Ben Meir: The Serbian list is Belgrade's puppet, but why did Kurt fall into this trap?

For the American expert, who has been directly involved in Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in the “Track format II” known differently as “diplomacy of the back channels” Alon Ben Meir, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, not listening to American demand, but not only, for delaying the decision on license plates for at least 10 months has failed in the Russian trap.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, at the recent meeting of the Government of Kosovo, had agreed to scale the decision for the license plates by not confiscating cars with illegal signs, but initially reprimanding them, later in another term fined.

However, this decision by the Government of Kosovo, the United States of America, had still voiced disappointment.

Unlike the United States, who had expressed disappointment and concern, Ben-Meir, who was a legalist of the International Relations at the Global Affairs Centre at New York University, has said he feels a little surprised why Kurt is paying so much attention to the issue of license plates, when he has bigger problems to deal with.

Serbia's “List” decided on Saturday (November 5th that its members leave Kosovo institutions, but not only. The same have left the judiciary and police.

Serbs will not return to the Kosovo institutions until the moment the Kosovo government withdraws the decision on the plates and begins forming Association for Serb majority municipalities.

According to the American professor, the problem of Serbs in Kosovo lies that they have always been official Belgrade puppets.

The full interview of Alon Ben-Meri:

Albanian Post: How do you see the Kosovo Government's decision on license plates, and what may be its implications in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process, which was well known after the Franco-German proposal?

I believe the government's decision by Kurti to ignore the US request to postpone the Targat decision is wrong at best. I really don't see the urgency to implement Kurt's demand for license plates and create unnecessary crises at a time when the entire European continent is angry with the war in Ukraine and Putin's determination to destabilise the Balkans. I think Kurt failed in the Russian trap. It is not too late to correct the situation by heeding the U.S. request. Although this may seem a unilateral concession, Kosovo will benefit greatly in the long-term plan.

Albanian Post: The removal of Serbs from Kosovo institutions... What exactly should the Government of Kosovo do now?

Prime Minister Kurti must call on all who resign to regain their posts. Neither Kosovo Serbs nor Kurti's government will reap any long-term advantages by prolonging the conflict. I'm kind of surprised that Kurt costs so much to the issue of license plates when his plate is full of much more urgent internal issues he has to deal with. It should not invest so much time and energy in such a marginal issue to argue Kosovo's independence. Kosovo is independent and will remain independent with or without change of plates. Kurti must re-organise its priorities and strengthen Kosovo within the country in any respect that is the most important thing to do to support Kosovo's political independence.

Albanian Post: Can we say that with Serbs leaving the institutions, there is also a farce, that of the Serb integration in the Republic of Kosovo. Why has Kosovo for years not been able to integrate Kosovo Serbs into Kosovo institutions, but not only?

Kosovo's successive governments have opened the doors to Serbs in Kosovo to integrate. In fact, Serbs have one minister, 10 deputies and other senior positions in the government, besides the judiciary and police representing their four local communities in the north. The problem is that Belgrade has consistently discouraged Serbs in Kosovo from being integrated as part of its efforts to delegate Kosovo's independence. It is also important to note that Putin's Russia is doing its best to prevent Belgrade from co-operating with Kosovo at almost every level to serve its interests. That said, Kurt should focus more on issues more important than the license issue, which has only changed Kosovo Serbs who are being conducted directly from the hands of Vucic and Putin.