Main Stories 25 June 2011

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  • Sinno: The report will reflect the developments (Koha Ditore)
  • Gallucci: No EU without recognizing Kosovo (dailies)
  • Pack: Recognition by Serbia, the best solution (dailies)
  • Heap of congratulations from Kosovo for Ban Ki-moon (Koha Ditore)
  • Van Vreeswijk: I talked because we were not a Secret Service (Zëri)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Sinno: The report will reflect the developments (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries as the leading story an interview with acting head of the European Commission Office in Kosovo, Khaldoun Sinno, highlighting his statement that “anyone who has followed developments in Kosovo has a feeling what the next Progress Report will be like. But what I must say is that there is still time. The last date for the Progress Report is September 1st. We will notify colleagues in Brussels about the latest developments. The Government will do the same thing.”

Sinno made it clear that Kosovo has risked a lot by ruining the Stand By agreement with the International Monetary Fund and called for the agreement to be reached again as soon as possible.

“Only if this agreement is reached Kosovo will be able to count on the macro-financial support of the European Commission in the value of €100 million. This will be made possible if after the agreement is reached, the parliaments of member states decide to give that money to Kosovo,” Sinno added.

Gallucci: No EU without recognizing Kosovo (dailies)

Several dailies report that in an interview for TV Most, former UNMIK regional administrator in Mitrovica, Gerard Gallucci, said Kosovo and Serbia cannot join the European Union if they don’t recognize each other, because this is not a matter of politics but a matter of functioning of two states. “The European Union doesn’t want to have another divided country like Cyprus,” he added.

Gallucci said Kosovo is still an unregulated society under the administration of the international community. The situation in the north, according to the U.S. diplomat, is that of a frozen conflict, adding that “the situation in the north is still not stable and UNMIK and EULEX have the same role – peacekeeping”.

Asked if he thinks that Kosovo will be divided, Gallucci said talks on this issue at this point are destructive and are unnecessary. “The issue of the north will be treated separately and I think that the Ahtisaari Plan is the best solution,” Gallucci added.

Pack: Recognition by Serbia, the best solution (dailies)

Several dailies quote Doris Pack, member of the European Parliament, as saying that the best solution would be for Serbia to recognize Kosovo as a state at the end of talks between Pristina and Belgrade. In an interview for Radio Free Europe, Pack said if it wants to join the European Union, Serbia is going to prove that it has normalized relations with Kosovo.

Heap of congratulations from Kosovo for Ban Ki-moon (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that Kosovo’s institutional leader sent a heap of congratulations to Ban Ki-moon on his reelection as Secretary General of the United Nations. Three congratulations were sent from the Government. The Office of the President has sent one, while the Assembly said it would send a congratulation on Monday.

Van Vreeswijk: I talked because we were not a Secret Service (Zëri)

Zëri runs on the front page an interview with outgoing EULEX chief prosecutor Johannes van Vreeswijk who admits he is leaving disappointed from Kosovo for not finishing the job the way he planned. “My expectations were that things could be done more quickly. However, it was not as simple as I thought it would be,” he was quoted as saying.

Van Vreeswijk said there was a misunderstanding because he was never a prosecutor in the case against MP Fatmir Limaj. He said two prosecutors were handling two different cases on Limaj, one for corruption and another for war crimes charges.

Van Vreeswijk admits that in 2010 he faced some pressure as a result of statements by Kosovo politicians. He also told the paper that certain people went to his office to tell him how to run things, but he claims he never yielded to such influence.

The outgoing chief prosecutor also said that the Limaj case helped him in a way because after that ministers and directors went to see him and offered videos and pictures about the doings of others.

Van Vreeswijk also said he would be leaving EULEX but not Kosovo as he expects to be appointed in a different position in the country.