Another crisis erupts between Serbia and Kosovo, Kurti-Vucic with his eyes on the West for the elections in the North, Serbian media warn of strong developments after April 23

The Serbian media "Blic" has devoted an article to the recent clashes between Serbia and Kosovo. It is said in the Belgrade media that "if anyone thought that the Ohrid Agreement would immediately solve the institutional and security crisis in the north of Kosovo, they are sadly mistaken. The new challenge is the local elections in the north of Kosovo scheduled for April 23, in which the Serbian List will definitely not participate because the Union of Serbian Municipalities has not been formed. Analysts expect that Brussels and Washington, as mediators in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, will solve this problem and the elections will be postponed again.

 

The fight over the elections in the North

 

According to "Blic", the government of Albin Kurti has twice unilaterally announced local elections in the north of Kosovo as a response to the fact that the Serbs left the institutions of Pristina in November. The Serbs decided to take this step due to a series of provocations from Pristina: from the announcement of the cancellation of Serbian documents and license plates in Kosovo to the arrest of some Serbs in the north of Kosovo. Serbian media writes that the local elections in the north of Kosovo were originally supposed to be held on December 18, but due to the Serbian boycott and high tensions, they were moved to April 23. However, as this date approaches, the chances that those elections will be held are less and less, especially since the Serbian List decided to boycott them again due to the non-formation of the ZSO.

 

The fate of Kurti's government

 

Former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic emphasizes for "Blic" that if local elections are held in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, they may have legality, but not legitimacy. "Without Serbs, these elections lose their meaning. And the position of the Serbs is clear that they do not want to return to the institutions until the ZSO is formed. That's why I think it would be rational not to hold those elections", Milivojevic assesses. As he says, the Ohrid Agreement determines the dynamics of further political processes in Kosovo. "In the foreground is the formation of the ZSO. Therefore, the development of events depends above all on Prishtina and the mediators in the dialogue, that is, Brussels and Washington. After that, the issues of missing persons, the formation of the monitoring team and other points from the Ohrid Agreement can be on the agenda", Milivojevic analyzes. However, the former diplomat does not think that everything will happen quickly. "I do not believe that the ZSO will be formed soon because the fate of the current government in Pristina depends on it. Only if there is no great pressure from Washington", concludes Milivojevic.

 

Brukseli dhe Uashingtoni përgatitën një "garë pa fillim"

 

Në anën tjetër, kryetari i Bordit të Drejtorëve të Forumit për Marrëdhënie Etnike, Dushan Janjiç, shprehet i shqetësuar për vakumin institucional në Kosovë. “Brukseli dhe Uashingtoni mburren me Marrëveshjen e Ohrit, por sikur të keni përgatitur gjithçka për garën, stadiumin, pistën e fushës, por nuk ka sportistë dhe startues. Ende nuk ka kthim ligjor dhe legjitim të serbëve në institucione, në polici, në gjyqësi, në prokurori, në dogana... Një situatë e tillë nuk është më e qëndrueshme dhe paraqet rrezik të madh”, paralajmëron Janjiç.

 

Nuk është zgjidhur plotësisht as çështja e targave?

 

For the Serbian media, it should also not be forgotten that the issue of vehicles with Serbian license plates has not been fully resolved because both sides have different interpretations of the agreement reached at the end of November, therefore there have been many tensions at the administrative crossings in January. According to the latest official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, from September of last year to February of this year, a total of only 92 cars with Serbian license plates were re-registered in the RKS, and 46 of them were registered in the north of Kosovo. .