In an opinion piece today, referring to US Ambassador Greg Delawie’s statements about opposition parties, the paper’s Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj writes that it shouldn’t be a problem that international ambassadors in Kosovo criticize the behavior of opposition parties in the Assembly. “It is not difficult to agree with these statements. But the problem is when the ambassadors remain silent about mistakes made by the government. Kosovars cannot elect a foreign ambassador, but these ambassadors should feel a greater responsibility towards the people of Kosovo, and consider the impact of their statements. The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, may not be happy about a petition initiated against him, but nor can he be proud of those who supposedly stand in his defense,” Palokaj writes.
According to the author, “Kosovo is in a state of schizophrenia and so is the international community to some extent. International representatives call for a fight against corruption and organized crime, but at the same time they support precisely those who are corrupt. It is almost as if the international representatives, for the sake of maintaining some kind of political stability, speak out about the fight against corruption and organized crime but when it comes to a specific case, they either remain silent or issue statements that empower those responsible. The power of politicians in Kosovo derives more from international support than popular votes.”
Palokaj stresses that the foreign ambassadors have failed, with the exception of the British ambassador, with their lack of reaction to peaceful protests organized by the opposition. “Regardless of disagreeing with demands of the opposition, they should have expressed their gratitude for the peaceful protests. And further more, they should have gone public with criticism towards the provocative statements made by Deputy Prime Minister Hashim Thaci who gave the impression that he was not satisfied with the peaceful protests. Of course, privately, diplomats from Pristina to Brussels recognize that Thaci crossed the line with these statements and now it will be harder to support him for president, but they hesitate to say this publicly out of fear that it would destabilize the situation even more.
