Law, platforms for dialogue empower negotiator team

Life Krasniqi, connoisseur of the Kosovo-Serbia political dialogue process by the Democratic Institute of Kosovo, considers that we still cannot say that we have a change in the process of political dialogue until the idea for changing the border is now, and there is no consensus for talks.

“Now the Law, Platform, Resolution, all these documents are principally documents which can give a position of the state of Kosovo in these talks, but the question remains that we do not have yet a general consensus of the political spectrum, which can be achieved through these documents and we still have different positions of institutions regarding what we are willing to ask from this process and what we are willing to do in the framework of compromises to reach the expected epilog”, Krasniqi says.

According to her, the next positive fact on the level of further negotiations is that the process on the part of Kosovo will not be led only by one institution, but there will be other representatives.

One thing that should be emphasized is that both the Law and the platform have spaces to improve or leave spaces for interpretation. It is only necessary that, as the state delegation itself has said, the agreement should not have durability, even the position of the state of Kosovo in these talks should not have durability, but should have a unique approach”, Krasniqi says.

Meanwhile, political analyst Imer Mushkolaj tells Radio Free Europe that the platform for dialogue on the final, comprehensive and legally binding agreement for normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia is the government's product, but, according to him, does not affect President Hashim Thaci's responsibilities in dialogue.

“Those who have expected that with the platform the Thaci will stop in his ideas, have failed because he has his own competencies, but on the other hand I see as positive the approval of the platform in terms that Kosovo finally has a document, in which it has established certain rules, on which the dialogue can develop with Serbia and Serbia and the West are clear what Kosova<1 requires, says Mushkolaj.

He says that despite when dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia can continue, the platform should be imposed by Kosovo as a clear official document on which to negotiate.

This document should be imposed as Kosovo's official position, no matter whether someone else, in this case the president, may have other ideas or try to advance other” ideas, Mushkolaj estimates.

Serbia's prime minister, Ana Brnabiq, has declared that the platform, which Kosovo's Parliament has approved, represents the final blow to dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. According to her, this is a document that is contrary to sound mind.

It opposes any compromise and any further dialogue. In it, at any moment, nothing is said about the lives of Serbs in Kosovo. Serbia's reaction will be, as always so far, prudent and responsible, but I have to say that at any moment we will know how to protect the interests of the Republic of Serbia and all our citizens”, Brnabiq said.

The ruling authorities in Kosovo, without the two largest opposition parties, have drafted the platform and adopted the Law for Dialogue, while from the United States and the European Union it becomes clear that continuing dialogue is linked to the suspension of the customs fee that has been imposed on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Since November last year, when this tax was imposed, Belgrade has issued talks conditioning the return to the table with the abolition of the decision.