The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruari O’Conell, writes in an opinion piece today that the people of Kosovo have achieved a lot just a few years after the conflict, and especially after the declaration of independence. “Now, Kosovo faces major challenges. How the leadership of Kosovo choses to face these challenges will greatly affect the future of Kosovo. My message to the leaders of the opposition parties is clear. The United Kingdom is a friend of Kosovo. We do not support parties but we support the people and institutions of Kosovo. We expect respect for people’s will. Assembly is no place for violence. The opposition parties say they are concerned about corruption and the rule of law. That worries me as well. I am certain that the opposition parties want to help Kosovo. But then their activists are attacking political opponents in the street. They block the Assembly. They use weapons to impose their will. They attack police. They label political opponents as traitors for having talked with Serb leaders in Kosovo. So I wonder, for what the opposition really cares? Do they believe in democracy or the use of violence?  Violence brings violence. Conflict promotes conflict. Violence does not provide an answer to these problems. Kosovo has many real problems, but this kind of behavior prevents all the work to be done to solve them. So I hope that all parties can demonstrate a new commitment to shared democratic values, to respect the Assembly as the place where the key issues of national importance should be debated, and to find a solution to the current deadlock.”