Nikolic to Jahjaga: Accept that you will never govern the north

• Nikolic to Jahjaga: Accept that you will never govern the north (Koha)
• Thaçi refutes Nikolic’s statements (Zëri)
• Stefanovic: Ahtisaari’s word carries weight (dailies)
• Kuçi: Serbia not to interfere in Kosovo’s internal affairs (Kosova Sot)
• Serbia to accept Pristina’s office in Belgrade (Kosova Sot)
• Serwer: Let us wait for Serbia (Express)
• Ferati: Political Dialogue for the north, dangerous (Epoka e Re)
• Mustafa feels deceived by Thaçi and Pacolli (Epoka e Re)
• UNMIK and EULEX hinder privatisation (Kosova Sot, Bota Sot)
• Gallucci’s Proposal (dailies)
• Pristina hopes on EU pressure to Belgrade for release of Haliti (Koha Ditore)


Kosovo Media Highlights


Nikolic to Jahjaga: Accept that you will never govern the north (Koha)
The President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, warned that Serbs in Kosovo are living under the threat of genocide and that any attempt to impose “the governance of Pristina authorities could cause exodus of Serbs.”

“What if the Serbs move out. Who will accept the results of such genocide? That is one of the definitions of genocide: when you expel 40,000 people, regardless of whether they are women, men, [civilians or] soldiers, and when you change the ethnic composition of the territory. That is genocide,” said Nikolic in an interview for the British daily, The Guardian.

He warned that his position in the Pristina-Belgrade negotiations will be stronger than that of his predecessor and called on Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga to admit that she will never govern the northern part of Mitrovica.

Thaçi refutes Nikolic’s statements (Zëri)
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, has refuted statements of the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, that Serbs in the north would be endangered by Pristina’s governance. “Nobody should forget the fact that two thirds of Serbs live in the southern part of Kosovo and that they are completely integrated in self-governance at the local level and they participate at all institutions at the central level, said Thaçi for the British daily, The Guardian.

Stefanovic: Ahtisaari’s word carries weight (dailies)
Serbian Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, as Serb media reported, said that there is no need to react hastily towards Ahtisaari statement that Serbia should not be allowed to join the EU until it recognizes Kosovo and that no favours should be offered to Belgrade as the former UN status envoy was not speaking on behalf of the EU. Dacic said that Ahtisaari’s statement could incite only counter effects and that the EU should react to it.

Borislav Stefanovic, former head of Serb negotiating team, emphasized that the statement that Serbia should not enter in EU until it recognizes Kosovo is Ahtisaari’s personal stance but added however that his word is important in the EU. “We are dealing with the personal stance of Ahtisaari known for his engagement for independence of Kosovo. However, he enjoys a huge reputation in Europe and his word carries weight although he is not a figure that can decide on this issue,” said Stefanovic.

Kuçi: Serbia not to interfere in Kosovo’s internal affairs (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Hajredin Kuçi said that any decision on the north of Kosovo will have to be in accordance to the Constitution of Kosovo and in coordination with EU and US. He said the north is an inseparable part of Kosovo and will be integrated based on provisions from the Ahtisaari package. “In this regard, local and international institutions will have a role to play. Serbia should not interfere in internal affairs of our country,” Kuçi noted.

Serbia to accept Pristina’s office in Belgrade (Kosova Sot)
Serbian Minister of Economy and Finance Mladan Dinkic said the new Government in Belgrade will have to implement agreements reached in Brussels with Pristina and that it is ready to openly discuss ways for resolving problems of the people in Kosovo. “We have to accept the opening of Serbia’s offices in Pristina and of Pristina in Belgrade if this is a commitment that the previous Serb Government made to European Union. What we will never accept however is recognition of Kosovo’s independence and giving Pristina a seat at the UN,” said Dinkic.

Serwer: Let us wait for Serbia (Express)
In an interview for Express, the US analyst for Balkans Daniel Serwer said that the Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic has sent some positive signals regarding Kosovo, and that it remains now to see his actions. However, according to him, normalization of relations between the two countries is still far.

Asked about the contradictory signals at the swearing-in of the Serbian Government on Friday, Serwer said that the Constitution of Serbia requires for Kosovo to remain part of Serbia and in this sense Dacic does not have a choice. “Serbian politicians have created an extreme obstacle to themselves when they changed the Constitution in 2006. The continuance of the dialogue is not a goal but a way. Let us see if he keeps his promise to implement the reached agreements,” said Serwer. He added that despite the limited resources, Kosovo diplomacy is demonstrating talent in confronting opponents.

Ferati: Political Dialogue for the north, dangerous (Epoka e Re)
Epoka e Re reports that former Minister of Administration and Local Governance Sadri Ferati has evaluated as dangerous the tendency for the start of a political dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade on the north of Kosovo. “Under no circumstances should Kosovo accept it as an option. When I say this, I mean that the issue of the north should not be put on the discussion table with Serbia,” stated Ferati. He also considered as unreasonable the request of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that there should be a political dialogue between two countries on the issue of the north of Kosovo.

Mustafa feels deceived by Thaçi and Pacolli (Epoka e Re)
Epoka e Re quotes LDK leader Isa Mustafa as saying that the Constitutional Court’s decision does not prevent the implementation of the political agreement for the early presidential and parliamentary elections. “LDK did not request such an agreement. This has been requested by the US Government through its Embassy here. We have believed and we continue to believe in the US Government, in good intentions of this agreement. The agreement has been approved while taking into consideration two basic conditions. One, that the constitutional reform and election reform should be done and second, that the mandate of the actual government and the parliament is to be shortened,” said Mustafa in an interview for Radio Free Europe.

UNMIK and EULEX hinder privatisation (Kosova Sot, Bota Sot)
Privatisation Agency of Kosovo (PAK) reportedly appealed to the EU and UN missions in Kosovo, EULEX and UNMIK, to free socially-owned properties they are using at present as this is hindering the course of the privatisation process.

“We have written to EULEX to release some of the property set to be privatized. We did the same about the rents of the premises they use but EULEX replied that the mission is here in accordance to the resolution 1244 and that these issues should be addressed to UNMIK. We recently wrote to UNMIK as well but have not received a reply as yet,” said PAK Spokesperson Ylli Kaloshi.

Gallucci’s Proposal (dailies)
Former UNMIK chief in Mitrovica Gerard Gallucci has proposed the Irish-English model as the best solution between Kosovo and Serbia. He claimed that the history of Ireland has interesting points of similarity with those of Kosovo and Serbia but added that there are significant differences too. According to him, the eventual agreement between Kosovo and Serbia would have been recognition of the independence of Kosovo by Belgrade but also acceptance of Kosovo for the north to be divided and become part of Serbia. “They can be connected as two states under the same crown, just as Great Britain and the Free Irish State in 1921,” said Gallucci.

Pristina hopes on EU pressure to Belgrade for release of Haliti (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that Kosovo Government is hoping in the pressure of European Union over the authorities of Serbia for the release of Nehat Haliti, 32 year-old from Prizren, arrested on Saturday in Serbia for war crimes charges. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Hajredin Kuçi, said that in Haliti’s case, Kosovo authorities will pursue the same approach as in previous similar cases. “Usually we interfere in those cases in the EU through the international mechanisms to put pressure on Belgrade”, said Kuçi.


Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page
• Government unblocks 1 million euros for extra salaries
• Nikolic to Jahjaga: Admit that you will never govern the north
• Surroi: Two farewell advices
• International companies in competition to reactivate A2

Other headlines
• Students of the Valley, hostage of the Serbian institutions (2)
• Pristina hopes on Brussels pressure over Belgrade to release Haliti (2)
• Stefanovic: Ahtisaari’s word counts (3)
• Shatri: 2004 events prepared the terrain for division of Kosovo (4)
• KLA veterans warn with protest in the Government courtyard (6)
• Mustafa: Kosovo in danger if the agreement is not implemented (11)

Zëri

Front page
• Investigators after the pyromaniac
• Mustafa: I was deceived
• Gallucci reappears: The north of Kosovo under Serbia

Other headlines
• Ivanovic: Ahtisaari paid by Albanians (2)
• Thaçi refutes Nikolic’s statements (2)
• Kostunica: Ahtisaari threatens with an empty gun (2)
• Dinkic: We have to accept all the agreements (4)
• Parties according to UNMIK (5)
• Vetëvendosje: Invest on agriculture not on asphalt (6)

Kosova Sot

Front page
• Kosovo, a suitable terrain for money laundry
• Kuçi: Serbia should not interfere on internal affairs of Kosovo
• Privatization in the north, a hostage of politics
• Editorial: Welcome to the Republic of …

Other headlines
• Ahtisaari aggravates Serbs (2)
• Nikolic warns with harsh position during discussions (2)
• AKSH aims nationwide state (3)
• UNMIK and EULEX impede privatization (4)
• Serbia will accept Pristina’s office in Belgrade (4)

Express

Front page
• Serwer: Let us wait for Serbia
• Commission blocked

Other headlines
• Maliqi: Dell (2)
• Shala: What is happening for a year in the north of Kosovo? (3)
• Gallucci’s proposal (4)
• Dinkic: Pristina’s office to open in Serbia (5)
• Ahtisaari carries weight (5)
• Dell to leave in August (6)
• Mustafa: We trusted the Americans (6)
• Serious negotiations (6)
• Nehat Haliti is not the person you want (7)
• Avoid travelling through Serbia (9)
• Release property (10)

Epoka e Re

Front page
• The new rector will be elected today
• Antisaari “drives Serbs mad”
• Complains to Feith

Other headlines
• Nikolic does not exclude division of Kosovo (2)
• Ferati: Political dialogue for the north, dangerous (4)
• The level of debt could increase (9)
• Mustafa feels deceived by Thaçi and Pacolli (5)

Bota Sot

Front page
• Isa Mustafa: Kosovo in danger if the agreement is not implemented
• Jacobson, new US Ambassador in Kosovo
• Serbs call Ahtisaari “paid lobbyist” of Albanians
• EULEX and UNMIK to release socially-owned properties

Other headlines
• Gallucci: The solution for Kosovo, according to the Irish-English model (2)
• Thaçi rejects the statements of Nikolic (3)
• Nikolic claims that Serbs in Kosovo are under the threat of genocide (3)
• From 1999, there were 32 murders and attempted murders of LDK members (4)
• Serbia softens (4)
• Kuçi: Kosovo does not produce crises, but it responds to crises (6)
• Family: Nehat has not been in Kosovo at the time when he is charged for crimes (7)