Bird: Kosovo must not have unity team in Brussels negotiations

Zogaj has written that Kosovo already has 10 years of state, and that the Constitution clearly defines the responsibilities of each of the institutions and any international agreement.

On the other hand, he has called on the political spectrum, rather than succumbing to pressure from President Hashim Thaci, for whom he writes how he became part of the negotiations in Brussels, even though he was in opposition.

Zogaj says it is in national interest that at this stage we have a very prepared team, but also a cautious opposition, regarding the agreement that will emerge from this phase of dialogue.

Read his complete scripture:

Kosovo should not have a unity team in the Brussels negotiations because:

It's not the situation of 2005/06, when we were in international administration and we had no state institutions, except for those administrative ones. We already have 10 years of state.

In 2005/06 we didn't have government documents, today Kosovo has constitutions that clearly determine the responsibilities of every institution within the country and any international agreement, and with this case include the eventual agreement with Serbia.

If it's true that Kosovo has made enough compromises in the process of Vienna, and those compromises are included in the Constitution, so that whatever happens in the Brussels dialogue, the Constitution is not affected, so there is no more compromise, then there is no need to have a team of unity. Do not subject President Thaci's pressure, when he refers to Vienna negotiations and how the PDK, even though in the opposition, became part of the negotiating team. The PDK and Thaci in 2005/6, the only chance for factorization was if they were part of the negotiating team.

If we can trust President Thaci and Government that the future agreement does not pass the Constitution, its ratification in the Assembly would not be a problem because even opposition parties are demanding respect for the constitution we have, without change.

If the aim of the unity team is to pass through the constitutional changes for the acomodus of autonomy, then it's the responsibility of the opposition if that happens.

Because there's an obsession of The PDK, mostly of Thaci and Wessel for them, positioned LV anti-dialog in any situation -- although the latter has been declared pro-communicational dialogue -- having the LDK on the negotiating team amortified any response to the disastrous agreement eventually.

As there is an obsession with the LDK to call itself an institutional party, and thus join any PDK agenda, (not just in this dialogue). For Kosovo and national interest, there is nothing more institutional for the LDK to stay in the opposition and to overcome the negotiation process very carefully.

We have seen that President Thaci proudly describes himself as a brilliant negotiator, who does not lack experience, knowledge and courage. Since he's got all this, why would he need all this mobilization and all that? If he comes out of this process, let him take all credit alone.

Serbia has not created such a team. Furthermore, President Vucic on many occasions has said that the Kosovo agreement will be put in referendum. In that sense, even in Kosovo it would have to be seen the referendum as the means of confirmation of a deal with Serbia, not asking for 2/3 in the country because these 2/3 is not so hard to achieve through pressure.

So, it's in national interest that at this stage of negotiations we have a very prepared team, which is possible to be done within the ruling coalition, but also to have a very careful opinion about the deal to come./Periscopi