Kosovo Interior Minister Skender Hsyeni met today with KFOR Commander Maj. Gen. Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta to discuss the recent visit of the Serbian Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Gen. Ljubisa Dikovic in Kosovo. A press release issued by Interior Ministry noted that Hyseni expressed his concern over the recent visit of Gen. Dikovic in Kosovo.“Such visits of Serbian military personnel accused by human rights associations for war crimes in Kosovo, do not contribute to the overall safety and security in Kosovo. Moreover, such visits could destabilize the situation.

The Appeals Courts in Pristina has confirmed the earlier decision of the Basic Court to sentence the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP Donika Kadaj to one month detention for her role in the events where opposition representatives released teargas in an attempt to block the work of the Assembly.

The leader of Vetevendosje Movement, Visar Ymeri, wrote on his Facebook page about the arrests of Vetevenodsje activists. “Isa Mustafa and Hashim Thaci through Skender Hyseni, are terrorizing Pristina. A day does not pass without arresting Vetevendosje activists,” wrote Ymeri. He added that they use the police to stop and identify people at any place, with or without reason.

The Presidency of the Kosovo Assembly today decided that the next session of the Assembly to be held on 30 November. Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli called on the opposition parties to return to the Assembly and to not attack the MPs with teargas.

Kosovo Minister of Finance, Avdullah Hoti, today signed an agreement with the director of the World Bank Office in Kosovo, Jan Peter Olsen, on a loan of 11 million euros to improve conditions in the education sector. Kosovo Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Arsim Bajrami, said that this loan will help in raising quality and strengthening the capacity of higher education in Kosovo. Education is one of the important areas on which the World Bank has invested.

The women presidencies of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Vetevendosje Movement and the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), will hold a protest march in Pristina today at 14:00 hrs demanding the release of AAK MP Donika Kadaj-Bujupi who was arrested on Wednesday in relation to the recent events in the Kosovo Assembly. The organizers said the march would be peaceful and with the motto: “A state that arrests the MPs of the people is a dictatorial state”.

Kosovo’s Interior Minister Skender Hyseni said in a press conference today that the Kosovo Police will never be subject to political orders and that it handled yesterday’s protest in Pristina “marvelously.” Hyseni said that violence directed at the police is unacceptable and that no one will be amnestied from responsibility. He called on the opposition to discuss the issues of concern at the Assembly and not take to the streets. Koha reports that in the press conference, Minister Hyseni also admitted that the Kosovo Police has no equal approach to all of Kosovo.

The Embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States in Pristina issued a joint statement today condemning the violent acts during Wednesday’s protest. “The Embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States in Pristina condemn the continued use of violence to achieve political goals. We call for respect for the rule of law, democratic procedures, and international norms. Political violence is unacceptable, and damages the interests of Kosovo citizens and Kosovo’s international standing.

Vetevendosje in a statement said the police are responding to the orders of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and his deputy Hashim Thaci who “are ready to turn Kosovo into a police state just to maintain power and preserve agreements with Serbia.” Vetevendosje called for an immediate release of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) MP Donika Kadaj-Bujupi, arrested this morning in connection to events at the Kosovo Assembly.

Kosovo Police blocked this morning the road leading to the Constitutional Court’s building in Pristina after a hand grenade was reported to have been detected nearby. The device is said to have been placed near one of the Court’s power generators. After the staff was evacuated, the police carried out a controlled explosion.