The EU’s Kosovo pact is losing some luster – #EUs #Kosovo #pact #losing #luster

BRUSSELS, March 3 (Reuters) – Europe Days after a deal between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo, the union’s former wartime foes, all sides seem to agree on one thing above all else: They don’t really have a deal yet.

After hosting talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday that they had “announced that there is no need for further discussions” on the EU’s proposal to resolve their relationship. they are happy to do. the road to normalization.

Borrell warned that the pair still had to agree an addendum to implement the plan, but the EU’s diplomatic service went ahead and published the text of the main agreement that night, adding to the sense of the moment.

Any deal to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina would boost the EU’s ambitions to become a bigger geopolitical player and reduce the risk of renewed violence between the two Balkan neighbors.

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The text was not signed by the leaders and it has since become clear that none of the key players see it as set in stone yet.

“Both sides have agreed to such a position (not to continue the discussion of the main text), but this does not mean that the parties have officially accepted the agreement. Acceptance is carried out only with the signature of both parties,” Kurti told the Kosovo parliament. Thursday.

Vucic stressed on Tuesday that he will not sign any text until he is satisfied with the addendum. He also stated that he would not sign anything recognizing Kosovo “officially or unofficially” and that his UNwill never agree to membership.

Kosovo 20It declared independence in 2008, nearly a decade after the war ended Serbian rule. But Serbia continues to recognize Kosovo as a breakaway province, and flare-ups between the two sides have raised fears of renewed conflict.

Leaders face renewed international pressure to agree the entire deal when they meet again on March 18 in the North Macedonian lakeside town of Ohrid, brokered by the EU.

The EU plan does not commit Serbia to recognize an independent Kosovo, but it does allow passports, diplomas and car will recognize documents such as numbers and will not prevent Kosovo from becoming a member of any international organization.

DIFFICULT ISSUE

Officials say execution The most difficult issue to be resolved in the negotiations on the annexation of the Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo offer is a union.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majorityflour leaders argue that such an institution would give Belgrade great influence in their country, and that Serbs need it to protect their rights.

Kurti said on Tuesday that he would not agree to any official entity that violates Kosovo’s constitution, is monoethnic or gives Serbia a “bridge” to interfere in Kosovo’s affairs.

While emphasizing their red lines, Vucic and Kurti leave room for maneuver.

Although Vucic said he would not even “unofficially” recognize Kosovo, such a definition is ultimately a matter of interpretation.

UNWhen it comes to membership, only members of the Security Council with veto power can block the application. A traditional ally of Serbia Russia It can hinder Kosovo, but its neighbor UNwhether to become a member of Belgrade alone cannot decide.

In the Serb-dominated community of Kosovo, the EU and USAOfficials from the U.S. — which is also pressuring Belgrade and Pristina to reach an agreement — insist it will be built legally without undue influence on Serbia.

A senior EU official said the overall deal would only be finalized “when we know exactly how it will be implemented – over what period of time, by whom”.

“This document – as it is, execution without the part – political is a declaration. We have had many in the past that execution It has not been done,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

The official said the two sides had made significant progress but “the last mile is always the hardest”.

Reporting by Andrew Gray in Brussels, Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade and Fatos Bytyci in Pristina; Written by Andrew Gray; Edited by Kirsten Donovan

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

2023-03-03 20:44:15
Source – reuters

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