Parliament will not vote on Tribunal before elections

• Parliament will not vote on Tribunal before elections (Koha Ditore)
• Tribunal should be Kosovar court involving EULEX (Koha Ditore)
• Xhemajli: Tribunal, an insult for Kosovo (Tribuna)
• MPs should be united in fight for KLA (Epoka e Re)
• Criminal attack on police station in Zubin Potok (dailies)
• Government doesn’t accept northern municipalities’ statutes (Tribuna)
• EULEX reveals protected witness (Zëri)
• Limaj: Government threatening, blackmailing us (Koha Ditore)
• UAE to organise a forum for Kosovo (Tribuna)

Parliament will not vote on Tribunal before elections (Koha Ditore)

Members of parliament will not vote on the international Tribunal, which is expected to try war crimes allegedly committed by members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army, fearing the impact that such a decision would have on national elections.

The ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), led by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the biggest opposition party led by Isa Mustafa, have agreed to accelerate legal amendments for elections and to hold elections in the first half of the year. The two leaders also agreed that early elections would be announced only after the abolishment of parliament.

A senior government official, who is also deputy leader of the PDK, told the paper that the parliament cannot decide about the Tribunal during this period of time. “The PDK cannot shoulder the entire responsibility. A consensus of all political parties is needed to vote on such a matter. If the PDK decides on this alone, it will suffer serious consequences in the elections. The parliament is very unstable right now. A decision before elections is not very likely. However, it might be too late after the elections because, if elections are held in June, institutions will not be established before September,” the senior official added.

Tribunal should be Kosovar court involving EULEX (Koha Ditore)

The British Ambassador to Pristina, Ian Cliff, stated during an interview with the daily on Wednesday that the establishment of the Tribunal is a complicated issue. “The first principle for the United Kingdom is that the matter should not go back to the United Nations. EULEX can address Dick Marty’s allegations, because we have the Task Force led by prosecutor Clint Williamson, who was here yesterday. We should not resort to the UN. How the tribunal will be organised is a complicated matter. Personally, I believe it should be some sort of a Kosovar court, because there is no EU court and it should not be a UN court,” Cliff said.

Xhemajli: Tribunal, an insult for Kosovo (Tribuna)

In an interview for Belgrade-based Blic newspaper, Muharrem Xhemajli, leader of the KLA War Veterans, said any additional court in Kosovo, such as the suggested Tribunal for war crimes, would be insulting to Kosovo and its people. Xhemajli said he was confident that the establishment of such a Tribunal would only damage the youngest state in the Balkans. “Every tendency to create a court, tribunal or any other mechanism outside the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo would degrade our institutions and the Kosovo Liberation Army’s war,” Xhemajli added.

MPs should be united in fight for KLA (Epoka e Re)

Muharrem Xhemajli, leader of the KLA War Veterans, said on Wednesday that he is optimistic that members of parliament will adopt the draft law on KLA war veterans. Xhemajli called on all MPs to unite in support of the bill and not engage in unnecessary debates. He also said the bill is very important as it allows for the provisions for the dignified treatment of war veterans. Xhemajli stressed that Kosovo institutions and its citisens should never forget about the contribution and sacrifice of its war veterans.

Criminal attack on police station in Zubin Potok (dailies)

The mayor of Zubin Potok, Stevan Vulovic, stated that last night that citisens broke into the Zubin Potok police station and released Slobodan Sovrlic, who was arrested yesterday for disrupting the public order, reported Tanjug. Vulovic told journalists that the situation in this municipality is calm and that citisens who had blocked the police station in Zubin Potok have disbursed. According to unofficial information, citisens caused material damages when entering the police station.

Government doesn’t accept northern municipalities’ statutes (Tribuna)

Four municipalities in the northern Kosovo approved the statutes that are considered to be in violation to the Kosovo Constitution and applicable legislation, said Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri. The municipal statutes referenced the UN SC resolution 1244 and other attempts to preserve neutrality towards Kosovo’s independence.

Tahiri said the statutes conflict with Kosovo laws and, as such, are unacceptable and need to be amended. “Otherwise, these statutes will be considered illegal and the Government of Kosovo will undertake actions in accordance to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and its laws,” said Tahiri.

EULEX reveals protected witness (Zëri)

EULEX revealed the identity of a war crime witness, who wished to remain anonymous. He approached EULEX as a war crimes witness, requesting that his personal data not be forwarded in Serbia. EULEX prosecutors did the exact opposite and sent his data-filled file to Serbia.

According to the daily, this is serious human rights violation from an international mechanism. This was also confirmed in the Human Rights Review Panel report in 2013. This body monitors decisions and the general actions of EULEX. The Panel’s report clearly states that ‘EULEX in Kosovo violated article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights’.

Limaj: Government threatening, blackmailing us (Koha Ditore)

Fatmir Limaj, leader of the newest political party called the Initiative for Kosovo, accused the government led by Hashim Thaci on Wednesday for blackmailing and threatening members of the Initiative. “They are telling people that they will remove their relatives from work if they join the Initiative. They are blackmailing our people on the ground, but we have a message for the government: they should not threaten or blackmail us because punishment from the people is severe,” Limaj said.

UAE to organise a forum for Kosovo (Tribuna)

Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, met his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, yesterday and signed a cooperation agreement in the field of civil aviation and expressed commitment to deepen economic cooperation. In a press conference following the meeting, Minister Hoxhaj commended the UAE contribution to Kosovo, particularly its lobbying efforts in recognizing Kosovo’s independence with Arab countries.  He also said both governments agreed to organise an investment forum for Kosovo in the UAE.

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• Dick Marty