MPs invite Haradinaj's Thaci to launch military talks

The chairman of the Kosovo Commission for Internal Affairs, Security and Supervision of the Kosovo Security Force, Haxhi Shala, from the Kosovo Initiative, which is part of the government, says the transformation of KSF, from the civilian mission to the military, should take place as soon as possible within this year.

“The president and prime minister are obliged to create initiatives either to negotiate with Serbian political parties, or all communities, as well as with Albanian parties to exploit the ties they have with Serbian parties so that the sooner they are encouraged to proceed with constitutional changes related to the transformation of KSF into the Kosovo Army. I believe it's last year to complete this process, or in the last few months this process must be completed”, Shala says.

MP Shala stresses that converting the KSF into the military is a difficult issue, but, as he says, leadership in Kosovo must work intensively so as soon as this process is completed.

“If we fail to have a co-ordination with the Serbian List, then we must work at the initiative of MPs to bring the KSF Law to Parliament and go with legal changes and give additional powers to the Kosovo Security Force”, he adds.

MP Shala says optimistic that Serb deputies from the Serb List will support constitutional changes, as he says MPs have begun to feel themselves as part of Kosovo institutions:

“Vec has begun to make the Serbian List feel as part of the Kosovo institutions and to leave it, as it began in the past legislature, so that everything is asked by Belgrade”.

So far, according to political analysts, the Serbian List is holding back constitutional changes to the formation of the Kosovo Army.

Officials from the Serb List who are part of Kosovo institutions say Radio Free Europe that serious talks with Serb representatives have never been held for such a transformation. They also say that the Kosovo Armed Forces for many reasons are unnecessary.

MP Drita Milaku from the Vetevendosje Movement, member of the Kosovo Security Force's Internal Affairs, Security and Supervision Commission, says initiatives or initiatives for talks with Serbian political parties on constitutional changes regarding the transformation of the KSF are a duty and duty of the Government and the Presidency of Kosovo. According to her, numerous statements are being made for converting the KSF into the military, but things on the ground are different.

Kosovo's “Budget, when split, is seen as there is no particular budget line with regard to the Kosovo Armed Force. So far we've heard only words. Concretically nothing has been taken, no concrete action, to convince even MPs”, Millaku says.

MP Milaku warns that if institutions' leaders hold talks with the Serbian List, there should be no mistakes or conditions regarding forming association.

As far as the Serbian List is concerned, we are all aware that they will have a host of requests, and, first of all, the main requirement will definitely be association. However, how much our open-eye government will be in this regard, so that it will not issue as a compromise of army formation, in this case with association, and especially in the form of association, regardless of violations in 23 articles of the Constitution... these are not only harmful, but they are also very dangerous”, considers Milaku.

The changes to the Kosovo Constitution, which are considered necessary for rounding up certain processes in the country, although in principle are possible, they still remain virtually impossible at the moment, assess constitutional legal issues experts and recognition of political developments in the country.

To pave the way for the army but constitutional changes requires 2/3 of deputies from the ranks of communities, including the deputies of the Serbian List, who so far stand against it.