COMMPROMIS! What that word means in Kosovo talks Serbia

Serbian officials use every opportunity to stress the importance of compromise in resolving Kosovo's problem, but no one has yet offered the public an explanation of what this compromise should represent on the ground.

In parallel with the emphasis on compromise, Serbian politicians often say that in resolving the Kosovo issue, Serbia should not lose everything and take nothing, but in this case we have never found what is something Serbia expects to receive.

The answer to that question was not offered by the so-called internal dialogue on Kosovo, which also ended with insignificant conclusions; if we are still trying to find a prevailing stance after internal dialogue, then it is likely to support the frozen conflict in Kosovo.

Representatives of that school think Serbia has no reason to rush and that it should wait for more favourable geopolitical circumstances in order to eventually solve the Kosovo problem.

Compromise: partitioning Kosovo?

However, there is no dilemma for Cedomir Antic, president of the Progressive Club: the Serbian side sees only partitioning Kosovo as a compromise solution. When Serbian officials speak of a compromise, they think of partitioning Kosovo, Antic continues, “b92” reported, Periscopi broadcasts.

When they say a compromise, Serbian politicians may not think about partitioning Kosovo, they estimate “DE” Bojan Al Pinto Brkiq from the International Relations Forum. I don't think this solution is on the negotiating table, and Serbia cannot present such a proposal in the negotiations process. In 1999, Serbia signed the Kumanovo Agreement, under which the UN resolution (OKB) and various conclusions were adopted, all indicating that there is no division of Kosovo and that Serbian sovereignty in Kosovo is not a matter to be returned to”, Brkiq says.

Small Steps Politics

The loss of Serbia's sovereignty may have followed the Kumanovo Agreement since the start of a policy of small steps related to Kosovo, adds Bojan Al Pinto Brkiq. This small-scale policy has gradually left sovereignty in Kosovo, and Serbian institutions have so far disappeared from Kosovo. Now the big question is whether this policy is stable in the long run, Brkiq said.

If in that sense we try to find out when Serbian authorities will clearly and loudly say what is a compromise solution for them, Brrkic stresses that Serbia's so-called red lines in Kosovo are constantly changing. The word compromise is very attractive and suggests that both sides have abandoned several red lines to reach a solution that is satisfactory to both sides. Perhaps, for the coming months, there will be an agreement, which will be quite similar to the Brussels agreement and that this will be presented as a major compromise that has been reached through long and difficult negotiations on both sides”.

(No) possible deals without great powers

Serbian media increasingly stress that the Albanian side, apparently, is also ready to make some compromises to reach a final solution. Neither side has any explanation of what a compromise would be for Albanian negotiators, but Cedomir Antic believes Kosovo Albanians are facing many long-term problems and that their continued hostility with Serbia is not necessary.

The “seems to also be ready for certain concessions, perhaps for some kind of territorial division, and it is clear that it has been negotiated this April of this year. But world politics is changing, and that means that if Vuciq achieves such an agreement with Albanians, it must somehow sharpen relations with major powers. The people who conduct the negotiations are middle-level diplomats and will not compromise, because they would if Vuciq managed to agree. So, for some things you have to fight a little bit and Vucciq doesn't do that,” says Antich.

When we talk about how Serbia expects to get something in Kosovo negotiations, Bojan Al Pinto Brkiq warns that “the problem is that Serbia has already lost everything. Serbia uses its position to make some concessions from the EU or America, and then is part of the same package. The expectations that Serbia can get something in negotiations with Kosovo are unforgivable”.

Negociata for something that was decided long ago

What is the reason why Serbia expects to get a compromise -- from the Albanian, US or European Union? “Of course, this cannot be expected from the Albanian side, even though they are probably the weakest negotiating side in the whole process and it is easier to pressure them”, Brkiq said.. /Periscopi/