Authorities in Pristina will request war reparations from Belgrade, shares of Kosovo enterprises that used to have branches in the Serbia proper and distribution of military premises and embassies of the former SFRY, Novosti learned unofficially.
Those requests, along with the issue of membership in international organizations, will be placed at the Brussels’ table by Kosovo Albanians in the course of continued dialogue, what could practically put talks in an impasse, because even starting discussion over these topics would practically mean recognition of independence of the false state, what is unacceptable for our state.
All these disputable issues, Pristina will try to ‘squeeze in’ the calendar of the new phase of the dialogue on normalization of relations with Belgrade, which is due to resume in Brussels on 9 February. Besides that, Albanian side is dragging the agreement on the Association/Community of Serb municipalities as much as they can, in order that Belgrade, in the meantime, is conditioned with concessions in other areas. Whereas, Serbian side will insist that issues such as property, position of the Serbian Orthodox Church and guarantees for the return of displaced are put on the table.
Political analyst from Pristina Fatmir Sheholli told the paper that Pristina implies as war reparations a compensation for 127.000 destroyed houses during the conflict, property which was socially owned and allegedly destroyed by Serbian forces, and compensation to families whose members were killed. “Pristina requests that Albanians who are left without pensions are compensated, and it expects part of the wealth of the former SFRY (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) from the succession process, along with the military and diplomatic premises of the former state,” said Sheholli and assessed that those requests can’t be settled swiftly, and if they become part of the Brussels process, it would drag on the dialogue for another decade.
“The dialogue on normalization of relations must be limited in time, thus in my view, those are topics for an international arbitration,” said Sheholli.
Political analyst Dusan Janjic said that the very same topic is called different names. “Pristina will insist that it is about the dialogue on succession, because it wants to present to general public a ‘recognition’ of independence, whereas Belgrade will maintain that talks are the status neutral, what they are in reality,” said Janjic.
What topics and in which order they are going to be placed on the Brussels table, will very much depend on the new the facilitator in the dialogue, the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, whereas it should be recalled that last European Commission’s progress report on Serbia requested ‘new era in relations’ with Pristina.
Janjic believes that Kosovo’s membership and participation in the work of international organizations will be forced by Brussels as well, ‘but opening the door of the Council of Europe and of the UN for Pristina will not have to go hand in hand with the recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Belgrade. The example of Palestine, which received a non-member observer State status in the UN, even though Israel didn’t recognize it, will be used as an argument.
