Serbian analyst: Vuciq told Serbian List not to rush into an exit decision by institutions

For this, the Serbian List was activated in talks with Belgrade until it made the usual threat that they will leave Kosovo institutions. Its mayor, Goran Rakiq, has invited mayors of Serb majority municipalities to an emergency meeting today and other representatives to decide whether to issue institutions or not. On the other hand, media in Serbia vocally reported on these events, writing that Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq has cancelled visits abroad to deal with concerns conveyed to Kosovo Serb representatives.

How these events are viewed in Serbian opinion, Serbian analyst Dragisa Mijaciq, who is one of the main analysts of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, has been talking about.

He said Vuciq has recommended that Serbs in Kosovo not be hasty in the decision to leave the institutions.

“Vucciq has so far told them to refrain, since such a drastic decision by the Serbian List will create legal and security concerns and practically means that all positive results of dialogue in Brussels will disappear. After the last call [of the Serbian List], the government of Serbia has warned extraordinary hearings for the day, where they will be discussed whether they will support the Serb List's request to withdraw from Kosovo institutions, or will demand that they hold back for a while. The situation in the north is now quite complex and tensions are high, if the Serbian List withdraws from the institutions, it will open the pandora box, which will not close easily”, Mijacic said.

Mijaciq, who is also the co-ordinator of the Working Group for Chapter 35 of the EU Convention in Belgrade, also spoke of the Franco-German proposal, which was now officially confirmed as part of the dialogue in Brussels.

He said public opinion in Serbia depends greatly on events in northern Kosovo even on such initiatives presented to resolve the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia.

Serbia's “Public in general is very suspicious of initiatives for normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo, any conflict in the north would certainly radicalise their positions and lower public support for an inclusive agreement. Therefore, the Serbian government's response to the Franco-German proposal can be indicated by rhetoric by senior Belgrade officials, whether they will be more positive or negative to the” agreement.

He said the decision not to extend the license plates could lead to unrest in the north, and that if that happens it would be very difficult to discuss the Franco-German proposal, especially to receive public support for such initiatives.

For positioning the Serbian Army at the border with Kosovo, Mijacic said there are no reliable reports proving that.

“also has no evidence of the mass movement of the Serbian Army in any direction, including the border with Kosovo. However, the army has indeed increased their combat readiness, which is a regular procedure when there are conflicting potential in the north”.

Mijaciq, who is also the director of a Belgrade-based institute and Zubin Potok (Institute for Terrial Economic Development, says it is necessary for Kosovo and Serbia to resolve the dispute, because any alternative is fatal to all, not only to Albanians and Serbs, but also to the entire region.

Besides, the lack of agreement could easily be calculated as loss of the future for all of us. On the other hand, I believe there is no agreement between Serbia and Kosovo without resolving the issue of protecting collective rights for minority Serbs in Kosovo. The solutions given to the Ahtisaari plan that are incorporated in the Kosovo Constitution are not enough, nor are they fully implemented”.

He claims that the rights of Serbs in Kosovo are deprived, and says the issue has been very recently discussed by US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher R. Hill.

“We need new solutions that are in line with European best practices for power sharing and conflict resolution. That certainly does not mean that we need a new Republika Srpska. Constitutional regulations and ethnic composition in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are not comparable, so such comparisons are more malicious than constructive”.

In addition, Mijacic says citizens like Kosovo, as in Serbia, need positive energy and a positive rhetoric that will move towards the agreement.

“So far politicians from both, Serbia and Kosovo, use dialogue as a theatre to practice ethnocentric rhetoric and nationalist views, as well as to mobilise popular support in ethnic divisions. We need a more positive approach to explain to the public why we need dialogue and why we need agreement. At the moment, only the international community and few civil society are speaking positively about the agreement. This has to change. Politicians on both sides must be more responsible, more visionary and bold to explain the benefits of the agreement. If we all don't want to resolve the dispute, the internationals won't do it and can't do it by us”.