Main Stories
23 February 2011
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Thaçi’s pressure makes Pacolli President (Koha Ditore)
Limaj: Pacolli for President, the worst possible solution (dailies)
Civil society and KLA Veterans don’t accept Pacolli as President (Koha)
Vetëvendosje: Krasniqi violated Constitution by allowing PDK break (dailies)
UNMIK did not find witnesses for removal of organs (Koha Ditore)
Serbs protest against the police in the north (Zëri)
Feith’s contract temporarily extended (Zëri)
Haradinaj: Unrest in Skopje is no accident (Express)
Kosovo Media Highlights
Thaçi’s pressure makes Pacolli President (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports on the front page that on Tuesday, MPs of the ruling coalition
were under the pressure of Behxhet Pacolli’s wish to become President and Hashim
Thaçi’s desire to remain head of government for another four-year mandate.
The paper notes that the process of their elections left a bitter taste not only to the
opposition which boycotted the voting session, but also with MPs of the biggest party
in Kosovo and Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi.
At the start of the voting process, Krasniqi warned that without the opposition the
process does not honour MPs and those who would be voted. Later on, between the
second and third round of the vote for president, Krasniqi said it was anticonstitutional how Thaçi temporarily interrupted the assembly session. “You should
know that this is a violation of the Constitution and the Assembly rules of procedure,
because this is pressure on MPs,” Krasniqi said after Hajredin Kuçi with Thaçi’s
insistence came to the podium and asked for a break for consultations.
A few minutes later when the results of the third round were announced, Krasniqi
ironically said “the break was successful”.
AKR leader Behxhet Pacolli, who did not have a counter candidate, has been elected
President of the state with votes from 62 MPs. The governing cabinet led by Prime
Minister Hashim Thaçi received three votes more than Pacolli. The paper notes that
the voting process could have failed if Thaçi had not summoned his MPs in a room
after the second round of voting for President when some of them did not vote for
Pacolli.
The United States Embassy in Pristina issued a statement congratulating Kosovo and
the elected leaders and wished on the latter to successfully conclude the epic process
of elections.
“With elections behind as for a foreseeable future, now comes the time for the new
government to start governing,” read the statement. “It is emphasized that Kosovo is
facing with many challenges and with a full agenda. In this direction, concentration of
Prime Minister Thaçi in a substantial agenda which describes a vision for the future of
Kosovo is extremely welcome.”
Meanwhile, the AKR announced that Behxhet Pacolli would no longer be leader of
the party. “Immediately after he was voted by the Assembly of the Republic of
Kosovo as President of the country, Behxhet Pacolli has resigned from all party duties
as AKR leader and from the party membership,” read an AKR communiqué.
In the new governing cabinet will be five deputy Prime Ministers. Three from them at
the same time will perform their duties as Ministers:
Hajredin Kuçi will be Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister
Mimoza Kusari-Lila – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade
Slobodan Petrovic – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Governance
While Edita Tahiri and Bujar Bukoshi will be only Deputy Prime Ministers
In the list of Ministers are included:
Enver Hoxhaj – Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vlora Çitaku – Minister of European Integrations
Bajram Rexhepi – Minister of Internal Affairs
Bedri Hamza – Finance Minister
Memli Krasniqi – Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
Besim Beqaj - Minister of Economic Development
Ramë Buja – Minister of Education Science and Technology
Mahir Jagcilar - Minister of Public Administration
Fehmi Mujota – Minister of Infrastructure
Blerand Stavileci – Minister of Agriculture
Ferid Agani – Minister of Health
Nenad Rasic – Minister of Labor and Social Welfare
Dardan Gashi – Minister of Environment and spatial planning
Radojica Tomic – Minister for Returns and Communities
Limaj: Pacolli for President, the worst possible solution (dailies)
Dailies report that PDK deputy leader Fatmir Limaj said yesterday that the election of
Behxhet Pacolli as President of Kosovo was the worst possible solution and will
further damage the image of Kosovo. In an interview for KTV, Limaj said the PDK
made a strategic mistake by giving the post of president to Pacolli’s New Kosovo
Alliance (AKR).
“Tonight the worst possible solution was made. There could have been better
solutions,” said Limaj. He added that initially there were 11 PDK MPs that voted
against Pacolli in the first round and that he does not understand the change of
position within such a short period of time.
Limaj said he personally voted against Pacolli and denied he was under pressure from
Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi or U.S. Ambassador Christopher Dell to vote in favour
of Pacolli.
Civil society and KLA Veterans don’t accept Pacolli as President (Koha)
Koha Ditore reports that Muharrem Xhemajli, leader of the KLA War Veterans, said
he rejects Pacolli’s election as president and said the War Veterans will not accept
him. Xhemajli said Pacolli should explain his statements to various media that Kosovo
cannot do without Serbia.
Xhemajli further said that Pacolli’s statement were anti-national, irresponsible and
unsuitable for a person that wants to represent the people.
Meanwhile, Haki Abazi, director of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for Western
Balkans, said the departure of the opposition from the assembly session implies that
the legitimacy of the president and the government is limited and that it does not
represent Kosovo’s interests.
“All doubts surrounding Mr. Pacolli practically make the president an un-respected
figure that does not reflect the unity of the state of Kosovo and its citizens. Mr. Pacolli
does not represent the unity and the legitimacy of Kosovo institutions,” Abazi added.
Vetëvendosje: Krasniqi violated Constitution by allowing PDK break (dailies)
Dailies report that the Vetëvendosje Movement has pledged to fight an
uncompromised battle against the new ruling coalition, adding that the newly-elected
institutions of Kosovo are non-democratic.
Vetëvendosje MP Glauk Konjufca said Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi violated the
Constitution of Kosovo by allowing MPs to go on a break before voting in the third
round for Pacolli’s as president. Konjufca also criticized Krasniqi for failing to act as
Assembly Speaker and for following Thaçi’s requests.
UNMIK did not find witnesses for removal of organs (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports for appearance of some new secret document issued by UNMIK,
which speaks about the suspicions of organ trafficking and the “yeallow house.”
According to this document, published by French broadcaster France 24, the United
Nations were aware of organ trafficking since 2003, however many details about the
location and time of testimonies of witnesses.
According to the document of UNMIK investigation, which reports about witnesses
speaking about the transportation of Serb civilians from Kosovo to Albania, they were
never witnesses of removal of the organs at the “yellow house.” According to this
report, one of the witnesses claimed to have seen two doctors at the “yellow house”
while when he entered the house, he smelled a strong smell of medications, or as the
report says, he smelled the same smell as in hospitals
UNMIK Spokesperson Olivier Salgado told this daily that UNMIK had informed the
International Tribunal in Hague as soon as it received the first suspicions about organ
trafficking. “When UNMIK understood about these suspitions for the first time, the
mission reported the issue to the Office of Prosecution of Hague Tribunal, about the
information and findings,” announced Salgado, referring to 2003.
Serbs protest against the police in the north (Zëri)
Zëri reports that the presence of Kosovo police uniforms in the north of the country
has frustrated some Serbs who under the organization of leaders of parallel structures
blocked the main artery of Iber in the village of Rudare, in Zvecan municipality.
The news was confirmed by police officials who added that as a result of the road
blockade long queues of vehicles were created. Later on, after the protesters were
convinced, the regional road Mitrovica-Leposavic was open to traffic.
Kosovo Police spokesman for Mitrovica region, Besim Hoti, said Serb protesters were
opposing mixed patrols of Kosovo Police traffic unit from the police station in the
south in the northern areas of the republic.
Zëri quotes unnamed sources as saying that Serb parallel structures have convinved
Serbs from the village of Rudare not to allow those joint units to patrol any street of
northern Mitrovica, especially on the eve of technical talks between Pristina and
Belgrade.
Feith’s contract temporarily extended (Zëri)
Zëri reports that the European Union Council for Foreign Affairs has extended on
Monday during the meeting of the chiefs of EU diplomacy, the contract of the EU
Special Envoy to Kosovo, Pieter Feith, for additional two months. Feith’s contract
which would have expired in February has been extended until the end of April, with
the justification that the EU needs time to consider the manner of the future presence
in Pristina and that extension of Feith’s mandate should be discussed within the
context of the creation of diplomatic service of EU.
Haradinaj: Unrest in Skopje is no accident (Express)
Express reports that following incidents in Skopje, former KLA senior officer and
now AAK MP, Daut Haradinaj has called on Albanian political leaders in Macedonia
to be more careful. In an interview for Alsat, Haradinaj said the Macedonian tendency
to build a church in the castle overlooking Skopje is a mistake.
“These are clearly trends of an all-Albanian movement. We saw them in Albania,
Kosovo and Macedonia. I don’t think they are accidental. But I hope that the
leadership there will find ways to overcome this situation. I call on the citizens and the
leadership there to be careful with such situations. At the same time, these problems
are Macedonian tendencies to wipe out or eliminate our ethnicity especially by
building churches,” Haradinaj was quoted as saying.
Kosovo Press Headlines
Koha Ditore
Front page
 Thaçi’s pressure makes Pacolli President
 The election of the President with SMSs
 U.S. supports election of president by citizens
 Limaj: Pacolli for president, the worst possible solution
 Difficult times await Pacolli as President
 Pacolli does not represent unity and institutional legitimacy
 The president a Casanova, the first lady a Russian
Other headlines
 Symbolic action against Pacolli’s election for president (6)
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UNMIK did not find witnesses for removal of organs (7)
20 candidates eliminated from race for governor (8)
GAP suggests creation of Balkans area for telephone rates (9)
Flaka Surroi: How much did the votes cost, Mr. Thaçi? (10)
Zëri
Front page
 In five minutes
 Feith’s contract temporarily extended
 Serbs protest against police in the north
 Limaj surprised with how votes were changed
Other headlines
 Çollaku: The magical break of the PDK (2)
 Visa could be introduced again for Serbia and the region (2)
 Brammerz in Belgrade (2)
 Lawsuit against Slavisa Petkovic is confirmed (4)
 Haradinaj: Unrest in Skopje is no accident (4)
Kosova Sot
Front page
 Pacolli’s election as president is disputed
 Editorial: The Constitutional Court should speak up
 Thaçi: We will continue reforms
 Opposition abandons assembly session
 Limaj voted against Pacolli
Other headlines
 U.S. is ready to help the new government (4)
 LB against the new president (4)
 KLA War Veterans oppose Pacolli’s election as president (5)
Epoka e Re
Front page
 The winners, Thaçi and Pacolli
 The U.S. ready to help the new Government
 The first congratulations for Albania and the U.S.
 LDK, AAK and Vetëvendosje failed
Other headlines
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Government with promising ministers (2)
Vetëvendosje: Majority made an anti-democratic act (4)
Limaj: I voted against Pacolli for a President (5)
KDI: The Constitution and Assembly regulation violated (5)
Pacolli: The West is our way (6)
Thaçi: Interest of Kosovo, the first (7)
EU allocated 6 million euros for improvement of the environment in Kosovo
(9)
 Zharku hands over a recording to the Court (11)
Express
Front page
 They have the president
 The other storey
 The children of war
Other headlines
 Kërquki: Fate circle (2)
 Devaluated Governor (3)
 The second mandate (4)
 KDI: Constitution and Regulation devaluated (4)
 Limaj: We were not pressured (5)
 At the office of dreams (5)
 Opposition’s boycott (6)
 Haradinaj: Troubles at the Castle, are not a coincidence (6)
 The U.S. congratulates institutions (6)
Lajm
Front page
 Thaçi continues
 Pacolli President
Other headlines
 Biography of President of Republic of Kosovo (2)
 Pacolli received first congratulations from Topi (2)
 Steps are taken for the evacuation of Kosovars from Libya (3)
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Fajon: Visas can be placed again (4)
 Serbs block the road (5)
 EU supports improvement of environmet in Kosovo (8)
Bota Sot
Front page
 Behgjet Pacolli the third president of Kosovo
 Kosovo today is facing bigger challenges
Other headlines
 Pacolli: I will win as President (3)
 American embassy congratulates the creation of the institutions (3)
 Peter Feith is extended the mandate until April (3)
 Biography of Kosovo President, Behxhet Pacolli (5)
 EU again discusses visa liberalization (7)
 Unsolved cases are sleeping since the time of UNMIK (8)
 LDK, Vetëvendosje and AAK did not take part in the voting (11)
Infopress
Front page
 Contested legitimacy
 I voted against Pacolli
 Tuesday of shame
 The vote was scard and bought
Other headlines
 Thaçi 2 (2)
 Pacolli President, constitution violated (3)
 Students protest against Pacolli (3)
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Message not to withdraw (3)
 Pacolli does not serve to the country (4)
 EU lounches project for improvement of environment in Kosovo (6)
 Serbs against traffic police (7)
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.