UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 27, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Leaders pledge to bring justice for war crimes in Kosovo (RFE)
Kurti: Serbia must face its criminal past in Kosovo (Klan Kosova)
Van der Bellen: Ohrid agreement, cornerstone in process of normalising relations (media)
CEC certifies candidates for elections in the north (Reporteri)
EU regrets that Serbian List didn’t use right to take part in elections (RFE)
Abazovic: European proposal, a good solution (Reporteri)
Molliqaj: What is Kosovo gaining from the Ohrid agreement? (Nacionale)
Constitutional Court judges will not undergo vetting (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Brnabic: We will never forget NATO aggression (Tanjug)
Serbian President, Patriarch say keeping peace important (N1)
Greece remains on its stance not to recognize Kosovo, supports agreements from Brussels and Ohrid (Tanjug)
Jeremic: Referendum only way to prevent treason of Kosovo (BETA, Danas, KoSSev)
Trajkovic: ''The price for CSM (ZSO) is an independent Kosovo'' (Slobodno Srpski, NMagazin, Beta, Danas)
Vucevic: Serbia must stay at negotiating table in Kosovo talks (Tanjug)
Slavic family house broken into in Lepina, near Liplljan (Radio KIM)
Vucic: Serbia, Hungary to set up strategic council (TV Pink, Tanjug)
Hill: The issue of the Albanian minority in Serbia is exclusively the issue of the state of Serbia (Beta, NMagazin, N1)
President of the EKF: The Kosovo karate delegation received instructions from the government not to participate in the European Championship (KoSSev, insidethegames)

Opinion:

Janjic: No more buying time in Kosovo; The time of SL has passed; Serious political cleansing ahead (N1, KoSSev)

International:

Wider Europe Briefing: The Obstacles Still Remaining To A Serbia-Kosovo Deal; EU Steps Up Military Aid To Georgia, Moldova (RFE)
Kosovo prevented from competing under flag at EKF Senior Championships in Spain (insidethegames.biz)

Albanian Language Media

Leaders pledge to bring justice for war crimes in Kosovo (RFE)

The Kosovo President and Prime Ministers have pledged that their priority is to bring justice for the war crimes committed against Albanians by Serbian forces, as they commemorated those killed in Krusha e Madhe 24 years ago.

President Vjosa Osmani said that the fate of 64 residents of Krusha e Madhe remains unresolved, and they are on the list of forcibly disappeared persons. “War crimes never grow old, same as the genocide that was aimed at exterminating the Albanian people. Therefore, we will never stop asking for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and that the fate of the great patriot, Ukshin Hoti, and all other residents of Krusha, is resolved,” she said.

Osmani argued that Kosovo “led a liberation war, while Serbia committed genocide against our people”. “We need to believe and engage together to protect the truth because there are attempts to deviate from the truth, and we need to bring justice,” she said.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti too visited the memorials in Krusha e Madhe and Krusha e Vogel, and said that resolving the fate of missing persons is a priority for his government. He said that Serbia keeps “denying the crimes” that were committed in Kosovo. “We have two main concerns. First is the opening of the archives in Belgrade, because there hides the truth about Serbia’s genocidal plans that resulted in hundreds of massacres in Kosovo. And second is uncovering new mass graves and it is known that there have been many obstacles in Serbia,” he said.

The news website notes that the massacre in Krusha e Madhe was the biggest in Kosovo. The operation by Serbian police and military forces in the village lasted from March 25-27, 1999. 241 people, including seven children, five women (one was pregnant), were killed and 25 were seriously wounded.

Kurti: Serbia must face its criminal past in Kosovo (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during a homage at the memorial of the massacre in Dardania neighbourhood in Peja where 40 people were killed by Serbian forces in 1999, said that Serbia must face its criminal past in Kosovo. “Justice and truth are needed for long0term peace and security for all and for good and normal neighbourly relations,” he said. “Serbia must face its criminal past in Kosovo, while the prosecution of Kosovo needs to work day and night to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice so that rehabilitation for the victims can begin. Victims include not only those that were killed, but also their families and our whole society”.

Van der Bellen: Ohrid agreement, cornerstone in process of normalising relations (media)

The President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen and the President of Albania Bajram Begaj spoke in Tirana about the Kosovo-Serbia agreement.

Begaj said that ‘in no case, under no circumstances, as the President of the Republic of Albania, would I accept that there should be a Republika Srpska in Kosovo, and as far as I know, it is not even supported by the USA, which is a strategic partner of ours.’ He said that he believes that the self-management in the framework of that agreement, with community rights according to the constitution of Kosovo, will be the right solution.

"I only support what President Begaj said, the talks and negotiations in Ohrid and how to call it now, under the leadership of Mr. Borrell or with his participation, I think it could be a cornerstone in the process of... let's not call it reconciliation, but in the process of normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia. As you know, in fact a kind of agreement was made but in the absence of an official signature by the participants from the presidents," Van der Bellen said.

"However, this is definitely an approach in this process that should not be underestimated. In fact, I have seen it closely because we have President Vucic and the then president of Kosovo in Alpah in Austria who have had conversations together. Since then, it has been quite an advantage that they spoke directly to each other, even though there were no concrete results, but the parties talked closely together. The dialogue between these countries is certainly difficult, but both are aware that without an agreement from both sides, both countries will not have a future towards the European Union," he added.

CEC certifies candidates for elections in the north (Reporteri)

Several parties and candidates from political parties have applied to the Central Election Commission (CEC). There are three certified candidates in Mitrovica north: Betim Osmani from Mitrovica Civic Initiative, Taulant Kelmendi from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), and Erden Atic from Levizja Vetevendosje (LVV), local media report. Three candidates are listed in Leposavic: Albulena Behluli - Hetemi, Aleksandar Jablanovic from the Kosovo Serb Party and Lulzim Hetemi from the LVV. The same number in Zvecan where Ilir Peci from PDK, Sladjana Pantovic - Independent candidate and Fetah Peci from LVV are competing.

The Serbian List has decided to boycott the extraordinary elections. The agreements reached between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels and Ohrid have not influenced the decision-making of this party to become part of the democratic electoral process in Kosovo.

EU regrets that Serbian List didn’t use right to take part in elections (RFE)

The European Union said that it regrets that the Serbian List – the biggest party of Serbs in Kosovo – did not use the democratic right to take part in the extraordinary elections in the municipalities in north of Kosovo. The elections are scheduled for April 23, after they were postponed in December last year following calls from the international community.

“Elections are a cornerstone of democracy, and the EU has always highlighted the importance of inclusion,” EU spokesperson, Peter Stano, told Radio Free Europe today. He also said that it is very important for these elections to be held in peace.

Abazovic: European proposal, a good solution (Reporteri)

The Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic said that his country is ready to contribute and support the process of normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. He said that Montenegro "plays the role of a conciliator" in the region.

"We have excellent relations with all neighbouring countries and we are eager to help in any way, including logistical support," Abazovic said in an interview with The Pavlovic Today, during his visit to the United States.

The Montenegrin Prime Minister also proposed for Montenegro to host an eventual new round of negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia.

"We are not part of the dialogue, but I believe that the European proposal represents a good, favourable solution for Serbia and Kosovo," Abazovic said. He emphasised that the most important thing is that the agreement is implemented.

"But for this to happen, they must stick to what they agreed to," he said.

Molliqaj: What is Kosovo gaining from the Ohrid agreement? (Nacionale)

The leader of the Social-Democratic Party (PSD) Dardan Molliqaj, reacted strongly after the statement of the Greek president that Greece has not changed its position on recognition of Kosovo.

“Let us say that not all five EU countries are recognizing us, nor Greece, which was promised to us in the end, to sell us the agreement.

The government and supporters of the agreement must be held accountable. What is Kosovo gaining from this agreement? Except for obligations, nothing else.

Dual autonomy, with self-government for the Serbs and extraterritoriality for the Serbian Orthodox Church,” Molliqaj wrote.

Constitutional Court judges will not undergo vetting (RTK)

Unlike all other judges and prosecutors in Kosovo, judges of the Constitutional Court will not undergo the vetting process. Commentators of the judicial system say the reason for this is that the Constitutional Court is a new court, foreseen by the Constitution and established with a special law.

The vetting process in the judiciary was initiated by the government and passed to the Assembly late last year. An ad-hoc committee was set up to prepare the legal basis for the vetting and its administration. The legal framework is expected to be finalised this year and this will pave the way to the start of the process.

Ehat Miftaraj, from the Kosovo Law Institute, told RTK that in neighbouring Albania, the vetting process included judges of the Constitutional Court too, but that this practice is not needed in Kosovo. “The vetting for the judges of the Constitutional Court was a characteristic for Albania, but in Kosovo this would not make sense, because Constitutional Court judges do not have a permanent mandate like regular judges and prosecutors. They are appointed by the Kosovo Assembly through a process that is mainly led by the Assembly. So, it would be unreasonable to have a vetting process for a certain number of judges of the Constitutional Court whose longest mandate can be 9 years,” he said.

Kadri Kryeziu, university professor and former judge at the Constitutional Court, said that this court’s judges can undergo vetting too. “There are two issues: first, the Constitutional Court is a new court compared to other countries in the country. Second, the Constitutional Court is not within the Law on the judicial system of Kosovo, but was established with a special law or ‘lex-specialis’. This is why it could be delayed, but at a later stage the judges of the Constitutional Court will undergo vetting too,” he said.

The non-inclusion of constitutional court judges in the vetting process is mentioned in the concept document on vetting, which notes that “vetting for judges of the Constitutional Court would imply deep changes to the Constitution or the suspension of constitutional articles that refer to the composition, mandate, independence, and its organisation, the results of which would not improve the Constitutional Court, but rather block it”.

Serbian Language Media

Brnabic: We will never forget NATO aggression (Tanjug)

In posts on Twitter Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Friday that "we mark 24 years since NATO aggression, committed against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia & Montenegro). We will never forget". Her posts also included video footage of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign.

At the heart of Europe, Serbia was targeted by attacks for 78 days - around 4,000 people were killed, captions in the footage said.

"Eighty-nine children were killed. A thousand and eight members of security forces - 659 army servicemen and 349 police officers - lost their lives, and 25,000 residential buildings were destroyed. There were 2,300 air attacks on Serbia. Eighteen kindergartens, 19 hospitals, 20 health centres, 44 bridges, 69 schools and 76 cultural monuments were destroyed", the captions added.

Serbian President, Patriarch say keeping peace important (N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Porfirije told the central state commemoration on the anniversary of the NATO bombing campaign in Sombor that peace should be kept but without pressure and blackmail.

Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Porfirije said negotiations should be continued but that ultimatums should not be accepted.

“We should pray and fight to persevere on the path of all talks and negotiations, the path of dialogue whose goal is at least elementary understanding among people, but we should not accept ultimatums and blackmail at any cost”, the Patriarch said adding that everything should be done to keep the peace. “If the spiral of evil is started again there is no doubt that we will all be complete losers”, he said.

Speaking about the 1999 NATO air campaign, he said it was “an inhumane and illegal aggression by the greatest force in history in the most one-sided conflict and unequal balance of forces on the battlefield ever”.

The SPC elder’s words were echoed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who said that the peace must be maintained, adding Serbia wants no conflict but that there should be no more pressure over red lines.

“We will never give them our country on a platter along with justification for all the crimes they committed”, Vucic told the gathering and recalled that Serbs died along with Albanians and Bosniaks. “We have to respect the victims of others so that others will respect ours”, he said.

Greece remains on its stance not to recognize Kosovo, supports agreements from Brussels and Ohrid (Tanjug)

The Greek stance of not recognizing Kosovo remains the same, and Greece supports agreements between two sides, leading towards normalisation of relations, the Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said ahead of her official visit to Belgrade, Tanjug news agency reports.

The Greek President told Politika daily that her country remains faithful to its policy on the Western Balkans and follows a pragmatic and constructive approach when it comes to Kosovo. She also said such an approach aims at a comprehensive step forward towards EU integration of an entire region, which she assessed as a strategic goal.

Jeremic: Referendum only way to prevent treason of Kosovo (BETA, Danas, KoSSev)

President of opposition People’s Party (NS) Vuk Jeremic speaking in a public discussion in Nis said that nothing is over yet when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija given that Franco-German proposal had not been signed, nor it is in any manner obligatory for anyone else but Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who had accepted it verbally.

Jeremic also said a referendum on this plan “is the only way to prevent high treason”.

“Vucic verbally consented with the plan, he undertook an obligation, and he is a personal guarantor of the implementation of that agreement. He can’t go back, but Serbia has options. When you pose a simple question – do you support acceptance of a plan by which self-declared “Kosovo” attains attributes of an independent state or are you against it – a large majority of the people would be against it and the regime won’t be able to manipulate results of the referendum”, Jeremic said.

He also argued that “he who says it is over and there is no turning back, is not telling the truth”. “We have a couple of months left to stop, prevent and annul what Vucic obliged over the last month”, Jeremic said.

He said this is the reason why the People's Party launched an initiative to call for a referendum, so people could declare whether they are for acceptance or rejection of the Franco-German plan.

“We do not ask people to go to the battlefield or personally sacrifice, we only ask for signatures. What is more logical, just and natural than people declaring on such an important issue”, Jeremic said, adding this is a question of survival of the nation, state and society and “a referendum on this issue is the only defeat at elections Vucic may face under current circumstances”.

Trajkovic: ''The price for CSM (ZSO) is an independent Kosovo'' (Slobodno Srpski, NMagazin, Beta, Danas)

The president of the Serbian National Forum, Momcilo Trajkovic, said that ''the price of the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) is an independent Kosovo'', reported daily Danas.

Trajkovic said in the TV Show ''Slobodno srpski'' that there are no Serbian political representatives in the discussion about the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as on the formation of the CSM, because, as he stated, "they were incorporated by Aleksandar Vucic, who through his branch, the Serbian List, manages the Serbian people and problems", reported Serbian media.

Trajkovic emphasised that the Serbian List surrendered to Vucic and that they are not being asked anything.

"They are not asked for anything. The moment they agreed to such a position, they surrendered to Vucic, and at the same time they surrendered the fate of the Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija, who, apart from voting, are not informed about anything else, nor do they know what is happening. But there is one problem - the people feel, see what it is about, but are silent, cannot or will not say it," said Trajkovic and emphasised that the same is the case with politicians from the Serbian List, whom he says are "not competent in their work".

"They are not brought to think, they are brought to be silent and nothing else. Simply, as the proverb would say, there is a picture, but no tone. Like a broken TV," he said.

The President of the Serbian National Forum believes that by accepting the European plan and the implementation agreement, "Kosovo independence is recognized both de facto and de jure".

He added that in the European plan for the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, "everything is bad for Serbian interests, except for one thing."

"It is that the Serbs have finally heard the truth. Only if they want to understand it, regardless of the fact that it was communicated in the way Vucic communicated it. Kosovo is slowly but surely sliding towards an independent state. Whether they will sign, when they will sign, whether Kosovo will go to the United Nations and other institutions and organisations, Serbia and the Serbian side usually do not decide that," said Trajkovic.

Trajkovic believes that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are manipulating citizens.

"He (Vucic) is deceiving the people; he abandoned the policy he promised the people when the elections were held. Kurti did the same. And now we have two political "fraudsters" who are trying to deceive the people in order to show some kind of compromise, but in fact they neither know nor can reach a compromise. What has been achieved is in fact what was imposed by the International Community, and it is not a matter of their mutual agreement," said Trajkovic.

Speaking about the Community of Serbian Municipalities, Trajkovic said that Kurti will be forced to accept the ZSO.

"Through the ZSO, the Serbs will gain autonomy, they will be asked about something, about them will not decide the Albanian majority only, and the International Community supervision. But we must openly say that the price of that is the independent state of Kosovo," said Momcilo Trajkovic.

Vucevic: Serbia must stay at negotiating table in Kosovo talks (Tanjug)

Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said Monday Serbia must stay at the negotiating table in the process of resolving Kosovo issue as leaving the talks would play into the hands of Pristina's PM Albin Kurti and those who wished no good to Serbia, Tanjug news agency reports.

"They would say 'here they are again, they are doing it like they were doing it in the nineties, and they will now be isolated and punished'”, Vucevic told Prva TV, noting that Serbia was now the more constructive partner in the talks.

He said he did not expect Kurti to form a Community of Serb Municipalities as required by the Brussels Agreement. Even if he does form one, it will be only for the sake of form, Vucevic said.

Slavic family house broken into in Lepina, near Lipljan (Radio KIM)

A house of five-member Slavic family, in Lepina village, near Lipljan was broken into last night, the owner told Media Centre, Radio KIM reports. Boban Slavic said he, his wife and three children were out for a walk at the time of the burglary. The case was reported to Kosovo police.

“We went out for a moment, for about ten minutes. Luckily we returned home fast, and when we came back we saw the house was broken into and the burglar was probably still inside. I think he was caught by surprise, there are traces visible, he escaped through the window”, Boban Slavic said, adding nothing was stolen because the burglar had no time.

He also said his house was burglarized four times already and no perpetrator was ever caught.

Radio KIM recalled that burglaries into Serbian houses became frequent over the couple of weeks. In the last ten days, the houses of the Mitic family in Laplje Selo, the Miric family in Batuse and the Nedeljkovic family in Preoce were targeted.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija reacting to the latest incident targeting the Serb community, said it causes anxiety and fear among the Serbs living in central Kosovo, adding frequent property related attacks in this part of Kosovo indicate necessity for stronger protection, adequate reactions and sanctioning of perpetrators.

Vucic: Serbia, Hungary to set up strategic council (TV Pink, Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday a new strategic dialogue had been opened with Hungary and that he expected the two countries to set up a council on strategic cooperation.

In an interview for Pink TV, Vucic announced a top-level summit for May and said it would be attended by him and his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak, as well as by Serbian and Hungarian government officials.

"I believe that the summit should be held in Belgrade or Novi Sad. We will see... And we will set up a strategic council to cooperate more when it comes to security, (in the fight) against terrorism, which also opens up possibilities for cooperation when it comes to the army and police and in terms of military technology", Vucic said.

He said Hungary was now Serbia's fifth-largest external trade partner after moving up from the 13th place.

Echoing a statement by Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, Vucic said Serbia-Hungary relations were at the highest level ever. Vucic and Orban met in Belgrade on Saturday.

Hill: The issue of the Albanian minority in Serbia is exclusively the issue of the state of Serbia (Beta, NMagazin, N1)

The US Ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, said today in Bujanovac that the Brussels Agreement concerns Kosovo, not the issues of minorities in Serbia.

"I have to be very clear when I say that the dialogue in Brussels is about solving the problems between Pristina and Belgrade. The purpose of the dialogue is not to solve any other issues, issues of minorities here or in other parts of the country," Hill said, the Bujanovacke portal reported.

The ambassador stressed that the issue of the Albanian minority in Serbia is exclusively a matter for the state of Serbia and repeated that "it has nothing to do with the Brussels dialogue".

According to him, the official policy of the USA is to support the Brussels dialogue and the agreement reached, "of which a significant part is the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities".

"The agreement, which was reached, has no intention of crossing borders," the ambassador stressed.

When asked by journalists about the letter of American congressmen who, after meeting with Albanian politicians from Bujanovac and Presevo, asked US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to form a community of Albanian municipalities, the ambassador said that he respects what the congressmen say, but that such a community is not part of the Brussels Agreement.

President of the EKF: The Kosovo karate delegation received instructions from the government not to participate in the European Championship (KoSSev, insidethegames)

Karate players from Kosovo will not participate in the European Senior Championship, to be held in Guadalajara, Spain, because the Spanish authorities did not allow the display of the ''Kosovo flag, the inscription Kosovo, and the national anthem''. The president of the European Karate Federation, Antonio Espinosa, said that it was the Kosovo government that gave instructions on withdrawing from the competition, reported portal KoSSev.

The Kosovo Karate Federation, as reported by Pristina based Koha, confirmed last week that karate players will not participate in the European Championship, saying:

"We have been informed that the Spanish institutions do not allow the organizer to present national symbols (anthem, flag or inscription Kosovo) in any area of the hall, including the monitors in the arena. We didn't have this information before."

At the same time, they claim that they received an official invitation from the Spanish federation, but also that the state authorities of Spain refused to issue visas to athletes from Kosovo.

In a statement to the sports portal "Inside the games", the president of the European and World Karate Federation, Antonio Espinosa, said that they were working to ensure that Kosovo karate players compete in the European Championship, but, he claims, the Kosovo government "ordered" them to withdraw due to the situation with the flag.

"EKF did its best to ensure that athletes from Kosovo find the best conditions to participate in the event in Guadalajara, just as we did with the other 48 delegations from all over Europe participating in the tournament. However, representatives of the Kosovo delegation informed us that they received instructions from their government to withdraw their participation from the event," Espinosa told Inside the games portal, cited KoSSev.

Although the Kosovo Karate Federation, as reported by Koha, announced that the athletes did not receive visas, Espinosa told the sports portal that the Kosovo delegation informed the EKF about non-participation in the competition upon arrival in Guadalajara.

"We believe that using sports for political agendas is unacceptable and we hope that athletes can practice their sports without any form of political pressure from their governments," said the ETF president.

For the second time this year, karate players from Kosovo do not participate in the European Championship. They did not even compete in Cyprus at the European Youth Championship, as the flag, anthem and inscription Kosovo were not allowed.

KoSSev recalled that in 2019, at the European Championship also held in Guadalajara, Spain, Kosovo was represented with all these symbols.

Opinion

Janjic: No more buying time in Kosovo; The time of SL has passed; Serious political cleansing ahead (N1, KoSSev)

With the Brussels and Ohrid agreements, the resolution of the Kosovo problem has been returned to the track of normalisation, which leads only in one direction, said the president of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, Dusan Janjic, who thinks that the most realistic and responsible thing would be to hold extraordinary elections in Serbia in September, reported KoSSev, citing N1.

Janjic noted that the novelty in this new agreement, "which was certified in Ohrid", consists in the fact that normalisation is defined as "mutual good-neighbourly relations".

So, it is not an interstate issue, Janjic explained and emphasised that this agreement leads to the European Union (EU) and NATO.

Now the conditions for membership in the EU are being measured, whoever leaves the agreement or does not implement it will not remain on the path to the EU, he pointed out and noted that the "game" in which years are wasted will no longer be tolerated.

There is no more buying time in Kosovo in order for Kosovo to be an alibi for all other issues, Janjic specified, but he emphasised that time was bought for the formal recognition of independence.

This can happen in 10, 15 and 20 years, he predicted and noted that the most important thing for politicians is that they do not do something historic during their mandate.

"Currently, that story is in the sphere of their old ideologies and lies, that is, manipulation of citizens. They have some red lines, so they will be taken out one day, and they know very well that day will not come, and they pray to God for it not to come," Janjic believes.

Asked whether the two sides will sincerely implement what was agreed in Brussels and Ohrid, he replied that probably their intention is not disputed to try to do something, but that neither Vucic and Kurti really believe that they can change themselves and their politics that much.

That's why they will try to compensate for it with some other topics that are not Kosovo, Janjic estimated and pointed out that in the case of Serbia it could be a slowdown in democratisation or some military strategic change of direction.

Each change of direction buys you 10 to 15 years, so they have a lot of resources at their disposal, he said, warning that a collapse of normalisation is possible, since "it's not guaranteed that that train will end up where it started."

I do not see democracy as a won value. It is currently reduced to only a procedure, and the problem is not in that, but in the absence of value, Janjic presented.

Asked if Vucic had the mandate to negotiate the European proposal on Kosovo, he answered affirmatively and emphasised that the president of the country can lead international politics.

The second part of his mandate stems from the concentration of power, although it is not completely legal and legitimate, explained Janjic.

In addition, as he noted, the West sees in Vucic a man who has the tools and who has guaranteed them that he will deliver a solution.

Asked what is left of Serbia's sovereignty in Kosovo, Janjic said that the illusion has not yet been completely shattered, but that "the brutal reality remains - that there is no sovereignty".

Referring to the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM), he said that this autonomy will probably not be called that and reminded that in Kosovo the mayors and municipalities have a lot of power and that is why he does not see any Serb who would give up that power, "in the name of some coordination called the Community of Serbian Municipalities".

There will be policy harmonisation, but I think it is better to form the Serbian National Council, which would coordinate all activities and all actors, than the CSM, which will be "created, but will not have and cannot have any executive power", Janjic believes.

As for the Serbian List, its era has passed, it has done part of the work, interpreted Janjic, and noted that the barricades were its last task, "although it was done by professionals and well-coordinated teams assisted by the state of Serbia".

The time of the Serbian List has also passed with the voters, they have not fulfilled any of their promises, claims Janjic and announces that serious staff and personal political cleansing in the direction of multi-partyism among the Serbs is ahead in Kosovo.

According to Janjic's view, the catch now is whether Belgrade will manage to reach an agreement on filling the institutional and security vacuum before the elections in the municipalities in the North of Kosovo, scheduled for April 22, and with it now "we have a lot to lose and a lot to gain."

Janjic sees the demands for a referendum as "the dreams of some failed politicians", while the People's Movement for the State describes it as "territorial defence against the fictional ultra-right which is in fact controlled by other means."

Janjic believes that in the case of the elections, the implementation of the agreement on Kosovo will not stop.

Asked when extraordinary elections could be held, he replied that he had attended some international simulations and estimated that it would be the most realistic and responsible for them to be held in September.

"I think Vucic will not miss this opportunity to further legitimise himself in front of the EU and America," believes Janjic, to whom it seems that the opposition has not been informed about the upcoming elections.

"If anyone thinks that this charade with Sapic has anything to do with strengthening the opposition, they are mistaken," he said and noted that serious preparations are underway to clean up the list that will represent the SNS.

"So, that movement and SNS. It is that unique list, where people from that movement with less mud on their backs and cheeks will be put in the foreground," Janjic believes.

Asked about the behaviour of the pro-European opposition towards the Kosovo agreement, he replied that, apart from the Movement of Free Citizens and the "red green" coalition, he does not understand what they are saying at all, nor do they understand that their chance is now.

Evaluating that the issue of sanctions against Russia is constantly present in Serbia and that Vucic is constantly calculating something, Janjic pointed out that the Russians are already working on several looms here and that now they will not throw all their cards on the table but will deal with challenging the legitimacy and slowing down the agreement.

"Sanctions are not relevant, there is a political game at work over the control of Serbia, so they will certainly continue to torment us. And in September, when the elections are held, and after them," Janjic is convinced, who also warns that energy security will never return to Serbia's hands.

Asked about the European perspective, he predicted that Serbia could count on EU membership in 2030, if it accelerates the normalisation of relations with Kosovo.

But that does not yet mean entry into the Schengen zone, it would not yet be the introduction of the euro. Just before we reach the euro and Schengen, there will be a reorganisation of the EU and here we are in the so-called Balkan-Turkish federation, within the European political community, concluded Janjic.

International

Wider Europe Briefing: The Obstacles Still Remaining To A Serbia-Kosovo Deal; EU Steps Up Military Aid To Georgia, Moldova (RFE)

Brief #1: Will The Serbia-Kosovo Deal Really Be Implemented?

What You Need To Know: Late on March 18, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced a deal had been struck between Serbia and Kosovo after a full day of talks in Ohrid, North Macedonia. What the two parties in fact had agreed on was an annex, which was meant to spell out the sequences and timetables of the implementation of an agreement struck between Belgrade and Pristina on February 27.

While the February deal did not entail Serbian recognition of Kosovo as an independent state, it did suggest ways of tackling some of the many obstacles that have dogged relations between Kosovo and Serbia ever since the former's declaration of independence in 2008.

In particular, the February deal calls for the mutual recognition of documents and national symbols, such passports, diplomas, license plates, and customs stamps. The two parties would also exchange permanent missions, not block each other's path to the EU, and Belgrade pledged not to object to Kosovo's membership in any international organization. In exchange for this, the branch of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo would have its status formalized.

The February deal also gives backing to the creation of a Serb-majority association of municipalities in Kosovo without mentioning this association by name. Instead, the text just noted the setting up of "an appropriate level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and ability for service provision in specific areas, including the possibility for financial support by Serbia and a direct communication channel for the Serbian community to the Government of Kosovo."

Deep Background: In many ways, the agreement and the accompanying annex, if implemented fully, could form an important building block toward full normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, providing in effect de facto recognition of Kosovo, if not de jure, and push both countries closer toward their stated goals of EU membership.

There are, however, three broad issues here:

Firstly, neither the annex nor the agreement is signed, which cast doubts about its real validity. Secondly, there isn't much of a sequencing spelled out in the annex beyond the need for Kosovo to start working on the Serb-majority association of municipalities "immediately." And thirdly, there isn't much of a threat for either side if things remain unimplemented. As one diplomat dryly remarked to me after the announcement that a deal had been made: "The carrots aren't particularly tasty, and the sticks aren't hard enough."