Is boycott of Kosovo institutions strategy of the Serbian List or a ‘theater’?

Even though there is no formal deadline for return of the Serbian List in the institutions of self-declared Kosovo state, political analyst Dusan Janjic says to Danas that Serb representatives, if they wish to respect the agreed dynamic of implementation of the Brussels Agreement in regard to the Association/Community of Serb municipalities, should end boycott until the end of March, the latest. Janjic argues that institutional ‘abstinence’ of the Serbian List won’t influence progress of Serbia in Euro-integrations and dialogue in Brussels because ‘if it appears to be a threat to the Brussels process, Serbs willing to enter Kosovo institutions would be found”.

Serb ministers and MPs have temporarily left Kosovo government and the parliament in early February, following consultations in Belgrade in regard to dismissal of Aleksandar Jablanovic from the post of the Kosovo minister for communities and return. It was speculated, much before a meeting took place with Aleksandar Vucic and head of the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo and Meothija Marko Djuric and the request for respect of the coalition agreement with the PDK and LDK, that Belgrade’s plan is for boycott not to last longer than two months, with considerable expectations from the international community and from disharmony between Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and the Foreign Minister

“Planned deadline for creation of the A/CSM is 1 May. Precondition for it is that a draft statute of the A/CSM is presented to the Kosovo Ministry for Local Government Administration in order for the law to be prepared. That means that the Serbian List could return into institutions until the end of March, the latest. The sooner they return the risk is lower, because it is not only about them and Belgrade who decide about the return, it is about Pristina too, which needs Serbian votes only for the remaining three special laws: on A/CSM, army of Kosovo and special court,” explained Janjic.

Janjic and Rada Trajkovic, from the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, assessed that international community would tolerate the Serbian List if they would only return to the Kosovo parliament to vote about constitutional amendments and the law on special court, and leave again. Both also agreed that West and Pristina favor that entire work over the special court to be handled in Kosovo, instead of the United Nations Security Council.

Trajkovic described Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s statement that he will 'not accept any conditioning from the Serbian List' as disturbing, and assessed that duration of the Serbs’ boycott will depend on the goal - ‘eventual agreement with the part of international community on informal creation of the A/CSM, as the reality which Albanian side will have to face with’.

“Boycott of the Serbian List is actually a theater which should mask the story about the judiciary, because all judges in northern Kosovo have received a directive from Belgrade to stop working as of 1 April,” said Marko Jaksic, official of the (non-parliamentarian) Democratic Party of Serbia and added that Serbian Constitution and laws are breached by implementation of the agreement on judiciary.

“Boycott is inadequate policy of avoiding the responsibility, which Serbs can’t afford at this moment,” said Nenad Rasic, leader of the Progressive Democratic Party and MP in the Kosovo parliament.