Global Courant
Washington’s envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, said that the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have the “potential to turn into a regional conflict”.
He made these statements in a debate held by the Atlantic Council in Washington, together with the EU envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.
Meanwhile, Lajçak said that the first priority is to escalate the situation, “to remove people from the street and return to dialogue”.
“If we fail to escalate (the situation), we will have victims”, he said.
As for the three Kosovo policemen who are in custody in Serbia, Escobar said that even if they were kidnapped or entered the Serbian territory by mistake, they should be released immediately.
Lajcaku also supported this position.
Lajcak said that the crisis management meeting in Brussels will be held, despite the statements of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia.
“If it was rejected, there would be serious and negative consequences”, he said, adding that the meeting – which according to him will be held very soon – will focus only on the management of the current crisis.
Speaking about the request for new elections in the north of Kosovo, Lajçak said that there are two ways: either through the resignation of the current presidents in the north of Kosovo, or through a referendum. He said that both would follow the laws and the Constitution of Kosovo.
“However, until now we have not seen the political will to hold early elections”, he emphasized.
Escobar was asked about accusations that the US and the EU are soft on Serbia and tough on Kosovo. But, the American official said that for 15 years, everything that Washington has done has been in favor of Kosovo, starting from the acceptance of independence, the campaign for the recognition of Kosovo, the acceptance of the last elections in the north.
“I challenge everyone to tell me when we have been tough with Kosovo and soft with Serbia. What we are asking from Kosovo is close coordination and acceptance of international obligations. I don’t think this can be translated that we are tough on Kosovo. I think it’s the opposite,” he said.
As for the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, the two Western officials said that its establishment is an international obligation of Kosovo, which must be done on the basis of the Constitution of Kosovo.
“I believe in the EU, in European models. We want to jointly draft the statute, which would be based on the best European models. We analyzed 16 European models. Let’s make sure that we create something that is not a monster but that works for Kosovo and Serbia”, said Lajçak.
Meanwhile, Escobar said that the US supports an association that does not cause problems in the functioning of the state.
Asked what is the way forward for both sides, Western officials said that Kosovo and Serbia must respect their obligations arising from the dialogue.
Escobar said that it is important to implement the Agreement towards the normalization of relations – reached in February in Brussels and then the Annex for its implementation in March in Ohrid – through which Serbia, among other things, would recognize the symbols of Kosovo and its right to membership in international organizations.
Meanwhile, for Kosovo, he said that it is important to start “immediately and urgently the talks on the establishment of the Association”.
Both officials described as a “serious proposal” the draft statute that the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, for the Association.
The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, said on June 8 that he sent a draft for the Association to the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Rama said that the document is confidential, but expressed his conviction that it is “a document of the highest international level that takes into consideration all the reasons for the creation of the Association and that the Association is part of the organization of life for Kosovo”.
This discussion comes two weeks after Escobar and Lajcak stayed in Kosovo and Serbia to help the parties reduce tensions.
They presented three demands to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti: the calming of the situation in the north, the holding of new elections in the four municipalities in the north, inhabited by a majority of Serbs, and the return to the dialogue for the normalization of relations, which is mediated by the EU .
Kurti has presented a five-point plan, which includes the possibility of holding new elections.
Kurti’s five-point plan for reducing tensions in the north
The rule of law in the four municipalities in the north, which means the identification, prosecution and fair trial of all members of the criminal groups that have attacked the Police, NATO troops and journalists
Violent groups should immediately withdraw from the territory of Kosovo and any criminal act against the institutions of Kosovo should be prohibited
Kosovo Police, members of NATO and EULEX to carry out joint security assessments, to guarantee a safe and risk-free environment for everyone.
The Government of Kosovo should coordinate with all actors and announce early elections in the four municipalities in the north
Kosovo and Serbia to return to dialogue mediated by Brussels, and a high-level meeting to be held this week
Tensions in the north have been rising since May 26. That day, the Serbs started protests against the entry into the municipal buildings of the new Albanian mayors of Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq, who entered the buildings with the assistance of the Kosovo Police.
Since then, local Serbs have been protesting in the north, opposing the presidents who were elected on April 23 – elections that were boycotted by Serb parties and the population.
On May 29, protests escalated into violence, with Serbs clashing in Zveçan with soldiers from NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.
On June 14, reports became even more tense after three Kosovo policemen were arrested by Serbian forces. Kosovo says they were kidnapped inside its territory, but Serbia says it arrested them “deep” inside its state.
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The internationals have demanded the release of the three policemen, without conditions. They are in custody in Kraljevo, Serbia.
Due to rising tensions, the EU has called a crisis meeting this week. However, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has refused to meet with the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. The latter has said that he will not decide to participate in the Brussels meeting, without understanding the condition of the three policemen who are being held in Serbia./ REL
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