On Kosovo: What are the positions of three presidents and one prime minister

The good news is, they got really bad.

This is the only thing Serbia's and Kosovo's president agreed on after a furious public debate on weekends that showed how difficult it would be for them to reach a peace agreement, even two decades after the war between their nations.

Both, Kosovo's Hashim Thaci and Serbia's Aleksandar Vuciq, said their tense conversation was good because it buried any hope they could reach a quick deal. Yet, they face extreme pressure from the West to do so.

In their discussion at the Munich Security Conference, an annual rally of leaders, lawmakers and policy experts from around the world came to the luxury hotel, Vucinqi and Thaci exchanged accusations of war and argued who should be blamed for stopping the dialogue.

But the EU and the United States are urging leaders to turn things around. Donald Trump has sent letters to them, writing that he encourages them to reach an agreement that would draw a line for the last war that destroyed Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

For the EU, the accord would greatly lower the chances that the frozen conflict between Serbia and Kosovo would melt and revive. Both the EU and the US want to draw the Western Balkans more into the West, thus reducing the influence of Russia, Turkey and other rival powers in the region.

At the heart of disagreement is the status of Kosovo. The territory, whose population is mainly with ethnic Albanians, declared independence from Serbia 11 years ago and has been recognised by more than 100 states. But Serbia considers Kosovo a province of its own and is supported by countries like Russia, China and five EU members.

Western leaders hope that the end of the long-standing name conflict between Balkan neighbours Greece and Northern Macedonia will encourage Kosovo and Serbia to do the same.

In Munich, Johannes Hahn, the EU commissioner for relations with her neighbours, urged Vuciqi and Thaci to reach an agreement before the end of their mandate.

But Saturday's angry debate shows how far this is. During the weekend in Munich, Politico spoke to three people who will determine how things will be played out -- Vucicinqi, Thaci and Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj -- as well as with Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, whose country is limited to Kosovo, but also with Serbia.

Critics of these four leaders say they lead with “theocracy” with governments claiming to support Western values but who are authoritarian and corrupt. Vuciqi and Djukanovqi are facing street protests, while Kosovo has been hit by many. But none of the four seem to leave the political scene in the near future.

This is a summary of what they said.

Alexander Vuciq: Searching for Heritage

In a hotel room where they met Saturday evening, Vucciki's voice exploded with frustration sometimes while at other times he was ready to whisper.

He made it clear that he would not return to the negotiating table until Kosovo removes the 100% tax on goods imported from Serbia. But if they remove the tax, he added, he would return “immediately to Brussels” to continue the dialogue.

Aware that Haradinaj, the force behind the tax, had said he would remove the tax only when the final agreement was reached, Vuciqi said: “E I knew he was irresponsible, but not that irresponsible. ”

He called for external powers to exercise “positive pressure” on all sides, making it clear that they wanted a relationship and offering incentives to help that happen. But he said: “is more for us, Serbs and Albanians, to tell the truth. ”

Vuciqi said both sides should be free to discuss where to make the common border, even though such conversations have prompted numerous reactions in the region and have shared international powers.

Vucinqi did not give priority to changing Macedonia's name to northern Macedonia, saying the issue with Kosovo was 100 per cent more difficult.

“Believe in someone's legacy, that's how it should be viewed,” he added.

Hashim Thaci: Man in the middle

Former political leader of The KLA, which fought Serbian rule, Thaci, also finds itself in a close position.

Last year he raised the idea of <x0 limit correction”, after which part of the territory will be exchanged in order to reach agreement. But the deal has not been reached, and his rival, Haradinaj, a commander of The KLA, has gained popularity with setting tariffs on Serbian products, thus making dialogue impossible.

Speaking ahead of a small group of reporters at a hotel corridor in Munich, Thaci made it clear that there is a milder stance on tariffs than Haradinaj.

The policy is to be creative,” he said.

Asked whether Kosovo was now speaking in two voices, he moved from Albanian to English to say: “We have a voice for dialogue, for negotiations, and for the agreement. ”

In terms of his relationship with Haradinaj, he stated: “Even within the family people have differences... we were fellow fighters and won the war together for independence and now we are working together for the final agreement. ”

Regarding Vuciqi's strong rhetoric, Thaci said he did not. I'm used to his dramas, and his act,” said.

Ramush Haradinaj: A Man of Strong Attitude

The fight between Haradinaj and Thaci has further complicated the effort to reach a final agreement. Both of these people are lobbiing strongly for support from European and American politicians, with international public affairs companies advising them.

Even on Saturday's interview, Haradinaj did not withdraw. He hit EU foreign policy chief Federica Moghrin, who had not removed the idea of correcting borders from the tank and said Thaci has no choice but to give up. Furthermore, he said Serbia should recognise Kosovo as a moral duty, for the killings and other crimes that Serb forces have committed.

The notion should come as an apology for the tragedies inflicted on our country, for our people,” said Haradinaj.

Milo Djukanovic: The distressed neighbor

Djukanovqi has been in power for longer than all of the entire regional veterans like Thaci and Vuciq. His party has been in power repeatedly since 1990.

THE entire account of the exchange of territories is now on the table, and I would say it has received some legitimacy from the international community,” said Djukanovic.

He returned to the past, saying that during the years of the quite 90, nationalists had opted for territorial exchanges on ethnic grounds.

Everyone should be very careful when presenting solutions involving border change in our region,” added Djukanovic further.

Furthermore, he said the agreement on northern Macedonia shows what can be achieved when leaders on both sides conclude that reaching the agreement is worth all.

After this problem, we will stay with the most serious problem in the region, and that is Bosnia,” said Djukanovic. The peace agreement is said to have left Bosnia with a highly dysfunctional political system. /Pericopi