Serb members of the Kosovo Assembly did not participate at the September 1 session that was scheduled to vote on the border demarcation agreement between Kosovo and Montenegro. Following the Serb boycott, the ruling coalition was forced to remove the border deal from the assembly’s agenda. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said a broad-based roundtable would be organised with political parties to discuss the border deal with Montenegro, but the meeting has yet to take place.

The leader of the Vetëvendosje movement, Visar Ymeri, requested at today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly voting of a resolution, through which Kosovo could apply for “355” telephone prefix. Ymeri called on the MPs to vote the proposed resolution, being that, according to him, this would help development of the telecommunication trade and approximation with Albania.

The news website reports on the third day of the new round of talks between the Kosovo and Serbian delegations brokered by the European Union in Brussels. Kosovo’s Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, told Indeksonline that the Kosovo delegation has a firm position on the issue of the telephone code. “Talks on the telephone code are continuing. Our position is firm. Serbia needs to send a letter to the ITU agreeing that Kosovo should get its telephone code from the ITU,” Tahiri said.

Ramush Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), said in an interview for the news website, that the border demarcation with Montenegro must be concluded in order to move forward with Kosovo’s development and not have delays on other issues. “Demarcation is an open issue and it needs to be closed. The Alliance [for the Future of Kosovo] and the Initiative for Kosovo, want the current agreement to be annulled and for a proper solution to be found,” he said.

Kosovo Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, today announced that the Assembly Presidency decided to hold the next plenary session on Thursday, 29 September. However, he said, the demarcation agreement with Montenegro is not part of the agenda for Thursday’s session. “Whenever the government submits the demarcation agreement to the Assembly, it will be put into vote. The demarcation agreement should pass. Any action that destabilizes peace, is a violation of sovereignty and our security. We are strongly oriented pro US and NATO,” Veseli said.

The Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) stated on Friday that the two journalists of the “Noboctnoi Front” who were arrested by Kosovo Police several days ago had exceeded their professional duties. “KIA has knowledge about the presence of foreign nationals operating in the Republic of Kosovo, either in official or unofficial business, friendly or otherwise. Our data indicate that these two journalists have exceeded their professional duties,” notes a response sent by KIA.

Avni Arifi, member of the Presidency of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) today reacted to the statement of Vetëvendosje MP, Albin Kurti, who said that the current demarcation deal might bring war in Kosovo.  Arifi said Kurti’s statement only urges the MPs to vote for the current demarcation agreement.  “Kurti's threat that voting demarcation agreement means war with Montenegro only urges the MPs to vote this agreement. How can it bring war if those elected by the people vote for it.

The Vetëvendosje Movement MP, Rexhep Selimi, told the news site the best solution to the issue of demarcation is canceling the current agreement, and then open the way for talks, even interparty debate outside the Assembly. "What we need is a demarcation agreement accepted with facts about the real situation. Demarcation must not damage one party arbitrarily. Therefore, demarcation should happen but not by taking over eight thousand hectares of land from Kosovo," he said.

The news website reports that leaders of the five parliamentary parties are expected to sign a joint declaration early next week pledging to work together in addressing the border demarcation with Montenegro. The declaration is expected to derive as a result of several meetings that were held between representatives of the ruling coalition and the opposition, initiated by Naim Rashiti from the Balkans Group and international stakeholders.

Kosovo Assembly Presidency during its meeting today decided that the next Assembly session will be held on 22 September. The news site reports that the border demarcation agreement is not on the agenda.