Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs
Headlines - 20.02.2014

Greece doesn’t plan to recognise Kosovo any time soon (dailies)

Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, during his visit to Kosovo, did not wish to speak of any dates when his country could recognise Kosovo. Instead, he said that

Greece supports Kosovo’s European integration. “For us the main goal is Kosovo’s integration not only in Europe but also Euro-Atlantic integration. This is an important project and during the transitional stage we will have time to work out all the necessary steps,” said Venizelos after meeting Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi.

Venizelos, whose country is currently presiding over the EU, also said that the decision to grant Serbia EU candidate status is also a good opportunity for Kosovo. He also stressed that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is a historic development. “I admire the courage and determination of leaders in Kosovo and Serbia,” he added.

Limaj indicted on organised crime charges (dailies)

The prosecution filed an indicted yesterday against former minister of transport and MP, Fatmir Limaj, for a number of serious criminal acts including organised crime, bribery and abusing an official post. The indictment also includes four other persons, one of which is Limaj’s bodyguard. The other people indicted, according to Koha Ditore, are businessmen whose companies were awarded road construction bids during Limaj’s tenure as transport minister. The EULEX prosecutor who lodged the indictment said the actions of the accused have the damaged Kosovo budget by around 1 million euros.

Epoka e Re on the front page refers to the newest indictment as being a “witch hunt” and “EULEX inquisition”. It says nothing more than yet another fabricated case against Limaj.

Limaj, leader of the Citizens Initiative (Zëri)

EULEX’s indictment for corruption will not stop Fatmir Limaj from establishing the new political party. Furthermore, he has decided together with Kosovo Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi to make his party official on the next Friday. It is already decided for Limaj to become the leader of the party, which will be called the Civic Initiative. The party is expected to become official on 28 February at 17:00 hours at a ceremony that will be held at the Red Hall of “Pallati i Rinise” in Pristina. The information was confirmed by close associates of the leaders of this party.

Government to increase salaries of public sector (dailies)

The Government of Kosovo decided that, starting in April, employees of the public sector will receive salary increases. During the government meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Thaçi said, “the increase of salaries will [reach] the standards of EU member states”. Thaçi called on Finance Minister Besim Beqaj to prepare the decision for increased salaries for the next government meeting. Koha Ditore notes that the government’s decision to increase salaries on the eve of national elections is seen as a typical pre-election move.

Jahjaga in Jordan invited by King Abdullah (Koha Ditore)

President Atifete Jahjaga is visiting the Jordan Hashemite Kingdom upon the invitation of King Abdullah. During her visit, Jahjaga is expected to meet King Abdullah and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour. During her first day in Jordan, Jahjaga visited the “Mahis School” in Aman and stated that education is the key to development for any society.

PDK will not run in elections with officials under investigation (Koha)

The ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) led by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi will try to improve its image before national elections by not including officials faced with lawsuits in the list of candidates.

A deputy leader of the party, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the paper that the party’s image was seriously damaged by the large number of party officials who have problems with the law. “The PDK chairmanship will decide on this criterion very soon. We have several officials on trial and we will eliminate this dilemma for our citizens [...] We will be the first to set this standard,” the deputy leader said. Another PDK deputy leader also said the list of candidates will not include officials under investigation. PDK deputy leader and Justice Minister, Hajredin Kuci, was the only one to publicly comment on the matter, saying that he would support the initiative.

Parliament Speaker unsure if he will support AAK’s mistrust motion (Koha)

Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi has yet to decide if he will support the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) motion for mistrust against the government. Krasniqi said on Wednesday that he hasn’t seen the document prepared by Ramush Haradinaj’s party. “The motion has not arrived yet. Once it does, we will look into it,” Krasniqi said. “I seldom sign such requests; there are a lot of MPs.”

PDK parliamentary group chief Adem Grabovci said the AAK’s initiative is not serious. “This initiative […] also lacks political support, because the motion requires 61 votes. They don’t have these votes. We have over 61 votes in parliament. We have proved this in the past and we shall prove it again,” Grabovci added.

LDK, AAK react: Vetevendosje serves Hashim Thaci (Epoka e Re)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) have reacted to Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti’s recent statement that the two parties serve as crutches for Thaçi’s government.

LDK MP Armend Zemaj said Vetevendosje has always served the PDK and Hashim Thaçi “because it was Thaçi who created the movement. Vetevendosje is a product of the PDK, because 90 percent of its membership were once members of the PDK … Vetevendosje and PDK share the same ideology. Vetevendosje’s actions serve this clique or this ruling structure,” he added.

AAK Secretary General Burim Ramadani said a split in the opposition suits Thaçi and the PDK. “No one should follow personal or party interests, instead we should reflect on how we can bring down this government which has already lost the majority in parliament,” Ramadani said.