Rasp: Kurti pass from bunkerisation to field of political dialogue

Democratic Progressive Party Chairman (PDS) Nenad Rassic says the US special envoy's visit to the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the EU's special representative for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, in Pristina, was meant to persuade Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to accept the formation of the Serbian Communist Association.

In an interview for Kosova priss, Rassic has estimated that to advance the dialogue, Kurti will have to leave the current position and show readiness for new ideas and initiatives to switch from bunkerisation, as she says, in the real area of political dialogue.

Chairman The PDS thinks that the topic of talks between two emissaries and representatives of Kosovo institutions may also have been holding and organising the elections of the Republic of Serbia on the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.

He stresses that the message Escobar confirmed or promised to Prime Minister Kurti that the future AKS concept will not have executive competence will be a step forward that can contribute to the continuation and increased dynamics of dialogue.

I really think that it is very disturbing and frustrating that Prime Minister Kurti has been politically bunkerised and shows no readiness for any ideas, any innovation and initiative that could result in a common consensus, or from the area of bunkerisation to move to another area of real dialogue that could result in changes, or at least offering ideas of what the Association of Serbian municipalities should look like. I think this does not benefit anyone, especially Kosovo Serbs in the long term plan, and I am also sure that neither Kosovo Albanians nor Prime Minister Kurti benefits what I called political bunkerisation”, Rassic said.

Rassic also stresses that there is no willingness to implement the Kosovo Constitutional Court's recommendation by 2015, which emphasises that the AKS should be formed under the Constitution and the laws of Kosovo.

He says he is sure that a way can be found to suggest how such a document should appear to be acceptable to both sides of the negotiations.

But we're still going back to the beginning. There's no will on either side. In this case, I think, I repeat, this boomerisation goes to no one's best, and I think Escobar himself will use our popular term, to push the prime minister and others from that position, starting with the head of the Parliament and others, to make it clear to you that this is a serious situation and that maybe it's time to do something in this direction, because I believe that the Benden administration, which is now new, and this first visit of Escobar, I believe will be more concrete than the previous ones. I hope this will contribute and at least increase the desire for some more concrete steps in the further direction of forming the AKS”, Rassic said.

Header The PDS recalls that Kosovo Serbs have the right to participate in both countries' elections under the Kosovo Constitution and Martti Ahtisaari's plan for dual citizenship, and that one of the fundamental human rights is to vote in elections in the country where he is a citizen.

He estimates that the Republika Serbia referendum on January 16th was not sufficiently prepared for its realisation in Kosovo, but that in the case of the upcoming April elections, there should be a broader context of understanding that would enable Serbs to vote.

We will now see how much power the EU and the US have at Prime Minister Kurti, because at least we have to have a broader context to understand what the April 4th vote really means. So far, I haven't seen that width of understanding. I think this is also wrong on the long-term plan. I think it has to be working on preserving communities that are the so-called weaker link in all of this society, and if the prime minister does not want to protect communities, then I really think it is contrary to the EU's aspirations for human rights, especially community rights, to be one of the first priorities of all countries, especially those aimed at being part of the EU”, Rassic stressed.

He estimates that Lajcak and Eskobar's visit will power the dialogue and that it remains to be seen whether it will be accepted by institutions.

Commenting on the information that some people close to the ruling SNS in Serbia have entered the blacklist, Rassic says the United States is informed by any other government and that they have analysed it in detail before making a decision.

I'll only talk about those whose actions I had the chance to see, and it was very clear that there were some turbulent actions going on, that it was designed in some way for certain groups to keep winning tenders and keep taking millions, but what's more important, I would very much like the Treasury to take care of it. Let's see which European institutions have financed the same companies and now shut down and do not report that they have financed such groups of people who are in this case on the American Treasury list”, Rassic says.

He adds that he would ask top EU representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, if he knows how much money under EU auspices has been given to companies in the north without full documentation.

“Did you know the amount that companies were given under the auspices of the EU in the north, and for which neither the closure of documents was made nor the completion of the” project, Rassic said in the end.