Engel: US must play an active role in resolving Kosovo- Serbia

In a discussion organised by prof. David Phillips of Columbia University, chairman of the House of Representatives for Foreign Relations Commission, as well as former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and former High Commander of State NATO, Wesley Clark, spoke of Kosovo's future.

Democratic Eliot Engel echoed the fact that over the decades, Republicans and Democrats have pursued a two-party policy towards this region.

“I hope that whatever administration we have, (cilindo) President, or Congress, we need to understand that it is good for the United States to make sure that freedom progress throughout the world, not only for the good of this region, but also for the good of the United States.”, he said.

Former US Secretary of State during former President Bill Clinton's administration, Madeleine Albright, said the discussion came at a very important moment for American foreign policy.

“My hope is that next week we will mark a turning point where we can have a new beginning after four years of failure and start getting away from the unbalannized approach of the Trump administration to Kosovo and Serbia”, she said, using a language similar to that of Democrat candidate Joe Biden.

Even Mr. Engel said he hopes the United States will return a traditional role in foreign relations.

But the administration of President Trump says it is its untraditional approach, which gave a new impetus to Kosovo-Serbia talks, with an agreement on economic normalisation last month at a first meeting of such a high profile at the White House.

At the White House ceremony, President Donald Trump said that after <x0 years of failed negotiations, my administration proposed a new way to overcome the” divisions.

“By focusing on job creation and economic growth, both countries were able to achieve a major achievement”.

It is not yet clear how such a policy will affect a final agreement between the two countries, the biggest obstacle to which is not recognising Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

For the discussion organiser, Columbia University Professor David Phillips says there will be no peace until normalisation.

“In my opinion normalisation means Serbia will admit that it has lost Kosovo because of the crimes Milosevic committed, that Kosovo is an independent state and that it will never change. There is no going back”, he said.

The consequences of inheriting the 1990s wars in the Balkans still weigh heavily on the region. General Wesley Clark was the commander of NATO forces, when the alliance undertook bombings to stop Milosevic's campaign and Serb forces against Kosovo. He praised Kosovo's achievements.

“Now the challenge is to build a strong state economically and politically in one of the world's most difficult regions”.

Congressman Engel, praising the commitment of establishing diplomatic relations between Kosovo and Israel, which has become known for the first time, as one of the points of the White House agreement, said that just as Israel and Arab countries are working together, so it should happen in the Balkans.

“I would like to see it in the Balkans, with Serbs and Montenegrins and all people working together living in a very small region, but it's better for both sides if they work together and know each other.”, he said.