Constitution gives Thaci right to lead talks with Serbia

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Haziri, the next meeting between the presidents of Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels has been held Sunday. How do you see this stage of dialogue, or as it is called, the final phase of the talks?

Lutfi Haziri: It was a resumption of a negotiation process between Kosovo and Serbia, which actually confirms that failure in the past few years, in particular since 2011, has been discussed at different levels with the Republic of Serbia and that no apparent success has been achieved on this level that we are talking about. Also, this new start-up is not much promising for the fact that they failed to achieve the three criteria that the LDK outlined when it comes to the governing criteria of negotiations: building a political consensus as wide as possible in the Assembly, which would emerge from a debate of political parties and, of course, a process which will be open and transparent to citizens and in order for a binding agreement expected to come up, have the support of the majority political majority in the Republic of Kosovo.

Radio Free Europe: What may be the LDK's contribution to this process and do you think a consensus for this phase of dialogue will be reached?

Lutfi Haziri: Of course, without the LDK and the political forces in the Republic Parliament, this process cannot be successful. Thus, even further these criteria are in force that the LDK leadership at the May 24th meeting has confirmed and made clear to local institutions, even for the ruling parties, and for the president, even for the states of Quint and our international partners, but that these criteria at this stage have not been closed and the LDK stands in the political camp, conveying and monitoring this process as the opposition political party alone.

Radio Free Europe: Who, according to you, should lead with the talks, and how can internal political consensus be reached?

Lutfi Haziri: Much more important are the criteria that are set by the Quint Group towards international partners, regarding this new negotiation process, which is expected to lead to a normalisation of relations. And, more importantly, I would say, the parties are expected not to confuse each other in the integration, European and Euro-Atlantic processes.

While the normalisation process leading to reconciliation, I do not believe it is achieved with this phase of negotiations. Either way, we have three proposals, or the three criteria that he set. The LDK, without which no alternative can be replaced.

We expect a parliamentary debate that determines the format, so who is the representative or who are the representatives who set the negotiating criteria or confirms the criteria if we can say so now, become transparent to the public. Of course, the more open the process on this level, the Assembly and its constitutional role would give absolute power, both the delegation and the negotiations, and an eventual agreement, which is expected to occur on the sides.

Radio Free Europe: However, President Hashim Thaci is continuing dialogue without a political consensus?

Lutfi Haziri: However, President Thaci is exploiting the constitutional mechanism, and this constitutional mechanism gives legality. But we are talking about a legitimacy that would build political consensus within the parties. In fact, this mechanism has been activated in the first round or the first meeting of the talks, but even further as the need for political oxygen would necessarily be to build a broad political consensus and a republic's framework, which could, and should have constitutional role, a monitoring role in this process and eventually receive the ratification of the process. On the contrary, without the LDK and without opposition parties, the process is destined to fail.

Radio Free Europe: Meanwhile, the Kosovo Assembly continues to function slowly, constantly facing the decision-making problem. What's the problem, you think?

Lutfi Haziri: I believe the Parliament of the Republic has already met the conditions for entering the Guinness Book. Fourteen sessions are interrupted, they begin and resume the session without going to vote, without a vote, in an extremely disturbing management and management, and for us, it actually plays an offensive. A head of the Parliament and a Speaker of the Assembly, which does not harmonise the order of work, which does not lead to the end of the work order and does not bring decision making and has brought the entire Republic's decision-making into question, not only for the image of our Republic, but also for its international credibility has waned and its decision-making loan has waned.

I want to believe that it's not being done on purpose, because sometimes the impression is that deliberately devalating the role of the Republic Assembly to strengthen other institutions, whether government or presidency. But in this situation the opposition has its only political arena. The Assembly should be functional and not really enter the Guinness Books for the worse.

Radio Free Europe: What is the consolidated opposition? Besides verbal criticism, even the opposition has not been seen very active with ideas and proposals...

Lutfi Haziri: We have raised a large number of issues related to citizens' services and when it comes to expressing public interest in implementing legal duties, even to what is a meaningless wage increase for officials, senior state officials. And, among the two issues, there are many topics and many agendas that we've initiated, but unfortunately they don't go to the end to be discussed, disputed and decided, or devalated over time. Practically, out of time and circumstances the LDK has requested. We have no choice, so I confirm for LDK the only arena is the Parliament of the Republic. There we shall discuss, and there our voice shall be strong, and there our voice shall be to the end. And, of course, we will also work on consolidating the opposition.

Beyond the LDK we will be able to see the construction of a political cause by the LDK, which means Guardian of our country's democracy and democratisation. On the contrary, what is happening and in this way is being managed and guided by some of our institutions, even the serious political processes, we have really become a state to be called into serious self-government problems. We have been critical, for example, of the way the United Nations has praised Kosovo. And now, the way we are managing ourselves, we are far from that and the kind of management that has been international in Kosovo. We must implement an administration and not autocratic governance, but we must implement democratic governance and general democratic rules must be affirmed in the Assembly. What we are doing now is out, however fragile it is in Kosovo.

Radio Free Europe: You have requested the resignation of this government. A motion is mentioned. How likely is the opposition to take such a step?

Lutfi Haziri: In fact, it's not about political demand for resignation, we've mentioned through our institutions that the Government would do good for the country to resign, because it's a political minority in the Assembly. But they're not listening to our call. With the fact that they are political minorities, among this minority, they also have national minorities that are related to agendas outside Kosovo, whether in Belgrade, Ankara or elsewhere, which is being seen so late has been from outside Pristina.

I have clear stability and some problems that this Government currently has, however, matured the conditions to discuss, some offers are at the table of political parties ʹ related to building a joint agenda not to prevent Kosovo from moving forward and in parallel discussing an eventual early election date (or meeting), which is common interest, so it can be reached by a consensus.

The agenda list has not yet been made, for example, European integrations, other EU reforms, legislation related to this process of Stabilisation and Association mechanism, visa liberalisation, the establishment of the Kosovo Army and other issues that are common interest. We could work both time and common agendas. While an eventual date at the end, which leads political parties to a consensus, would force the president of the Republic to decree it, respecting the will of political parties, the motion mechanism is possible, is open, but when time comes and we, with all those interested, will naturally activate.