The news website reports that following U.S. President’s special envoy for Kosovo – Serbia negotiations, Richard Grenell, visits to Pristina and Belgrade, the U.S. Embassy to Kosovo issued a press release calling on both sides to work closely and quickly with an eye toward the future.
Political commentators in Pristina said the message from Washington is that dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia must resume as soon as possible. Ramush Tahiri, political analyst, said the new government must be formed immediately after the Central Election Commission counts all votes. “The tariff will be suspended. Vetevendosje and LDK have said they will apply reciprocity, and the process of reciprocity takes time because it goes point by point. Dialogue is unconditional and the agreement needs to be ratified by 2/3 of votes by both parliaments,” he said. Tahiri also said that Washington does not have a ready-made project and that their message favours a comprehensive agreement. “The commitment of the U.S. Embassy, Grenell and Palmer, and the Europeans that will come, is that dialogue resolves issues, whereas the core of the agreement will depend on the two parties. Kosovo does not talk about independence, sovereignty or territory. The message from the U.S. is to reach a comprehensive agreement on the normalisation of relations with the consent of both parties. The U.S. don’t have a ready-made project and they didn’t say what their objectives are. They have said that whatever the parties agree to, is acceptable for them too. The EU has also said this, and that it [an agreement] must be in line with international conventions and European objectives,” he added.
Jeta Krasniqi from the Kosovo Democratic Institute said Serbia will go to elections next year and that the U.S. are interested in an agreement within this period. “We have seen the U.S. are committed to reaching as soon as possible a comprehensive, legally-binding, sustainable and implementable agreement. “We know that elections will be held in Serbia next spring, and the tendency is to bring back the parties to the table of talks and to look into the possibility of reaching an agreement within this period. We have heard it before and I believe this is the message that Grenell delivered in Kosovo and Serbia,” Krasniqi said.
