KFOR increases readiness following grenade attack

• KFOR increases readiness following grenade attack (Koha Ditore)
• Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
• EU aims dialogue with leaders (Koha Ditore)
• Tahiri: EU to show understanding (Epoka e Re)
• Fitou supports Pristina (Express)
• Thaçi requests the help of Bulgaria for joining EBRD and UNESCO (dailies)
• EU fact-finding mission arrives to Kosovo (dailies)
• Kosovo has not applied for membership in OIC (Koha Ditore)


Kosovo Media Highlights


KFOR increases readiness following grenade attack (Koha Ditore)
After the attack with hand grenades at the border point in Bërnjak, which is at the same time a KFOR improvised base, KFOR has reinforced the number of soldiers and has increased readiness level to its highest point, newspaper sources said. KFOR has also raised its state of readiness at the border point G1 in Jarinje.

The attack against KFOR base has been condemned by the Kosovo President, Atifete Jahjaga and EU mission for the rule of law. EULEX evaluated this attack as an attack against international community. “These cowardly attacks will not shake international community, including KFOR and EULEX, from its work and engagement,” reads a statement issued by EULEX.

Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is planning a visit to the region. Sources from New York have explained that the Secretary-General is planning to stay in the Balkans for a week from 19 to 26 July. According to sources, Ban will also stay in Kosovo on 24 July.

The visit has not yet been confirmed by the spokesman of the UN Secretary-General. “For the moment we cannot say anything about this,” said one of the spokespersons. However, according to the framework of the agenda the paper claims to have seen, the UN Secretary-General will visit seven states of the region while the visit to Belgrade and Pristina has been planned within one day.

Sources of the newspaper have explained that the UN Secretary-General will urge maintaining stability in the Balkans.

The newspaper could not get a stance from Kosovo Government in connection with the level of the representatives who would receive the UN Secretary-General and it was also impossible for the paper to get a stance from UNMIK in connection with the visit.

EU aims dialogue with leaders (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that European Union is optimistic about the possibility of a meeting between Kosovo and Serbia heads of states, Atifete Jahjaga and Tomislav Nikolic. Senior international officials told to the newspaper that plans are underway in Brussels to organise such a meeting for advancing the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia from the technical to high level.

The possibility of a meeting at the level of prime ministers is also not ruled out but a Jahjaga-Nikolic meeting is considered to be more plausible.

EU facilitator Robert Cooper is expected to explain in details the plans for the future during his visits to Belgrade and Pristina. “Mr. Cooper will meet in Belgrade with the team of Mr. Nikolic to give a detailed explanation about the achieved agreements. Mr. Nikolic said that he is ready to implement the conclusions, but he requests additional explanations and Cooper will send them,” said to the newspaper one official close to the facilitator’s team.

Tahiri: EU to show understanding (Epoka e Re)
In an interview for the paper, chief of Kosovo negotiating team Edita Tahiri reiterated that the Government of Kosovo is determined not to continue dialogue with Serbia without implementation of agreements reached in Brussels. She said the EU should show understanding for the Kosovo’s position on the resumption of dialogue. “At the same time, we as a party, have implemented all obligations set out in the implementation plans on which we agreed in Brussels,” added Tahiri.

“I think it should be clear to the EU that implementation of agreements is key to success of all the efforts in the dialogue for finding solution to practical issues that burden relations between two independent countries,” said Tahiri further.

She once again ruled out the possibility of a political dialogue with Belgrade saying the political issues were discussed in Rambouillet peace conference and Vienna talks and on both occasions it was Serbia that failed to reach agreement. “Therefore, political topics are a closed chapter,” Tahiri stressed.

Fitou supports Pristina (Express)
Express reports that the French Ambassador in Kosovo, Jean Francois Fitou, has supported Kosovar side in conditioning Serbia with implementation of the achieved agreements in Brussels for the continuation of the dialogue. He said these are normal stances, while he emphasized that Serbia cannot make misinterpretations.

Thaçi requests the help of Bulgaria for joining EBRD and UNESCO (dailies)
Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, in the second day of the official visit to Bulgaria, has been welcomed by his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov. The meeting focused on bilateral relations between Kosovo and Bulgaria, economic cooperation and European perspective of Kosovo and the region.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Thaçi requested support of Government of Bulgaria for Kosovo’s membership in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and UNESCO.

Express on the front page writes that the issue of the north has also been treated during the visit of Prime Minister Thaçi in Bulgaria. During a lecture in the Atlantic Club, PM Thaçi unveiled plans for integration of this part of the country, while rejecting autonomy and division.

EU fact-finding mission arrives to Kosovo (dailies)
A team of twenty European Union experts is in Kosovo to verify the questions local institutions provided in the questionnaire for the launch of feasibility study. “The aim of this mission is to get a deeper understanding and clarify issues of importance to Kosovo for carrying on towards the process of stabilization and association,” said head of the delegation Lawrence Meredith. He added that the team consists of experts from the relevant fields such as public administration, tax, customs, agriculture, and transport.

Kosovo has not applied for membership in OIC (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied reports that Kosovo Government has presented a request for membership of the state in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Advisor of the Foreign Minister, Artan Behrami stated that Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi during a meeting with OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has requested the support from this organization but did not request Kosovo to become member.

According to Behrami, this has to do with the fact that there are criteria which are needed to be fulfilled from the states that wish to become OIC members. “Until today Kosovo has not applied for membership in IOC. The statute of this organization does not allow the membership of countries that are not UN members”, said Behrami.

Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page
• EU aims to secure a dialogue of leaders
• Dino Asanaj’s suicide, third in his family

Other headlines
• UP’s payment for the prize confirmed (2)
• KFOR steps up readiness following bomb attack (3)
• Ban Ki-moon expected to visit Kosovo (3)
• Kosovo has not applied for OIC membership (3)
• “Soldiers” waiting for new arms and uniforms (4)
• Constitutional Court doesn’t return to retrial Kiçina case (5)
• Belgrade not to stop funding structures in the north (5)
• Thaçi asks for Bulgaria’s help for joining EBRD and UNESCO (5)
• Government to set up new department for repatriated persons (6)
• Kidney recipients view Medicus doctors as ‘angels’ (7)
• Nekibe Kelmendi, special value to political, national and humane heritage (7)
• MPs pledge to review cement tax (9)

Kosova Sot

Front page
• Saliuka’s court with over 54,000 unresolved cases
• €130,000 for kidney transplant
• Grenade attack, one KFOR soldier wounded
• Ready for the army
• Justice Ministry, irregularities in tenders
• Editorial: Dusty Pristina

Other headlines
• Border crossing at Bërnjak opened (2)
• Fact finders inspect Kosovo (3)
• Over 800 Kosovars have received protected status in EU (4)
• Fitou asks Belgrade to implement agreements (4)
• Brussels sets three conditions to Serbia for EU accession (4)
• Constitutional Court rejects appeal of defendants in Kiçina case (9)

Epoka e Re

Front page
• EU to show understanding
• Thaçi: No special status for the north
• KFOR attacked with hand grenades
• Questionnaire, light at the end of the tunnel

Other headlines
• Bulgaria continues support for Kosovo (2)
• NDI has developed Kosovo Assembly (2)
• Hungary controls Kosovo air space (2)
• Kosovo is marking progress in the European agenda (3)
• Government is creating possibilities for communities (7)
• Gracanica and Lipjan with new centre for the registration of businesses (9)

Express

Front page
• Question for the north
• The victims of labour

Other headlines
• Bogdanovic: We will finance the north (4)
• MacShane: Kosovo is not less corrupted than Serbia (5)
• They verify them (5)
• Cooper delivers the conclusions in Belgrade (6)
• They are conditioned with Kosovo (6)
• Fitou supports Pristina (6)
• Situation in Bërnjak normalized (8)
• Government condemns the attack in Bërnjak (8)
• LDK condemns attack against KFOR soldiers (8)

Bota Sot

Front page
• Serbs throw bombs at KFOR, one soldier wounded
• Roadmap, a light at the end of tunnel towards Europe

Other headlines
• Bulgaria supports Kosovo’s European perspective (3)
• Fitou: Kosovo should be a condition for Serbia’s integration (3)
• Constitutional Court leaves in force decision on Kiçina case (7)