• Kurti: The law on public officials and the one on salaries, a big step (media)
• Svecla: If KFOR does not act in time, we will remove the barricades(media)
• Serbian List: Svecla's threats do not scare anyone at the barricades (Koha)
• Protesting Kosovo Serbs want ethnic Albanian police out of country's north (Reuters)
• Kosovo Police: About 1,500 participants in the protest in the north (euronews.al)
• Haradinaj: The association should be part of the final agreement (VoA)
• NATO’s KFOR Considering Serbia’s Request to Send Military to North Kosovo (exit.al)
• Serbian President contradicts himself over liability for Kosovo roadblocks (Euractiv)
• At least 3 TV crews attacked while covering protests in northern Kosovo (Committee to protect journalists)
• Bieber: The current situation in Kosovo is worst in the last ten years (EWB)
• Slovenia plans to increase troop numbers in Kosovo (STA)

 

Kurti: The law on public officials and the one on salaries, a big step (media)

The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti has said that the Law on Public Officials and the Law on Salaries in the Public Sector, two parts of the same project, are a big step before the fundamental change that everyone is waiting for.

Kurti, through a post on Facebook, thanked all the MPs who supported these two basic laws for public administration reform on Thursday with their vote.

He said that through this law, ‘we will increase the professionalism of the public administration, as well as its capacity to provide fast and quality services for the state and citizens.’

He further enumerated a series of fields that will benefit from these Laws.

Svecla: If KFOR does not act in time, we will remove the barricades (media)

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, said that the security situation in the north of Kosovo has worsened. Therefore, he said that they are waiting for KFOR to act as soon as possible, but added that if this does not happen, Kosovo will remove the barricades itself.

“They [KFOR] have been asking for some time to remove the barricades. We are now waiting for them to fulfill this commitment. But, 13 days have passed and we have police officers trapped in the Jarinje and Leposavic police stations, the days that are being counted are coming to an end. I believe that KFOR and the entire international factor will do their utmost to do this as soon as possible. But, for the sake of greater stability, we are waiting for this to be done by those who set up the barricades or KFOR. But the waiting has its end,” Svecla said.

He made these comments during a media conference in Mitrovica, saying that the conditions of the Serbs, presented for the removal of the barricades, are instigated by Serbia and are to achieve political goals.

Svecla also rejected claims that the Kosovo Police have lists through which they are arresting former Serbian police officers. He said that Serbia is carrying out a disinformation campaign regarding the tensions in the north of Kosovo, inhabited by a majority of Serbs.

“An untruth that is continuously being used is related to the news that the Kosovo Police has lists on which it is arresting former police officers. The Kosovo Police does not have such lists, there is no list even for persecution, and even less for the murder of Serbian citizens. This is the logic that Serbia has nurtured historically. So, the list is made by those who also killed Oliver Ivanovic, oppress and mistreat the Serbs who are disobedient to Belgrade,” he said.

Meanwhile, asked regarding the arrest of Milan Radoicic, who is said to have been seen in the north of Kosovo in recent days, Svecla said that the police and other security institutions are extremely efficient in gathering information, and as soon as such information is confirmed, every criminal, including Radojcic, will be arrested and brought to justice.

Serbian List: Svecla's threats do not scare anyone at the barricades (Koha)

The Serbian List has reacted to the recent statements of the Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, regarding the barricades in the north, calling them threats to the vice president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic.

Serbian List wrote on Facebook that Svecla will not be able to scare Radoicic or any Serb at the barricades.

"The threats that scared Svecla sends to Vice President Radoicic are ridiculous and will not scare Radoicic or any Serb at the barricades. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, Radoicic is with his people and no false accusation, organized trial and threat will frighten him," Serbian List wrote.

Protesting Kosovo Serbs want ethnic Albanian police out of country's north (Reuters)

Thousands of Kosovo Serbs protested on Thursday to back demands for the country's Albanian-majority government to pull its police out of the country's north where its Serb minority is concentrated.

Since Dec. 10 local Serbs have erected nine roadblocks in the northern region and exchanged fire with police after the arrest of a former Serb policeman for allegedly assaulting serving police officers during a previous protest.

Thursday's protest rally was held in the village of Rudare, a few kilometres from the ethnically divided, flashpoint town of Mitrovica, with the main road still blocked by gravel-laden trucks and heavy machinery.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Wju9LI

Kosovo Police: About 1,500 participants in the protest in the north (euronews.al)

 The Kosovo Police announced that today’s protest in the north ended peacefully, without any reported incident.

From the evaluations on the ground, according to the Kosovo Police, there were about 1,500 participants in the protest.

The police have eliminated speculations about the obstruction of buses in Shterpce, which were intended to arrive at this protest.

KosovaPress has reported that during today’s protest it was said, among other things, that Albanians and Serbs have lived together for years, so it is not a problem to continue this coexistence in the future. But the problem lies between the Serbs and the government of Kosovo, namely Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has been said to “want to eradicate Serbs from Kosovo”.

Haradinaj: The association should be part of the final agreement (VoA)

The chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, says that the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority should be part of the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, while the government should carefully handle the situation in the north.

In an interview for the Voice of America (VOA), Haradinaj said that the European proposal supported by the United States for a Kosovo-Serbia agreement represents mutual recognition despite the fact that this is not mentioned in the document.

“I believe that the way out of this situation is to return exactly to the starting point, to the American proposal for the tables at that time, but which now means a return to the final, basic agreement and not to that fight who can win with actions on the ground, because Guerrilla warfare with actions allegedly to gain superiority on the ground can get out of control and create greater uncertainty,” Haradinaj said.

NATO’s KFOR Considering Serbia’s Request to Send Military to North Kosovo (exit.al)

Kosovo’s NATO-led international peacekeeping force KFOR said it is still considering the Serbia’s request to send its own military to the north of the country as exacerbated tensions enter the 12th day.

Elections were set to be held on 18 December in the Serb-majority municipalities of Zvecan, Leopsavic, Zubin Potok and North Mitrovica after representatives resigned en masse over Pristina’s plans to ban Yugoslav-era license plates. The election was then postponed to April 2023 by President Vjosa Osmani in a bid to calm the situation.

But the situation has continued to be unstable, with ethnic Serbs creating roadblocks and barricades on crucial roads and reports of attacks with weapons and objects on police, journalists, and the Central Election Commission.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic said he would formally request to send in Serbian military and police to “preserve the peace” under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.

“We are currently analysing the latest request of the Government of Serbia. We will continue to provide a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement that encourages productive dialogue, allowing leaders to create long-term and sustainable solutions for the benefit of all communities living in Kosovo,” KFOR said in a statement.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3Wz4LRS

Serbian President contradicts himself over liability for Kosovo roadblocks (Euractiv)

Serbian President Aleksander Vucic has repeatedly stated that Belgrade and his government is not behind the blockades in north Kosovo, but on Wednesday, a comment to the media calls that into question.

Blockades and barricades were set up on key roads to the Serbian border 12 days ago causing significant tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.

Vucic previously claimed “No one from Belgrade ordered the barricades,”adding that “they will not undertake violent actions against the demonstrators.”

But on Wednesday, he told the media following a meeting in Azerbaijan that the blocks would only be removed if certain conditions were met. Conditions that are consistent with the Serbian government’s demands.

“First form the Association of Serbian Municipalities, then we will remove the barricades,” he told Beta.

The controversial Association of Serb Municipalities was agreed upon in the 2013 Brussels Agreement and would see the establishment of a paralel Serb structure in Kosovo with executive powers. This was ruled unconstititional by a Kosovo court and Prime Minister Albin Kurti has stated he did not sign the agreement and will not go against the constitution.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3PUkfOk

At least 3 TV crews attacked while covering protests in northern Kosovo (Committee to protect journalists)

Authorities in Kosovo must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into recent attacks on three TV crews and ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Since the beginning of December, at least three TV crews covering demonstrations in northern Kosovo have been targeted in separate attacks by unknown individuals.

Violence erupted in the region after the December 9 arrest of a Kosovo Serb police officer suspected of involvement in attacks on Kosovo police patrols. In response to his arrest, Serbs living in northern Kosovo erected barricades on main roads.

“Kosovo authorities must launch a swift and exhaustive investigation into recent attacks on the TV crews of Kallxo, Klan Kosova, and RTV Dukagjini and bring the perpetrators to justice,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Kosovo and international authorities in charge of security in northern Kosovo must ensure that members of the press can safely cover protests without fear of harassment and assault.”

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3PQ8Jna

Bieber: The current situation in Kosovo is worst in the last ten years (EWB)

The current situation in Kosovo is the worst in the last ten years, Florian Bieber, a professor at the University of Graz and a member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), said for N1 television.

“I’m talking about the degree of hatred of Serbs towards Albanians, the harsh words that are used every day, and all of this creates an atmosphere in which it is difficult to imagine accepting any agreement that can contain the recognition of the interests of the other side,” Bieber said. He assessed that this ultimately harms the citizens of Kosovo, including the Serbs living in the north.

Bieber recalled that there had been a lot of tense situations on the Belgrade-Pristina route in the previous period but that no armed conflicts had ever occurred.

“That is why I think that the possibilities for an armed conflict are quite slight because the Serbian side knows that NATO is in Kosovo, while Pristina does not want to create a conflict. I see an escalation, but I don’t see the possibility of getting into a more serious conflict than the ones we’ve had so far,” Bieber said.

He added that the current crisis started with confirmation of the existence of French-German proposal on the solution of the problem in Kosovo

“That’s when tensions were raised. Then it’s obvious that each side, especially Serbia, is trying to raise tensions to prevent a solution or to get a better position in the negotiations”, Bieber said, adding that the current situation can still escalate into an open conflict.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3VkwV22

Slovenia plans to increase troop numbers in Kosovo (STA)

Slovenia plans to increase the number of troops deployed in the KFOR mission in Kosovo, Defense Minister Marjan Sarec announced on Thursday as he visited the troops and talked to the KFOR commander, Maj-Gen Angelo Michele Ristuccia.