U.S. Balkans analyst Daniel Serwer said in an interview with Voice of America that the election results in Kosovo were not unexpected and that the people of Kosovo wanted change and voted for it.
He said he expects negotiations to get underway for the formation of the new government. “I hope it will be a broad coalition with considerable majority of votes because such is needed for talks with Belgrade.”
Serwer said the government between Vetevendosje and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) would have a programme that focuses on the fight against corruption, importance of economy and Kosovo’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. “I think none of the two parties like the land swap idea and would like to avoid it.”
“I expect Kosovo to get to the next stage of talks with a consolidated position, in favour of the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. And I think it will insist on this point and this will perhaps mean there will be no quick solution to the status problem,” Serwer said in regards to the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
Serwer admitted that the tax on Serbian imports is a major obstacle to the renewal of dialogue but was not confident on whether the new government of Kosovo would decide to suspend it. “I believe this depends on what they will get in exchange. If they get in exchange a clear mandate for a dialogue for normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia within existing borders, I think it would be a mistake if they did not lift it.”
