Thursday 4th September 2008 MEDIA HEADLINES IN ENGLISH

You’re listening to NEWS REPORT, a summary of today’s media, prepared by UNMIK ON AIR

Authority in north, without violence,
Turkey v Armenia, in football, and
US aid package to Georgia

KOSOVO
Extending the authority of the Kosovo government over the north cannot be expected to happen quickly or by force, Hajredin Kuci, Kosovo’s deputy prime minister said. “This can be done quickly, and let alone violently,” he explained, responding to the opposition criticism of government’s incapability to integrate the north.

Albania has made available all the diplomatic and state capacities to help of Kosovo, Albania’s foreign minister said yesterday after meeting his Kosovo counterpart. Skender Hyseni met the country’s top officials, saying “46 recognitions of Kosovo is not a number to be alarmed but also not a number to be totally satisfied.”

The European Union expects from Serbia to be constructive and pragmatic in the case of Kosovo. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told President Boris Tadic yesterday in Brussels that “he understands Kosovo is a hard and sensitive, but it is important for regional cooperation.”

The Democratic Party of Albanians in FYR of Macedonia has handed over a resolution for recognition of independence of Kosovo. “We hope that the request will be accepted by the head of parliament, and we will witness some interesting debates,” a party official said yesterday.

Kosovo’s border demarcation with FYR of Macedonia and state recognition are separate issues, according to the Deputy prime minister. Hajredin Kuci said he hopes Skopje recognizes Kosovo before the conclusion of the border demarcation process.

UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier had a meeting with Albanian and Serb family members of missing persons yesterday, while today Zannier is expected to address the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

UNMIK would be willing to facilitate a direct meeting between Presidents of Kosovo and Serbia. UNMIK spokesperson Alexander Ivanko said yesterday “We would love to do that if there is readiness on both sides for having such a meeting.”

The Government approved yesterday to open four new offices within Prime Minister’s Office. The new offices are for communities, war veterans, pensioners, and businesses. Justifying the decision, Kosovo PM Hashim Thaçi stated that opening of the offices is in the interest of Kosovo citizens.

Rada Trajkovic, a Kosovo-Serb representative, called on Serbs to cooperate with the EULEX mission, because she considers it as a must. According to Trajkovic, Pristina institutions did not do much to have a normal communication with local Serbs, which is why they still look at Belgrade for directions.

Former Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Astrit Haracia and his former advisor Bajrush Morina yesterday returned to The Hague for the trial against them for disobeying the rules of the tribunal and for intimidating witnesses in the case former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and others.

REGIONAL
The President of the European Commission has told Serbia's leader that Belgrade should not expect EU candidate status until 2009. Jose Manuel Barroso added that Serbia must arrest two more war crime suspects and accelerate domestic reforms in order to move any closer to membership in the bloc

The Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, is to attend a football match in Armenia, his office says, signaling an apparent thaw in relations. The Turkish and Armenian teams will face each other for the first time in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
The two countries have no official ties and their shared border remains closed.

The Albanian television broadcaster News24 was been slapped with a €6500 fine for broadcasting an advert that satirized Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Opposition members in the media commission in parliament condemned the fine and called on the government to revise it.

INTERNATIONAL
The US has announced $1bn of aid to Georgia for reconstruction after the conflict with Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the aid would be used to rebuild houses and infrastructure - but not for military purposes. She added that the US was "responding to what we consider to be urgent needs".

The Western-leaning governing coalition in Ukraine appeared once again near collapse on Wednesday. The president of Ukraine asserted that he was the victim of a "political and constitutional coup" carried out by his ally, the Prime Minister, and threatened new parliamentary elections.

Haiti faces a "catastrophe" after being hit by a series of storms in recent weeks, President Rene Preval has said. Three storms in less than 21 days have killed 170 people and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Caribbean nation. The latest, Tropical Storm Hanna, could be even more deadly than the one that killed more than 3,000 people in 2004.

WEATHER
Today will be sunny and 28 degrees with a low tonight of 14 degrees; tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 30 degrees Celsius

And that’s all for today, thank you for listening.