Coordination for the north

• Coordination for the north (Express)
• EU against use of force in the north (Zëri)
• Government has two weeks to wield authority in the north (Koha)
• Thaçi: We won’t allow Serbian elections in Kosovo! (Zëri)
• Kuçi: Dialogue with Serbs, after criminals are removed from the north (dailies)
• KFOR will not allow riots (Koha)
• KFOR: We didn’t control ROSU (dailies)
• Serbs block three Albanian villages in Leposavic (dailies)
• PDK initiates extraordinary assembly session on the north (dailies)
• Kurti writes to 27 EU member states on Mitrovica (dailies)
• Mitrovica youth protest against EULEX (dailies)

Kosovo Media Highlights


Coordination for the north (Express)
Expressreports that Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi discussed yesterday the latest developments in northern Kosovo with international representatives and an agreement was reached to use coordinated actions for establishing law and order in the north. Thaçi met in his office on Friday with COMKFOR Erhard Drews, EULEX deputy chief Andrew Sparkes, EU special representative Samuel Zbogar and U.S. Deputy Ambassador Michael Murphy. A press release issued by the government said that all participants condemned the terrorist act that killed Selver Haradinaj in Mitrovica last week and that all agreed for a coordinated engagement in northern Kosovo.

EU against use of force in the north (Zëri)
In an interview for Zëri, EU Representative in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar said he does not support the warning of the Kosovo Government to deploy special police units (ROSU) in northern Kosovo, adding that he doesn’t support any use of force to establish law and order in that part of Kosovo. On behalf of the European Union, Zbogar said the situation in the “rebelled” north must be solved through dialogue and compromise between the parties, regardless of the time that it will require.

“Violence is not the solution. We in the European Union believe in dialogue and compromise. This is the way we want to solve the situation in the north. This could take more time but it is more sustainable,” Zbogar said.
Meanwhile, representatives of Kosovo institutions are not ruling out the possibility of deploying ROSU units to the north, arguing that when the country’s territorial integrity is at stake the use of force is granted by the Constitution of Kosovo. “The moment that the Government of Kosovo makes the decision, no one can stop ROSU, and no one should think they can,” Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi was quoted as saying.

Representatives of the opposition said they don’t approve of Zbogar’s statement for not using force against Serb extremists. They added that in all EU member states, extremism is fought with police forces.

Government has two weeks to wield authority in the north (Koha)
Koha Ditore reports on the front page that the parliamentary committee on internal affairs, which met on Friday to discuss the security situation in the country, has set a two-week deadline for the Ministry of Interior Affairs to carry out the mission of establishing law and order throughout Kosovo. The committee, which met after a recent killing and other incidents in northern Mitrovica, called on the MIA and Kosovo Police to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the security situation and to act accordingly by using all constitutional and legal means. In carrying out this mission, the MIA was suggested to cooperate and coordinate with all other mechanisms in charge of security in Kosovo, as in several cases according to the MPs cooperation with international military and police stakeholders – KFOR and EULEX – was not at the right level. MPs also called on the government to implement concrete actions for securing the lives of people, properties and freedom of movement in the municipalities of Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan and northern Mitrovica in order to prevent individuals from taking the laws in their own hands.

Thaçi: We won’t allow Serbian elections in Kosovo! (Zëri)
In the first government meeting after his return from the U.S., Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi said in meetings with senior U.S. officials he received guarantees that Serbia cannot hold elections in Kosovo. Thaçi also said he received strong support from the U.S. administration for concluding the process of supervised independence and for safeguarding the sovereignty of the country.

Kuçi: Dialogue with Serbs, after criminals are removed from the north (dailies)
Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi told reporters on Friday that the Government of Kosovo would not enter a process of dialogue on the north with local Serbs as long as that region is controlled by criminals. Kuçi said that those who are keeping the north hostage represent a threat to anyone that would cooperate with the government.
“The main problem is that neither the government nor the international community has access there. In that area, citizens are usurped by a group of criminals and any outreach with the Kosovo Government without removing those usurpers would constitute a threat to the citizens who want to cooperate with us,” Kuçi said. “Therefore, we must establish law and order and create opportunities for people to think and act freely”.
Kuçi directly accused internationals for lack of action in the north. “We have constantly insisted and we call on KFOR and EULEX to be more active. I think KFOR and EULEX failed in providing greater security to the citizens,” he added.

KFOR will not allow riots (Koha)
The paper reports that KFOR has received instructions from NATO to use all means necessary in order to prevent riots in the northern part of Mitrovica. The content of the instructions was also sent to Kosovo institutions who were advised not to use the killing of Selver Haradinaj to raise tensions in the north. “It was made clear to us that KFOR will protect the civilian population and will not hesitate to prevent riots similar to the ones in 2004,” a senior member of Kosovo institutions told the paper.

KFOR: We didn’t control ROSU (dailies)
All dailies report that KFOR has denied media reports from Friday according to which KFOR troops monitored the headquarters of Kosovo Police special units (ROSU) in Mitrovica. “This week there were two inaccurate reports in Kosovo media. There was also a third inaccurate report on Friday concerning our relations with Kosovo Police,” said KFOR spokesman Uwe Nowicki, adding that KFOR never saw it necessary to control or monitor Kosovo Police. “Such rumors only serve to undermine our close partnership with Kosovo Police,” he added.

Serbs block three Albanian villages in Leposavic (dailies)
All dailies report that on Friday morning groups of Serbs have built barricades on the road leading to the three Albanian villages in Leposavic municipality. Haki Imeri, representative of the three villages, and Kosovo Police in Mitrovica confirmed the information. Sources told Koha Ditore that the Serb crisis centre in northern Kosovo issued the order to block the road claiming that it could be used by members of ROSU, KFOR and EULEX.

PDK initiates extraordinary assembly session on the north (dailies)
The ruling Kosovo Democratic Party (PDK) has collected the required number of signatures from MPs for an extraordinary session of the Kosovo Assembly that will discuss the security situation in the north. Adem Grabovci, head of the PDK parliamentary group, confirmed the information to the media, saying that other political parties have supported the PDK’s initiative. Grabovci said he expects the extraordinary session, which will most likely be held on Wednesday, to adopt a resolution that will reflect the assembly debate. Koha Ditore notes that earlier in the week, Vetëvendosje failed to collect the necessary signatures as some parliamentary parties argued that an extraordinary session would be meaningless without the presence of Prime Minister Thaçi who was abroad at the time.

Kurti writes to 27 EU member states on Mitrovica (dailies)
Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti, who also chairs the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, has wrote a letter to 27 EU foreign ministers about the arrests of Albanians by Serbia and the recent terrorist act in northern Mitrovica where an Albanian was killed and his children suffered injuries. Kurti notes in his letter that Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic admitted that the arrests were an act of revenge for the arrest of four Serbs in Kosovo who were caught with material for Serbian elections. “It is clear that the motives are purely political and that the arrests represent a grave violation of human rights,” Kurti wrote, adding that the foreign ministers should use their influence for the immediate release of Albanians who were arrested by Serbian authorities last month.

Mitrovica youth protest against EULEX (dailies)
Around 40 youth, members of the Youth Action Local Council in Mitrovica, have protested on Friday in front of EULEX headquarters in Mitrovica. The protest was a sign of dissatisfaction with the work of the EU mission. Protesters held banners saying “EULEX do your job or go home”, “Shame on you for caressing criminals in the north”, and other slogans.