Belgrade based daily Danas writes today, based on unofficial diplomatic sources, that the United States and Germany are considering who will be their envoys in the next phase of the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, and that it is expected that the decision on their names would be made and disclosed in a month time.
Danas recalls that daily Večernje Novosti announced that talks between Belgrade and Pristina team in the future could be led by “an experienced German politician” on behalf of the EU, while Washington would send “an observer” of this process.
According to interlocutors of Danas daily, there are already several proposals on who could be involved from Americans and Germans in the process of resolving the Kosovo issue and “these are very influential names”. “By October, it should be known who will be engaged in the Brussels dialogue on behalf of the US and Germany, but as things stand, the EU’s foreign policy and security representative, Federica Mogherini, will remain an intermediary in those negotiations,” sources of Danas said.
Some representatives of diplomatic circles say they expect Serbia and Kosovo Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Hashim Thaqi to meet again in Brussels in September. As for the eventual engagement of Russia in the next phase of the dialogue, interlocutors of Danas argue that “although Moscow has a limited ability to act in resolving the Kosovo issue, if an agreement is reached on the normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations, it will be necessary for Russia to approve such an agreement.”
“Of course, Kosovo side is interested in actively involving only the EU and the US, namely Quint countries, while Belgrade would like to engage Russia, but if a legally binding agreement is reached at the end of the process, it will need support of China and Russia, as well permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The main weakness of Pristina’s government is that they made too many promises to the Albanian population in Kosovo and the West and now they are publicly saying that Moscow will have no role in the continuation of Brussels Dialogue, but as long as Resolution 1244 is in force, it will also be necessary for the Russians to give the green light for a possible agreement between Belgrade and Pristina,” sources of Danas said.
The minister in charge of dialogue in the Kosovo government Edita Tahiri rejected the possibility of involving Russia in the Brussels dialogue. As reported by Kosovo’s Telegraph, she pointed out that Moscow’s participation would be “unacceptable”.
