Serbia has proposed a new set of rules to govern the four-month round of negotiations with Pristina under the supervision of the Contact Group. Belgrade has stated that it was ready to give concessions to Kosovo on joining international organizations such as the IMF and World Bank while still maintaining that Kosovo should remain a part of Serbia. However, Kosovo's President Fatmir Sedjiu has declared that he will not accept anything other than independence. He announced that the negotiations would center around issues of secession, missing persons, and freedom of movement.
Meanwhile, some international peacekeepers from Slovakia have been busted trying to smuggle cigarettes and alcohol from Kosovo after serving in Kosovo. Around 450 liters of alcohol and 320 boxes of cigarettes were found by Hungarian officials in a truck that was transporting Slovak soldier's luggage back to their home country following the conclusion of their peacekeeping duties in Kosovo.
Authorities in Kosovo have discovered an illegal water bottling plant in Kosovo. The plant was discovered producing the Serbian brand "Heba" without a license and without a license to conduct business. The water is currently being tested for quality and 3000 liters of water has been seized. Also, authorities expect that the tender for Kosovo's "C" power plant will be announced later this year. It is expected that the construction of the billion dollar plant will make Kosovo a big player in Southeast Europe's energy market. It will be a big change from the current situation where Kosovo must pay to import power during the winter to meet the demand.
KPS has brought in a good sized haul during a recent operation targeting arms smugglers and organized crime in Pristina and Podujevo. Approximately 500 guns and 2000 rounds of ammunition were seized during raids and two people were arrested. A KPS spokesperson is quoted as saying that most of the weapons came from Macedonia.
