Ibrahim Rugova

As reported by Kosovo Online, he must be removed from power, because otherwise he will cause immeasurable damage to the so-called Kosovo, writes the newspaper Tema.
He stated that his biggest concern is the re-establishment of "free Kosovo" with the help of the USA and the West, and he called the help of NATO troops in achieving that aspiration "blessed".

Jakup Krasniqi told the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague during opening statements in the case against him and three other ex-guerrillas that he denies the charges, some of which he described as "absurd".

Krasniqi, 72, told the court he had nothing to do with the war crimes and crimes against humanity mentioned in the indictment.

The first witness in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo Liberation Army member Pjeter Shala, known by the nom de guerre 'Commander Wolf', testified on Monday that his father was tortured by Shala personally at a KLA detention site at the Kukes Metal Factory in Albania in 1999.

Marc Weller, an adviser to the Kosovo negotiation team in the dialogue with Serbia since the historic Rambouillet accords in 1999, told BIRN the recently published draft agreement between the two countries for the first time puts Kosovo in a better strategic position than Serbia - which must make constitutional changes if the agreement is signed.

Acting President Vjosa Osmani paid tribute at Ibrahim Rugova's memorial in Pristina, saying that the path that he paved "remains a permanent guideline" for Kosovo.

On BIRN's televised programme Jeta ne Kosove on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Besian Mustafa expressed his dismay at the failure of the justice system in Kosovo to shed light on the murder of his father, Xhemajl, in 2000.

Kosovo parliament speaker Vjosa Osmani has reacted with fury to claims that her family once worked for the Serbian police when the country was under Yugoslav rule, after President Hashim Thaci repeated the allegation on Tuesday.

"Tonight, the snake tried to bite the honour of my family," Osmani wrote on Facebook, referring to Thaci by his wartime nickname of "The Snake".

As the results of Central Election Commission showed, the once dominant Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, came third, winning just over 21 per cent of the votes. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, won over 11 per cent.

Student protest in Pristina. Photo: BIRN.

In September 1996, Milosevic and the leader of the parallel system, Ibrahim Rugova, reached an agreement which would allow the Albanian students to use school buildings again.

According to "Blic" report, carried by Tanjug, it does not mean that the deadline will not be extended as many times before, but the "Kosovo issue" is being pushed in that direction. Hashim Thaci's party is worse off than ever, and if the West plays to other options, negotiations over the fate of Kosovo and Metohija could change drastically, according to "Blic".