After recent events, Kosovo Serbs on uncertain road

The Serbian List's decision to abandon the Government of Kosovo, as well as the ultimatum of Serb majority councillors who belong to this political subject, that it will form the Association of Serb-run municipalities, if official Pristina does not form it by April 20th, can complicate the situation in Kosovo, from which the Serbs themselves will lose, Serbian connoisseurs of political developments.

Ultimatum for official Pristina has come on Wednesday, two days after the Serbian List has abandoned the Government of Kosovo, following Monday's events in northern Mitrovica, where Kosovo Police have arrested the head of Serbia's Government's Kosovo office, Marko Djurovic.

Randjel Nojik, former Kosovo Assembly deputies from the ranks of the Serb community, tells Radio Free Europe that recent events -- from Monday to Wednesday -- show that both sides -- the high institutions of Kosovo, but even the Serb List behind which lies official Belgrade -- have attempted to take advantage of positive political points, but, according to him, people who have participated in these events, in fact, are, as he calls them, side damage.

According to him, this situation, the Serbian List's exit from the executive, and especially the ultimatum of the latter in forming association has had to be avoided, to escape the complicated situation, which is now present.

“In view of that Belgrade, but the Serbs (of Kosovo) say they do not apply the law and the Constitution of Kosovo, but the Brussels agreement is valid and that it is something bigger, even in that Brussels agreement remains clearly that after the agreement (for Association) it goes to the Constitutional Court to give the assessment. If this goes to the Constitutional Court, then it means that this court will assess whether it is in accordance with the Constitution or not. Therefore, those who signed such an agreement had to expect something like that”, says Noble.

He adds that the solution for association cannot be imposed beyond what lies in the Brussels agreement.

But, for the other former Kosovo Parliamentary President Petar Miletic, the ultimatum of Serb representatives in institutions -- in this case of the Serbian List -- is too late.

According to him, it has had to be done by representatives of Serbs, who have emerged from the first elections they have participated in. But in the current situation, he considers the Serbian List's ultimatum completely wrong.

I think all of this is anger of one side. I think that without the support of the international community and with the firm opposition of Kosovo Albanians, that community of Serb municipalities will not succeed in operating in that way to facilitate the lives of Kosovo Serbs. In fact, this will also be a step towards the departure of Serbs and Albanians and a step further from reconciliation and co-existence”, Miletic says.

But what could be the effects or consequences if councilors of Serb majority municipalities, as well as Serbian List political leaders, bypassing official Pristina, unilaterally form the Association of Serb-run municipalities and require funding from official Belgrade?

Nojik estimates the move would lead to a situation not politically secure for Kosovo Serbs.

“I fear that such an action could have a range of negative consequences for the Serb community. Many things that work today, in the future, cannot function, only to prevent the functioning of the Serb municipality community. This is very dangerous, and I think that those who make such decisions should count on the consequences that may happen. There is then space that Pristina can still exploit and say: Stop, so far it's been worked like this, you can't do it anymore, and we're asking that the whole law be respected. This is where the <x1...

And so does Miletic. According to him, if Kosovo Serb representatives form association with unilateral action, it will raise many questions.

The “here will be raised not only the issue of funding, but also the issue of competencies, intelligence, functionality and then to what extent the Kosovo authorities will try to block it. I think there's a whole point of Pandora's Court, just from the whims. So, I'm afraid this is all going in the wrong direction”, Miletic says.

Kosovo Government officials have declared that the Association of Serb majority municipalities will take place only according to the Constitutional Court verdict and by the legal institutions of Kosovo. As they have noted, any unilateral initiative will be condemned for failure.