Prime Minister: Blakaj endangers visa liberalisation

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has not regretted his statements delivered the previous night to the media for the outgoing prosecutor, Elez Blakaj, who was investigating the lists of Kosovo Liberation Army veterans (UÇK).

Haradiaj, following the government's regular meeting, has reiterated these statements, saying more that the Blackaj case is jeopardising receiving visa liberalisation for Kosovo.

Look at one more thing. I'm against the one who doesn't enjoy the epiveteranity to be on the list, but I'm not that, like I said, a thief, that he's a thief, and you know why he's a thief, he wants to say no, he's not. We gave that man all the possible conditions to do his job. I gave every support to the head of the government, I gave it to my office, the matter I believe in all the materials I gave him, if that's a threat, a denial of justice, if it's denial, it's not true. It's an abuse of truth. It's a lie he said and begged for the file. We've put on cameras and we've spent the cost of not having a drug manipulation, and for days our prime minister's office on my floor to examine the subject. A few governments in a few countries know they respect me so well and we've run it down. In the end, look what happened to the file and it's out of public speculation. This is a thief, so this is not a professional. I've been in law enforcement, no professional speaking. These guys are looking to give Tome Gashi an example, through the media through public noise, they've become somebody. It doesn't work like that... we are in the process of visa liberalisation, we are in the process of convincing the international community that we are in order and the law that this hani to question us to get visa liberalisation because they are accusing a system...”, Haradinaj has told Kosovapress.

The prime minister also said Vetevendosje is one that is exploiting the situation created after Blakaj's public appearance for political purposes.

It's trying to exploit this situation, and it's good for those who try to use it. But I've said about a physical person, a physical person, because the prosecutor is a profession based on responsibility, on duty, on public responsibility. For one who has slipped himself, has resigned, I have a right to give my opinion of that person about how he's been losing his class. And if someone has a big problem with it, I think that's what I've really said, and I see who's going to lock it up, it's seen that Vetevendosje has brought to Prizren, and now Vetevendosje that so far, police and swear prosecutors are coming out protecting a prosecutor, and that statement of who's protecting you means like that, who's respecting you, like the prime minister, has said.

According to Haradinaj, it is not true that there has been pressure on him. The government, according to the prime minister, has given all conditions for work. Until he refused to comment on the statements of Commander Sylejman Selimi, who had declared days earlier from prison that there were just over 12,000 members in the KLA.

Haradinaj has said he does not comment Selimi's statements since he knew he was serving his sentence until he said that as far as the lists are concerned, they will be decided on after the regular legal process.

Responding to journalists' questions following the government's regular meeting at the media conference, Haradinaj also spoke of the Democratic League of Kosovo initiative with the support of the VV to initiate no-confidence motion on its government.

Haradinaj said he does not fear the current opposition, the LDK and the VV, ironising with them.

“Even I am unhappy with their work as opposition, many weak opposition are. The LDK, especially for the VV, let's not talk. So they continue to disagree with the differences we have, but we also do things the way you see it today, we've had a government meeting with 24 themes, most of which are very important to the lives of our citizens, we're not going to see their initiative as problematic. I've been to Parliament and if anyone is out of the game, the Parliament is on this subject. Those who were supposed to be in the game, the LDK and Vetevendosje are without treatment and political courage to take responsibility so they just make noises in Parliament and escape responsibility. The government does its jobs the way it belongs to the Constitutions and to the Deut”.

The Government head was also questioned on the topic of border correction and the fact that he appears to have given confidence to President Thaci to represent the state in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, even though a parliamentary resolution appoints Government as Kosovo representatives in the dialogue that is being eased by official Brussels.

Responding to that, he has said that Thaci never has his confidence to open up topics about the Kosovo border.

“are two stages, one is granting the country's president confidence to represent the country in a process, and two is material which it is. The president of the country has my trust in the topics of recognition and receiving mutual recognition in the talks with Serbia, on border topics does not have this belief and it is understood that I am not part of or heedar of such a subject... so taking the country's president's confidence is only about recognition [48:47] If the country's president has laid out such a topic [reforming borders] he has not laid it down in my name. Neither in my name, nor in my own name, nor in the parliamentary group nor the political party representing”.

The prime minister has also been asked about the publishing of BIRN concerning government spending claims at the time of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, saying state protocols have costs.

The conference was held after the Kosovo Government's regular meeting, where 24 points were discussed and several decisions were made. One of the decisions was the sharing of 1.1m euros for the amount of damage caused by the floods in Suhareka.