Tanjug
The European Union is once again showing weakness and lack of political will to influence Albin Kurti, says former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic.
“He counts on Washington and does not give up his platform for dialogue based on mutual recognition.”
Also, Milivojevic expresses fear that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina could come to a standstill again, because, as he says, Kurti’s views do not provide a chance for the continuation of serious talks on the Kosovo issue.
As he says, the EU acted very decisively when it announced the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina for May 11, but after the views expressed by the Prime Minister of the Pristina institutions, the optimism of the officials in Brussels disappeared.
Milivojevic states that it has been shown that Kurti, who stated that he would be able to continue the dialogue with Belgrade in mid-June, but previously refused to come to the meeting on May 11, does not intend to listen to anyone and to stand firm in his negotiating positions.
– It is clear that Kurti is not giving up on his platform, which includes talks solely on the basis of recognition. That does not give any chance for the continuation of a serious dialogue, and the outcome of such Kurti’s attitude is yet to be seen – Milivojevic said for Tanjug.
As he says, optimism does not infuse the position of the EU, which did not react to Kurti’s statements, and the first offered a date with the expectation that the meeting in May will be realized, because it coincides with the meeting of the Council on May 10 dedicated to the Western Balkans.
Milivojevic is of the opinion that, by all accounts, Washington will be the main arbiter in the future and someone who will be able to influence Pristina, and having in mind, as he says, Kurti’s views, a serious discussion on the platform for continuing the dialogue is ahead.
– Kurti is exclusively counting on Washington, which did not support Brussels in proposing a date for May 11, and since there is no reaction, it means that Kurti has a certain support from the United States. On the other hand, despite all the oaths of dialogue, principledness and impartiality, Brussels’ attitude towards Kurti shows that Pristina has support in the EU as well – Milivojevic states.
According to his assessment, even if there is a meeting in Brussels, given Kurti’s views, it will be of a courteous character and will symbolize the possibility of continuing the dialogue, but not the essential dialogue because, Milivojevic points out, it is obvious that there will be no agreement on the negotiating platform.
– This shows that we will enter a dead end again, without the possibility of continuing the dialogue on the right foundations – Milivojevic estimates.
He reiterates that Belgrade’s position is completely clear and that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made it clear in Brussels that Belgrade is ready for dialogue and that the responsibility for continuing is not on the Serbian side, and that it is unacceptable to discuss recognition in Kurti’s positions.
He believes that we are for normalization and that the dialogue should continue with what has not been fulfilled, in the first place the JCC and the full fulfillment of the Brussels Agreement, and that was the best platform for resolving open issues and the normalization process that would yield results.
Commenting on President Vučić’s assessment that increasing pressure on Serbia on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija will follow, Milivojević says that the pressure on Serbia continues all the time and that in a way the pressure is that the political elite in Priština has support for their behavior, regardless of whether they are in power. Kurti or someone else.
As he says, the exclusive goal of the work of the international community, which supports Pristina, is the confirmation of Kosovo’s independence, and with that goal, he adds, various non-papers are published.
– All this is a kind of pressure and testing, first of all, the position of Serbia and the attempt to persuade Belgrade to accept the position that we should talk only from the position of recognizing Kosovo’s independence – Milivojevic believes.
He rejects as unfounded the views that Serbia is behind the “non-paper” on resolving the Kosovo issue, which was allegedly prepared by Germany and France, and emphasizes that it is meaningless for us to propose to give up Kosovo.
Milivojevic believes that the inspirers of the new “non-paper” are in the West and points to the reaction of the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Kosovo, Viola von Cramon, who, as she says, stated that the proposal for autonomy for the north of Kosovo is interesting.
– The inspiration is in the West, which has an interest in starting the story and in persuading Serbia to accept to discuss what their ultimate goal is, and that is the recognition of Kosovo – Milivojevic concluded.
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