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“Serbia lost Kosovo, Kosovo Serbs got state” (Danas)

It is certainly good that President of Serbia talks about facing reality, but Vucic and his associates would have to do much more to convince people they are honest when they talk about some historic reconciliation with Kosovo and Albanians, stated Agron Bajrami, Editor-in-Chief of Koha Ditore to Danas daily. According to Bajrami, there were many who spoke before Vucic that Serbia must face Kosovo reality, there are Serbs who say it would be the best for all, if Serbia recognizes the independence of Kosovo and try to build some new relations with the both, Kosovo and Serbia. However, the greater part of the Serbian public, including political and social institutions, as well as Vucic himself, have thrown at these people rocks and stones and named them with different derogatory names, starting from “soled soles,” “traitors of the Serbian people,” to “foreign mercenaries.” Bajrami further went on saying it is clear Vucic would like talks on Kosovo to start from the current position, in order to try to find some new compromise. By this, he wants to convince the international community he is ready for a compromise and great concessions when it comes to Kosovo, and from the other side to open again the issue of the Kosovo status. Bajrami said it will not work, because the issue of the status of Kosovo is solved with the declaration of the independence, which was recognized by almost two thirds of all UN member states and almost all countries in the West. The legality of such independence, according to him, was confirmed by the International Court of Justice, upon insistence of Serbia, and this means a line was crossed and there is no return back. Commenting on the statement of Marko Djuric, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director, that “Serbia is not shading away from the agreement, but it has to fulfil both the Serbian and Albanian interests,” Bajrami said that it is late for such an agreement. As he puts it, after the 1999 and everything that had happened then, the state of Serbia has to accept it has lost Kosovo, but it does not mean that Kosovo Serbs have lost it too, because it is their independent state today. Asked to comment on the fact that representatives of the Srpska Lista, prior to consultations with Kosovo parties, first seek advice from Belgrade officials, Bajrami said he is not surprised that Serbian politicians in Kosovo refuse to use their mandates given to them by the citizens. Asked if such stance of the Srpska Lista brings into the question sovereignty of Kosovo as independent, he denied it, adding it only shows eventual hypocrisy of the Kosovo Serbs representatives, who use all benefits offered to them by Kosovo, but refuse to undertake the responsibility that such positions bring. They hamper Serbs in Kosovo the most, Bajrami went on saying. Of course from a political perspective, such an attitude of the Srpska Lista disables normal functioning of the institutions in Kosovo, which, according to the Constitution must include the Serbs as well. He thinks it brings no good to anyone, Kosovo, Serbs in Kosovo and Serbia. He repeated himself, saying Serbia has to face independent Kosovo, which is reality.

According to him, it is clear that official Belgrade decided that Srpska Lista enters the Kosovo Assembly, regardless who will establish it. Srpska Lista would certainly like more that Haradinaj and his coalition establish the government, because in this case, votes of Srpska Lista would be decisive. According to him, if Haradinaj does not establish the government it would be Kurti then.