Serbian List Waiting for Vuciqi's Decision to Abandon Kosovo Institutions in Total

Representatives of the Serbian List, the subject of this policy, which represents Kosovo Serbs in central and local institutions, have stressed that they have asked Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, and the Government of Serbia to support their decision to abandon Kosovo institutions altogether.

Politologist Ramush Tahiri, speaking of Radio Free Europe, estimates that statements by representatives of the Serbian List, but also Belgrade authorities, which connect with the possibility of abandoning Kosovo's system by Serbs and local Serbs, express a purely political position to put Kosovo ahead of the act committed.

“Abandonion is being used as pressure on international and Kosovo institutions. But, I think the dropout could come only before the division of Kosovo or prior to the demarcation of the new border between Kosovo and Serbia, as a pressure on the act committed”.

However, in no option can come as a political platform of Vuciqi and the Serbian List to build parallel power in Kosovo, because this power (front) has been voluntarily removed in the Brussels talks, has been accepted by the international community and accepted by the Kosovo Serb population, as well as by Serbia itself. For this reason, we also have the integration into police, judiciary, and other institutions”, Tahiri points out.

On the other hand, Serbian List Deputy Chairman Dalibor Yevtic, after meeting with Serbian representatives with President Vuciq, had declared to the Serbian media that not only has it been proposed to abandon institutions by political representatives, but the entire Kosovo system by Serbs living there.

Our “recommendation, of all representatives, from the north and south of Kosovo, has been to abandon Kosovo institutions and not only political representatives, but all Serbs in these institutions, to abandon them. But Serbia's president has asked us to wait for such a decision, and that he is for finding a calm solution”, Yevtic has said.

Meanwhile, Veroljub Petronic from the nongovernmental organisation “Human Centre in Mitrovica”, in a conversation with Radio Free Europe, expresses the opinion that abandoning Kosovo's system by all local Serbs would be an impossible mission.

I think it's impossible. I rather think this is a pro-vulnerative balloon to show how far the Serbian political elite is willing to go, to which limit, to say what is the red line. The proposal for abandoning, in my opinion, has two goals of”.

The first “goal is to see how the international community will react, and the second goal is to see how the population and those employed in Kosovo institutions react themselves. It is hard to realise such an idea, because many Serbs, employed in Kosovo institutions, are on credit. To realize their abandonment, to leave their jobs, they must first clear their accounts. I don't believe there are right mechanisms that can apply this”, Petronic says.

However, Serbian President Vuciq, after meeting with representatives of the Serbian List, has stressed that he has been urging representatives of Kosovo Serbs to be patient for 45 days to make a decision.

Recognitions of political developments have different predictions regarding a Vuciqi response.

Politologist Tahiri says the opinion that the Serbian president will drag on the answer regarding the Serbian List proposal to abandon the Kosovo system.

I consider the odds are that (Vucciq) will require an additional period, 45 days. There is either danger or there is the possibility that if President Vuciq estimates that it is right or politically acceptable, then he can instruct them to do the job (to abandon Kosovo institutions). But that would mean a confrontation with the state of Kosovo and with the international community”, Tahiri values.

He adds that abandoning Kosovo's institutions by Serbs is only possible as an expression of civic disobedience, but with requirements that should be in line with international human rights conventions, with the European Charter for local government, as well as in line with Kosovo's laws and Constitution.

Meanwhile, Petronic estimates that the deadline Vuciq has called for an answer to Kosovo Serb political representatives is linked to developments in the European Union.

“has taken 45 days to give a final answer, simply to see how the international community reacts. But, as far as I can see, all of this is connected because of the election deadline in European institutions and for this to end before these elections. Thus, it aims to reach a preliminary agreement whatever it is, for normalising relations, which is a prerequisite for mutual accession”, Petronic points out.

However, he estimates that even if official Belgrade will ask Kosovo Serbs to abandon its system -- most of them employed within this system -- will decide whether to do so or not. / REL