Serbs Celebrate Vidovdan with Calls for Extermination of Albanians (Dailies)

Main Stories 29 June 2010

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·  Serbs celebrate Vidovdan with calls for extermination of Albanians (dailies)

·  Ideas in Belgrade for exchange of territories (dailies)

·  Feith blocks Strategy for the north (Epoka e Re)

·  Here is the fact, President (Express)

·  Sejdiu: No evidence I am breaching the Constitution (Zëri, Express)

·  Dell and Thaçi lobby for sale of KEK electricity distribution (dailies)

·  Raska mayor warns of charges, if the mass grave opens (Koha Ditore)

·  Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo is not promising (dailies)

·  Serbian Government appoints coordinators for Kosovo municipalities (Koha)

·  Serbian Army looking for spies who speak Albanian (Koha)

·  Leaders of parallel institutions vote in Partesh (Zëri)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Serbs celebrate Vidovdan with calls for extermination of Albanians (dailies)

All dailies report that Serbs from Serbia, Bosnia and other Serb settlements in Kosovo came to Gazimestan, near Pristina, yesterday to mark the 621st anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo. Different newspapers give different figures about the numner of participants at the celebration; some say there were hundreds, while others say there were thousands. The same location and same celebration was used 21 years ago by former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic to announce his platform which resulted in wars between the nations of the former Yugoslavia.

Dailies highlight that groups of Serbs warned their neighbouring Albanians that they “will slit their throats so that they don’t exist anymore”. Under the headline Serbs celebrate the lost battle with calls for extermination of Albanians, Koha Ditore reports that Serbian symbolic and nationalistic language, as well as anti-Albanian messages and messages against the independence of Kosovo, characterized the Serb rally in Gazimestan. At the celebration, Serbs took an oath to kill Albanians until they are exterminated and burned the Albanian and the American flag.

Bota Sot reports on the front page that Serbs celebrated as if they were in Serbia and violated the laws of the state of Kosovo. Lajm reports that participants at the rally sang Chetnik songs and some of them even called for the killing of Albanians. In one of the front-page headlines, Epoka e Re reports that Serbs in Gazimestan burned the American flag and provoked Albanians.

Ideas in Belgrade for exchange of territories (dailies)

Citing a BBC report, dailies report that an idea for exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia has started to circulate within the political circles in Belgrade and is assessed as one of the possible compromises among the two parties. According to the BBC, ideas include the division of the north of Kosovo, inhabited with a Serb majority, and an exchange of territory of Presevo in south Serbia, inhabited with an Albanian majority, which could resolve the problem between two countries. The existence of the idea for exchanging territories has not been denied by international influential organizations; however, they claimed that this is more difficult to be achieved than “some observers in Belgrade think.”

Director for Balkans at International Crisis Group (ICG), Marko Prelec, said to BBC that ideas for exchange of territories are already circulating, however, according to him, there are minor chances for their achievement. He added that except for the exchange of territories, alternative solutions might be found for the north of Kosovo and Presevo Valley.

Feith blocks Strategy for the north (Epoka e Re)

Epoka e Re reports in the leading story that the International Civilian Office in Kosovo was criticized by a source involved in the Strategy for the North, for blocking this process. From the six working groups created on 8 March by the Government of Kosovo, none of them have become functional. “Lately, coordination of work between Kosovo Government and International Civilian Office is lacking. Even though the Government has shown its good will and power to in different ways help citizens in the north and extend its authority, the same actions are not being taken by the ICO,” said this source, and added that they are expecting ICO to intensify the dynamics of work on implementation of the strategy. The source stressed that the Government has nominated its coordinator, Ylber Hysa, who is continuously in the field coordinating issues of the strategy. According to this source, one of the reasons for the blockade of this strategy by the ICO could be the announcement of technical discussions between Pristina and Belgrade.

Here is the fact, President (Express)

Express reports on the leading front-page story that Fatmir Sejdiu’s room to run for LDK leader this autumn is getting smaller and smaller. The paper predicts that the Constitutional Court will hardly be on Sejdiu’s side while reviewing the complaint filed by 32 MPs.

“Facts are against the President. There is evidence that he is violating the Constitution by keeping two posts. In the registration of political parties at the Central Election Committee for 2010, Sejdiu is listed as leader of the LDK,” the paper adds.

LDK sources told Express that the party leadership doesn’t expect the Constitutional Court to announce that Sejdiu has violated the Constitution but they are getting ready for every scenario. “If the Court proves that the President can no longer hold the post of LDK leader, the undisputed choice for party leader is Isa Mustafa,” said a member of the LDK chairmanship, preferring to remain anonymous.

Sejdiu: No evidence I am breaching the Constitution (Zëri, Express)

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu is quoted as saying in Zëri that there is no evidence to support claims that he is violating the Constitution after a group of MPs filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court asking it to interpret the provision that refers to an official keeping two public posts. The MPs consider that Sejdiu, although he has frozen his post at the head of LDK, still presents a legal violation. “It is the right of the MPs to give their opinion, absolutely… it is up to the Constitutional Court to give its assessment. I consider I am exercising the role of the country’s president and I have suspended that of the LDK’s leader in the effective sense,” said Sejdiu.

On the other hand, Express writes that it is unlikely the Constitutional Court will decide in Sejdiu’s favour and that it is also quite difficult for him to run for LDK’s leader this autumn when the party faces internal elections. The paper also says there are facts that speak against the President.

Dell and Thaçi lobby for sale of KEK electricity distribution (dailies)

Kosovo should privatize the company for electricity distribution to avoid corruption, to give an end to the political interference in the electricity market and to create one company which operates with a healthy profitable logic, Ambassador of the United States of America in Kosovo, Christopher Dell, said on Monday while also expressing the support of the USA in this process. “A sustainable supply of electricity is crucial for the economic growth of Kosovo. Actually the economy here is in very bad condition and without need dominated by the government, therefore, this is strangling private enterprise and at the same time shifting the governments attention from its main priorities of policies to opening the path towards greed and corruption”, said Dell. However, according to Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, the privatization is necessary to stop the subvention of energy sector from the government.

Raska mayor warns of charges, if the mass grave opens (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that Raska mayor Radenko Cvetic has warned Serbia’s Special Prosecution for War Crimes that he will raise charges in Court if digging, to find around 250 bodies of Albanians buried at a place called Rudnica, starts. According to him, the opening of this mass grave could spoil tourism in this city of southern Serbia. “The mayor has announced that with this we are spoiling tourism and we replied that we could build a memorial center there,” the Spokesperson of the Prosecution, Bruno Vekaric, said to Koha Ditore. Despite the warnings of the mayor that leads the city suspected to have buried the bodies of Albanians killed during the war in Kosovo, and other obstacles, the Special Prosecution for War Crimes in Belgrade announced that digging to find the mass grave will start soon.

Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo is not promising (dailies)

Dailies report that Mevlut Cavusoglu, chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, said that the biggest challenges for Balkans countries are a lack of dialogue and trust. Commenting on the situation in Kosovo, Cavusoglu told Serbian media that the situation is not very promising. “People are poor, and there are also the issues of refugees, missing persons, illegal activities, such as trafficking of humans and body organs… Therefore, the resolution recommends dialogue between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Kosovo politicians, of course while respecting Serbia,” Cavusoglu told Vecernje Novosti. Asked if this would be a backdoor for Kosovo MPs to attend the Council of Europe, Cavusoglu said there is no consensus at the Parliamentary Assembly on this matter because not all countries have recognized Kosovo’s independence.

Serbian Government appoints coordinators for Kosovo municipalities (Koha)

Koha Ditore reports that Serb Government has published on its web page the news that it had appointed coordinators for seven municipalities in Kosovo – Podujeve, Gjakove, Suhareka, Decan, Prizren, Ferizaj and Klina. The newspaper also gives the names of coordinators for the respective municipalities.

Serbian Army looking for spies who speak Albanian (Koha)

If you know Albanian then you are welcome in the Military Information Agency, writes the Belgrade daily newspaper Kurir. According to this newspaper, the Serbian Defense Ministry has published a vacancy announcement for workers in the Military Information Agency, while one of the conditions is that the candidate speaks fluent Albanian and Serbian. In the announcement it says that they are interested in candidates with a diploma of Philology Faculty, from the branch of Albanian language. It is also requested the average of the grade be 8, but also experience in simultaneous translation is requested, it is understood that the candidates should be also fluent in English.

Leaders of parallel institutions vote in Partesh (Zëri)

The paper reports that the heads of Serb parallel structures operating in Partesh have cast their votes for the creation of the new municipality which is based upon the Ahtisaari status proposal. Nenad Cvetkovic, who is reported to have received the majority of votes for the new municipality’s mayor, said the representatives of the parallel structures have not managed to take away his victory and added that even the deputy mayor of the parallel municipality of Kuvce went out to vote in Partesh elections. “I thank all those that came out in elections to vote in the Partesh municipality and through this act the Serb citizens have given legitimacy to the Ahtisaari Plan for decentralization of Republic of Kosovo institutions and took away the legitimacy of Serb parallel structures in Kosovo,” said Cvetkovic who currently occupies the post of Gjilan deputy mayor.

Kosovo Press Headlines

Koha Ditore

Front page

·  Dell and Thaçi lobby for sale of KEK electricity distribution

·  Sejdiu: KSF, according to NATO’s model

·  Corruption – a problem in the structure of the Kosovar state

·  Rashka mayor: Charges if grave is opened

·  Ideas in Belgrade for exchange of territories

·  Serbian Army looking for spies who speak Albanian

·  Pula: The utopia of the stateless economy

Other headlines

·  Serbian Government appoints coordinators for Kosovo municipalities (2)

·  Serbs celebrate lost battle with calls for extermination of Albanians (3)

·  Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo is not very promising (4)

·  Sejdiu: I am not breaching the Constitution (6)

·  LDD with arguments why PTK should not be privatized (8)

Zëri

Front page

·  Serbia wants the north, it’s willing to give away Presevo

·  Government is interfering in KEK

·  Sejdiu: No evidence I am breaching the Constitution

·  Vidovdan, with Chetnik calls

·  ICJ mobilizes Kosovo

·  Criticism for negotiated tenders

·  Shala: Prevalla and Mini-Schengen

Other headlines

·  KSF to take part in NATO operations (2)

·  Petition for Artemije’s return to Kosovo (2)

·  Prelec: Exchange is not very likely (2)

·  Bogdanovic calls for protection of Serbs (2)

·  Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo is not promising (3)

·  Swedish Army supports KSF (4)

Kosova Sot

Front page

·  All black

·  Exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia discussed

·  Foreign services don’t hinder Kosovo Police

·  Mini summit ‘ignored’ the media

·  KEK, unavoidably to privatise

·  Editorial: Celebrations of the losers

Other headlines

·  Sejdiu: I am not breaching the Constitution (4)

·  Judges of district courts to be appointed today (4)

·  Bengstom: We will continue support for KSF (4)

·  Second generation of KSF cadets graduates (5)

·  Serbs mark Vidovdan, nationalist songs against Albanians (13)

Epoka e Re

Front page

·  Feith blocks Strategy for the North

·  Serbs burn U.S. flag, provoke Albanians

·  Sejdiu denies violating Constitution

·  Mini Schengen, good opportunity for Kosovo to EU integrations

Other headlines

·  Idea for exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia (2)

·  Naumovski: Kosovo cannot be denied the right to self-determination (2)

·  Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo, not that promising (2)

·  Our force growing (7)

·  In favour of KEK privatisation (9)

·  LDD against PTK privatisation (9)

·  Former KLA fighter commits suicide (11)

Express

Front page

·  Here is the fact, President

·  Dell: Do not interfere in economy

·  Picnic in Gazimestan

·  They resolve problems through commissions

Other headlines

·  Minxhozi: State’s pretence (3)

·  Calls to protect Kosovo (4)

·  Cavusoglu: Situation in Kosovo is not very promising (5)

·  Clarify dysfunction (5)

·  Kosovo cannot be denied self-determination (6)

·  Ideas for division of Kosovo (6)

·  Violations repeated (7)