Serbian List MPs have decided to return to the Assembly of Kosovo, confirmed the leader of the Serbian List, Slavko Simic.
He said that the decision was made “in accordance with the interest of Serbian population, respectively the Serbian community that lives in Kosovo and the citizens who live in Kosovo.”
The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, said at the “Launching Westminster program for democracy in Kosovo” that Kosovo institutions should not have positions for people who are under investigation. “They should not be included in the election lists either,” Thaci said.
Kosovo’s Justice Minister, Dhurata Hoxha, said that the issue of properties in the territory of Kosovo will not be part of the Brussels dialogue with Serbia and that the decision to transfer former Yugoslav assets to Kosovo relevant institutions is the same with those of other federal units of the former Yugoslav republic. “We have full independence and sovereignty on assets in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and we don’t need to discuss them with anyone. It is an issue that we as a state decide on our own,” Hoxha said.
The government of Kosovo has set aside over €1.5 million for legal aid to persons that could be indicted by specialist chamber. The funds were allocated in accordance to a legislation stipulating that persons indicted by the court could seek assistance in covering their legal fees. Analyst Imer Mushkolaj considers funding of legal assistance for special court indictees to be unacceptable. He said the indictees should not be paying their defence counsels from the Kosovo taxpayers’ money.
Kosovo's president has asked parliament to transform the country's lightly armed security forces into a regular army, a move that quickly drew objections from Serbian leaders who refuse to recognize Kosovo's independence.
Kosovo is trying to counter a perceived radicalization threat within its prison population amid reports of a surge in the embrace of more radical beliefs by practicing Muslims and others.
http://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-root-out-radical-islam-from-prisons/28356290.html
Warnings that another conflict may erupt in the Balkans have been coming in from former diplomats and think tanks in recent weeks.
http://www.rferl.org/a/balkans-without-borders-worrying-signs-conflict-knezevic/28353760.html
Montenegro's former prime minister accused Russia of seeking to destabilize the Balkans following a thwarted attempt to overthrow Podgorica's pro-Western government.
Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has announced plans to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to help reconcile Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian majority and Serb minority.
http://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-truth-commission-thaci-conflict-serbs-albanians/28307654.html
A French court has held a hearing on Serbia’s request to extradite former Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.Haradinaj said after the hearing concluded on February 9 that a decision is to be delivered by the court on March 2.
http://www.rferl.org/a/french-court-haradinaj-extradition-kosovo/28300199.html