Press coverage on Kosovo Forum

The daily press continues its coverage on the latest developments surrounding the idea launched by SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen to form a political forum to serve as a consultative body on key issues for Kosovo.

Zëri reports on the front page that the fate of the Forum seems to be in the hands of LDK leader Ibrahim Rugova and PDK leader Hashim Thaçi. The paper notes that despite initial statements welcoming Jessen-Petersen’s idea, there are doubts within the LDK chairmanship on this matter. The chairmanship reportedly fears that in due time the forum would turn into a decision-making centre and that the Government and Assembly would be ignored. The paper also says that the LDK’s strategy is based on the assessment that PDK will object to the forum and thus take on the responsibility for the failure of the initiative.

At the same time, the PDK believes that the forum should be a political decision-making body. ‘It seems that neither the LDK nor the PDK want to look like they are the ones that undermine the idea for the Forum,’ says the paper.

Zëri suggests that the way things stand right now, Jessen-Petersen will be forced to launch more concrete measures to get final answers from the two main political leaders.

In a different article but related to the same issue, Zëri reports that the UNMIK chief will soon call a joint meeting with all leaders of institutions and parties to discuss their comments for the political forum. According to unofficial information, the paper says, Jessen-Petersen has so far received three positive replies from LDK, AAK and ORA, and a reply with a question mark from PDK.

Express reports on the front page that SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen will meet with PDK leader Hashim Thaçi today after the news that PDK was not going to participate in the Kosovo Forum if it was only an advisory body.

However, Jessen-Petersen still hopes, according to UNMIK Information Director, Hua Jiang, that all political leaders will take part in the forum.

According to the newspaper’s sources, when he goes to PDK today he could be presented with an idea: that the Kosovo Forum has decision-making power only for major issues, like status.

The paper reports that the SRSG, like his predecessors, is realising how difficult it is to work with Kosovo leaders, namely Albanians.

In the introduction to the interview it will publish tomorrow, Koha Ditore quotes Mark Dickinson, head of the British liaison office in Pristina, as saying that it would require changes in the Constitutional Framework in order for the Kosovo Forum to be a decision-making body, as PDK is insisting.