Davenport: No pause in dialogue

• Davenport: No pause in dialogue (Epoka e Re)
• Stefanovic: Nikolic playing with ‘troubles’ of Kosovo Serbs (dailies)
• The end of UNMIK is being negotiated (Zëri)
• See you in 2016 (Express)
• Mesic: Serbia should cooperate with Kosovo (Express)
• 134th anniversary of Prizren League celebrated on Sunday (dailies)


Kosovo Media Highlights


Davenport: No pause in dialogue (Epoka e Re)
Epoka e Re quotes British Ambassador to Belgrade Michael Davenport as saying that the key to Serbia’s further progress toward the European Union is to improve relations with Kosovo and that Belgrade is expected to have an active role in this respect. “It should be clear that there will be no pause in dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Any doubt whether Serbia will continue dialogue, will contribute to uncertainty. The sooner we have signs of Belgrade’s engagement in dialogue, the better it will be. Increased tensions in Kosovo don’t serve anyone’s interests,” Davenport said. “The European Council in December last year and in March this presented the expectations among which key is dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.”

Stefanovic: Nikolic playing with ‘troubles’ of Kosovo Serbs (dailies)
Head of the Serbian delegation in talks with Kosovo Borislav Stefanovic said for the Belgrade paper Blic that the new Serb President Tomislav Nikolic is playing with the Kosovo Serbs by launching political slogans, mystifying and revealing certain “secret agreements” with Pristina. Stefanovic said there are no secret agreements between Belgrade and Pristina and all deals have been approved by the Government of Serbia.

The end of UNMIK is being negotiated (Zëri)
The Government of Kosovo, International Civilian Office and UNMIK are working in joint commissions for the UNMIK files in the north to be handed over to the Kosovo Administrative Office. The latter is not completely functional, since it is expecting nomination of the staff, and both Serbs and Albanians expressed interest for the positions. Nevertheless, the decision of the Government has induced negotiations for conclusion of the UNMIK executive presence in the north.

Asked about this issue, UNMIK Spokesperson in Pristina, Olivier Salgado, stated that it is too early to respond to these questions while Kosovo Minister for European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, said that they are already discussing taking over of the documentation with which UNMIK worked, from the time when chief administrator Michael Steiner opened this office. “What I can confirm is that there is a joint coordinating body, where representatives of ICO, Government of the Republic of Kosovo and UNMIK participate on handing over of the data, files, etc.” she said.

See you in 2016 (Express)
Express quotes sources in saying that the Kosovo Constitutional Court is expected to conclude that the shortening of the present mandate of the president is in contradiction with the Constitution. This enables Atifete Jahjaga to remain in her post until 2016, writes the paper. PDK says it will respect the decision while LDK requests Jahjaga to stick to the earlier agreement.

The head of PDK parliamentary group, Adem Grabovci, said that the President has the right to request all the rights entitled to her through the Constitution. “We have an agreement between political parties, but we also have Constitution which obliges us to respect it. The President has the right to respect all of her rights and we welcome the action of the President,” said Grabovci on Sunday for Express.

However, the deputy leader of LDK, Haki Rugova, said that regardless of the court’s decision, the current president should respect the agreement based on which she came to power.

International sources told the newspaper that the failure of the leaders to implement the agreement for presidential elections within the foreseen timeframe has led to the agreement ceasing to exist anymore. “Consequently, the Agreement has ceased to exist. Internationals have given guarantees only for six months and now at this phase they are only witnesses of the process and nothing more”, said an EU diplomat.

Mesic: Serbia should cooperate with Kosovo (Express)
Express reports that former Croatian President, Stjepan Mesic, said that Serb President, Tomislav Nikolic, should “free himself a little bit from the past”. While talking about the stances of Nikolic on Kosovo, Mesic said that he knows that Serbia will never recognize independence of Kosovo but added that Serbia has to act like other states in the region. “I know that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo as a state, but Serbia has to act like other states in the region, it should cooperate with Kosovo”, said Mesic. He noted that Serbia should open its borders with Kosovo while, according to him, the future is not in changing of borders but in opening them.

134th anniversary of Prizren League celebrated on Sunday (dailies)
Papers report that many activities were organised to mark the 134th anniversary of the League of Prizren, considered to be of great historic value for Albanian people. Senior government officials from Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia took part in the celebrations in Prizren where Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi said that integration of Albanians is an unstoppable process especially in face of recent developments like the construction of the motorway between Kosovo and Albania and drafting of the joint ABC book, all of which are enabling “cultural, historic unification”.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha noted that the Prizren League reaffirmed the “one nation – one stance” concept and he called on Albanians in the Balkans to build a joint future free of prejudices. “Let us try together to build a future that our people want, a European future as the most excellent future of Albanians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs and all other residents of this peninsula,” said Berisha in Prizren.


Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page
• The powerful players of Kosovo institutions
• Mustafa says Sejdiu visited his friends, not the LDK branch
• Offer for investments in Distribution can change the minds of political parties

Other headlines
• National unification, an unstoppable process (2)
• Topi: National unification in the European Union (2)
• Stefanovic: Nikolic is playing with “problems” of Kosovo Serbs (4)
• Palokaj: The roadmap (10)

Zëri

Front page
• The end of UNMIK is negotiated
• Sejdiu visits friends, not the branch
• Jeremic’s election, a victory for Moscow
• Anti-Albanian phobia should be removed

Other headlines
• Serbia must cooperate with Kosovo (2)
• Krasniqi visits Estonia (2)
• Albanians to be united in Brussels (2)
• Jahjaga was there (4)
• Nikolic’s policy is wrong (4)
• War crimes suspect arrested in Rome (8)

Kosova Sot

Front page
• Jahjaga in the post of president until the end of mandate
• Editorial: Some ministers must leave
• No increased employment without economic development

Other headlines
• Topi: National unification in Brussels (4)
• Mesic: Nikolic to cooperate with Kosovo (4)
• Davenport: There will be no pause in dialogue (4)
• Together we will build the European future (4)

Epoka e Re

Front page
• Connection of the nation
• Proud with the police
• Convinced on victory
• Naser Rugova supports Isa

Other headlines
• Davenport: There is no pause on dialogue (2)
• Mesic: Serbia should act with Kosovo as other countries of the region (2)
• Assembly Speaker Krasniqi visiting Estonia (3)
• US army donates 8 million euros to QKUK (6)
• Diaspora unites Albanians (6)
• Kurteshi criticizes the justice system (7)
• Neighboring countries boycott Nikolic (11)

Express

Front page
• See you in 2016
• Murat’s questionnaire
• Shoots Sejdiu

Other headlines
• Kërquki: President is right (2)
• Who with whom and for what? (2)
• Mesic: Serbia should cooperate with Kosovo (3)
• Condolences to Ukraine (5)
• Open agreements (5)
• Continue with dialogue (6)
• Accept the reality (6)
• Political boards (10)

Bota Sot

Front page
• Sentenced by Supreme Court, are not being arrested by the Police
• Berisha: Thank you Kosovo for the enlightened men you gave your nation

Other headlines
• Topi: National union will be achieved in Brussels (2)
• Isa Mustafa answers to Fatmir Sejdiu (3)
• A big day for all Albanians (4)
• 12 Vetëvendosje activists arrested in Prizren (4)
• US Army donates €8 million to Kosovo University Clinical Centre (7)