Thaci says criminals in north will face justice

In an interview for B92, Hashim Thaci discussed the situation in the north of Kosovo, the Kosovo customs seals and protection of Serb cultural heritage. The Kosovo Albanian prime minister also touched on the issue of the Kosovo organ trafficking case, and said the Kosovo police action in the Serb-dominated north that took place on July 25 was the beginning of activities that would continue. Thaci says criminals in north will face justice Below is the transcript of the interview: What does your statement that the days are numbered for the parallel structures in the north mean? "I wish to stress that all people who are violating the laws of Kosovo and encroaching upon the Consitutuon of Kosovo, order and security of citizens and sovereignty, will of course face justice. Politics will not influence justice. Therefore politics will not influence justice, instead we respect the Constitution and laws, so that the structures or illegal criminal groups in the north face justice. July 25 was the beginning, we will continue." Why are those criminal institutions, is there any proof for that? "There's definitely enough proof. For 12 years now there has been smuggling and criminal activities there, violence against citizens, burning down of border posts, murder of a Kosovo policeman, therefore there's enough evidence to face those people with Kosovo and international justice." Does the government of Kosovo have a plan to resolve the situation and what kind of plan is that? "The government of the Republic of Kosovo in coordination with the authorities of EULEX and KFOR will jointly work for good against bad, against illegality and I stress once again that the criminal violent structures in the north will not have the commodity they had and will in any case face justice." Do you fear that continued actions will influence new unrest? "The legitimate institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, along with international institutions will cooperate and in any attempt to increase tensions, will answer with order and law, levelheadly and with the highest state and political responsibility, and above all with the system of justice." The start of a new round of negotiations is expect, unofficially the EU is in favor of a Kosovo customs stamp without the coat of arms and flag - is that acceptable to you and why? "The government of the Republic of Kosovo is dedicated to the inter-state dialogue with Serbia. Earlier we reached joint conclusions and we expect Serbia to at last recognize the customs stamps of Kosovo with state symbols of the Republic of Kosovo. Definitely on border crossings 1 and 31 there will also be policemen and customs of Kosovo, along with EULEX and KFOR, which guarantees safety. All that will be in line with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo." EULEX has named a prosecutor that will examine the allegations from the Dick Marty reports - will that case start to be resolved soon - and are you afraid of it? "The government of the Republic of Kosovo and myself personally are welcoming the forming of the task force. The political report of Dick Marty is a political issue and we are in that direction giving full advantage and support to justice." Considering that Kosovo accepted the Ahtisaari plan and special provisions given to the SPC heritage in Kosovo, we are seing that in the Assembly of Kosovo a majority of deputies rejected two important laws that are a part of this package. Does that mean that Kosovo is rejecting Ahtisaari and the mechanisms to protest the Serb Orthodox heritage? "We will respect the document of the Ahtisaari plan in its entirety, around 90 percent of the document has already been implemented, we formed multi-ethnic municipalities, such as the municipalities of Klokot, Ranilug, Gracanica, which are very good models for the functioning of decentralization on various levels of organization in the Republic of Kosovo." Is Kosovo ready to respect the Serb heritage in its territory in line with the principles defined in the negotiations in Vienna? "The religious and cultural heritage is a value for the state of Kosovo, value for the citizens, for the past and present, it brings people closer, therefore we will respect in its entirety the agreement according to the Ahtisaari document, in order to end the process of supervised independence as soon as possible, in the most successful way, and in that direction I think it is necessary to establish good neighborly relations of Kosovo with all regional countries and within that with Serbia. We want Serbia in Europe, Serbia that is behaving in a pro-European manner in relation to Kosovo too. The behavior of Serbia in relation to Kosovo is completely non-European and is the behavior of a violent policy." What is your message to the citizens in the north and to official Belgrade? "My message to all the citizens in the north is to accept and to join the new reality. We will be in the service of all citizens in the north as well, as in all parts of Kosovo, they are citizens of Kosovo. We wish to invest in the social economic sense as well in order for order and law to be there as well, for social well-being, opening of new jobs, therefore I'm calling on them to join the new democratic life, to choose their leaders in a legitimate manner and that the government of the Republic of Kosovo will be with them in the projects for a better life. They need new schools, ambulances, roads, waterworks, they need a new life and I am determined for strong investments. The best solution would be to establish inter-neighbor understanding. Out past is very bitter and we must close that chapter of conflict and mutual problems. We must build a European model in relations between Kosovo and Serbia as well. And in that direction I think we should focus on both states beciming NATO and EU members as soon as possible and to live in a region without borders, a region of borders of a European model, which simply means a region without borders, with free movement of people and goods."

Thaci says criminals in north will face justice

Below is the transcript of the interview:

What does your statement that the days are numbered for the parallel structures in the north mean?

"I wish to stress that all people who are violating the laws of Kosovo and encroaching upon the Consitutuon of Kosovo, order and security of citizens and sovereignty, will of course face justice. Politics will not influence justice. Therefore politics will not influence justice, instead we respect the Constitution and laws, so that the structures or illegal criminal groups in the north face justice. July 25 was the beginning, we will continue."

Why are those criminal institutions, is there any proof for that?

"There's definitely enough proof. For 12 years now there has been smuggling and criminal activities there, violence against citizens, burning down of border posts, murder of a Kosovo policeman, therefore there's enough evidence to face those people with Kosovo and international justice."

Does the government of Kosovo have a plan to resolve the situation and what kind of plan is that?

"The government of the Republic of Kosovo in coordination with the authorities of EULEX and KFOR will jointly work for good against bad, against illegality and I stress once again that the criminal violent structures in the north will not have the commodity they had and will in any case face justice."

Do you fear that continued actions will influence new unrest?

"The legitimate institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, along with international institutions will cooperate and in any attempt to increase tensions, will answer with order and law, levelheadly and with the highest state and political responsibility, and above all with the system of justice."

The start of a new round of negotiations is expect, unofficially the EU is in favor of a Kosovo customs stamp without the coat of arms and flag - is that acceptable to you and why?

"The government of the Republic of Kosovo is dedicated to the inter-state dialogue with Serbia. Earlier we reached joint conclusions and we expect Serbia to at last recognize the customs stamps of Kosovo with state symbols of the Republic of Kosovo. Definitely on border crossings 1 and 31 there will also be policemen and customs of Kosovo, along with EULEX and KFOR, which guarantees safety. All that will be in line with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo."

EULEX has named a prosecutor that will examine the allegations from the Dick Marty reports - will that case start to be resolved soon - and are you afraid of it?

"The government of the Republic of Kosovo and myself personally are welcoming the forming of the task force. The political report of Dick Marty is a political issue and we are in that direction giving full advantage and support to justice."

Considering that Kosovo accepted the Ahtisaari plan and special provisions given to the SPC heritage in Kosovo, we are seing that in the Assembly of Kosovo a majority of deputies rejected two important laws that are a part of this package. Does that mean that Kosovo is rejecting Ahtisaari and the mechanisms to protest the Serb Orthodox heritage?

"We will respect the document of the Ahtisaari plan in its entirety, around 90 percent of the document has already been implemented, we formed multi-ethnic municipalities, such as the municipalities of Klokot, Ranilug, Gračanica, which are very good models for the functioning of decentralization on various levels of organization in the Republic of Kosovo."

Is Kosovo ready to respect the Serb heritage in its territory in line with the principles defined in the negotiations in Vienna?

"The religious and cultural heritage is a value for the state of Kosovo, value for the citizens, for the past and present, it brings people closer, therefore we will respect in its entirety the agreement according to the Ahtisaari document, in order to end the process of supervised independence as soon as possible, in the most successful way, and in that direction I think it is necessary to establish good neighborly relations of Kosovo with all regional countries and within that with Serbia. We want Serbia in Europe, Serbia that is behaving in a pro-European manner in relation to Kosovo too. The behavior of Serbia in relation to Kosovo is completely non-European and is the behavior of a violent policy."

What is your message to the citizens in the north and to official Belgrade?

"My message to all the citizens in the north is to accept and to join the new reality. We will be in the service of all citizens in the north as well, as in all parts of Kosovo, they are citizens of Kosovo. We wish to invest in the social economic sense as well in order for order and law to be there as well, for social well-being, opening of new jobs, therefore I'm calling on them to join the new democratic life, to choose their leaders in a legitimate manner and that the government of the Republic of Kosovo will be with them in the projects for a better life. They need new schools, ambulances, roads, waterworks, they need a new life and I am determined for strong investments.

The best solution would be to establish inter-neighbor understanding. Out past is very bitter and we must close that chapter of conflict and mutual problems. We must build a European model in relations between Kosovo and Serbia as well. And in that direction I think we should focus on both states beciming NATO and EU members as soon as possible and to live in a region without borders, a region of borders of a European model, which simply means a region without borders, with free movement of people and goods."