Blair: The strong state resolves the north

• Blair: The strong state resolves the north (dailies)
• Sweden asks Kosovo to fight crime and corruption (dailies)
• Bulgaria pledges support for Kosovo (dailies)
• Cooper in Pristina on Thursday (Epoka e Re)
• Kuçi: Dialogue, after implementation of agreements (Express)
• Stefanovic: We didn’t talk about the Office (dailies)
• EULEX confirms: Asanaj committed suicide (Koha Ditore)
• Meeting of leaders postponed because of Thaçi (dailies)
• Score-settling between gangs in northern Mitrovica (Express)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Blair: The strong state resolves the north (dailies)
Tony Blair, one of the most meritorious political leaders that contributed to the liberation of Kosovo and former British Prime Minister, visited Pristina on Monday. Speaking to students of Pristina universities, Blair stressed the importance of economic development and rule of law. “I know that it is not easy, but it depends on you. The more you develop economically and the more you have the rule of law, the better you will be understood by others,” said Blair who together with US President Clinton decided in 1999 to bomb Milosevic’s former Yugoslavia, to save Albanians from genocide, reports Koha Ditore.

“The stronger the state becomes, the easier it will be to find a solution for this problem (the north)” said Blair “You have to do your work in order to put your country in the best position possible,” he added. “There are still hesitations regarding the independence of Kosovo in the EU, however the majority want an independent state of Kosovo in the EU. I saw that there have been some concrete steps towards getting closer to the EU. Kosovo is doing as much as it can. I think that your way is open,” said Blair.

Blair also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj and the Minister for European Integration, Vlora Çitaku.

Sweden asks Kosovo to fight crime and corruption (dailies)
Swedish Justice Minister Beatrice Ask called on Kosovo institutions to fight crime and corruption and bring perpetrators to justice. “We want to see criminals go to court, appear before judges and problems resolved,” said Ask who was visiting Kosovo to sign a memorandum of understanding on police cooperation and exchange of information to help fight of organized crime.

At the same time, Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said that organized crime, corruption and asylum-seeking form the most difficult criteria for Kosovo’s visa liberalization. However, he added that Kosovo institutions are making efforts in fighting these phenomena.

Bulgaria pledges support for Kosovo (dailies)
In a visit to Bulgaria, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi is reported to have received support from Bulgarian officials and assurances that cooperation will be deepened between the two countries. In a meeting with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevenliev, Thaçi expressed the commitment of Kosovo institutions to follow a Euro-Atlantic integration agenda.

Cooper in Pristina on Thursday (Epoka e Re)
Spokeswoman to the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, Maja Kocijancic, is quoted as saying that the visits of the EU facilitator Robert Cooper to Belgrade and Pristina are aimed at speeding up the process of resuming dialogue that was put on hold because of Serbian elections. Kocijancic said that it is not yet clear who Cooper will meet whilst in Belgrade as the Government of Serbia has not been formed yet but added that the purpose of the visit is known.

Kuçi: Dialogue, after implementation of agreements (Express)
Express reports that the position of the Kosovo Government is that the resumption of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia depends on the implementation of agreements reached in Brussels so far.

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi told Radio Free Europe that Serbia must show readiness to implement the conclusions before dialogue can eventually resume.

“The Kosovo Government will maintain its position. I repeated the same things last week at the meeting with Mr. Cooper, and I believe that more or less the EU has the same position. There must be readiness to implement what has been achieved so far in order to move forward,” Kuçi added.



Stefanovic: We didn’t talk about the Office (dailies)
Several dailies quote Serbia’s chief negotiator in talks with Pristina, Borislav Stefanovic, as saying that the opening of the Kosovo Office in Belgrade was never mentioned during the process of dialogue.

“The opening of the office was never a topic of discussion, not even informally. Something like this was never mentioned by the negotiating team, but even if it were to be mentioned our response would have been very clear,” Stefanovic said.

Stefanovic made these remarks following a statement by Socialist leader Ivica Dacic who said he would not enter a government that accepts the opening of the Kosovo Government’s Office in Belgrade and the opening of Serbia’s office in Pristina.

EULEX confirms: Asanaj committed suicide (Koha Ditore)
“The results of the autopsy do not show anything else except for a suicide.” This is the response of the EULEX legal office regarding the tragic death of the chief of the Kosovo Privatization Agency, Dino Asanaj, four days ago. Koha Ditore reports that official sources claimed that the forensics report for this case is not finalized yet. “A EULEX doctor was part of the commission that did the autopsy. The autopsy took place in the presence of one EULEX and one local prosecutor. The findings of the autopsy do not show anything else but suicide,” says the short statement of the EULEX Spokesperson Blerim Krasniqi, given to Top Channel. The prosecutor of this case, Blerim Jusufaj, said that investigations are ongoing.

Meeting of leaders postponed because of Thaçi (dailies)
Papers report that the scheduled meeting of political party leaders on election reform failed yet again due to the absence of PDK leader and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi. Chairman of the commission on election reform Haki Demolli said the next meeting is set to take place on 21 June but did not rule out the possibility of this one also not going ahead. “It may happen that one of the leaders doesn’t show up,” Demolli said.

Score-settling between gangs in northern Mitrovica (Express)
Express reports that two kiosks were burned last night in northern Mitrovica as a result of score-settling between gangs. “This is a result of disagreements and clashes between Serbs who have come to live in northern Mitrovica and locals in Zvecan,” unnamed sources told Kosovapress.

Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page
• Blair: The strong state resolves the north
• Sweden calls on Kosovo to combat crime and corruption

Other headlines
• Viti mayor investigated for €60,000 (2)
• Thaçi responsible for failure of meeting on election reforms (2)
• Italian soldier believed to have killed himself accidentally (2)
• Bulgaria committed to help Kosovo (3)
• OSCE trains police officers on witness protection (4)
• EULEX confirms: Asanaj committed suicide (5)
• Serbian courts discriminate Albanians (5)

Zëri

Front page
• The façade of elections reform
• Blair: Kosovo’s road toward the EU is open
• No date for visa-free movement
• Zhugolli admits
• Xharra: Patriotism over propaganda

Other headlines
• Kosovo’s future is in the EU (2)
• EULEX: Asanaj committed suicide (4)
• Dick Marty will testify in September (5)

Kosova Sot

Front page
• Muja: Minister Lila’s decision has elements of corruption
• Editorial: The cement of millions
• Kosovo’s friend Tony Blair: Strengthen state-building
• Marty did not testify in Medicus case

Other headlines
• Rexhepi promises the fulfillment of 95 criteria (2)
• Stefanovic denies opening of the office was mentioned during talks (2)
• Political talks with Serbia should be conditioned with recognition (2)
• The assembly grows weak (3)
• Thaçi visits Bulgaria (4)
• EC fact-finding mission in Pristina (4)
• UNMIK regulation better than Kosovar law (5)
• Meeting of leaders fails again (5)


Epoka e Re

Front page
• Appreciation and message
• Mayor of all
• The meeting of the leaders postponed, because of Thaçi
• Kosovo on a good path to develop

Other headlines
• Cooper in Pristina on Thursday (2)
• Stefanovic: Opening of the offices was not discussed in the dialogue (2)
• Albania allocates means to lobby for Kosovo (2)
• Jahjaga and Thaçi express condolences to the King of Saudi Arabia (2)
• No one knows the date of visa liberalization (3)
• EC fact finding mission is in Kosovo (3)
• Blair, symbol of faith, optimism and hope (5)
• Draft law on conclusion of supervised independence ready (7)

Express

Front page
• Become strong
• EULEX: Dino committed a suicide
• 200 companies blocked

Other headlines
• Ban Ki-moon: Global movement is already a success (2)
• Stefanovic: We did not discuss the office (2)
• Delayed again (4)
• It is Assembly Speaker’s turn (5)
• Funds for recognition (5)
• Kuçi: Dialogue after implementation of the agreements (6)
• Cooper returns (6)
• Sweden values progress in Kosovo (7)
• Score-settling between gangs in northern Mitrovica (9)

Bota Sot

Front page
• Blair: Strengthen your state
• LDK chants: Kaçanik, damn you!
• PM Thaçi thanks Bulgaria for recognizing Kosovo

Other headlines
• Hoxhaj: Blair, symbol of trust, optimism and faith (2)
• EULEX confirms Asanaj committed suicide (2)
• Action for closing of illegal roads in the north hailed (2)
• Cooper in Belgrade and Pristina (3)
• President Jahjaga returns from US visit (7)
• EC fact-finding mission in Kosovo (7)
• Kosovo should not be a shelter for criminals (7)