Kosovo-Serbia dialogue endangered if format change

Dating dialogue in Brussels, whose format the two countries were initially reconciled, has developed with the relief of the European Union and with strong support from the United States of America.

But recently, for Kosovo's institutional leaders, the role of the United States of America in this dialogue has been deemed insufficient.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and the country's prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, have called for active involvement of the United States of America in the Brussels dialogue.

Politologist Ramush Tahiri tells Radio Free Europe that the eventual involvement in dialogue, actively of other actors besides the European Union, would imply changing the format of the dialogue up to Brussels. Consequently, according to him, the process would turn back.

Kosovo's “Pala has demanded that the United States of America be locked up, which seems to be a completely normal request, as a kind of guarantee. But, also, the Serbian side has demanded that Russia be locked up and that, from their viewpoint, it would appear in the context of a balance. However, the problem becomes his generation. I think that great powers have their own strategic and geopolitical policy, which they do despite the demands of small states, in this case of Kosovo or even of Serbia”, Tahiri stressed.

Ilir Ibrahim, political affairs analyst, speaking of Radio Free Europe, expresses the opinion that the United States of America is involved in dialogue, with the support it has given it. According to him, the Kosovo authorities' request that the US role be active in dialogue, and also the request of Serbia's authorities in key dialogue and Russia, turn the process back.

I believe that the European Union has been entrusted with the role of completing this process of dialogue and the European Union, in this case represented by Mrs. (Federica) Moghrini, has strong support, such as from the European Union states, especially those that have recognised Kosovo, but also from the United States. Therefore, any changes to the composition of participants in dialogue now, I believe it is not in Kosovo's favour, because as Russia joins this game, then we have another role of dialogue. This would not go to Kosovo. So we have also seen that the United States has not been in favour of active involvement in the” dialogue, Ibrahim said.

On the other hand, since the initiative of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, the European Union has not taken on itself the burden of being an explanatory or interpreter of the agreements coming out of the dialogue, but only a facilitator of it.

Awareers of political developments estimate that this has caused the parties involved in the dialogue, not rarely to interpret agreements differently from each other and not to agree on them.

Such a situation, according to politicologist Tahiri, also explains the Kosovo authorities' insistence on active US involvement in dialogue, when it has already been warned that it must be concluded with a legally binding agreement for the parties. But, according to him, this dialogue does not have the format of an international conference on Kosovo.

“is not an international conference and there can be no international guarantor, which imposes implementation (of the agreement). We should have some kind of dialogue or co-operation with Serbia, for accepting the end of the state of Kosovo. Kosovo has that goal and the processes do not turn back. With Serbia, it would be better to resolve issues just as we resolve them with Macedonia, with Albania and with all other states and not to enter a special status of talks that is less than the position of the state of Kosovo”, Tahiri stressed.

But, analyst Ibrahimi stresses that if the final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia, legally binding, was interpreted in two ways, then it would not be considered at all as a deal.

I don't believe this is the objective of the European Union and the United States. Therefore, this agreement, which is intended to be reached by the end of the year, will be clear and will lead towards normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo. I don't think such an ambition will be allowed. It is not in the interest of countries that are insisting that we have a solution to this dialogue. This agreement will have a guarantee, both from the European Union and from the United States and powerful countries such as Germany”, Ibrahim said.

However, despite some cases the authorities of both countries -- Kosovo and Serbia -- have stated that a legally binding agreement would have to be reached by the end of this year or early next year, both sides continue to maintain extremely opposed positions regarding resolving problems that would lead to the overall normalisation of relations between the two countries.