The American Ambassador in Pristina, Tracey Ann Jacobson, had a message for party leaders, in a meeting with them. In Albanian, she told them not to screw up.

“My message to the politicians has been clear. In fact I can even say it in Albanian: Mos e dhij punën.”

Ambassador Jacobson was speaking at the end of the conference organized by FOL, a local NGO.

She said that Kosovo leaders have a tradition of corruption. As an example, she referred to Fatmir Limaj and Isa Mustafa. Regarding Limaj, she said she knew about two formal charges against him for corruption, while the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Isa Mustafa, had gotten 70 such accusations from the Vetevendosje Movement.

Jacobson talked also about the possibility of early elections, saying that they are not a solution, and would not bring any big changes to the political scene.

She called for institutions to be established as soon as possible so that Kosovo could move forward in fulfilling its international obligations.

She spoke of the fear that the international community is losing interest in Kosovo, since Kosovo leaders do not seem to be interested in building new institutions.

“Many times I was asked by Washington what was going on here, why this was taking so long. But now no one is asking me about Kosovo. People are losing interest, and that is the worst scenario for a new democracy such as Kosovo.”

Jacobson said that calls for a public protest to change the government in Pristina, as made by certain political parties, were wrong.

She said that delays in establishing new institutions are opening the path to corruption.

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfM4hkWdi0