I am aware of the pressures Serbs are experiencing from Serbia's parallel structures in Kosovo, one of which is the Serbian List, but the Serb community in Kosovo should gain strength and rebuild behind the more moderate Serb parties and politicians in Kosovo, Self-determination leader Albin Kurti said in an interview with Belgrade based weekly NIN.
The German Ambassador in Belgrade Thomas Schieb said on Wednesday that Serbia needs a comprehensive agreement with Kosovo to take what he called a decisive step in its European integration process.
''Germany wants to see the comprehensive agreement reached through a dialogue,'' he told TV Prva adding that Serbia must resolve the Kosovo problem to become a member of the European Union and benefit from all the advantages of membership.
Kosovo Foreign Affairs Minister Behgjet Pacolli said that any other politician elected for the new Prime Minister would abolish tariffs, except Ramush Haradinaj.
"I repeat, winner of the election, the future prime minister who says he will keep the tariffs, is lying. I exclude Haradinaj from this because I know him as stubborn and when he fixates on something, you cannot change a thing. He does not change his position easily," Pacolli told KTV, quotes Belgrade based agency Beta.
Belgrade based daily Vecernje Novosti claims that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci ''publicly promised in New York'' that the new government, once it is formed after the elections, will abolish 100% tariffs on goods from central Serbia.
''As Novosti unofficially finds out, Thaci said this on Sunday at a traditional informal dinner organised for the leaders of the Western Balkans by Federica Mogherini, on the margins of the session of the UN General Assembly,'' writes the daily.
US Senator Chris Murphy believes that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is willing to recognize Kosovo but is angry over the 100 percent tariffs imposed by Pristina on goods from Serbia.
Regional broadcaster N1 reported that Republican Senator Ron Johnson wrote on his blog about his recent visit to Belgrade, saying:
Outgoing Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj stated that if Serbia denies Kosovo recognition, there is no sense in discussing things with them, reports B92 portal quoting Kosovo based media.
Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj justified his decision to impose 100% tariffs to Serbian goods, presenting what coalition AAK-PDK has to offer now, reports Zvecan based Kosovo online portal.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in Helsinki that the positive outcome of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is of crucial importance for the European perspective of an entire Western Balkan region, RTS reports.
He urged Pristina authorities once again to revoke the tariffs on the goods from Serbia. “It is crucial that the tariffs are revoked because they are against the spirit of the Union. If it is about united market, there are neither tariffs nor customs. It must be done,” Hahn said.
Resignation of the Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj would have major consequences on Serbia as it would postpone continuation of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue for at least 90 days, or perhaps even longer given that extraordinary parliamentary elections might take place in Kosovo, Belgrade-based daily Danas writes today. The daily added regular elections are to take place in Serbia at the beginning of next year.
It is expected that Ramush Haradinaj's resignation would unblock Belgrade-Pristina negotiations, and the tariffs would be suspended temporarily, Belgrade-based daily Blic reports.
According to the daily, all powerful centers had suggested to Haradinaj to suspend imposed tariffs, and the problem was in the fact that he was an explicit opponent of any border corrections or reaching any compromise between Belgrade and Pristina.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke in a press conference on Saturday regarding Ramush Haradinaj's resignation and its potential implications, B92 reports.
"I understand rejoice, in a way a kind of satisfaction due to the fact that Ramush Haradinaj was summoned by the court. However, there is no reason to get excited about it. We will assess all the facts and consequences of this act, in particular with regards to the relations between Serbs and Albanians, and the attitude of the international community towards Serbia and its people on Kosovo and Metohija," Vucic said.