Opposition has these conditions for involvement in dialogue with Serbia

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, on August 31st, after his recent meeting in Brussels with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, through a statement of media had said that “after the establishment of institutions, in the most consensual manner possible, through the Unity Team, Kosovo to be represented in the final, final, final, historical part of state-building”.

For this reason I have called for the creation of a broad representative base of the Kosovo political spectrum and civil society of media and opinion-makers”, President Thaci had said.

But, Rescue Kamberi, a member of the Headship of the Vetevendosje Movement, this largest opposition party in the Kosovo Assembly, says new talks with Serbia should not start without the investigation and assessment of the resulting dialogue.

“Vetevendosje Movement thinks there cannot be new talks with Serbia in Brussels, while the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo does not create a commission to review how dialogue has been made so far. This, because it has been a dialogue, first not transparent, which has continued to bypass the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. This is the first precondition that must happen in Kosovo. Second, we think that dialogue should be redefined, from the beginning and should not only change in composition, but also change the frames and promises of this”, Kamber points out.

The Democratic League of Kosovo, the opposition party in the Kosovo Assembly, has not yet considered the possibility of whether it will be part of a Kosovo Unity Team in talks with Serbia, which President Thaci has spoken about. The deputy chairman of this party, Hakki Rugova, says decisions on the level of political representation in dialogue with Serbia should be taken over by the Kosovo Assembly.

I know there has been a warning or a public invitation. However, the question is that I do not believe that the president of the state, in this case Hashim Thaci, has had the right to negotiate with Serbia without a authorization, primarily from the Kosovo Assembly”, he says. “Of course, that was when institutions were not formed. So now, with the formation of new institutions and government, I think that this burden and this process the Government of Kosovo should take over with the authorization of the Kosovo Assembly. However, the possibility of the president himself being involved in such processes is never ruled out, which is perfectly normal”.

Vetevendosje rejects the possibility of being part of a Unity Team in dialogue with Serbia, if Kosovo's representation frameworks were to make Hashim Thaci president.

If the dialogue gets stressed preconditions, as is the principle of reciprocity, if the frames change this dialogue, then we can consider the question of Vetevendosje's participation in such a hypothetical dialogue. But, without any preliminary investigation or changing the framework of dialogue, as well as less a dialogue that is coroned by the president of the Republic, Hashim Thaci, the Vetevendosje Movement will not take part in these dialogues, which will only degrad more and include Serbia even more within Kosovo”, Potencon Kamberi.

Rugova emphasises that regarding the eventual participation of the Democratic League of Kosovo in a potential Unity Team still has no firm stance. But, he does not rule out the possibility of participation, because, according to him, this party will not be excluded from the processes, which he considers to be in the interest of the state of Kosovo.

We still have no invitation. Any invitation coming from anyone, whether from the government, from the president, from the Kosovo Assembly, it will be examined in party organs, in the highest body, respectively, in the party's leadership and at the General Council”, he says. “I will not take responsibility to prejudge now what those chat modalities are and what is the form of negotiations, so that we are willing to give an answer”, Rugova explains.

At the last meeting in Brussels on 31 August, between President Thaci and Serbian President Vuciq, reconciliation has been achieved for the final steps in implementing the Justice Agreement, reached within the dialogue the European Union is mediating. / REL/