UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, November 3, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Agreement reached, Trepca mineworkers’ strike ends (RTK)
Osmani: Proposal of draft statute of Association should be reviewed by court (media)
Kurti to report to Assembly on latest meeting in Brussels and Association draft (media)
SPO conducts operations in investigation of administration of justice offences (media)
Kurti: Kosovo’s membership in CoE – a historic process (media)
Hovenier welcomes minister’s decision to supply hospitals in north (media)
Rama: Association’s draft statute is an EU draft (media)
Serbia deletes 3,370 Albanians in Presevo Valley from voter lists (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

Dacic: Pristina more likely to open embassy on moon than in Belgrade (Tanjug)
Bocan-Kharchenko: Vucic is clear - he will not recognize Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Politika, Tanjug)
Ponos: Vucic and Kurti are the "yin and yang" of the Kosovo disaster (NMagazin, N1, Nova.rs)
Petkovic: The opposition hopes that they will succeed in deceiving the citizens with falsehoods at the expense of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
The police in Zubin Potok complete the station, put up a sign and flags (RTS)
Municipality of Strpce: Concern about firewood is increasing (Kontakt plus radio)
NJSI protest in front of the government building with opposition support, media reports on success in Banjska, Svecla and Kurti on investments in special forces (KoSSev)

International Media:

Kosovo Serb Testifies About Son’s Abduction by Guerrillas (Balkan Insight)
Troubles Underground: Kosovo's Trepca Miners Strike For Better Conditions (RFE)
High-level conference in Germany: There is consensus on EU enlargement and reform, roadmap needed (EWB)

Albanian Language Media

Agreement reached, Trepca mineworkers’ strike ends (RTK)

Citing unnamed sources, RTK reports this morning that mineworkers of the Trepca mining complex, who were on strike for 10 days, decided to end their strike after an agreement with officials of the Ministry of Economy. Sources said that the agreement includes several conditions. One of the conditions includes a new announcement for the post of the chief executive officer of the mining complex.

Osmani: Proposal of draft statute of Association should be reviewed by court (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met on Thursday with the U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier and discussed latest developments in Kosovo, issues of mutual interest, and the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Osmani said Kosovo has consistently shown itself to be a constructive party, “while Serbia continues with the selective approach that prevents the full implementation of the Brussels agreement and the Ohrid annex”. Osmani also said that the proposal for the draft statute of the Association should be subject to a review by the Constitutional Court.

Kurti to report to Assembly on latest meeting in Brussels and Association draft (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will report to the Assembly today on the latest meeting in Brussels in the dialogue with Serbia and brief the MPs about the draft of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities.

SPO conducts operations in investigation of administration of justice offences (media)

The Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) said in a statement on Thursday evening that it is conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo in an investigation focusing on offences against the administration of justice. The operations of the SPO this week have been judicially authorised by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) and supported by the Kosovo Police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).

Kurti: Kosovo’s membership in CoE – a historic process (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met on Thursday with the rapporteur for the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Dora Bakoyannis, for Kosovo's application for membership in the Council of Europe (CoE). Kurti said that membership in the Council of Europe for Kosovo “is a historic process that contributes to protection, promotion and advancement of democracy, the rule of law and human rights”. He said that Kosovo remains committed to every stage of membership going smoothly. Kurti also briefed Bakoyannis on the latest political developments in Kosovo, economic performance, democratic progress, and reforms.

"Rapporteur Bakoyannis thanked the Prime Minister for the hospitality. She expressed her happiness with the change and development that the country has marked since her last visit 14 years ago, and she stated that the report she will compile from her stay here, will serve as a basis for decision-making in PACE,” a press release issued by Kurti’s office notes.

Hovenier welcomes minister’s decision to supply hospitals in north (media)

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said in a post on X on Thursday that he welcomes the decision of Kosovo Minister of Health Arben Vitia to supply with medicine the hospitals and healthcare centers in Serb-majority municipalities. “I join my EU colleague in welcoming Minister @arbenvitia’s rapid approval of donations of medicine and medical supplies and commend his firm commitment to serving all communities in Kosovo,” Hovenier said. Earlier in the day, EU Head of Office Kosovo Tomas Szunyog welcomed Vitia’s decision. “Appreciate the swift approval by Health Minister @arbenvitia & his team of the request to provide medicines & medical supplies to hospitals & health centres in #Kosovo Serb-majority community areas. Hope they will be delivered quickly,” Szunyog said.

Rama: Association’s draft statute is an EU draft (media)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on Thursday that he “couldn’t be prouder of Albania's firm and concrete contribution to the ongoing difficult process of normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia. However, the Association of Serb-majority municipalities draft statute accepted by Kosovo and Serbia as a suitable working document is an EU draft. Albania will strongly support Kosovo in implementing the Basic Agreement and will continue to play its part in promoting peace, stability, and regional cooperation among all countries in our neighborhood. I will soon be going to Pristina to personally show my support.”

Serbia deletes 3,370 Albanians in Presevo Valley from voter lists (Koha)

Citing a report by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), the news website reports that 3,370 Albanians in Presevo Valley have been deleted from the voter lists from 2015 to 2022. The report titled “The passivization of addresses of Albanians in Presevo Valley as a discriminatory practice”, the YHIR argued that the passivization of addresses was being used a political instrument to change the demographic and ethnic structure in the south of Serbia.

Marko Milosavljevic, who presented the report, said that the loss of addresses for the Albanians of Presevo means that they could not have a job, get married, buy and register a car or own property. “The paradox is that the victims of the abuse of the passivation process are often the owners or co-owners of properties, apartments, and houses for which they pay taxes to the state. Even though their basic human rights are clearly threatened, Serbian officials have been denying it for years,” he said.

The YIHR said they collected data through interviews with residents and that 72 percent of them said that they were only verbally informed about the passivisation of address.

The YIHR also called on Serbian institutions to investigate the passivisation of the addresses of Albanians and to publish the statistics of citizens by ethnicity whose addresses were passivized from 2012 to 2023 in all municipalities of Serbia, including Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja.

Serbian Language Media

Dacic: Pristina more likely to open embassy on moon than in Belgrade (Tanjug)

Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said on Thursday Pristina did not, could not and would never have a diplomatic representative office in Belgrade, and added that it was more likely to open an embassy on the moon than in Belgrade, reported Tanjug.

Commenting on a list of "embassies" published on the website of Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dacic said the inclusion of the Republic of Serbia on the list was a "brutal lie" and noted that Pristina would never have a diplomatic representative office in Belgrade, regardless of the way the Pristina regime was trying to present the matter to its public.

"Seventy-two foreign diplomatic and consular representative offices are accredited at embassy level in Belgrade, representing sovereign and independent states, which the self-declared 'Kosovo' is not, nor will ever be," Dacic told Tanjug.

He added that, in the technical dialogue underway since 2008, Belgrade and Pristina had agreed to exchange liaison officers, physically located in the offices of the EU delegations to Belgrade and Pristina.

"Liaison officers have no diplomatic status, nor do they represent a prelude to opening embassies - they are tasked with assisting mutual communication and overseeing the implementation of agreements reached," Dacic explained, noting that there had never been any talk of opening embassies or bestowing the authority embassies had.

Bocan-Kharchenko: Vucic is clear - he will not recognize Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Politika, Tanjug)

The proposal of Western representatives to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, to recognize the independence of Kosovo is an unacceptable disregard for international law, Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandar Bocan-Kharchenko told Russian journalists after a meeting with the Serbian president, reports Sputnik.

"Kosovo was in the first place (during our conversation), as it is the main pain point. Concern remains high. There are no positive developments. The dialogue is in such a state that it does not give hope that the situation for the Serbian people will be resolved. Not to mention a more significant solution, because it is impossible on these foundations," Bocan-Kharchenko said.

"The president once again confirmed that he clearly confirms to his Western partners in Brussels and Washington that he will not agree to any kind of recognition of Kosovo. He said that he would not agree to either de jure or de facto recognition," said Bocan-Kharchenko.

The Russian diplomat particularly pointed out that the Western proposal for the Serbian leader to recognize the independence of the province, at least de facto, is an unprecedented violation of international law.

"If you think about it, people are officially proposing to the state: 'recognize at least de facto.' That it is a violation of international law is understandable, but it is also a violation of the whole meaning, of everything in general. Because in all of this there is only one kind of false attitude: to find some variant of the fraud of all, closing this case and presenting it as an incredible progress in solving the Kosovo issue. But we all understand that this will not lead to the main thing - the solution of the problem of the Serbs in Kosovo. This is, of course, the main thing for Belgrade and in general, since part of the population does not feel safe and does not have the opportunity to exercise their rights," said Bocan-Kharchenko.

The ambassador noted that Vucic consistently and in principle does not support Western sanctions against Russia, which enables the development of cooperation.

"He talked about all his contacts with the West, including yesterday's conversation with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. There, of course, as always, arises the question of joining the anti-Russian sanctions and measures. But our meeting again showed that his position is principled, consistent, and collectively developed in Belgrade right after the start of the special military operation and the launch of the Western regime of sanctions," he explained.

Bocan-Kharchenko added that the President of Serbia "remains committed to that position which gives us the opportunity to continue cooperation, not only to preserve what was done during many previous years, but also to develop ties in a number of key areas".

The calling of extraordinary parliamentary elections and the dissolution of the Serbian parliament are not related to any crisis situation in the country, the Russian ambassador said.

"What the president (Vucic) started from when making a decision about the upcoming elections on December 17 is a kind of reaction to the demands of the opposition forces. At the same time, I emphasize that he starts from the fact that the structure of government must be preserved. Besides, the elections are necessary and purposeful for him, he especially points out, for strengthening, unity and consolidation within Serbia due to the pressures from the West that are expected until the end of the year and beyond," said the ambassador.

As the diplomat noted, Russia assumes that the pre-election campaign should be as peaceful as possible.

Bocan-Kharchenko drew attention to the fact that Vucic remains committed to European integration as the main focus of Serbia's foreign policy, while advocating for the maintenance of relations with Serbian partners, primarily Russia and China.

The diplomat also emphasized that none of the projects that Russia and Serbia had previously agreed upon "has been crossed out or rejected."

Ponos: Vucic and Kurti are the "yin and yang" of the Kosovo disaster (NMagazin, N1, Nova.rs)

The leader of the Serbia Center party, Zdravko Ponos, told Nova.rs that Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels "accepted everything that was asked of him, with the condition that he does not sign on the same paper together with Albin Kurti", reported NMagazin portal.

"He already applied the first variant in Brussels and Ohrid, and he practiced the second one on a stool by signing the Washington Agreement, all pretending to respect the Constitution. In fact, this means that Vucic accepts "de facto" recognition, and for "de jure" let them chase someone else," assessed Ponos and underlined that this also refers to the Statute on the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

He states that Kurti "actually saved Vucic''.

"He tried to humiliate him by insisting that Vucic ceremoniously sign the paper, which they accepted in principle, even though he knew that he (Vucic) can't do it. They are the "yin and yang" of the Kosovo disaster. It was as if they were looking for each other with a candle until they found each other and fell into each other's arms. One would like to sign, the other won't, and both of them are hedging the implementation," says Ponos.

He points out that Vucic still cares that something, as he states, "is born from that bizarre relationship".

"He will try to make some constructive steps already in the next two weeks. Of course, Serbia will not benefit from those steps. For Vucic, it is only an investment in Europe's looking through the fingers at his election manipulations, and temporarily, at the mess in Banjska. Nothing new. I'm waiting to see what criteria will be used to recruit Serbs into the CSM (ZSO) bodies - the Assembly, the council, the committee, who will be the CEO... now that Radoicic and his team are on a business trip," concludes Ponos for Nova.rs.

Petkovic: The opposition hopes that they will succeed in deceiving the citizens with falsehoods at the expense of Kosovo (Kosovo Online)

Petar Petkovic, a member of the SNS Presidency, announced today that it is quite clear that the entire opposition will base its pre-election tactics on the "reckless and synchronized marketing and repetition of the most blatant lies against President Aleksandar Vucic and the State of Serbia, in the hope that with spins and lies about Kosovo and Metohija, will manage to deceive the citizens", said Petkovic and added that they were badly deceived, reported Kosovo Online.

''Milos Jovanovic, Bosko Obradovic, Borko Stefanovic and Srdjan Milivojevic also participate in that campaign of paid lies by Dragan Djilas and Dragan Solak, and thus show the citizens once again that a vote for each of them is a vote for Djilas tycoon policy, which works directly against the interests of Serbian of the people of Kosovo and Metohija, and only Albin Kurti is looking forward to it," Petkovic said among other things in the announcement.

He pointed out that in this fight no means were chosen even though "they are the last ones who should be allowed to teach anyone lessons about Kosovo and Metohija and the defense of national interests".

The police in Zubin Potok complete the station, put up a sign and flags (RTS)

On the containers placed at the place of the police station in Zubin Potok, there are police flags and a blue-yellow flag that symbolizes "Kosovo statehood", and there is also a board with the inscription that it is an official facility, reported RTS.

By suspending the construction of the police station building due to citizens' protests, however, the police did not give up the location of the official building, which the residents of that area protested because it is located near the elementary school where Serbian children attend classes.

The police installed doors and windows on the containers, continuing with the arrangement of the driveway.

According to RTS, in the new circumstances, which have lasted for a year, in which there are no Serbs in the police in the north of Kosovo, the residents of Zubin Potok point out that they are worried about the new concentration of the mono-ethnic, Albanian composition of the police.

At the school, too, they were surprised by the works and the plan to have the police close to the school.

"That land is owned by the state, and the school is the user of that land, so if something needs to be done, the school should be informed. For us, it is not in dispute that any facility is built there if that is the decision of the competent authorities, but we believe that it is neither the time nor the place to do it now when the situation is tense," says Aleksandar Lazarevic, director of the "Jovan Cvijic" Elementary School.

The school management hired lawyers to find a legal solution to the newly created situation.

The police claim that they respect the building construction procedure.

Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija contest the decision to build the station

On the twenty-third of October, they received a building permit for construction according to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on December 10, 2021, between the police and the Civil Registration Agency.

The political representatives of the Serbs in the north claim that ''the regime in Pristina is presenting false information about the existence of some kind of decision from 2018 on the construction of a police station''.

Civic activists in Zubin Potok point out that even if there is some kind of decision by the leadership of the Zubin Potok municipality, it is not time to build a new station because the circumstances in terms of security have changed drastically, reported RTS.

"Of course, the circumstances were different when the decision itself was made, and at that time Serbs were present in the Kosovo police and it was not mono-ethnic, while now it is absolutely different and there are still special units that further disturb the people and our students who attend school," says Milija Bisevac from the Civic Initiative ''For Zubin Potok''.

Municipality of Strpce: Concern about firewood is increasing (Kontakt plus radio)

Radio Kontakt plus radio reported that although the heating season officially started on October 15, the inhabitants of certain villages of Sirinicka Zupa have not yet provided firewood, because they live in villages that geographically belong to the Sara National Park.

They still do not have permission to mark and cut down the forests. The municipality of Strpce submitted a request to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning on time, but they have not yet received an answer.

The residents of Jazince and Sevce in the municipality of Strpce are worried because they still haven't provided firewood in sufficient quantities for the coming winter.

"I have some wood from last year, I also secured some from my property such as plums, cherries...".

"We had to, because it's too late to wait for those from the National Park to allow marking, so we bought it. The price per cubic meter is from 55 euros to 60 euros".

"We bought wood, because I don't have a plot where I could mark and cut the forest," said the surveyed citizens.

Milos Stojkovic from the Municipality of Strpce states that all preparations for the winter have been completed on time and adds that the municipality submitted a request to the competent institutions for permission to mark and cut down the forest on time.

"Even though the heating season has started, the residents of the Strpce municipality are still without firewood for their households. In front of the forest unit and in front of the Municipality of Strpce, we have done our part of the work. A plan and marking program and remittance of trees in both state and private forests has been developed where we manage. While, on the territory of the National Park on the surface of 11,000 ha, remittance has not yet been made for supplying the population with firewood. The villages left out of this plan are Jazince, Sevce, Vrbestica, Brezovica, Firaja and Brod," says Stojkovic.

The Municipality of Strpce notes that they understand the demands of the residents of these villages and are waiting for a response from the authorities.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Spatial Planning did not answer when the cutting of the forest will be allowed.

NJSI protest in front of the government building with opposition support, media reports on success in Banjska, Svecla and Kurti on investments in special forces (KoSSev)

Following yesterday’s protest by members of the special units of the Kosovo police in front of the Kosovo government building, several opposition leaders shared their support of the police officers. At the same time, while publishing photographs from the protest, they criticized the Pristina government for making the protest necessary in the first place. Late last night, the Prime Minister of Kosovo reacted, confirming that the elite unit (NJSI) will be retroactively paid 1,350 euros each at the end of November. The Kosovo Interior Minister reacted, as did Kurti, who spoke about the investments in the police.

As announced, a protest was held yesterday in Pristina in front of the Kosovo government building. Members of the Special Intervention Unit (NJSI), the most elite unit of the Kosovo Police, as well as the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, participated in the protest.

The vision of these tall, uniformed men, hooded and wearing black glasses, although without weapons, is not a common sight in front of the institution that employs them.

These units, on the other hand, are seen much more often in the north. It was their involvement in this area – starting from the arrest of the former head of the Kosovo Office, Marko Djurić in 2018, to the latest intervention in Banjska on September 24, that served the Kosovo opposition, but also part of the media, as one of the key allegations via which they emphasized the reasoning behind their protest.

The two key special units protested in order to express their dissatisfaction with the new wage law, and to press for greater compensation for hazardous work.

The police officers complain that they have been harmed by the new law, as well as the treatment they have been receiving. They claim that they receive less money than was the case before the adoption of the law, that they have a lot of overtime work, and that the government treats them “without dignity.”

International Media

Kosovo Serb Testifies About Son’s Abduction by Guerrillas (Balkan Insight)

A Serb witness told the trial of Kosovo’s ex-President Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants in The Hague that his son was seized by Kosovo Liberation Army fighters in 1999 and disappeared without trace.

Predrag Dedic, a 91-year-old Serb, told the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants on Thursday at the Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague that his son was taken away by Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA fighters in June 1999, in Rahovec/Orahovac.

Prosecutor Cezary Mihailzcuck, summarising previous testimony given by the witness, explained to the court that around June 18, 1999, “the witness’s son was kidnapped by four KLA soldiers, wearing KLA uniforms and armed, in the presence of his mother. The wife of the witness was told that the son would be taken to the police station for an interview.”