• Haradinaj on Berlin meeting: Tax will not be lifted at the summit (media)
• Serbian List not certified for elections in the north (media)
• Konjufca: Serbian List to change position on Kosovo to join its institutions (EO)
• Haradinaj: Berlin meeting, good way of communication for our countries (RTK)
• Haradinaj: I was informed about repatriation of citizens from Syria (RTK)
• Haradinaj to local producers: Maintain quality, tax may one day be lifted (Zeri)
• Qalaj: Tense situation in the north due to upcoming elections (media)
• Jahjaga: 73 percent of women in Kosovo affected by war (Bota Sot)
• Vetevendosje expects opposition to join tomorrow’s protest (Zeri)
• Selective approach damaged credibility of Prosecutorial Council (Koha)
• Former Health Minister found guilty on corruption charges (media)
• Special prosecution clarifies Trajkovic’s testimony on Ivanovic’s case (RTK)

Haradinaj on Berlin meeting: Tax will not be lifted at the summit (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said in an interview to T7 on Wednesday that the 100-percent import tariff on Serbian and Bosnian goods will not be lifted at the upcoming Berlin Summit. Haradinaj commented on the role of EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in the process of talks between Kosovo and Serbia, arguing that “Mogherini has inflicted a lot of damages to the EU and the Balkans”. “She almost sent us back to the past. Instead of focusing on the recognition of Kosovo, she brought up the topic of territorial exchange. I don’t believe we should expect a solution from Mogherini,” he said.

Serbian List not certified for elections in the north (media)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has failed to certify the Serbian List for running in extraordinary elections in four northern municipalities of Mitrovica North, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, and Zvecan after the motion to certify it did not receive enough votes to pass.

At the meeting of the CEC held yesterday, nine members were present of which seven voted in favour and two members, from Vetevendosje, abstained. The motion required eight votes to pass.

Vetevendosje representatives, Adnan Rrustemi and Nazlie Bala, requested the Serbian List distanced itself from the resignation letter of its northern mayors where they referred to Kosovo as “Kosovo and Metohija”.  Rrustemi however said they would be willing to give the Serbian List additional twenty-four hours to “reflect” but this was rejected by the head of CEC, Valdete Daka, who put the certification motion to the vote, but it did not receive the required support.

Serbian List’s member at the CEC, Stevan Veselinovic, said the non-certification is a “political attack” and added that the party meets all necessary criteria to run in elections. The Serbian List is reported to have filed a complaint against the CEC decision with the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel (ECAP).

Meanwhile President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said he was “shocked” by the decision not to certify the Serbian List. “These are unbelievable things, I am shocked that someone’s insolence and impertinence may go that far. These are things one should not do,” Vucic told Serbian journalists in Beijing,” Belgrade news agencies reported. He also said no one from the world has reacted to such cancellation of democracy and that he would raise the issue at the upcoming meeting in Berlin.

The German Ambassador to Kosovo, Christian Heldt, also criticized the CEC’s failure to certify the Serbian List saying he didn’t understand the logic behind the move. “By not being in a position to comment on the legal aspect of this issue for the time being, I ask myself what is the political wisdom of taking such a step,” he said. Heldt said that another matter that is complicating the functioning of the CEC is it not having all members. “As if this complication of the situation would not be enough, why is the CEC still not fully complete?” he asked.

Konjufca: Serbian List to change position on Kosovo to join its institutions (EO)

Glauk Konjufca, head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, commented on the failure of the Central Election Commission (CEC) not to certify the Serbian List for upcoming elections in the north saying that the move was made possible by the abstention of Vetevendosje members.

In a Facebook post, Konjufca wrote that the Serbian List needs to substantially change position on Kosovo and Albanians if it wishes to be part of Kosovo institutions. “Their representatives need to get used to the fact that Kosovo is an independent country and those living in it should promote this statehood and not destroy it. They and their bosses in Belgrade that deny the Kosovo genocide and continue to colonise Kosovo with projects of the likes of ‘Sunny Valley’ in the northern part of Mitrovica – are the only ones that deserve to be labelled as ‘fascist’ and ‘chauvinist’,” Konjufca wrote.

Haradinaj: Berlin meeting, good way of communication for our countries (RTK)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said the government of Kosovo is committed to Euro-Atlantic integration, regional cooperation and Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. During his regular meeting with the German Ambassador to Kosovo Christian Heldt, Haradinaj reportedly discussed recent developments in Kosovo, bilateral cooperation and strengthening of economic partnership.

“I also expressed appreciation on behalf of the government for the constructive role of Chancellor Merkel, especially with her invitation for the Berlin meeting, as the best way of communication of the countries of the region,” Haradinaj wrote on his Facebook account.

Haradinaj: I was informed about repatriation of citizens from Syria (RTK)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj gave details on Wednesday for Kosovo’s operation to repatriate 110 of its citizens from Syria. Haradinaj said they all willingly returned and that he was informed about every detail of the operation, but that he did not want to talk to the media due to the nature of the operation. He expressed appreciation to the U.S. Ambassador and all those who helped on return of Kosovo people from what he called a “dirty war” in Syria.

Haradinaj to local producers: Maintain quality, tax may one day be lifted (Zeri)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj, told local producers at the Pristina International Fair that they need to maintain quality of their products to make them more competitive. “I urged our producers to take care about the quality because the situation is not going to be the same always, the tax may one day be lifted and they cannot afford to think they have no competition,” he said.

Qalaj: Tense situation in the north due to upcoming elections (media)

Kosovo Police Director, Rashit Qalaj, said on Wednesday that the situation in the northern part of Kosovo is tense due to the upcoming early local elections in the four municipalities there. “The situation in the north was stable, but it has recently become quite tense because of the upcoming elections. The people in the north too are tense because they don’t have the right services,” he said. Qalaj said some changes might be made in several police stations in the north.

Jahjaga: 73 percent of women in Kosovo affected by war (Bota Sot)

Former President of Kosovo and founder of Jahjaga foundation, Atifete Jahjaga, said at the Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict that took place at the UN Security Council, that 73 percent of women in Kosovo have been affected by the 1998-99 conflict and yet they have remained outside the state-building process.  “As a country that aspired United Nations membership, Kosovo has approved National Action Plan for implementation of resolution 1325. 90% of the plan has been implemented,” she said.

Jahjaga in her remarks said that around 20,000 women and men in Kosovo are estimated to have experienced sexual violence in conflict and that it took Kosovo 17 years to be able to provide some type of compensation to the survivors.

Jahjaga said she welcomed the UN Secretary-General’s report on sexual violence in conflict but that she was concerned to see that the cases of Kosovo survivors of sexual violence were not included. “We stand here today, together, committed for a world where the culture of impunity is not permitted, and for this reason we cannot allow the voices of the victims be excluded, silenced and ignored,” she said adding: “We pledge to continue empowering the survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo and to demand justice for them and we expect the UN Security Council and the Secretary-General to do the same.”

Vetevendosje expects opposition to join tomorrow’s protest (Zeri)

Ahead of tomorrow’s protest against crime and corruption, Vetevendosje officials said in a press conference that they were expecting the support of other opposition parties. Head of Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, accused Kosovo’s chief prosecutor Aleksander Lumezi of not fighting corruption and of “dancing wonderfully with the government.”

“We are not against justice or justice institutions because the people has built them with a lot of hard work but we criticise the people that lead these institutions who are damaging justice. After all the years Lumezi has been heading the prosecution, we can safely say that the crime and corruption were never riper than today,” Konjufca said.

Selective approach damaged credibility of Prosecutorial Council (Koha)

In its leading front-page story, the paper quotes legal experts as saying that “the selective approach by the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) towards the prosecutors within the system, where in some cases some prosecutors that denounce violations are crucified, whereas prosecutors that are labelled as corrupt and tied to politics are protected, has seriously damaged the integrity and credibility of this institution”. Ehat Miftaraj, executive director of the Pristina-based Kosovo Institute for Justice, told the paper that “the KPC does not need a foreign opponent to threaten its independence and impartiality, because this independence is being threatened and ruined by the very heads of the system”. The paper also notes that the KPC was often criticized for ties to high-level politicians and for failing to achieve results in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

Former Health Minister found guilty on corruption charges (media)

All media report that former Minister of Health, Ferid Agani, and a former secretary in the Ministry, Gani Shabani, were found guilty on corruption charges by a court in Pristina on Wednesday. Agani has been sentenced to 2 years and six months in prison, while Shabani has been sentenced to two years in prison. Koha Ditore reports on its front page that as he was leaving the courtroom, Agani said the verdict was politically-motivated. According to the indictment, which accused Agani of abuse of official duty or authority, he had ensured financial gains of over 4.5 million euros for two private hospitals, thus damaging Kosovo’s budget.

Special prosecution clarifies Trajkovic’s testimony on Ivanovic’s case (RTK)

The Special Prosecution of Kosovo informed the public opinion that claims of the Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Director of the Office for Kosovo Marko Djuric that Rada Trajkovic’s testimony on Oliver Ivanovic’s murder is the cause that two Serbs are detained, do not stand.

The Special prosecution explains that Trajkovic’s testimony was not determinant for the arrest and detention of the two suspects. “Therefore, we appeal to all politicians to restrain from statements which could affect the normal flow of the procedure or could put the witnesses in danger.