Pacolli: Kosovo needs President Thaci

In an interview for “Cosovo Online”, Pacolli said that Kosovo should find a way to create the Association of Serb majority municipalities, while stressing that the last crisis in northern Kosovo is “maintaining a situation that has been going on for years”. He also spoke of dialogue with Serbia, local elections, the visit he made to KLA leaders in The Hague, and answered the question of who between Hashim Thaci and Albin Kurti was the best leader, the newspaper Express broadcasts.

COR: How did you comment on the recent crisis in northern Kosovo and the withdrawal of the police, the opposition says it is Kurt's defeat in front of Vuciqi, what is your position?

A reflection of the lack of vision for solving challenges, problems we have on our way to statehood and with neighbouring Serbia, and full integration into the international community. It is also a reflection of the frequent differences we have with our allies and the result of changing the situation in the region and Europe, where geopoliticalism (due to many factors) strengthens Serbia and Vucinqi and makes it even more aggressive than it was. Kosovo has the sovereign right to apply reciprocal measures in every area (as they are plates), when another state does not respect the same standards with our citizens and our state. Measures such as the latter should have been communicated and co-ordinated in advance with our partners, such as the US and the European Union. After all, Kurti has finally given the first signs to become a obedient politician who accepts state obligations, such as the Brussels agreement.

Kurt, when it comes to tables, despite promising to negotiate better deals, has failed to do anything better than it was. On the contrary, I believe it was strategically wrong for the Kosovo Special Police Unit to become part of the agreement. Now, we'll hardly see the consequences, but I'm afraid it will happen sooner or later. I'm afraid it will happen every time something has to be done in the north, we will return to Brussels. I can't say that this last deal was good because it's a de-exalysing agreement, and what makes it even more problematic is the fact that the north is turning into a particular conflict zone. This should avoid Kosovo politics at any cost and requires consensus and co-ordination of the government with the opposition and international partners.

Euro: Belgrade expects Pristina to implement provisions from the Brussels Agreement in connection with the formation of the Serb majority municipalities' association. Do you think it is possible for Kosovo institutions to avoid this obligation?

Kosovo ratified the April 2013 agreement in the Assembly. To date, despite public statements, I have not seen any moves by the Government of Kosovo not to implement or challenge this agreement legally. Second, I doubt it can be done. Kosovo must find a way to implement the international obligations it has taken over, we should not act as a lazy state that has no continuity, such states are called <x0-> wandering states”. This should not be the epithet for Kosovo because of its populist behaviour. Kosovo must find form within the framework of the 2013 agreement and the Constitutional Court's decision to implement international obligations. This makes Kosovo a reliable ally. If you look at the Ahtisaari package, which has not taken into account the Constitutional Court or the Law on Inter-Communal Co-operation, there is sufficient legal space in Kosovo's current constitutional framework to offer solutions to make Kosovo the winner. But, as usual over all these years, the political elite in Kosovo lacks courage and vision, and they think more about how social networks will react than to find solutions.

Kosovo should sit down with Washington and Brussels and find a modal that fits Kosovo, which does not question the sovereignty or constitutional order of Kosovo and will do no harm to our Serb fellow citizens. It is an opportunity to seek unlocking the NATO membership process, and it would be the largest possible guarantee for the protection of our sovereignty and constitutional order, and the protection of all Kosovo citizens, regardless of who they are. But for that, the negotiator must be skilled, with vision and courage.

KO: Your assessment of further developments about dialogue in Brussels? Did he fail them? The EU and the Kosovo Albanians?

Of course, the European Union has disappointed Kosovo citizens. There is no reason to delay visa liberalisation. Today, Europe is a hostage to its domestic politics, populist estimates, but also issues related to dialogue. On the other hand, visa liberalisation should serve as a lesson for Kosovo. There's no constant momentum when we don't catch a train you don't know when the next one's coming. Five years ago, current US President Biden and former Secretary of State John Kerry came to Kosovo to ask the political elite to approve the demarcation. There was a promise by the highest American and European leaders that if the last condition was met, visas would be removed. Everyone came and went hand in hand, and today, like Kosovo, we pay the price for the lazy political scene.

KO: How do you feel about the US's role in further events regarding the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia?

As you can see, the United States has full co-ordination with the European Union. So there is only one process of dialogue and it is being held in Brussels, where the American role will be an incentive. Recent appointments show a strong US interest in resolving issues in the Balkans. For that, it's good to take a lesson from the demarcation debal and not repeat the Washington attack. We must act as allies, believe and work with our allies. There are no stronger guarantees for Kosovo's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity than the United States. This was finally seen with the license crisis. I believe there will be a bigger role, there will be pressure on Pristina and Belgrade to advance in dialogue, but the question is whether we are ready for this or will repeat mistakes from the past.

KO: Your expectations from the 17 October local elections and how important are these elections for Kosovo?

In this election, it can be seen that the biggest focus is on the real problems affecting Kosovo citizens, rather than on political topics like those we have talked about so far. Which is good, because it makes the race more realistic and tangible. The New Kosovo Alliance expects to strengthen in some municipalities, especially in traditional ones where we have our faithful electorate, such as Pristina, Kamenica, Mitrovica... And we believe that we will increase our political power in municipalities, we have good candidates of all ages, social sectors, which have a clear vision and programme to offer to citizens.

COMM: Will voters' support for Vetevendosje start falling, and what depends on it?

That's not a question for me. The New Kosovo Alliance and I are in the race and we want to win all parties, and our goal is to strengthen the Alliance and raise the voice of citizens in municipalities with a visionary and very practical programme.

COMM: You were at The Hague on a visit by Hashim Thaci to prison. What did you talk about?

Last week, I visited former President Hashim Thaci, who is in custody at the Special Court in The Hague for nearly a year. The short time we spent together was for our mutual satisfaction. I also met former Speaker of the Parliament Kadri Veselini and former delegation Rexhep Selimi. This is the first time in decades that we have known that I have not met with President Thaci for so long. As his friend, and as Kosovar, I am convinced he will come up with his head up. Kosovo needs President Thaci because the man who was a key person in all state processes is building a new Kosovo state, a construction that has not yet been completed. Not individuals in The Hague are charged, but the Kosovo Liberation Army, and we all know its mission was to make Kosovo an independent and sovereign state.

COMM: Who do you think is the best politician, Thaci or Kurti, and who did the most for Kosovo's independence?

Politicians should never be judged how active they are in politics. President Thaci has been an essential figure in Kosovo's history in recent decades, from liberation war to declaring independence. Mr. Kurti was active in the student movement and the creation of the post-war Vetevendosje Movement, not forgetting when he was also a political prisoner. He's in power now, he needs time to prove himself. But both have their place in history, as do other politicians, and we should look at each other from a more positive perspective.

COMM: You have on several occasions stated that there are politically motivated charges against KLA members.

I stick to my statement. The KLA has not committed crimes against civilians, past judgments have proven it, and the current trial will further show how many Kosovo enemies have abused the case. Must be a question for all of us and many others, what happened to organ trade and Dick Marty's report? Why does no one ask this question today and let this black cloud stand on Kosovo, whether it happened or not? No response to Dick Marty's report. All this should bother us.

KO: How did you comment on the work of Donika Gervala, your successor as Minister of Foreign Affairs?

I see foreign policy as a consensus of domestic policy in the face of challenges we have. I don't want to talk about Foreign Affairs Minister as a person, but I want Kosovo diplomacy to be more active... Diplomacy should focus more actively on the core issues of Kosovo citizenship, on protecting our interests abroad, and be able to react in time to the corruption of Serbian diplomacy.