Following the last round of marathon negotiations with the representatives of the EU and Pristina Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić stated that agreement was not reached over any topic they discussed. Kosovo Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, stated that progress was achieved when it comes to the Association/Community of Serb municipalities (A/CSM), and that his delegation could not accept requests on executive powers of the A/CSM, since it would go against the Kosovo Constitution and laws.
According to unofficial information, the EU has allegedly envisaged certain executive powers for the A/CSM in line with the first Brussels Agreement – full observing capacity in the areas of economic development, education, health, urban and spatial planning, learned Belgrade-based daily Danas. This was additional political risk for the Kosovo government, which already has serious problems linked with the creation of the special war crimes court in Kosovo, claim sources of the paper. The issue of the special court, allegedly, influences and on negotiation (in)sincerity and behavior of the Kosovo Foreign Minister and former KLA top official Hashim Thaci, who is suspected in Pristina for playing ‘double games’, with regard to adoption of the law on the special court.
In any case, Pristina has rejected, for the time being, the proposal on executive powers for the A/CSM ZSO, whereas some western diplomats say that in best case scenario future A/CSM could gain the status of a district with the extensive jurisdiction. Within the negotiation and diplomatic circles there are divided opinions on whether the EU is heading toward the signing of a second Brussels Agreement on principles of normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina that would encompass more agreements, as optimistically announced two nights ago by the Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. Sources close to Belgrade negotiators claim that signing a package is Pristina’s idea, whereas Brussels’s request was that this round is dedicated to discussion and work on solutions for the four topics that were on the table.
Circles which are announcing signing of the second Brussels Agreement say that this is a done deal and that it is a matter of time when will that happen, and that main negotiators on both sides now need a break in negotiations in order to prepare the ground in the ‘house’, where situation with the special court in Pristina and the issue of Srebrenica in Belgrade is more unfavorable than a week ago. Some analysts say that if the agreement on energy would also be the part of a new Brussels package, Belgrade should not dare to sign it before receiving guarantees that the issue of property will be discussed as well.
“Belgrade’s negotiation team has done a lot of useful things and is rightly insisting on guarantees for the property, however Belgrade has generally entered into problems with mixed priorities – between the EU, Kosovo, Srebrenica and Republic of Srpska,” said political analyst Dusan Janjic.
