Mustafa: We will not discuss Kosovo assets with Serbia (DW)
In an interview for Deutsche Welle in Albanian Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa said that his official visit to Germany was very important because Germany is a powerful country that has invested a great deal in Kosovo. “Germany is a country that has supported us a lot in the process of dialogue with Serbia by setting certain principles and asking for implementation of agreements reached in Brussels”. He said that in the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel they discussed the need to strengthen rule of law in Kosovo and step up fight against organised crime and corruption because “Germany and other countries are not pleased with the level these phenomena are being fought in Kosovo. I think these are reasonable requests because it is true we have to fight crime in all fields stronger. Another request from Germany is for Kosovo to amend the Constitution and set up specialist chamber to treat war crimes allegations. I think we have taken on concrete international obligations and we have to push these processes forward”, Mustafa said.
Asked about when the special court would be established following a failed vote at the Assembly last week, Mustafa said the government intends to resubmit the constitutional draft to the Assembly. “As soon as I return to Kosovo, we will sit together with the parliamentary groups; we will address this issue at the Assembly and also discuss it individually with MPs”. He said it is not a violation of the Constitution to resubmit a motion for vote but did not rule out the possibility of the draft undergoing insignificant changes before being put to re-vote.
Speaking about the dialogue with Belgrade, Mustafa said the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities is a “sensitive” issue and should be approached with caution. “The Association should not have executive powers and play the role of the central government. We need to find a modality to satisfy the needs of predominantly Serb municipalities that would be in accordance to the 2013 Brussels Agreement”. Mustafa said that the agreement on telephone code for Kosovo has already been achieved but the parties want to sign all agreements in a one package. He also said that according to the Constitution of Kosovo and the UN Security Council resolution 1244 all assets in the territory of Kosovo belong to Kosovo and while Serbia’s energy company has operated in the north, it has done so illegally. “If they have made investments, they will have to prove it but those assets belong to the Republic of Kosovo. We will not discuss the property of our enterprises with Serbia”, said Mustafa.