The opposition parties have left today the meeting of the Kosovo Assembly chairmanship, because the coalition parties have decided to remove from the agenda constitutional amendments for the Kosovo Armed Force (KAF).
Sources reported that Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, will pay an unannounced visit to Kosovo today and meet Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci. The visit will be brief, said the sources. According to Koha, Rama and Mustafa are expected to discuss relations between Kosovo and Albania and the situation in the region. Rama is also expected to brief Mustafa on the recent visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Tirana.
In a presentation about the work of the Kosovo Assembly, Driton Selmanaj from the Kosovo Democratic Institute said that the continuous statements of Kosovo leaders that the constitutional amendment paving way for establishment of specialist chambers will be once again put to vote at the Assembly present pressure on MPs. Selmanaj said that while it is not a customary practice for a legal amendment to be put to vote twice it is not a precedent either.
The Minister of the Local Government in Kosovo, Lubomir Maric, rose today during the meeting of the government, concerns about the attacks on Serbs in Kosovo. He said that 60 attacks against the members of this community are registered since January of this year, while the most serious case was burning of a house in Dresnik, Klina.
Skender Hyseni, Kosovo’s Minister for Internal Affairs, is staying for a two-day visit in Brussels. Today, he met with Deputy of the General Secretary at the European People’s Party (EPP), Christian Kremer. They discussed the general situation in Kosovo and the region, with a special focus on the situation of the rule of law in Kosovo.
At the today’s session, the Kosovo Assembly observed a minute of silence in commemorating the victims of the Srebrenica massacre which marks this year its 20th anniversary. Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli said Srebrenica massacre was the worst crime in Europe after World War II and justice for it has not yet been served.
A fire broke out in a house belonging to a member of the Catholic religion in Llapushnik village, Drenas/Glogovac municipality. Firefighters were called to the site early this morning and according to the Kosovo Police, a part of the house was burnt down. Kosovo Police Spokesperson Flora Ahmeti confirmed the case but said that they do not know the religious background of the house’s owner. According to Express, the house is owned by a member of the Catholic community.
United States Congressman Elliot Engel in his address to the Kosovo Assembly today called for the establishment of the special court that will address war crimes allegations. Engel said the court would be established, either by the Kosovo Assembly or the United Nations, and that it would not be good for Kosovo if the UN establishes the court. Engel said Kosovo was doing many things that other countries cannot do, but also that a lot remains to be done in the fight against corruption and for economic development.
The U.S. Senate has confirmed the diplomat Greg Delawie for the position of the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo.
Delawie, from Virginia, will replace Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, who will be ending her three-year mandate as the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo. Greg Delawie was appointed by the U.S. President, Barack Obama by the end of March of this year.
The outgoing Ambassador, Tracey Ann Jacobson has already started her farewell meetings in Kosovo. Yesterday, she met with Father Sava Janjic from Decani Monastery.
The U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel, proposed to the institutions of Kosovo to find a solution for establishment of the special court and to the Assembly of Kosovo to vote for the constitutional amendments which open way for the establishment of this court.