Belgrade Media Highlights, May 18

EU foreign ministers discussed situation in Kosovo and Metohija (Danas/Beta)

At a meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers reiterated their appeal to provisional Kosovo institutions to show resoluteness for the creation of a multi-ethnic society in the province and create conditions for the exercise of equal rights of all national communities. The ministers emphasized that province had regressed following the ethnically motivated March violence against Serbs and concluded that it was necessary to ensure safety, facilitate the return of displaced persons, restore destroyed facilities and bring those responsible for violence to justice. Support was given to the ‘standards prior to status’ policy in Kosovo, with an appeal to the provisional authorities to intensify the implementation of standards. The draft conclusions of the meeting of European heads of diplomacies once again stress the “strong support to what is done by UNMIK and its head Harri Holkeri in implementing UNSCR 1244.” The prepared final document stresses that the “EU remains ready to contribute to the implementation of that policy.”

CoE’s expert team in Kosovo and Metohija (Politika)

The CoE expert delegation - including representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Culture, Kosovo provisional institutions, Serbian Orthodox Church and UNMIK - has visited destroyed Orthodox monuments in Kosovo and Metohija in order to prepare a detailed evaluation of the damage to the Serbian Orthodox cultural heritage, which occurred in the March violence of Albanian extremists.

As it has been announced at the end of this international mission, which included Greeks, English, Italians, Australians, Albanians and Serbs, the expert team will compose a complete report with an evaluation of the damage on each of the damaged monuments of the Serbian heritage, and propose protection measures. In the meantime, signs in Albanian, Serbian and English, warning that the mentioned construction is under the protection of law, have been placed on all damaged monasteries and churches. The signs also state that every act of vandalism and plundering will be considered a criminal offense of the highest degree, as well that KFOR forces are authorized to use force in order to protect the Serbian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija.

Draskovic presented Serbian Government Plan for Kosovo to Ambassadors (Balkan)
The SCG FM Vuk Draskovic met with the Ambassadors of the European countries to Belgrade  and  discussed  the  international  position  of  Serbia  and Montenegro.  A statement issued by the SCG FM reads that the interlocutors have  put  a special emphasis on the current situation in Kosovo. Draskovic acquainted the Ambassadors  with  the  Serbian  Government  Plan  for the resolution  of  the  current  situation  in Kosovo. Draskovic conveyed  to  the  Ambassadors that SCG expects that the European countries would  support  the  realization  of  SCG  foreign policy priorities in the process  of  moving  closer to the EU, as well as State Union's full fledge membership in the Partnership for Peace, reads the statement.

KP to present report on March events (Blic)

The completion of the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbs, which commenced in 1999, occurred on 17 March this year, it states in the report on the March events in Kosovo and Metohija composed by KP in Kosovska Mitrovica, which will be handed in Pristina to office representatives of the Contact Group member-countries.

Three Albanians admitted burning church in Prizren (Blic)

Three Albanians were arrested in Prizren on 14 May this year, under the suspicion of setting on fire the medieval church in Prizren, the Holy Mother of Ljevis. “They admitted of setting on fire the Holy Mother of Ljevis,” regional police spokesperson Fatmir Djurdjijali told a press conference in Prizren.

Reactions to Bajram Rexhepi’s initiative (Glas)

Rexhepi’s spokesperson Mimoza Kusari claims that the poor coordination among intelligence services of various countries has led to the fact that nobody had the information what was being prepared for 17 March, and that this was precisely the reason why such service should be formed under the auspices of the Kosovo government. UNMIK didn’t wish to comment the announcement by the Kosovo premier on forming an intelligence service, stating that they have nothing to do with that idea.

Reactions to Bajram Rexhepi’s initiative (Vecernje Novosti)

Dragan Lazic, DSS MP in the SCG Parliament (member of the Committee for safety and Committee for Kosovo and Metohija), sees in Bajram Rexhepi’s initiative a clear attempt of legalizing the existing secret service that is functioning within KPC and KPS. “Now it only needs to be made public that this secret service exists. It should be legalized. Since the international community knows this is impossible over UNSCR 1244, because the issue of safety is in the hands of KFOR and UNMIK, Mr. Rexhepi is trying to transfer competencies from the international community to Kosovo and Metohija institutions. Thus, he is trying to introduce through a “side door” a secret service, which is otherwise most responsible for the events of 17 March,” said Lazic. His opinion is also shared by SPOT leader Momcilo Trajkovic. “One should not be too intelligent to understand their intention. They are transferring KPC into the Kosovo army, the are legalizing the secret police, and all this in light of the story on Kosovo and Metohija’s entrance in the Partnership for Peace,” said Trajkovic.