According to earlier announcements, the two prime ministers, Aleksandar Vucic and Isa Mustafa, with the mediation of the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, yesterday in Brussels have continued discussions on energy, telecommunications, Community/Association of Serbian municipalities, and “Peace Park” in the northern Mitrovica. A spokeswoman for EU High Representative, Maja Kocijancic told B92 that “the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo at the previous meeting made good progress, and now in progress is work on finalizing the deal.”
Diplomatic sources now speculate that the issue of ZSO was open with the help of the US, in order that Belgrade was more “constructive”, allegedly, concerning the other negotiating issues. On the eve of yesterday’s meeting of two prime ministers, the second in the last seven days, which is a “tactic” that preceded the signing of the first Brussels agreement of April 2013, the agencies report that there have been estimates that the Mogherini could offer to Belgrade opening of chapters in the negotiations with the EU, if made sufficient progress.
Western diplomats and Pristina media agree in their assessment that the EU is counting on the “Merkel factor” – Mustafa would be today at the invitation of German Chancellor, on an official visit to Berlin, while the “first woman” of Germany is expected in Belgrade on July 8. Some diplomats even speculate that in fact the agreements were made already, and that now they are just buying time to prepare the public.
Pristina entered the continuation of the accelerated Brussels dialogue with a “burden”, due to last week’s rejection of the Kosovo Assembly to vote on constitutional amendments required for the adoption of the law on special court for war crimes in Kosovo, which could be now, much to the disappointment of the West, formed under the auspices of the Security Council. Rada Trajkovic, a former MP in the Kosovo parliament, thinks that “in this situation should not expect any success of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, primarily due to the unreliability of Pristina negotiators.”
– If Pristina is unable to fulfil obligations of its allies – the EU and the US, the Serbs in Kosovo have nothing to expect that any kind of agreement will be signed in Brussels on the ZSO. After the case of the Special Court, Belgrade should lead, instead of negotiating in these circumstances, a greater campaign that would indicate that institutions in Pristina cannot be the guarantor of the agreement. Especially as the stakes are too high – the state is negotiating with the separatist leaders of part of its territory – said Rada Trajkovic to Danas.
Feigning and technical details
Member of the Board of the Albanian-American League Faton Bislimi doubt that the PDK leader and head of the Kosovo Foreign ministry, Hashim Thaci “faked voting” on the special court for crimes in Kosovo, so he could be “a hero in front of strangers and got some guarantees”. Bislimi for the Vienna daily Standard said that the vote on constitutional amendments and the law on the special court will be repeated and that the deputies of Thaci’s party then will vote “for”, although last Friday they voted against. According to him, Thaci “now promises to foreigners that he will do everything so that a special court is established, but that he needs guarantees for him and some of the people close to him”.
