Adriatik Kelmendi, author of Rubikon show on KTV and columnist, writes in an opinion piece that U.S. President Trump’s decision to appoint Richard Grenell as his special envoy for the Kosovo – Serbia talks comes after failed efforts to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia by EU mediators. He recalls that the last time when the U.S. appointed a special envoy for the Kosovo – Serbia talks was in 2007, after Russia had opposed Marti Ahtisaari’s final status proposal. Kelmendi writes that in his meetings with Kosovo’s leaders on Wednesday, Grenell conveyed a clear message: “I am here with a direct message from President Trump – we need a peace agreement quickly”. He further writes that Trump has sent clear signals that he wants Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final settlement before the U.S. presidential elections in November next year. “Trump wants to win another term in office and he will do everything to include an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia as one of his achievements … To make the situation even more serious, Ambassador Grenell is portrayed in some analysis as a person that supports the land swap idea and that he will try to convince Germany too on the matter”. Kelmendi recalls that even in 2007, the international Troika – U.S. diplomat Wisner, EU diplomat Ischinger and Russian diplomat Botsan-Kharchenko, after their first meetings with the negotiating teams in Belgrade and Pristina, had said that borders too could be part of an agreement if the parties agree to this. “The Kosovo side had rightfully rejected this possibility. On February 17, the following year, Kosovo declared its supervised independence, without changing the UNSC Resolution 1244 and without recognition from Serbia. Now almost 12 years later, when Serbia has still recognised Kosovo, when Kosovo still has no seat in the UN and the Brussels dialogue is clinically dead, Trump has sent his special envoy to quickly reach ‘a peace agreement’. In the following weeks we will find out what this is really about!” Kelmendi concludes.
Kelmendi: Return to 2007 (Koha Ditore)
- Published: 4 years ago on 10/10/2019
- By: OSCPA F
- Last Modified: October 10, 2019 @ 9:56 am
- Filed Under: Opinions
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