PDK's VV rejected Hoti's invitation to Washington, what analysts say

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti's invitation to opposition parties to propose their representatives to be part of the Kosovo Government delegation for meetings in Washington and Brussels, in the context of dialogue with Serbia, which are expected to take place in the first week of September, is very late, the connoisseurs of political developments in the country assess.

However, they have different views regarding the rejections of the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic Party of Kosovo, to be part of this delegation.

Both of these opposition parties have already made their refusal positions public against the invitation of Prime Minister Hoti.

Political developments analyst in Kosovo Donika Emine tells Radio Free Europe that Prime Minister Hoti's invitation to opposition political parties to be part of the Kosovo Government delegation for meetings in Washington and Brussels is the wrong approach, as according to her, the political elite is extremely polarised.

As Emini says, dialogue with Serbia is a sensitive point for the two opposition parties.

In this case, according to her, for The PDK, the charges, still unconfirmed, for war crimes on the part of The Hague's Specialised Prosecutor's Office against the party's president, Kadri Veselin, and President Hashim Thaci, have changed the course of dialogue in Washington.

Meanwhile, in terms of the Vetevendosje Movement, according to her, it is precisely the fact that because of dialogue and “unilateral decisions”, as Hoti had called him then, The LDK had ruined the ruling coalition with this party, which led to the decline of Albin Kurti's government.

As Amy says, political cohesion and unity for dialogue cannot be achieved at the last moment, with a delayed invitation, but this process should be longer and deeper.

This approach of Hoti to all political partners is showing only that when asked tomorrow why you haven't consulted in advance, his answer may be I have sent an invitation, but they haven't responded to it and thereby remove the internal political consultation obligation. This is wrong, because it's a process to enter with complete sincerity. I have not seen this from Hoti, neither to the opposition nor to his partners in the government, clearly knowing that (the freedom of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush) Haradinaj, is already criticising Hoti's approach to this” process, said Emini.

Arton Demhay, director of the Organisation for Democracy, Anti-Corruption and Dinjitity , speaking of Radio Free Europe, expresses the opinion that Prime Minister Hoti's invitation to opposition parties is positive but delayed. According to him, it is to Kosovo's benefit that dialogue with Serbia is approaching with a broader political consensus, which would be reflected in the country's delegation for meetings in Washington and Brussels. But, according to him, since Vetevendosje Movement refusal can be understandable, such rejection cannot be reasoned for PDK.

We know that it has been constantly against dialogue what has developed and has never accepted such a dialogue. It may be reasonable to avoid becoming part of the delegation because they basically oppose dialogue what is going on. But, I cannot find a reason to reason with the Democratic Party of Kosovo, which has started this process and is now refusing to become part of the end of this process”.

Hoti's “, as prime minister, for the opposition's involvement in dialogue, I think it has been delayed. It had to happen before the first meeting, but it didn't happen. So it's happening now at a moment where several meetings have already been held in the dialogue process”, Demhasaj estimates.

On 26 August, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has declared he is finalising the Kosovo delegation that will attend the Washington meeting, which the delegation will be led by him and that he has sent invitations to opposition parties.

“I have sent letters even to opposition parties to propose their representatives to this Kosovo Government delegation at the White House meeting and then to the next meeting, scheduled for early September in Brussels”, Hoti stressed.

But on Thursday, August 27th, the two opposition parties -- the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic Party of Kosovo -- have stressed they reject the invitation of Prime Minister Hoti.

The largest opposition party, the Vetevendosje Movement, has confirmed that it has accepted the invitation from the Kosovo Prime Minister's Office to join the Kosovo Government delegation in dialogue with Serbia for the previous meetings in Washington and Brussels.

Vetevendosje Movement spokesman Progress Kryeziu tells Radio Free Europe that his political subject rejects this invitation and will not be part of the delegation for talks, because according to him, the current government lacks legitimacy and, as he put it, it cannot call for unity of political parties.

We will not respond positively to this invitation. We consider that Kosovo can make dialogue with Serbia only with a legitimate government, which comes from early elections that should be organised as soon as”, Kryeziu points out.

Even the other opposition subject, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, has refused to be part of the Kosovo Government delegation in the talks warned in Washington and Brussels.

The leader of this party, Kadri Vesli, has responded to Prime Minister Hoti's letter, saying the political subject he heads will exercise its constitutional role in the dialogue process, as opposition to the Kosovo Assembly, but will not be part of the delegation.

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo supports only a comprehensive and final agreement that is in line with its already recognised platform, which guarantees mutual recognition, state sovereignty, territorial integrity, the unitary character of the state and Kosovo membership at the UN”, Veselin's response to Prime Minister Hoti is said.

But, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, which is part of the ruling coalition with the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Social Democrat Initiative, and which in some cases has demonstrated its differences with Prime Minister Hoti for access to dialogue, has already appointed its representative to be part of the dialogue team.

So stated on Thursday, this representative himself, Selim Selimi, who is minister of justice in the Government of Kosovo. He has stressed that the US travelling list, persons or delegation, for the 4 September meeting, will be appointed by Prime Minister Hoti.

“I am the minister of the government Hoti, but in terms of the dialogue part, I am assigned to that group by the political party, which I represent. We think, as a political party and part of this coalition, that his share in the dialogue is equal to all coalition parties. Therefore, participation in meetings guarantees transparency within coalition partners, but also guarantees the unity of this government, this delegation”, Selimi stressed.

Kosovo's dialogue with Serbia is in critical terms of connoisseurs and political developments.

Analyst Amyni estimates that the approach Kosovo had to the dialogue process in the past two years has been insincere and has shown the weakness of internal functioning of the state. Regarding this process, according to her, Kosovo has focused more on the initiative of international partners, the US and the EU, as in the case of Rambouillet and talks in Vienna on Kosovo status.

But, as she says, circumstances have already changed as far as international partners are concerned, while in the past two years, Kosovo has been seen as parties to the dialogue process, due to internal political crises, setting the fee on Serbia's goods, but also sending various messages from institutional leaders.

You know, going back to being just as confused, maybe even more, and with multiple factions inside, I don't know what kind of courage they're moving to Washington. If you meet at the White House and if the president of the United States is there, there will be no negotiations, but there will be agreements. Perhaps not political agreement or final agreement between the two countries, but there will be an agreement that needs to be taken care of and we need to have strategies on how to approach”, Amy stressed.

She adds that if Kosovo continues to approach dialogue with Serbia without internal political unification, it will delegate itself and the process, as well as make its position in negotiations worse.

Even according to Demhasey, the lack of internal political unity on the issue of dialogue puts Kosovo in an unfavourable position.

Whatever potential agreements can be reached, whether in Washington or Brussels, cannot be ratified in the assembly due to lack of votes. To ratify these agreements, there must be 80 deputies voting for those agreements and not including the PDK, but also of the Vetevendosje Movement in this process, in a way may be unable to ratify possible agreements, which can be reached”, Demhay estimates.

The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia are expected to meet 4 September at the White House in Washington, at the invitation that has been extended to National Security adviser Robert O'Brain.

This meeting was originally scheduled for September 2nd. But he was delayed for two days later.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq, on August 22nd, has stated that at this meeting “the possibility of US President Donald Trump” being presented, in case the parties agree on something.

Also, on 7 September, delegations from both countries represented at the highest political level are expected to meet in Brussels, by Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.