Anti-media articles to be removed from the Penal Code

• Anti-media articles to be removed from the Penal Code (dailies)
• Assembly legitimized selling of the Distribution (Koha)
• AKR threatens (Epoka e Re)
• Krasniqi doubts that Asanaj committed suicide (Zëri)
• Charges against Bujar Bukoshi (Koha)
• Prosecution investigates beating among the deputies (Koha)
• Kosovo Serbs MPs criticize the police intervention (Zëri)
• Ristic calls on Serbs to burn Kosovo ID cards (Koha)
• Northerners complain (Express)
• AAK alarms: €5 million were misused in census process (dailies)
• Pensioners announce massive protests (Koha)
• Serbia does not attend Croatia summit because of Kosovo (dailies)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Anti-media articles to be removed from the Penal Code (dailies)
All dailies report that the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday adopted the bill to annul articles 37, 38 and 39 from the Penal Code of Kosovo. Koha Ditore reports on the front page that the parliamentary group of the Kosovo Democratic Party (PDK) managed to get the support of opposition parties to include the bill for voting with urgency. All parliamentary groups agreed to remove the three disputed articles from the code. The paper further notes that the process will determine the return of Hajredin Kuçi to the government posts he held until June 22nd when he resigned.

Assembly legitimized selling of the Distribution (Koha)
Deputies of the opposition did not manage to impede privatization of KEK Distribution, on Thursday. The motion of the opposition to stop the process of the privatization of Distribution and Supply, could not gain the support of the majority. The motion was raised after a long debate between the opposition and the Government during the motion of the Minister for Economic Development Besim Beqaj.

AKR threatens (Epoka e Re)
The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the New Kosovo (AKR) have reiterated their position that the political agreement reached between the three leaders, Hashim Thaçi, Isa Mustafa and Behxhet Pacolli on the nomination of Atifete Jahjaga for the President, should be respected. They also stress that this agreement was also approved through a resolution at the Assembly, therefore it should be respected. LDK general secretary, Ismet Beqiri, said that despite the decision of the Constitutional Court, this party does not change its position for the respecting of the agreement. AKR general secretary Ibrahim Makilli, on the other hand stated that the agreements should be fully implemented, other wise AKR will reconsider its position towards the participation at the bodies created as a result of this agreement.

Krasniqi doubts that Asanaj committed suicide (Zëri)
Florin Krasniqi, chairman of the parliamentary committee for oversight on the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, told Radio Dukagjini that he doubts Dino Asanaj, former head of the Kosovo Privatization Agency, committed suicide. “It can be a homicide, because no one commits suicide by stabbing oneself 11 times,” he said.

Krasniqi argued against the request for FBI to conduct investigations into the matter because according to him except in the US, the FBI did not resolve any other case in other country. Krasniqi, who is a US national, said there were dozens of cases when the FBI was used by corrupt governments throughout the world. He said he doubts the FBI will be able to shed light on circumstances surrounding Asanaj’s death.

Charges against Bujar Bukoshi (Koha)
From Thursday, one of Deputy Prime Minister is accused for several crimes. The Special Prosecution of Kosovo has raised charges against Bujar Bukoshi, responsible for the social issues at the Government, for serious penal acts that are related to his several-month work as the Minister of Health. Koha Ditore has learned that the English prosecutor, Maria Bamieh has finalized the investigations on Thursday, to raise charges against Bujar Bukoshi, Ilir Tolaj, Arbenita Pajaziti, Nexhat Shabani, Imet Hyseni, Hajrullah Fejza, Zenel Kuçi, Bekim Fusha, Alban Thaçi, Basri Asllani and Imer Ajeti, for the abuse of the official position or authority, abuse during the commence of duties, abuse of economic authorizations, signing of harmful contracts, production of illegal court decisions for Nexhat Shabani and Ilir Tolaj, requesting bribe, attempt to receive bribe, fiscal evasion and impeding taking of evidence.

Prosecution investigates beating among the deputies (Koha)
Based on its sources at the Municipal Prosecution of Pristina, Koha Ditore reports that that al the recordings of the camera established at the entrances of the Kosovo Assembly building are taken, and that they show clearly the entire flow of the fight between the deputies of Vetëvendosje and those of the Democratic Party of Kosovo. However, this Prosecution has not interviewed the individuals involved in this conflict, Rexhep Selimi and Florin Krasniqi from Vetëvendosje and Latif Gashi and BEkim Haxhiu from PDK.

Kosovo Serbs MPs criticize the police intervention (Zëri)
Petar Miletic, deputy speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, and MP Rada Trajkovic, criticized the Kosovo Police’s intervention against Serb pilgrims who came to Kosovo last week from Serbia to mark Vidovdan. Miletic and Trajkovic argued that the police action was unprofessional, based on perceptions of ethnic hatred, with nationalistic emotions and interethnic and religious hatred.

Ristic calls on Serbs to burn Kosovo ID cards (Koha)
Slavisa Ristic, so-called mayor of Zubin Potok municipality, called on advisors and leaders of the northern municipalities to do everything in their power so that by September Serbs can give up on salaries or pensions that they receive from the Kosovo budget. At a joint meeting of the four illegal municipalities, Ristic said Serbs should burn Kosovo ID cards because they are more dangerous than NATO firearms. “If we don’t do something about this, I fear we will no longer be citizens of Serbia. By autumn, we must either give up on those quasi-privileges or we will cease existing,” Ristic added.

Northerners complain (Express)
The illegal head of Mitrovica municipality, Krstimir Pantic, stated that Serbs are not pleased with the work of UNMIK in Mitrovica, since during the recent months, they are illegally and in a violent manner distributing parcels to Albanians, that have never lived in the northern part of Mitrovica. According to him, they are building houses by force and trying to put the Bosniacka Mahalla under control. Pantic’s message for EULEX was that the municipality and the Republic of Serbia will offer the entire judicial help for the citizens of the Province, that have been falsely accused by the courts controlled from the so-called Government of Kosovo, and whose instructions are implementing the judges and prosecutors of EULEX.

AAK alarms: €5 million were misused in census process (dailies)
Several dailies report that representatives of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) said yesterday that the census process in Kosovo is a failure and that the Government misused €5 million during the process. Melihate Tërmkolli, member of the AAK chairmanship, called on Thursday for an auditing of the census process. Tërmkolli also criticized the Kosovo Statistic Institute for failing to publish the preliminary results of the census since June last year.

Pensioners announce massive protests (Koha)
Representatives of the Coalition of Kosovo Pensioners said on Thursday they would organize massive protests if members of the Kosovo Assembly vote without any changes the bill on state-financed pension schemes, Koha Ditore reports.

Sahit Dragaj, chairman of the Kosovo Pensioners Party, said he personally requested the resignation of Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nenad Risic because he is failing to meet his obligations. Dragaj also said the bill is very discriminatory for the pensioners and “it needs to be thrown in a garbage can”.

“It is a very discriminating law, it’s a shame. We will never accept it. The bill does not regulate categorization or invalid pension,” Dragaj added.

Serbia does not attend Croatia summit because of Kosovo (dailies)
Dailies report that the Croatian Government will host the seventh international conference Croatia Summit 2012 on 6-7 July in Dubrovnik. In attendance will be prime ministers and foreign ministers of European countries, North America and the Southern Mediterranean. Serbia will reportedly boycott the summit because of the presence of Kosovo’s Prime Minister.

Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page
• Anti-media articles to be removed from the Penal Code
• Prosecution investigates brawl between MPs
• MPs call for accountability for oil entering Kosovo
• Pensioners announce massive protests
• Assembly legitimizes selling of Distribution
• Charges against Bujar Bukoshi

Other headlines
• VV and PDK from fists to verbal clashes (3)
• Pacolli wants to turn northern Kosovo into Dubai (4)
• Council of Europe has yet to discuss Kosovo membership (4)
• Ristic calls on Serbs to burn Kosovo ID cards (4)
• Serbia does not attend Croatia summit because of Kosovo (4)

Zëri

Front page
• The floor of accusations
• AAK alarms: €5 million were misused during census
• The government in a bunker!
• Added detention for Mustafi

Other headlines
• Jahjaga with a full mandate (2)
• Pressure to continue talks (2)
• Kosovo is not admitted in the Council of Europe (2)
• Serb MPs criticize Kosovo Police (2)
• Jahjaga: Agreement with IMF must be respected (4)
• Kosovo attends regional summit in Croatia (4)
• Florin Krasniqi doubts that Asanaj committed suicide (8)

Kosova Sot

Front page
• Failed attempt to block privatization of KEK
• Editorial: Much ado about nothing
• The code will be corrected
• FBI, first at the site

Other headlines
• Constitutional Court votes in favor of full mandate for Jahjaga (2)
• Serb MPs call for investigations into police action on Vidovdan (2)
• They don’t regret the brawl (3)
• AAK calls for auditing of census process (4)
• The mood for the north (4)
• Kosovo attends Dubrovnik summit (4)
• Kurti: Sold out people can sell KEK (5)



Epoka e Re

Front page
• AKR threatens
• Thaçi says to Kurti: Your own father cannot control you
• Pacolli ready for dialogue with Serbs in the north

Other headlines
• Marnack: Kosovo institutions will have more competencies (2)
• Jagland: There were no discussions for Kosovo’s acceptance at EC (2)
• Stefanovic: There is agreement to discuss the north (2)
• Serbia boycotts summit because of Kosovo (2)
• Haxhiu and Selimi argue about the fight (3)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is being careful with the budget (4)
• Way for Kuçi’s return, opened (6)
• Rebut Tërmkolli (7)

Express

Front page
• Articles fail
• Rector confesses
• FBI avoids EULEX

Other headlines
• Mushkolaj: Faith no more (2)
• Northerners complain (4)
• Kosovo in Dubrovnik (5)
• Pacolli’s Emirate (5)
• Ready for the north (6)
• We have not discussed membership (6)
• Tërmkolli: Auditing for census (6)
• Pristina does not stand good either (9)
• Pensioners’ appeal (10)

Bota Sot

Front page
• The “three fat boxers” of Kosovo
• Close your ears, deputies of Kosovo Assembly are swearing
• Pacolli: The Government of Kosovo has a plan for the north

Other headlines
• Philip Reeker requests guarantees for the agreements with Kosovo (3)
• Criteria on visas, in two months (4)
• Serbia leaves another summit because of Kosovo (4)
• Ramponi: Ready to help integration of Kosovo (7)
• US helps customs and border control (6)