States with limited recognition

Kosovo's Special Prosecution announced on Friday that it has filed an indictment charging a Serb ex-policeman, identified only by the initials G.P., with the wartime rape of an ethnic Albanian man.

NOVI SAD - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday the situation in the north of Kosovo-Metohija was very difficult and tense as Pristina was expected to try to elect false mayors for three Serb-majority municipalities on Friday.

Police and prosecutors in Kosovo are struggling to solve violent crimes, particularly when they occur in a northern pocket of the country populated mainly by Serbs, according to a BIRN analysis of crime data illustrated in an interactive map.

BRUSSELS - A meeting between the director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic and the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak began in Brussels shortly after 9 am on Monday.

They met ahead of a new round of technical dialogue between chief negotiators.

The EU envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajak, made an announcement after talks with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui, and the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
He stated that he talked with Vui and Petar Petkovi about further progress on the path of implementing the agreement.

PRISTINA - A Pristina basic court has extended a house arrest for former police officer Dejan Pantic by another two months, his lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic told Tanjug on Tuesday.

"Dejan Pantic's house arrest has been extended until July 9," Pantovic said briefly.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday evening US special envoy James Rubin was an official, paid Albanian lobbyist who had been purposely sent to Kosovo-Metohija during recent elections there to boost Pristina's campaign.

BELGRADE - The director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met on Monday with the head of the regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jelena Stijacic, and the organisation's coordinator for protection and head of the working group for missing persons, Aurelie Gautier.

"I want to express my deepest condolences for the tragedy that befell Serbia during the past week. (President of Russia Vladimir) Putin and (Minister Sergey) Lavrov sympathize, and we wish the people to overcome this grave situation... Russia, as always, is with the Serbian people," said Kharchenko in a guest appearance on TV Prva.

BIRN Kosovo and six other Kosovo-based NGOs and media organisations have formed the Kosovo Anti-Disinformation Coalition, it was announced on Friday.