By David MacShane, UK’s Minister of the Balkans from 2001 to 2005.

The modest steps brokered by the EU between Serbia and Kosovo are to be welcomed. But the fact remains that more than 15 years since the fighting stopped in Kosovo, and 20 years since the Katyn-style massacres in Srebrenica, the Western Balkans is unable to move forward.

Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) has written an open letter to head of EULEX Gabriele Meucci expressing deep concern over, as it said, the mistreatment of the citizens of Krusha e Vogel, primarily women, by EULEX in exhuming several bodies from the village cemetery. KWN reminded EULEX that the women of Krusha e Vogel have been deeply affected by the war as on 26 March 1999, 113 men and boys disappeared or were killed by Serbian forces. To date, only 45 have been found and buried and the village still awaits learning about the fate of 68 others.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hashim Thaci, in an interview for Austrian daily Tiroler Tageszeitung said Serbia’s leadership needs to disengage from nationalism and prove it is committed to cooperation and normalization of relations with Kosovo. “In relation to Kosovo, political leadership in Serbia still pursued hostile policies. In the case of Serbia’s Prime Minister, Mr. Vucic, it is important he is assessed in face of his actions and not words,” said Thaci.

Authors: Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria Sebastian Kurz and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier

The Vetevendosje Movement officials during a press conference today said that they will oppose the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and didn’t rule out the use of violence to do so. The leader of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, said that this Association/Community is a political autonomy which will be controlled by Belgrade.  “We call on the people of Kosovo to oppose this Association/Community starting from the Assembly and through nation-wide protests,” Konjufca said.

United States have congratulated the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia for reaching agreements in Brussels on Tuesday. According to a statement of the US State Department, the agreements on energy, telecommunications, Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities, as well as on the freedom of movement will improve the lives of people in both countries.

Columnist Lumir Abdixhiku writes that when Kosovo project of an independent country was being prepared, a great deal of attention was put on the members of the Serb community and the rights granted to them were not intended to hinder the functioning of Kosovo but rather as guarantees for their protection. However, while the Albanian community agreed to give up national symbols and ideas in exchange for a multiethnic society, this was not the case with the Serb community which continues to reject the idea.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli and members of the Assembly presidency met today a US Congress delegation led by Senator Vern Buchanan and other members of the Democracy Partnership commission. The meeting focused on the current partnership between the US Congress and Kosovo Assembly and the US support to building political and legislative capacities in Kosovo. Senator Buchanan said the US support with continue and stressed that Kosovo needs a greater on economic development as one of the key factors in strengthening democracy.

Last week in Bursa, Turkey, representatives of the Istanbul International Centre for Development in Private Sector (IICDPS) met with the representatives of the UNDP Office in Kosovo in order to address the high level of unemployment among the young people in Kosovo and to discuss next steps for the establishment of a training center in Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hashim Thaci, through a Facebook post thanked all the representatives of religious communities in Kosovo for the joint letter addressed to UNESCO, calling for Kosovo’s acceptance in this organization. Thaci wrote that this was a strong testimony against “Serbia’s racist theories that Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO would hurt the religious communities.” “A wonderful support for our membership in UNESCO from all the religious communities in Kosovo.