Wessel Says LDK and VV São Have Political Conscience

Prime Minister Kadri Veselini has invited President Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, the Negotiator Team, as well as representatives of parliamentary groups from the opposition, the LDK and the VV, to co-ordinate jointly for Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue.

The meeting was called for tomorrow, at 10:00, in the Kosovo Assembly space.

A day before this meeting, Wessel, in a brief interview for Kosovapress, has declared that Kosovo needs internal unity in relation to Dialogue with Serbia and, according to him, this is the only real perspective the country needs, institutions and citizens.

On the contrary, he has added, any deviation from the bid for unity is at the expense of Kosovo. He sees such a call of yet another session for Dialogue by the LDK and VV, while an invitation for a meeting serving an even greater consensus on the issue was made advance by him.

At this stage, we should not deal with each other, with party legalisations, with claims to prove morally triumphant. Therefore, I consider that another session for Dialogue, because this is not the first one, invited by the opposition, is in the function of further complications of calling for unity. Instead of discussing Kosovo jointly, we are invited to discuss each other. This is the responsibility of the LDK and Vetevendosje in relation to the state of Kosovo. This logic is damaging to the moment we are in”, Vessel said.

Kosovaress: You have invited a joint meeting with the heads of institutions and opposition parties to further unify access to Dialogue with Serbia. However, the LDK and Vetevendosje have rejected the invitation. How do you evaluate the situation, and what is your message?

Wessel: We are in an important political period, and that is quite clear. There is an intensifying effort to reach a legally binding agreement with Serbia, from which it is now evident that we expect nothing less than recognition from Serbia, UN membership, as well as the clear path of NATO and EU integration.

Before these developments, it is our primary duty, as political representatives of citizens, to be at the height of political and institutional awareness and to have a rational approach to the dialogue process.

We need to read carefully even the messages of our international partners and allies inviting for political unity so that each step of the Dialogue process is co-ordinated and in the function of reaching the agreement that meets our right expectations.

For this reason, I have asked that the entire political spectrum be joined before this responsibility, so that we can consult and unify our positions, to facilitate the work of both the Negotiator Teams and the President's Government, so that Kosovo can have a unique perspective in the final phase of Dialogue.

I appreciate that after the country's independence, we have never had a more sensitive case than the dialogue, which we need national unity for. So, over and over again, for months now, I've invited the entire political spectrum to achieve national consensus. Even today, I look back on the idea of a common commitment that is necessary at this important stage in which the country is going through.

The refusal to be part of such meetings by the LDK and Vetevendosje is regrets. It is a sign of the degradation of the political conscience of these two opposition parties. Under circumstances when a unitary political position is required, there are no rankings such as position and opposition. The position and opposition are defined by internal topics about how we view governance. But this is not about its rulership and its shades. This is about a political stance on how we see it and what we expect from the final agreement with Serbia. So I think this behavior is irresponsible and it's a huge damage to our country and our society in this important period.

Kosovaress: The LDK and Vetevendosje have requested an extraordinary session for Dialogue, on the very day and hour when the meeting, invited by you, is expected. What do you expect from this session?

Wessel: Kosovo needs internal unity in relation to Dialogue with Serbia, and this is the only real perspective the country needs, our institutions and our citizens. Any deviation from this is an attempt to shift an external topic that requires unity on an internal interparty topic, which is unconscious and unacceptable.

At this stage, we should not deal with each other, with party legalisations, with claims to prove morally triumphant. So I think that another session for Dialogue, because this is not the first one, invited by the opposition, is in the function of further complications of calling for unity.

Instead of discussing Kosovo jointly, we are invited to discuss each other. This is the responsibility of the LDK and Vetevendosje in relation to the state of Kosovo.

This logic harms our present moment

It is clear that even our international friends, and finally this was confirmed by US President Donald Trump, seek our unity in relation to Dialogue.

Therefore, any deviation from the bid for unity is at the expense of Kosovo. /