European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - The defense team of Citizens' Initiative SDP (GI SDP) leader Oliver Ivanovic has filed an appeal against a verdict by which Ivanovic was sentenced to nine years in prison, the GI SDP said in a release on Monday.

Opposition parties have announced a major protest for Wednesday as state institutions plan a series of celebratory events marking eight years of Kosovo's independence.

A day ahead of a major anti-government rally, Kosovo arrested a number of opposition officials from the Vetevendosje [Self-Determination] Movement on Tuesday, in relation to offences dating back to 2009.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleskandar Vucic cautiously welcomed the restart of talks with Kosovo in Brussels, facilitated by the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.

"We have our issues, the [Kosovo] Albanians have theirs... We do not play games. We are always ready for talks. Dialogue is the solution for toughest issues," Vucic said.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has said that the verdict in the Ivanovic case was "a tailwind for extremists on both sides."

The detention of Civic Initiative SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic has been extended until October 6, said his wife Milena Popovic-Ivanovic.

She told Tanjug on Thursday that the decision was made by a panel of EULEX judges from the Municipal Court in Kosovska Mitrovica, and that the request filed by Ivanovic's lawyers to set him free pending the end of the trial was rejected as unfounded.

The adoption of constitutional amendments and laws in the Kosovo parliament is the crucial step towards establishing the necessary legal framework.

This framework is necessary "to respond to the serious accusations from the Council of Europe report," High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday.

A law on the special court for crimes committed by the KLA "will enter into force as soon as it is signed by Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga."

According to Tanjug, EU Special Representative in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar has announced that "the first indictments will be raised early next year."

A former EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo prosecutor who made claims of corruption said she has been threatened with criminal prosecution if she speaks publicly about her case against her ex-employers.

MPs voted for the resolution on Thursday calling for EULEX's work to be reviewed and alleged abuses within the mission investigated.