-binding agreement with Serbia, and the draft law on the duties, responsibilities and competencies of the state delegation for talks with Serbia. Opposition parties claim that both documents will set no limitations to President Thaci’s attempt for a land swap deal with Serbia. The opposition had long insisted that Thaci should not have the lead role in the process of dialogue and that this responsibility falls on the Assembly. Now they argue that the draft law on the state delegation “not only legitimizes the President’s role but also the negotiations on Kosovo’s territory”.

Haradinaj: Belgrade’s blackmails are coming to an end (Klan)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Sunday that Belgrade’s “blackmails on Kosovo Serbs” are coming to an end. “The fact that 200 members of non-Albanian community, from them 40 Serbs, have applied to become soldiers of Kosovo, is a clear sign of integration and trust on Kosovo Security Force,” Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook account. “The will of Serb co-citizens to integrate in all the structures of 17 February’s Kosovo, proves that blackmails and instrumentalization by Belgrade are reaching an end,” he added.

Maas: Germany committed to supporting Kosovo (dailies)

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, said his government considers it would be wrong for the EU and Germany to give up from supporting Kosovo. Speaking to the German paper Stuttgarder Nachrichten, Maas warned that if this were to happen “everything that took a long time to be built will collapse in a short time.” “We want a European perspective for Kosovo and the reforms carried out there are impressive and need to be acknowledged,” the German minister said.

France calls for suspension or lifting of tax (Zeri)

The French Embassy in Pristina told the paper that the 100-percent import tariff on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will either have to be suspended or lifted entirely. “France’s position is well known and the same with that expressed last week in the statement of the European Union heads of missions: the tax needs to be lifted or suspended,” the Embassy said in a written response.

Shala: Tax will not be lifted (RTK)

RTK reports that despite the U.S. sanctions towards Kosovo as consequence of disobedience to suspend the 100-percent tax on Serbian products, Kosovo’s Minister for Trade and Industry Endrit Shala said the tariff on Serbian goods will continue to be in power. “The tariff is a decision of the government, the reasons why it was set are known. I think that this measure will continue to be in power until the reasons that pushed us as government to make such decision are not eliminated,” Shala said.

Isufi: No one has asked Haradinaj to step down because of tax (EO)

Deputy leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ahmet Isufi told Ekonomia Online news website that no one has asked Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj to step down because of the 100-percent import tariff on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “No one presented such a request. However, the moment anyone gathers 61 votes, they can initiate a motion of no confidence for the government,” Isufi said. He added that the government coalition is functioning well while relations with the U.S. are strong. Nevertheless, Ahmeti underlined that the government will not back down on its decisions as “we cannot always be the bargaining tool for the others in the region.” “This is being requested from Kosovo, but no pressure is put on Serbia.”

Vucic: No maps or agreements on territories with Kosovo (Tanjug, media)

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that there is no agreement with 17 points for change of the borders with Kosovo. He said that all recent reports are speculations of German and Albanian media. “There are no maps, there is nothing, because we do not even talk with each other. There is nothing, fool stop,” Vucic said.

Kurti against the idea of a broad-based government (EO/Zeri)

Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti has opposed the idea of a broad-based government in Kosovo saying elections are the only solution. Kurti told Ekonomia Online news website that early parliamentary elections would result in “institutions with fresh legitimacy and a new government that would pave way to the country’s economic development by focusing on production, employment and institutional and judicial justice.” “I don’t think formulas and combinations be it for a technical or a comprehensive government would be able to protect the sovereignty and develop the economy,” Kurti said. He also said that Vetevendosje was cooperating with the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) in securing votes for a no-confidence motion against the government but that they will not count on Serbian List’s votes to achieve this. “Of course we do not support initiatives coming from the Serbian List but my impression is that the Serbian List is not interested in bringing down the government. It is interested in a weak government,” Kurti added.

Kusari-Lila: Mogherini lacks credibility to talk for Kosovo (Ekonomia Online)

Alternativa leader, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said in an interview to the news website that EU High Representative Federica Mogherini no longer has credibility to talk about Kosovo because “she has been biased and sided with Serbia”. “The EU should convey its messages to Kosovo through another official, because she [Mogherini] made many promises and then sided with Serbia. I don’t find her statements about Kosovo, at the end of her mandate, concerning or important,” she added. Kusari-Lila also commented on the 100-percent import tariff on Serbian goods saying that it does not threaten Kosovo’s relations with the United States of America.

COMKFOR: Inciting statements by politicians can lead to incidents (media)

Most news websites cover an interview that COMKFOR Lorenzo D’Addario gave to Politika highlighting his quote that inciting statements by politicians can lead to incidents in Kosovo. “Rhetoric can create a tense atmosphere, and even the smallest incident can turn into a major incident. I call on all sides to avoid harsh rhetoric,” he said. “We understand political statements, and we talk to all sides – to Serb and Albanian representatives. We talk to all structures in Kosovo, from the central and the local level. We have good cooperation with all. We are unbiased because our mandate is to provide security for all”.

Presevo Valley Albanians support platform with Serbia (Epoka)

Ragmi Mustafa, leader of the Albanian Democratic Party gave support to Kosovo’s platform for the dialogue with Serbia. He said that Albanians for the first time speak in this document about reciprocity of the rights of Kosovo Serbs with those of Albanians in Presevo Valley. He however added that reciprocity in rights is not the luckiest solution for Albanians of the Valley. According to him, this reciprocity should lead towards unification of Presevo Valley with Kosovo. He informed that he has received guarantees from Fatmir Limaj, who is co-head of the negotiating team, that the issue of Presevo Valley Albanians will be treated seriously at Brussels discussions.

Ombudsperson: Civil draft code violates rights on same-sex marriages (Kallxo)

Kosovo Ombudsperson has reacted against the new Civil Law draft law prohibiting same-sex marriages saying it violates the Constitution of Kosovo. In a statement to the press, Ombudsperson said that rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution can be limited through law but pointed out that Article 55 sets out five criteria for assessing proportionality of such limitations. “The Ombudsperson notes that, in the absence of a legitimate goal for exclusion of gay marriages, the draft code represents a violation of the constitutional right not to be discriminated based on sexual orientation,” the statement reads. Ombudsperson said that it has recommended Ministry of Justice to review the provision on not allowing same-sex marriages during the review stage of the draft code.