We're breaking things up with America, we discuss the tax in Brussels.

Radio Free Europe: At what stage is the platform for talks with Serbia currently, and do you expect it to be approved in the Kosovo Assembly?
Fatmir Limaj: The platform as a draft has been handed over to the Kosovo Parliament. We've spent enough time drafting a document I believe involves, first of all, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, based on the Constitution of the Republic.

It has taken into account the sensitive concerns and issues facing opinion in Kosovo, the suggestions of political parties in the Kosovo Parliament. Virtually, it is a comprehensive document that aims for Kosovo to take an official stand and speak in a voice, to have a message on how Kosovo sees future dialogue. Also, the goal of the platform is to show once again the determination of the Republic of Kosovo that we are for dialogue and dialogue is of particular interest to our country, dialogue has no alternative. Therefore, adopting this platform in the Kosovo Parliament would send this message.

Now, we expect that after passing normal procedures on Parliament, the platform will soon be found before MPs, where they will have the chance to discuss and address the platform. Of course, we expect MPs to have suggestions, to have remarks on the platform, and in the end we expect it to be approved and Kosovo will have a document for talks.

Radio Free Europe: Have you discussed this platform with President Hashim Thaci, taking into account various opinions that are often divided between the co-chairman of the negotiating team and the president on the issue of changing the border?
Fatmir Limaj: Besides the content of the platform, we've been very careful in consulting with everyone for drafting the platform. I said, besides the content of the platform, our other main goal has been that that document should reflect unity of the Kosovo political class. More than ever, we need a unity about staying in relation to future dialogue with Serbia.

So we have also given sufficient time to consult with all institutions. The President's Office has also been active in drafting the platform. In addition to participating in the president's office in drafting the platform, we have finally sent the document to the president, prime minister and speaker of the Parliament, asking them to give their suggestions or remarks after reading it. And since they have taken the time needed to look at the document, we have again met with the president, the prime minister's Parliament Speaker and have received full approval of the three institutions.

So, this platform has the full support of both the president and the president of the Assembly and the prime minister, and we expect that it will have the support of Kosovo Assembly deputies as well.

Radio Free Europe: The opposition, the two largest opposition parties -- the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Vetevendosje Movement -- have not participated in drafting the platform, respectively. Consequently, do you expect the opposition not to support you on this platform?
Fatmir Limaj: You're right. We expect now the opposition in Parliament to make its contribution. When the platform is on the agenda in the Kosovo Assembly, we expect the two opposition parties to make their contribution to running the platform, and eventually we expect it to be voted on by them and be a Kosovo document. I hope that happens.

Radio Free Europe: Kosovo is drafting platforms and laws for dialogue, but dialogue is not continuing until customs duties remain in force, and this is confirmed by the European Union. How do you think you can continue dialogue with Serbia, when American tax suspension suggestion has not been taken into account, even temporarily?
Fatmir Limaj: What I want to say in my answer, I'm going to split it into two parts. First, we in Brussels and here in Pristina with our friends have presented the official position of the Republic of Kosovo. We have asked Brussels not to allow provisions for starting dialogue.

The position of the Republic of Kosovo is that it is good to start dialogue unconditionally and not turn into an obstacle to starting tax dialogue. Of course, the tax may be part of negotiation in dialogue, but should not turn into an obstacle to the start of dialogue. This has been and is the official position of the Republic of Kosovo that we have made known to Brussels.

We have also called on Brussels to influence the Serbian side to provide access to dialogue. We firmly believe that the terms dialogue is difficult dialogue, in advance create conditions to fail dialogue. If we legalize conditioning in dialogue, it's hard to predict success in dialogue because today it makes one party conditioning, tomorrow the other side can do it.

So it's very important that the parties that if they really want to have dialogue, if they really want to have an agreement, we, both sides, have to engage strongly in trust, remove barriers to allow dialogue. And I personally believe that if you're really interested in a deal, you wouldn't allow yourself to miss a chance through the condition of your country or the region, and that's what we've made known in Brussels.

The second part of the answer is that it is already known that around the tax in Kosovo there are different views about how we should conduct ourselves with the tax. In fact, what we believe is that we have to be careful in our relationship with our friends. We have a request, now official by the United States of America, that requires suspension for a certain time of tax to enable dialogue and, within the political factor here, there are different views.

We are working to make any decision about this subject a state decision. The tax ruling has not been an individual decision, it has not been a group decision, it has been the decision of state institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, and I am against such state decisions then turning into some sort of cheer camp who is against.

The country's institutions show maturity when they know how to make state decisions, whatever those difficult or easy decisions, they have to be together, because that's how I believe we can achieve our goals to give dialogue opportunities. I hope that here we still have negotiating capacities, within the coalition, to build a common position that also allows dialogue and preserves our strategic relations with the United States of America.

Radio Free Europe: In the current situation in which Kosovo is located, is there any initiative to find a way out of this situation as far as the tax is concerned?
Fatmir Limaj: Like I said, there are different views about the tax, but the goal is the same. We have nothing to talk about Serbia. Serbia has deserved such action on the part of Kosovo, for the fact that for years we know the behaviour it has had towards Kosovo and its institutions. I believe the tax should be part of the negotiation to get rid of all the reasons we've been led to impose the tax. There are hundreds of cases when Serbia has violated agreements.

Let me mention some of them. Kosovo citizens continue today not to be recognised by our documents, our goods, the escorting documents of our goods in Serbia are unknown. Kosovo seals are unknown. Today a citizen of the Republic of Kosovo to travel to Serbia has to change car signs. We have a problem with the energy system. Kosovo loses 7m to 10m money due to the failure of the energy system in the European system. We have a problem with airspace. It means dozens of problems our country has faced for years and for which, unfortunately, it has not found a solution.

Therefore, I firmly believe that tax must be negotiated to get away from all the reasons why it's set up, and I trust dialogue, and I trust negotiations, and I believe we have to give cases of negotiations is tax, as well as dialogue.

Radio Free Europe: Kosovo's disobedience, if we can say, is due to US demand, do you think it is risking partnership between the two countries?
Fatmir Limaj: More or less, you have seen that it is a slightly different course of the Government of Kosovo and should not be seen as a disobedience, it should be seen as a kind of situation where Kosovo is standing at a critical moment for itself.
Kosovo is making efforts to deliver the message that we really are a state and want to be treated like others. Kosovo's message that's sending, both regional and wider, is that we're not asking for anything more, but treat us as we are treating you with respect. This step of Kosovo then... I understand there are dilemmas of various concerns, but no case should be seen as disobedience to the United States.

There is no politics, whether it is a position or a opposition, but even the ordinary citizens of the Republic of Kosovo are pleased and proud to admit that part of Kosovo's freedom is the United States, a co-owner of Kosovo's state building. And we for nothing and nothing violate our strategic interests and our relationship with the United States.

The advice and suggestions every time we have come from Washington have been to the benefit of our nation and in this case, both of Kosovo, and of that, the politicians are aware. So even very seriously, they're taking our friends' advice and suggestions, in this case in the United States and I hope we have a solution that is consistent with the advice the United States has given us.

Radio Free Europe: What is the solution?
Fatmir Limaj: The solution is to give dialogue opportunities, negotiate taxes and move forward. You can't afford to turn the tax into an obstacle to continuing dialogue.