Controversial draft law on Trepca withdrawn

Controversial draft law on Trepca withdrawn

PRISTINA, BELGRADE -- The assembly of Kosovo will not discuss a law concerning the Trepca mining complex on Monday, it has been announced in Pristina.

It was initially reported today that Trepca was removed at the last moment from the draft law on public companies, prepared last week by the Kosovo government with the goal to take over the coal mining complex located on northern Kosovo.

The Serbian government reacted strongly by saying it would "not allow" the takeover of Trepca, that is majority-owned by the state and Serbian companies, and also by announcing it could restart proceedings to privatize it.

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa told the assembly in Pristina that the government was asking that "the Trepca case" not be discussed today, and explained this by saying there was a fact his government was "unaware of" - that Trepca has debts reaching EUR 1.4 billion, Tanjug reported.

The Beta news agency reported that the Kosovo government said the draft law was withdrawn because "deadlines for (meeting) the obligations that Trepca has toward creditors have not been precisely defined."

It was also decided that "a separate law on Trepca" would be produced that would "define all the issues important for this company that is one of the most important economic factors in Kosovo."

Members of the Pristina government from the Srpska List were present during the session and agreed with the decision to withdraw the draft law.

Meanwhile, Pristina-based Albanian language website Koha reported that the decision was made last night, "after a meeting Mustafa, along with is deputy Hashim Thaci and Justice Minister Hajredin Kuci, held with the most important western...