Main Stories 16October 2011

  • Government doesn’t want to adopt a new strategy for the north (Koha)
  • KFOR warns Serbs that it will open roads on Monday (dailies)
  • Mustafaj: EU with double standards for Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
  • Pledge to implement the agreements (Zëri)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Government doesn’t want to adopt a new strategy for the north (Koha)

Koha Ditore reported on the front page on Sunday that Kosovo will not adopt a new strategy for the north as a response to the request by the European Union for a more comprehensive agenda for the region inhabited by Serbs. The paper says, it may tackle the economic side, but nothing more. It adds that it is cannot count on EULEX to implement its strategies in the north. In a statement for the paper, a spokesman for the EU mission in Kosovo raised doubts over actions in the north according to the government’s requests. Serbs on the other hand said they would not cooperate in an integration process that is not approved by Belgrade.

KFOR warns Serbs that it will open roads on Monday (dailies)

Dailies report that KFOR Commander said on Saturday to parallel structure leaders that onMondayNATO forces intend to send a convoy to the boundaries in the north, and expect that it will be allowed to pass. Commander Drews however could not reach any agreement with Serbs on removal of barricades. “The KFOR Commander expects unconditioned and permanent access at these official establishments, in accordance with the KFOR mandate. If the local population has not had the possibility to open the street blockeds during this weekend, then KFOR will do this on Monday in a peaceful manner, in order to facilitate crossing of the convoy of engineering vehicles,” says a press release issued by KFOR.

The so-called municipal mayor of the four municipalities in the north called a meeting for Wednesday 19 November, to discuss the issue of removal of barricades.

Mustafaj: EU with double standards for Kosovo (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditorereports that the Executive Director of the Albanian-American Council, Avni Mustafaj, said that the Progress Report is not only a reflection of the Kosovo Government but also a reflection of the international actors in Kosovo.

Mustafaj said that Kosovo should not accept a political dialogue with Serbia in any condition, adding that Ahtisaari’s Package already offers a special status for the Serb community in Kosovo. “Serbia will continue to play a destructive role, because it is not being punished. People there can close the borders until the EU makes normal relations with Kosovo a direct condition for its integration in EU. And I think that until this happens, the international community is accepting the danger of division of Kosovo, that could have implications in Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro…” said Mustafaj.

He stated that the Progress Report has not surprised anyone, stressing the weak justice system in Kosovo. “However, it would have been very interesting if such an assessment would be made for the work of the international institutions in Kosovo. For instance, what is UNMIK doing in Kosovo, what is EULEX doing, the ICO doing, what is the performance of NATO here? I think this would have painted a moreclear picture of Kosovo’s performance, because the EU is not offering the required support to Kosovo, to reach the required progress,” said Mustafaj.

Pledge to implement the agreements (Zëri)

Zëri reports that both Serbian and Kosovar parties pledge that starting from 1 November they will implement the agreement on the free movement of citizens, reached on 2 July of this year. Kosovo chief negotiator Edita Tahiri and the so-called Minister for Kosovo in Serbia’s Government, Goran Bogdanovic stated that the citizens will be able to move freely after this date.

However, analysts in Pristina consider that Belgrade is doing this only for EU candidacy. “Belgrade will do this only until December, when they’ll be the vote on EU candidate status, after that moment, Serbia will maximally sabotage all the agreements, just as it is doing now with the agreement on the free trade,” said analyst Behxhet Shala.

Disclaimer

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIK on the understanding that the choice of articles translated is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIK.