Albanian Language Media:

• Escobar warns of consequences if international proposal for situation in the north is not accepted by Wednesday (Koha) • Escobar: US-Kosovo ties are strong (Euronews) • Lajcak told opposition consequences Kosovo will have from tensions in north (Koha) • Lajcak, Escobar ask Serbian List to take part in new elections (RTK) • Hovenier: De-escalation in north and new elections (Koha) • Guerot: Situation in north worrying, stop divisive rhetoric (Telegrafi) • Mehaj and Abbott talk about security situation in north (RTK) • Kurti meets Australian ambassador, discuss Kosovo-Serbia relations (Koha) • British MP slams US and EU for response to tensions in north (Euronews) • Bislimi’s advisor: When will intl community react to Serbia’s obligations (media) • Serbs in southern municipalities do not mind Kosovo police and flag (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Time for Pristina to meet its commitments (Tanjug, media) • Escobar: Whenever we talk to Kurti and Bislimi, they only want to talk about Serbia (KoSSev) • Escobar on A/CSM: It will be formed; the only question is who will form it and how long we have to wait (KoSSev) • Lajcak to Serbian List: Serbs to participate in new elections in the north (Kosovo Online, Twitter) • Serbian List representatives reiterated the demands of the Serbs to Escobar and Lajcak (Kosovo Online, FB) • Escobar: The crisis in the North a failure of the political leadership of both sides (KoSSev) • There are voices in the Serbian community that need to be heard, read the letter from the civil sector, said Escobar (KoSSev) • Vucic and Brnabic to address public today (media) • Mijacic: Kurti was late for the meeting with Lajcak and Escobar because of football (Danas, N1, Beta) • Zakharova: Comparing Belgrade-Pristina agreements with Minsk agreement is wrong (Beta, N1) • CCIS President: Region ready to become part of common EU market (N1, Beta)

International Media:

• EU and US Envoys with Requests for Kosovo Government (Prishtina Insight) • Minister: Kosovo open to new elections in municipalities hit by unrest (Reuters) • Will the United States Abandon Kosovo? (BIRN) • Reporting on the Special Court from a distance (Kosovo 2.0) • Albanian ‘terrorists’ in Milosevic’s prisons (Kosovo 2.0) • Kosovo c-bank reopens competition for governor (See News)

Albanian Language Media

Escobar warns of consequences if international proposal for situation in the north is not accepted by Wednesday (Koha)

Kosovo will face long-term consequences if Prime Minister Albin Kurti does not accept the international proposal to de-escalate the situation in the north, warned the American emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar. According to him, the Prime Minister's answer will not be waited longer than Wednesday and if it is negative, it will be established that Kurti does not want cooperation with the USA and the EU.

A number of actions presented in the proposal that was presented to the prime minister a day ago, aim to deescalate the situation, organize quick elections in the four municipalities in the north, as well as return Kosovo and Serbia to dialogue.

In a meeting that the U.S. emissary held with a limited number of media representatives, he announced the ultimatum and emphasized that the non-acceptance of the proposal is followed by consequences for Kosovo, since, according to him, this will mean that Prime Minister Kurti does not want cooperation with the USA and the EU.

Escobar was quoted as saying in the meeting that the U.S. relations with Prime Minister Kurti have challenges, but that they are unchanged between the two peoples.

"We will continue to be your strongest supporter in the international community. We hope people will understand that our current difficulties with the prime minister will not affect this sentiment," said Escobar.

Escobar: US-Kosovo ties are strong (Euronews)

Relations between people of United States and Kosovo are strong and “will not change”, but Washington has “some challenges” in bilateral relations with Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. This is what Washington’s envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said during a meeting with journalists at the American Embassy in Pristina. “We will continue to be your strongest supporter in the international community,” Escobar said.

According to the American official, despite the challenges in relations with Prime Minister Kurti, he said that “we hope that people will understand that our current difficulties with Prime Minister will not affect this sentiment”.

The senior American official said that despite the fact that the USA stands behind Kosovo, the lack of coordination with them on the issue of new mayors of municipalities in the north, will have consequences for Pristina.

“We have said not to ignite the delicate situations and there was persistence using force to get the new mayors into the buildings. I’ve been in the US Government since I was 19 years old, I’ve seen a lot of US Government run out of buildings due to floods, fires, hurricanes, COVID, but also protests and I’ve never seen anyone question the authority of the Government american. Therefore, why these buildings, why under these conditions, why after we have asked them for coordination, even though we stand behind them they refuse to coordinate. This allows us to understand how they see us as a partner and this should have consequences”, Escobar stressed.

Escobar said that the US is committed to Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty, security and economic prosperity.

“I will be very honest, USA has been your biggest supporter and it pains me to see that people think that somehow we are directing our relationship and engagement with Kosovo for the benefit of Serbia,” said Escobar.

“I want to remind people: Serbia was against your independence in 2008 and we moved on, they were against our campaign for recognition for years and we moved on, they were against the elections and we saw them as illegitimate,” he added.

Lajcak told opposition consequences Kosovo will have from tensions in north (Koha)

EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, in a post on Twitter has told what he talked about with the president Vjosa Osmani and with the leaders of the opposition parties in Kosovo on Tuesday.

"This morning we talked about the situation in the north of Kosovo with President Vjosa Osmani. We stressed the importance of finding a political solution allowing an immediate de-escalation and return to normality", Lajcak wrote.

Lajcak arrived in Kosovo on Monday night with the US emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar. On Tuesday they had meetings with President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, with the opposition parties, as well as the Serbian List. Escobar also held a meeting with journalists.

"Me and Gabriel Escobar and Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier have explained the consequences of the current crisis and the damage to Kosovo's international reputation to the opposition parties of the Kosovo Albanians. We have asked them to support a political solution to reduce tensions", Lajcak wrote.

Lajcak, Escobar ask Serbian List to take part in new elections (RTK)

EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, through a post on Twitter, announced that he told the Serbian List that it is necessary for the Serbs in the North to participate in the elections. "No political solution to reduce tensions in the north of Kosovo can be achieved without the affected population. With the representatives of the Serbian List and civil society, we emphasized the need for Kosovo Serbs to participate in the new elections", Lajcak wrote.

Hovenier: De-escalation in north and new elections (Koha)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, has repeated the calls of emissaries Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak that the situation in the north of Kosovo should be immediately de-escalated. In a post on Twitter, Hovenier told about the meetings he had together with Escobar and Lajcak on Monday and Tuesday, with the heads of Kosovo's institutions, those of the opposition and civil society.

"Underscored the importance for an immediate extension in the north of Kosovo, including new, inclusive elections with the participation of Kosovo Serbs and full implementation of the normalization agreement by both Kosovo and Serbia," Hovenier wrote on Twitter.

Guerot: Situation in north worrying, stop divisive rhetoric (Telegrafi)

French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, said on Tuesday that the situation in the north of Kosovo continues to be disturbing, a situation that, according to him, could have been avoided.

"The situation in the north of Kosovo is worrying. This is what the 27 member countries say in this statement. We condemn violence against citizens, journalists, KFOR soldiers and law enforcement. We call on both sides to avoid any kind of violence and take measures to calm the situation. This means, in particular, the suspension of the uncoordinated actions of the Kosovo police near municipal facilities and that the new mayors exercise their functions from other places. This also means organizing new elections as soon as possible and ensuring the participation of Serbs. In order to ensure this participation, this means the start of the work for the establishment of the association of municipalities with a Serbian majority without further delay", Guerot said.

He has called on Kosovo and Serbia to end the divisive rhetoric and focus on dialogue for the normalization of relations.

Mehaj and Abbott talk about security situation in north (RTK)

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Armend Mehaj, met the ambassador of Great Britain, Nicholas Abbott, with whom he discussed the security situation in the north of Kosovo, as well as the need to normalize the situation.

Through a post on Facebook, Mehaj informed that Ambassador Abbott expressed his concern about the situation in the north of Kosovo and the need to find a solution to return to normality, for the benefit of all the citizens and the partnership between Kosovo and NATO countries.

"I assured Ambassador Abbott that the Ministry of Defense and KSF is developing activities in accordance with its development plans and is not involved in activities that are outside its scope of action. Also, I informed him about the developments in the Ministry of Defense and the Kosovo Security Force, as well as reconfirmed the aspirations of the citizens and institutions of our country for integration in the Partnership for Peace and NATO Program," Mehaj wrote.

He said that they also discussed the cooperation with Great Britain and NATO partner countries as well as the continuous support that Britain and partner countries are giving to the KSF, its development and capacity building in accordance with NATO standards and doctrine.

Kurti meets Australian ambassador, discuss Kosovo-Serbia relations (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met the new non-resident ambassador of Australia for Kosovo, Richard Rodgers. They discussed the relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the dialogue process mediated by the European Union, with emphasis on the Basic Agreement agreed on February 27 and its Annex on March 18.

"Regarding this, Prime Minister Kurti said that it should be fully implemented, quickly and unconditionally", the Prime Minister's announcement states.

Kurti thanked Rodgers for the help and support that Australia has given to Kosovo throughout the years.

British MP slams US and EU for response to tensions in north (Euronews)

United Kingdom Member of the Parliament Alicia Kearns, who also serves as Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, held a speech in support of Kosovo in a parliamentary debate on the unrest that has erupted in northern Kosovo these past ten days.

Kearns clearly condemned Serbia for orchestrating not only the boycott of the April 23rd local elections in the four northern municipalities, but also for causing the violence in the streets of Kosovo.

Criticizing the US and EU for their stances on the matter, Kearns said that if something similar were to happen in the United Kingdom, it would be considered an attempt to suffocate democracy.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3oP6KX2

Bislimi’s advisor: When will intl community react to Serbia’s obligations (media)

Media advisor to Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi, Klisman Kadiu, reacted to a statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said on Tuesday in Belgrade that Serbia has always been constructive for peace in the region. Kadiu in a Facebook post mentioned “Serbia’s war with Croatia, Slovenia, the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo, the low level of democracy and the failure to recognise the state of Kosovo”. Kadiu also listed 15 obligations that Serbia needs to meet from the dialogue in Brussels, including the disbanding of parallel structures, non-interference in Kosovo’s internal affairs, not to obstruct Kosovo’s path toward European integration.

Serbs in southern municipalities do not mind Kosovo police and flag (Koha)

Unlike the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, in the six Serb-majority municipalities in the south, citizens say they have easily accepted coexistence with Albanians. They say they don’t mind the presence of police or the flag of Kosovo. While the Minister for Communities and Returns Nenad Rasic blames previous governments for failing to integrate Serbs in the north, professor of political sciences Nexhmedin Spahiu argues that tensions in the north are a result of the large presence of “paramilitary structures”.

“The Albanian people need to make concessions, and the Serbian people need to do the same, engage in dialogue and resolve problems in a peaceful fashion, this will bring benefits to Albanians, Serbs, and all others. If someone has done something wrong, the police should arrest them, and the courts should try them. I am talking about everyone here. It is very difficult, but it needs to get better, we live together,” a citizen from Gracanica told Koha.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Time for Pristina to meet its commitments (Tanjuyg, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, met last night the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar in Belgrade. Vucic said that he wanted to believe the part of the international community that had the biggest influence on Pristina also had the mechanisms that could lead to commitments undertaken and signed up to by Pristina over a decade ago being finally met.

"I said it is time for Pristina to finally meet its commitments, above all, the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities in line with the Brussels Agreement," Vucic said in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account.

He said that, since day one, Serbia had been a constructive, consistent, and dependable partner in all processes that would lead to maintaining stability across the region.

Escobar: Whenever we talk to Kurti and Bislimi, they only want to talk about Serbia (KoSSev)

KoSSev portal reported yesterday that the US special envoy and the European mediator for the Western Balkans and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak, ended their two-day tour of Pristina. They are traveling to Belgrade visibly disappointed with the outcome of their conversation with the Kosovo PM, Albin Kurti.

After numerous meetings with top officials, the prime minister, the president, the opposition, Srpska Lista, civil society representatives, and the media, Escobar and Lajcak confirmed that they failed to get a positive response from the Kosovo PM to the demands they have been repeating since last Friday.

The highest representatives of the Western partner countries reiterated their demands to Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti – to urgently de-escalate the crisis in the north and then proceed with the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement; that is, to form the A/CSM.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/cfvBL

Escobar on A/CSM: It will be formed; the only question is who will form it and how long we have to wait (KoSSev)

“They must immediately present a draft of a law that would bring the Association into being now. They have one, they just won’t put it forward,” Gabriel Escobar said in Pristina today when asked about the Association of Serb-majority municipalities as an obligation that was undertaken by the Kosovo government.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/txCJW

Lajcak to Serbian List: Serbs to participate in new elections in the north (Kosovo Online, Twitter)

The EU Special Envoy for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak and the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans conveyed today to the representatives of the Serbian List that the Serbs should participate in the new elections, sought by the international community from Pristina.

Lajcak stated on Twitter that no political solution to the situation in the north can be achieved without the Serbs.

"No political solution for the de-escalation of tensions in the north of Kosovo can be achieved without the population that is affected by it. With representatives of the Serbian List and civil society, we emphasized the need for Kosovo Serbs to participate in new elections," Lajcak wrote.

Serbian List representatives reiterated the demands of the Serbs to Escobar and Lajcak (Kosovo Online, FB)

During the meeting with the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the EU envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, representatives of the Serbian List reiterated the demands of Serbs from the north of Kosovo, who have been peacefully protesting for days, announced yesterday the Serbian List in a Facebook post. 

"Representatives of the Serbian List, President Goran Rakic and vice-presidents Dragisa Milovic and Igor Simic, today they had a meeting with the special representatives for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar, and after the new crisis in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, at which they reiterated the legitimate demands of the Serbian people, who have been peacefully protesting in the north of Kosovo and Metohija for days," the SL stated.

Escobar: The crisis in the North a failure of the political leadership of both sides (KoSSev)

In one of several articles dedicated to the visit to Pristina by Escobar and Lajcak, KoSSev recalled the accusations of the Kosovo authorities against the Serbian side with the use of the phrase "fascist militia", as well as the reading of Serbian names by the Prime Minister on June 2 in the assembly, for which he said that they  were criminals. 

KoSSev noted that in the meantime, a campaign was launched from Pristina in the previous days with the message that “the sole culprit for the crisis in the North was Serbia, as Putin's ally”.

At yesterday's press conference, KoSSev asked the American envoy, how he comments this and whether he agrees with these messages, Escobar answered:

"No, I don't agree with that. I think Russia took advantage of it, Russia benefits from it, but Russia is not directing this. Let's be honest, this is a failure of the political leadership of both sides to make progress in inter-ethnic reconciliation. Point".

In the continuation of his answer, Escobar emphasized that the international community has "all the best will, good will in the world, for Serbia and Kosovo to be in a good place."

"To have not necessarily a friendly, but a peaceful relationship, a normalized relationship, one that brings them closer to Europe. This is what we want," said Escobar.

There are voices in the Serbian community that need to be heard, read the letter from the civil sector, said Escobar (KoSSev)

There are people who have already decided to stay in Kosovo, even though they could have left. And yet they fight to make their voices heard. It is a fundamental challenge for multi-ethnic civil democracy. You cannot say that all Serbs are for us or against us, helpful or unhelpful. There are many voices in that community that need to be heard, said Gabriel Escobar from Pristina, reported KoSSev portal.

The portal reported last night that Escobar, in front of a group of media, and after a series of meetings that he had together with Lajcak, held the previous two days in Pristina, paid special attention to the letter of the Serbian civil society from Kosovo, delivered to the Quint countries.

According to KoSSev, when speaking about the letter, while advising the Kosovo public to read it, Escobar emphasized that a special challenge was the long-term lack of trust between the Serbian minority community and this government.

"I want to mention the letter that was delivered to the countries of the Quint, a letter that was signed by more than 100 members of civil society, people who live here, who want to integrate, in which they talk about how they feel, how this government makes them feel as citizens of the second order. You should read that letter. It really speaks that this is not a black and white situation," said the American official.

He emphasized that it was the Serbian community that had many concerns regarding access to state services, expropriation, or the behavior of some members of the police force.

"These voices must be heard. They are unpleasant voices, and they are unpleasant messages, but that is part of the main problem. Also, we want that to be resolved," he said.

In this regard, Escobar particularly pointed out that what the USA was focused on was precisely the next generations, reported KoSSev, among other things.

Vucic and Brnabic to address public today (media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic will address the public today at 8 pm from the "Serbia" Palace, the Presidency announced, reported Serbian media.

Vucic announced he will come out with new plans and programs on Wednesday and that the citizens of Serbia expect important political and economic news.

Danas recalled, citing RTS, that Vucic also spoke yesterday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and SPS leader Ivica Dacic and announced that this evening he will present part of what they have been working hard on for weeks.

Mijacic: Kurti was late for the meeting with Lajcak and Escobar because of football (Danas, N1, Beta) 

The Coordinator of the National Convention on the European Union for Chapter 35, Dragisa Mijacic, said in the TV Show ''Pravi Ugao'', that Kurti was half an hour late for the meeting last night because of the football game, and assessed it as a "cold shower" and a message to the negotiators that he would not back down under pressure, reported daily Danas. 

"Escobar gave one new piece of information from that meeting today, which is that they gave Kurti two days to decide on the demands, after which concrete actions will probably follow," he added.

Mijacic is also a signatory of the Appeal for Peace sent to the European Union and the USA by Serbs from Kosovo, recalled Danas.

Zakharova: Comparing Belgrade-Pristina agreements with Minsk agreement is wrong (Beta, N1)

Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that comparing the Serbia-Kosovo agreements with the Minsk agreement on Ukraine is fundamentally wrong, reported N1 yesterday.

“This comparison is fundamentally wrong because, unlike the Minsk agreement, the agreements reached in February-March between Belgrade and Pristina are exclusively verbal,” said Zakharova.

She said the European Union (EU) plan for normalization that is being forced on Serbia is nothing but “a political declaration that does not impose legal obligations on the parties.”

She said “the problem is not in Belgrade’s stubbornness” but in the shortcomings of the approach that neglects Serbia’s national interests and promotes Kosovo’s independence, while UN Security Council Resolution 1244 is being ignored, reported N1. 

“Despite the obvious failure of their mediation in the dialogue on Kosovo, Brussels keeps insisting that the EU is necessary to resolve the problems in the region. At the same time, they are burying, with their own hands, the 2013 and 2015 Brussels agreements between Belgrade and Pristina, which the European officials are trying not to mention out loud, as if they never existed,” she added.

CCIS President: Region ready to become part of common EU market (N1, Beta)

It is important that the Western Balkans companies continue to cooperate, work on joint projects, and jointly participate in third markets, said Tuesday the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS), Marko Cadez.

He said the Western Balkans economies have met the most important business standards and are ready to become part of the European common market.

Addressing in Pristina the final conference of the project “EU support for WB6 CIF,” organized by the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum (WB6 CIF), Cadez called on the European Union (EU) to enable the citizens and economies in the region to enjoy the four fundamental freedoms of EU – free movement of people, goods, services and capital, and stressed that this process can be completed in less than two years.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/ewMY1

International Media

EU and US Envoys with Requests for Kosovo Government (Prishtina Insight)

Amidst the tense situation in the north of the country, the US and EU ambassadors shared three requests with PM Kurti. EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak and the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, met with PM Albin Kurti to discuss the normalization of the situation in northern Kosovo.

“We presented a proposal on behalf of the international community that contains three elements. We had long, sincere, and difficult talks,” Lajcak state, following the trilateral meeting on Monday evening.

The three requests made by Lajcak and Escobar, were the normalization of the situation in northern Kosovo, the resumption of dialogue, and the holding of new elections.

Escobar stated that he has come to Kosovo as a strong supporter of the state of Kosovo and his only request is for the international community to be heard.

“We want the best for Kosovo, for it to achieve all its aspirations. We are the biggest supporters of your security, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. I only seek to be heard,” he said.

He stated that he respects the Government of Kosovo and the Constitutional structure of Kosovo, but he is also trying to find a formula for “harmony among ethnic groups.”

Escobar condemned the attack on KFOR soldiers in Zvecan by violent Serbian protesters.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3CfMD7y

Minister: Kosovo open to new elections in municipalities hit by unrest (Reuters)

Kosovo is open to the possibility of new elections in four northern Serb-majority municipalities following unrest, but other steps need to be taken before then, Kosovan Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said on Tuesday.

Violence has flared since Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in the municipalities after being elected on a turnout of just 3.5%, angering Serbs who form a majority in the region and who had boycotted local polls. 

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3OYea4H

Will the United States Abandon Kosovo? (BIRN)

Opinion piece by Dean B. Pineles, a graduate of Brown University, Boston University Law School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He served as an international judge with EULEX from 2011-13.

In laying the blame squarely on Kosovo, the US response to recent violence in the north marks a major departure from longstanding policy. It’s neither fair nor wise.

As an American former judge with the European Union’s rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, I’ve been following closely the media reports regarding the recent turmoil in the Serb-dominated north of Kosovo.

The United States and the EU have placed the blame for violent Serb protests squarely on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who authorised the use of police officers at the end of May to escort recently-elected ethnic Albanian mayors into municipal buildings in four Serb-majority municipalities, using force if necessary.

The move was made without prior consultation with US and EU officials, and despite the advice given on May 18 by the Quint countries – the US, France, Italy, Germany and the UK – not to enter the buildings for fear of trouble.

Kurti’s decision has been seen as an act of provocation, as well as a setback for the EU-led, US-supported dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. The international community is furious. The Serb violence that ensued resulted in injuries to 30 members of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force, which had been called in to quell the violence, and about 50 civilians.

Read more at: https://t.ly/CeGUz

Questions Raised over Victims’ Representation at Kosovo War Court (BIRN)

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague has appointed one lawyer to serve as legal counsel for 140 accredited victims in the trial of four wartime guerrillas, raising questions about whether they will get adequate representation.

At the end of June 1999, when the Kosovo war was over, Yugoslav troops and Serbian police had withdrawn and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo was starting to establish its governance, one Kosovo Serb family decided to leave the city of Orahovac/Rahovec.

When they tried to go back to the city to pick up more of their possessions, two members of the family, a mother and her son, were stopped on the road and the son was taken away.

Twenty-four years later, the indictment of Kosovo’s ex-president Hashim Thaci and three other senior wartime officers of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, alleged that the son, a civilian, was abducted by guerrillas and was “last seen in the custody of certain KLA members”.

Read more at: https://t.ly/f9TQ

Reporting on the Special Court from a distance (Kosovo 2.0)

Kosovar journalists face difficulties reporting on the trial in the Hague.

Over 1,500 kilometers away from newsrooms in Prishtina, the judicial process against former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) continues in The Hague, the Netherlands.

In early April, a number of Kosovo media outlets sent journalists to The Hague to attend the first court hearing against “Thaçi et al.”, the main trial against “the four“: Hashim Thaçi, former president of Kosovo; Jakup Krasniqi, former speaker of the National Assembly; Rexhep Selimi, former Assembly member; and Kadri Veseli, former chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). Besides this occasion, most reporting on the trials has been done from a distance and largely rely on the public sessions of the trials which are broadcast with a 45 minute delay on the Specialized Chambers website and on RTK, Kosovo’s public broadcaster.

A month later, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, known as the Special Court, organized a two-day training event for Kosovar journalists about the court’s mandate and processes. The team of participating journalists went to follow the hearing against Pjetër Shala, a former member of the KLA, from the public gallery in the court.

Among the rules in the public gallery are that no electronic devices are allowed, so the journalists had to use a notebook and pencil. Falling asleep is also forbidden.

Read more at: https://t.ly/ZQSV

Albanian ‘terrorists’ in Milosevic’s prisons (Kosovo 2.0)

Serbian politicians are talking about old terrorism charges against Kurti. Why now? 

The formerly independent Serbian television station B92, now a prominent government-controlled mouthpiece, recently aired a TV spot titled “The Truth about the Struggle for Kosovo.” Among other things, the spot states that between 2000 and 2012 Serbian government officials, led by Vojislav Koštunica, granted amnesty to current Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and 1,800 other “Albanian criminals.”

What the episode refers to is the fact that over 20 years ago, after Serbia passed amnesty laws, a large number of prisoners were freed, including Albanians from Kosovo, who were largely political prisoners.

The key message was supposed to be that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s policies are the opposite of the former governments and the current opposition, groups which the B92 spot portrays as having lacked the desire to fight for Serbia’s interests when Kosovo declared independence and lacking the interest to do so today. With the strengthening of the military, the building of highways and the stated resolve to never recognize Kosovo as an independent country, President Vučić is portrayed as championing the interests of Serbia and the Serbs.

The message of the B92 spot aligns with a message frequently presented by Serbian government officials recently, including President Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić.

Read more at: https://t.ly/L41B

Kosovo c-bank reopens competition for governor (See News)

Kosovo’s central bank on Tuesday re-issued a call for governor after the competition procedure held at the end of the term of the previous governor Fehmi Mehmeti failed.

Candidates must be professionals of Kosovo citizenship with at least ten years of experience in the fields of economy, business, banking, accounting or law, the central bank said in a competition notice published on its website.

The governor, to elected by parliament from a competition committee shortlist will serve a five-year term of office.

Bashkim Nurboja, the central bank's board chairman, is currently serving as acting governor. In March, the parliament’s budget committee said that none of the candidates shortlisted in the previous procedure met the criteria for the governor’s position.