The most dangerous warning for Haradinaj is when the government can collapse

The new Kosovo government is weak in numbers and its life expectancy depends on performance”. So says in an interview for Radio Free Europe, Naim Rashit director of the Balkan Policy Group in Kosovo. He also says that a new government's high evental performance can lower the opposition appetite to bring it down. Rashit also stresses that one of the most difficult jobs for Prime Minister Haradinaj is the issue of demarcation.

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Rashit, how do you see the position of the new Kosovo government regarding border demarcation with Montenegro and the pledge of Prime Minister Haradinaj that the current version of the agreement should be rejected?

Naim Rashit: This is Mr. Haradinaj's familiar stance, which I believe will remain loyal to this stance. I don't know how it will reflect within the ruling coalition and in relations with the opposition. Mr Haradinaj will have one of the most difficult tasks in relation to the demarcation. The solution to this issue, which has been complicated even by the fact that international expectations are to have a quick solution. I believe it's the hardest topic on Mr. Haradinaj's desk.

Radio Free Europe: How much can the eventual failure of this agreement on the part of Kosovo reflect on reports with Montenegro?

Naim Rashit: Basically, there can be no big trouble because such agreements are made and sometimes they are not implemented or refused by the sovereign, parliament, if there is a democratic procedure that respects norms.

It is not something new which will make Kosovo and Montenegro sit back and see where this issue ends. On the way is that even if the annulment of the agreement in the Assembly occurs, there will eventually be a warning to a discussion with Montenegro about the steps to be taken, and if that is the case, of course, will end in arbitration.

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Rashi, on Kosovo's domestic political scene, there is a new coalition government which, for which support in the Assembly is at the lower border, if we can call it that. How long do you expect this Government to meet some of those named priorities, whether visa liberalisation, implementation of agreements with Serbia or even the founding of the Kosovo Army?

Naim Rashit: This government is weak in numbers and its life expectancy depends on performance. If you create a new dynamic, a high performance can eventually increase commitment or willingness to bring down Government can be reduced.

This remains to be seen how serious the opposition will be in trying to bring down Government. This remains to be seen after local elections. I believe the opposition is expecting the outcome of local elections to see the mathematics, the positions of all political subjects, at the same time as for the ruling parties.

However, this is the format of this government. We had a huge government that couldn't handle the pressures. [ This Government ] It's good to focus on meeting certain requirements or increasing government performance.

Visa liberalisation remains the topic that will affect the Government for the fact that pressure is great and citizens' frustration is very great on this issue.

There is little time or patience of the European Union to give Kosovo visas and I strongly believe that they are interested in Kosovo receiving visas with the fulfillment of the two remaining conditions.

The key issues Mr Haradinaj has to do to prove that his government works better and performs better, concerns the functioning of all state institutions with lowering informality, tangible increases in services for citizens, infromity, health and a very direct policy to meet the lower performance of the judiciary.

If this perception reaches Mr. Haradinaj to change through action, then I see that eventually the Government can deal with calls of pressure to surrender quickly.

However, major topics remain very delicate, such as demarcation and visas. Kosovo cannot find spring without visa liberalisation if we can say so, and the government must do everything to find the solution.

In terms of dialogue with Serbia or with the Association Agreement, I think that the fact that the next phase of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is beginning, the Government and Parliament must package the first agreement to implement it in line with the Constitutional Court's decision to remove the possibility that these agreements are rolled into the agenda, in a larger agenda become bigger issues.

Kosovo benefits from implementing the Energy, Telecommunications, judiciary, and association agreement, because it will thereby remove it from the big agenda.

It is in Kosovo's interest, and if political subjects can find a way to implement these agreements quickly. I think it'll benefit a lot.

Radio Free Europe: Part of this coalition is the Serbian List, whose leaders were in Moscow. Do you expect the head of the Government of Kosovo to manage to find common language with this political subject, especially in terms of the Association of Serb municipalities?

Naim Rashit: Kosovo Serb representatives trust Mr. Haradinaj, as well as Mr. Wessel, in relation to their relations. Their relationship will be more fixed and less flexible. Of course, they often fail to make their own decisions. Often they take action ad hok depending on the instructions they receive.

That is fear of what instructions at what time will they receive [the orders] from Belgrade. It's not the issue they went to Moscow. They are very small acts to be partners in Moscow, but they are partners of Belgrade, and must often act as commanded.

These days they're making mushrooms manageing and undermining any other alternative to local elections. By pressuring people on institutions, on people working in the CEC [the Central Election Commission], the international factor is not becoming loud. The essence is Kosovo Serbs to create mechanisms strongly linked to Pristina, with Government, and to be more institutionalally impossible [Serbs] to be misused by Belgrade as it is.

Radio Free Europe: In the new composition of the Parliament, there is currently a very powerful opposition. President Thaci has already called for the establishment of a unity team in connection with talks with Serbia. How much can the current opposition be viewed as part of political processes, especially dialogue with Serbia, alongside Haradinaj Government?

Naim Rashit: I think it's very possible to have a political co-ordination for an agenda of dialogue. Of course, there are different views, there are few political antagonisms. But, in the end, political subjects will co-operate for the agenda of dialogue and other joint agendas. This should be a mechanism to create a culture of co-ordination, the opposition government co-operation because they can't all be in Government now to see for themselves how dialogue is being designed.

There are clear signals that a dialogue process is under way for the next two, three years, which will require a very good preparation of Pristina, institutions and policy on this subject and other topics, but in particular on the subject. What has characterised politics these years is the minimising of political decision making both subjects and coalitions and leaders. The leaders of the subjects must return to major topics to resolve them. Leaders are to make major and important decisions about the country in every respect.