Thaci: There'll be consequences of "Belgrade's refusal" (Tanjug/B92)
VIENNA -- Serbia's decision "not to approve" his visit to Belgrade is "contrary to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue," Hashim Thaci has said.
"It will certainly have its consequences," Thaci, who serves as Kosovo's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, told the Vienna daily Presse.
Wisner: Belgrade’s threats worrying, their policy, unfortunate (Kosova Press)
International reactions towards the decision of Belgrade to forbid the visit of Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, continue.
Ambassador Frank Wisner, who was also chief negotiator of the U.S. State Department during the Vienna negotiations, gave an extensive statement for Kosova Press, where he condemned Belgrade’s behavior as “an unfortunate example for a lost opportunity to advance the relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia.”
Busek: Arrest warrant on Thaci, political game (KosovaPress)
The former Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Erhard Busek, in an interview for Kosova Press said that given the need to establish normal relations between Kosovo and Serbia, diplomatic games are not very useful. According to him, Serbia's arrest warrant on Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, is a political game. "These are all political games with no future. Serbia should think also about the arrest warrants which have affected the Serbs themselves in the past,” Busek said.
Serbia lost a chance for reconciliation (Gazeta Blic)
Former EU Special Envoy for Kosovo, Wolfgang Petrisch said in an interview for RTK that at the end of the entire created situation on whether the Principal Deputy of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci should go to Belgrade or not, Serbia was the loser.
US official: Kosovo should try its own rebels (AP)
A senior U.S. official says Kosovo must set up a court to try former ethnic Albanian guerrillas for suspected organ-trafficking and the disappearance of hundreds of Serb captives if it wants to avoid Russia and Serbia dealing with the issue at the United Nations.
Stephen Rapp, U.S. Ambassador for War Crimes, made the comments in an interview with Koha Ditore daily on Tuesday. Rapp was in Kosovo to drum up support for the legislation that needs the backing of 81 out of 120 lawmakers, many of whom are former rebels.
Rama-Mustafa-Thaci, working breakfast in Brussels (RTK)
Die Presse: Thaci shakes Serbia again (Reporteri)
The prestigious Austrian daily Die Presse published today analysis on Serbia’s rejection of the visit of Kosovo’s Principal Deputy Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci to Belgrade.
Serbia quashes talk of landmark visit by Kosovo minister (Reuters)
Serbia has informed its former province of Kosovo that Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci will be arrested if he tries to attend a conference in Belgrade this week in what would have been a landmark visit by the former guerrilla commander.
Thaci is invited to a civil society event on regional reconciliation in the Serbian capital on Friday. He had said he hoped to attend.
The prospect put Serbia's government in an awkward spot.