The Kosovo Assembly Serb MPs announced today that they will boycott the Assembly’s session because as they say, they fear violence in this institution. The reason for this, according to Serb MPs, is that the opposition used scalpels today to uncover some paintings in the lobby of the Assembly. They added that they fear that the scalpels can be used for other purposes.
The Kosovo Government presented to the European Union today a report on the last six months of the dialogue with Belgrade. The report signed by Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri notes: “In general terms, the Government of Kosovo considers that the Brussels dialogue has made very good progress in this reporting period because there were number of agreements reached in important topics and, the implementation process has been progressing in some of them.
Basic Court in Pristina has sentenced the Mayor of Drenas/Glogovac, Nexhat Demaku, to one-and-a-half year in prison for abuse of official post. Demaku was found guilty for allocating a land parcel for the construction of a public school which the court decided is actually private property not municipal. One other municipal official was sentenced to one year in prison and the third was acquitted. Demaku is the fourth mayor from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to be sentenced by a court.
Kosovo Police has arrested two Vetevendosje activists for throwing eggs at Prime Minister Isa Mustafa during a visit to Podujevo. After the incident, Mustafa said: "I am not bothered by eggs; what is important is that things are going well". The Vetevendosje Movement issued a media statement confirming the arrest of its activists and said it would continue to prevent the normal functioning of the Kosovo government until it recalls agreements with Serbia.
Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), met today in Pristina with representatives of settlements along the border with Montenegro, promising them that the current border demarcation agreement will not be implemented. The AAK leader criticized Prime Minister Isa Mustafa for “dividing Rugova and cutting Kosovo to pieces”. Representatives of the settlements too said the border demarcation agreement cuts in half the Rugova region. They also said that would do anything to prevent Montenegro from taking away their “lands and graves”.
The President of the Assembly, Kadri Veseli, during a round-table on the current approaches of the government and the opposition, stated today that the behavior of the opposition in the Assembly is a violation of the rules of this institution. “We have laws and Constitution, and also the Assembly has its own rules. The blockade is against all regulations and laws,” Veseli said. According to him, the opposition through its behavior is also blocking the adoption of many laws that are important for the people of Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Hajredin Kuci, met today the Rapporteur for Kosovo in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Augustin Conde. Kuci informed Conde on the ongoing reforms in the justice system in Kosovo and the continued efforts to strengthen the rule of law and guarantee human rights.
Kosovo minister without portfolio Edita Tahiri issued a statement announcing that Kosovo has gained international recognition in the energy transmission system as a result of agreement reached between the Kosovo Electricity Transmission System and Market Operator (KOSTT) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO). Tahiri said the agreement makes Kosovo an independent regulatory authority in the field of energy transmission. She also noted that the KOSTT-ENTSO agreement was a result of the EU-facilitated dialogue with Belgrade.
Jakup Krasniqi, former President of the Kosovo Assembly and chairman of the National Council of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), argues in his opinion piece that the EU-brokered talks have not been transparent, are in opposition with the Ahtisaari Plan, are extremely detrimental to the functioning of the state of Kosovo and that they create an ethnic political entity. “All this shows that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, who signed these agreements, has gone beyond his constitutional and political mandate. Therefore, he should resign his post and make way for early elections.
Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) has issued a statement from its leader Ramush Haradinaj who says that the opposition has no choice but to prevent the implementation of agreements on border demarcation with Montenegro and creation of Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities. “We as opposition can never agree to have anyone strike such a blow to the state and the territory of Kosovo,” Haradinaj said.