Tomorrow's draft Association, Kosovo and Serbia with completely different visions

Kurti, a day before the discovery of this draft-Statute, said that as regards the association, it will stand behind <x0-and-European international standards for protection of minorities” while adding that “will not allow rights for territorialisation and creation of anything that would look like the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. In light of that, the prime minister ensures that the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity “will not be violated” and that a structural arrangement of Serb-run municipalities populated by majority “cannot have executive powers”.

Meanwhile, the immediate response was to the director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, Petar Petkov, who believes that “Kurti is not a position to allow or allow anything for the association” by questioning the knowledge of Kurti's 2013 and 2015 agreements.

“Kurti either did not read the documents signed or claims not to understand what is written in them... so Kurti has no basis for making money with his arbitrary wishes and views on this matter BAR for duty has to apply what was signed, on the condition that he learns first what the agreement is called, when they are signed, and what Petkov said, as Serbian media quoted him.

We remember that Kurti (if he did not change attitudes) says that association can only be made on the basis of the 2015 Constitutional Court's decision, the EU position expressed by former High Representative Federica Moghrini sent to former Prime Minister Isa Mustafa that association will not represent the third or middle level of power, as well as an Op/Ed published on 31 January by Derek Chollet and Gabriel Escobar about what this is going to be.

But, the Serb side, which openly states it will not accept association under the Kosovo Constitution, further brings charges against Prime Minister Kurti. Its goal is to use violence and unilateral action on the ground to basically change the situation on the ground and thus turn the course of dialogue” into irrevable.

Even Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has indicated that “before constitution” for the Serbian side for launching implementation of the Ohrid Agreement is the establishment of association, while for the latter it has indicated that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will try to weaken “powers and authorities” that stick to it under the 2013 and 2015 agreement.

“Pristina will try to downplay the importance of association. Starting with name, statute, management team, and concluding with the authority the community has”, Dacic told reporters.

What did the middleman say?

The first summit after the Ohrid Agreement is held on May 2nd, and at the top of the agenda, it will have the beginning of the process of establishing the majority Serbian Commission Association. European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak himself confirmed this in an interview for Slovak media “Dennik”, where he said it is exactly draft-Stututary Association what Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq will have on the table. “will be the first mandatory and important step”, Lajcak said. That the foundation of the Association is “urgent” said the Senior Adviser at DAS, Derek Cholllet.

For me, the important thing is for 2 May to have the planned meeting between [Serbia's President Aleksandar] Vuciq and [Kosovo Prime Minister Albin] Kurti in Brussels, where the start of the process of establishing association [of Serb majority-run municipalities] will be on the agenda. Draft-Sttuti will be presented, which is the first binding and important step”, Miroslav Lajcak said this Thursday, writes Nacionale.

Lajcak continued to elaborise further on what and why this association is becoming: “to clarify the relationship between the government in Pristina and Kosovo Serbs”, he said. This, according to him, due to “defining the legal status of Kosovo Serbs and the Serb minority in Kosovo”. And this association, according to Lajcak, needs to be determined “what competencies it will have”.

The “is a sensitive topic, there is still much to talk about, but for me it is important that we finally begin to determine what this association means, what its legal status, what its competencies will be. We'll stand behind the European models”.