HLC Kosovo: Kurti convicted, but then released

BELGRADE, June 17 (Tanjug) - The Pristina District Court has sentenced Albin Kurti, leader of the ethnic Albanian Self-Determination movement who was arrested for obstructing a police officer during a protest in 2007, to nine months in prison, but he was released immediately because of the time he spent in custody during investigation, the Humanitarian Law Centre Kosovo announced Thursday.

Kurti was released because he spent 11 months in custody during the proceedings, which means that he had already served his sentence, says the announcement.

Kurti was found guilty of obstructing a police officer during the February 10, 2007, protest in Pristina and sentenced to nine months in prison on June 14.

The announcement states that the end of Kurti's trial should not mean the end of trials connected with the protest.

Kurti was arrested after taking part in the protest against Martti Ahtisaari's plan regarding Kosovo's status, which was organized by his movement. A Romanian UN police unit used rubber bullets during the demonstrations, which resulted in two dead members of Kurti's organization.

The police officers had legal immunity as members of a UN peacekeeping mission. They were soon withdrawn from Kosovo, which practically meant that they would not be investigated, says the announcement.

Romania's strong support regarding EU and Kosovo

BELGRADE, June 17 (Tanjug) - Romania will keep providing strong support to Serbia's EU integration, and its principled position regarding the non-recognition of Kosovo's independence will not change, Romanian Foreing Minister Teodor Baconschi stated after the meeting with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic on Thursday.

Serbia should play a crucial role in the Western Balkans' EU integration process, said Baconschi, who arrived on his first visit to Belgrade since he took office in December 2009.

The new climate that Belgrade is working on, including the relation towards national minorities, will contribute to sending a real signal to Europe when it comes to the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, and to Serbia's being given a positive assessment in Brussels, Baconschi said at a joint press conference with Jeremic.

Jeremic underscored that the path of full EU membership of the Western Balkans is doubtlessly the only way to go.

As for Kosovo, Baconschi said that position of Romania, which does not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of the southern Serbian province, will remain the same.

That is a matter of principle and solidarity with the Serbian people, he pointed out.

Jeremic said that he informed his colleague about Belgrade's further steps in the diplomatic fight for Kosovo and once again stressed that Serbia's position will not change.

"There is no changing, no giving in, everything remains the same regardless of the development of the situation," Jeremic said and thanked Romania for its courageous and perseverent attitude in respect of Kosovo.

Prior to their meeting in Belgrade, the ministers visited Vrsac, a town in eastern Serbia, and during the afternoon they will also visit Petrovac na Mlavi, a town where Romanian national minority lives.

KPS arrests Albanian wanted by U.S.

PRISTINA, June 17 (Tanjug) - The Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS), under the supervision of EULEX prosecutor, arrested an ethnic Kosovo Albanian in the region of Kosovska Mitrovica, whose extradition the United States demands over terrorism, EULEX said in a statement for the media Thursday, but did not give any name.

According to the statement, the United States public prosecutor for the Eastern District of North Carolina charged the arrested with criminal acts of providing material support or resources to terrorists, supporting terrorism or conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, disabling or causing injury to persons or causing damage to property in a foreign country.

The KPS searched the house where they nailed the criminal down, all in scope of the U.S. extradition warrant submitted to the (interim) Kosovo authorities.

The search and arrest warrant was issued by the pre-trial EULEX judge at the District Court in Kosovska Mitrovica, EULEX added in the statement.

Pristina seeks ways to coordinate talks with Belgrade

PRISTINA, June 17 (Tanjug) - Officials of the (interim) Kosovo authority are still in two minds about the way in which possible talks with Belgrade should be coordinated, the Pristina daily Koha Ditore reported Thursday, adding, however, that the Kosovo president and government are making effort to include other factors in the process.

The paper assesses that Kosovo institutions are still unceratin as to how things should be coordinated between the position, the opposision and the civil society before holding possible talks with Serbia, which are expected to take place after the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. The role of the international factor is not excluded, the paper adds.

While the government does not rule out the possibility that consensual atmosphere during the talks be created with the help of some special mechanism, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu believes that it is the institutions that should manage this process, but does not exclude the possibility of engaging people outside of the ruling coalition.

If we decide to use institutional mechanisms, then certain experts may have to be engaged, he said, pointing out that in any case, institutions would have the main role.

I have always insisted that all potentials should be used in order to make a good decision, Sejdiu noted.

Sejdiu also said that ICJ's opinion will be of crucial importance for discouraging Serbia's obstructive attitude towards Kosovo.

Head of CEC Kosovo has open dossier for violation of law

PRISTINA, June 17 (Tanjug) - Newly appointed President of the Central Election Commission (CEC) in Kosovo Valdete Daka has several open dossiers for violations of disciplinary procedures, the Pristina press report on Thursday.

Valdete Daka was appointed head of CEC by Kosovo interim President Fatmir Sejdiu on Wednesday.

Daka is a judge of the Supreme Court of Kosovo, and according to the Kosovo daily Zeri, she has three dossiers for violation of law from the period when she was a judge of the Prizren District Court, and three more dossiers which were closed due to the lack of evidence.

Daka's dossier is handled by the Kosovo Office of Disciplinary Councel, headed by Kadri Begoli, who has not yet disclosed which violations Daka had committed.

Begoli said that Daka has three more dossiers which were closed due to the lack of evidence, but he did not deny that there are other allegations against her which are being investigated.

Slovakia requests from KiM to extradite Albanian drug boss

BRATISLAVA, June 17 (Tanjug) - The official Bratislava has requested from the interim authorities in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM) the extradition of drug boss Baki Sadiki, an ethnic-Albanian with Slovak citizenship, Slovak news agency TASR reported.

The ministry filed a request on May 17 for the extradition of Sadiki (62), for whom an Interpol warrant has been issued.

The ministry found out that Sadiki has been staying in Kosovo since May 5, 2010, Slovak Justice Ministry spokesman Michal Jurci stated. The information was not published so as not to obstruct the arrest, he added.

Bratislava requests Sadiki's extradition based on the charges of illegal drug production in Slovakia, whereas it had earlier been known that he was wanted for the smuggling of 120 kg of heroine from Turkey to Poland and Slovakia three years ago.

Sadiki has lived in Slovakia since 1982, and based on his marriage to a Slovak woman, he obtained the Slovak passport in 2002.

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