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I would love to see Serbia starting a war with Kosovo. Fact is is that it's impossible. The pro-Albanian Islamic supporting US and NATO will wipe Serbia from the map like they tried before. How about Macedonia from the South and Serbia from the North invading Kosovo (Serbia can't invade their own country, but you know what I'am saying) and crush Thaçi and his 'army' of goat lovers.... Sorry I'am day dreaming. Nothing can be done long as the NATO is involved. I would love to see Serbia and Macedonia without Albanians, Islam, and US occupation.
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Last year Albanians in Kosovo were protesting and rioting because the Serb minority there was going to get more rights and powers under an agreement...
...yet, when the Albanians are the minority, they can never have enough powers or rights, Macedonia for example.
A quote in the documentary: "I think the Serbian community is getting excessive rights."
Then we get a leader of the movement later on in the documentary with the truth: "This is not about rights, this is about territory."
Such hypocrisy.Comment
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Vic..
You know too well that the Serbs who are 5% of the population cannot be compared to 25% of the Albanians in Macedonia..
Albanians would happily change their status in Macedonia with that of the Serbs of Kosovo..
An equivalent would be if say in macedonia the Turks made up 5% of the population but had exeteritorial municipalities where they controlled almost 20% of the territory, and on top of that - They don't recognize the country!
Also they have 20 GUARANTEED SEATS in the parliament regardless how many votes they get..
Also veto power that is beyond comprehension considering they don't recognize the state nor it's institutions..
Eg.. Kosovo can't form an Army until they get the tick of approval from the Serbs...
how can we compare the two situations..Comment
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I think it clearly shows that the shiptari can't be trusted to do the right thing by the serb minority...funny about that.Originally posted by Albo View Post
BTW, you're really annoying when you try to convince us that the shiptari are a responsible and compassionate lot...seriously mate...tell that shit to somebody who doesn't know you...Comment
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Kosovo Government Collapses:
The Kosovo Assembly in Pristina passed a motion of no confidence in the Kosovo government, during an extraordinary session, B92's reporter said on Wednesday.
The request to vote the current government out of office was submitted by the Initiative for Kosovo, with the support of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, and the Self-Determination Movement, as well as 12 MPs from the ruling parties.
In the end, 78 members of the assembly voted in favor, 25 were against, while three abstained. Among those who helped topple the government were members of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PM Isa Mustafa's coalition partners.
The likely date for early elections is June 25.
Speaking at the beginning of the session today, Mustafa said that the motion of no confidence was "political, without arguments, and aiming to hide previous corruption scandals."
The Democratic Party of Kosovo announced earlier that it would support the no confidence motion, saying there was "no coordination" between coalition partners, that include the Democratic League of Kosovo.
Valdeta Bajrami, who heads the parliamentary group of the Initiative for Kosovo, said that the government failed to fulfill "many things" and that it signed "harmful agreements in Brussels (Belgrade-Pristina negotiations)" and agreed to "a bad demarcation agreement with Montenegro."
A vote of no confidence is the only option, and early elections the only way out at the moment, she said.
Assembly President and Democratic Party of Kosovo lesder Kadri Veseli earlier in the day had a telephone conversation with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee, telling him that there were "delays in deciding on the request for a vote of no confidence, and also in agreeing on the demarcation of the border with Montenegro."
The United States on several occasions made it clear to Kosovo officials that they expected the demarcation agreement to be on the agenda of today's session, and that this should be decided on before the no confidence motion was put up for a vote.
Also earlier on Wednesday, Serb representatives in the Kosovo Assembly said they would not vote in favor of the demarcation agreement.
This was announced by Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Branimir Stojanovic, who, speaking for RTS, described the Kosovo government as "a patient on life support - the only question now is who will pull the plug and announce that the government is no more."
A large number of police officers were deployed around the assembly building in Pristina on Wednesday as the session was taking place.Comment
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Mustafa Loses No-Confidence Vote in Kosovo
overnment in Kosovo was defeated on Wednesday after MPs backed an opposition motion of no-confidence.
Of 120 MPs in parliament, 78 voted for the motion, with only 34 backing the current government.
Along with the opposition Vetevendosje party, MPs from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, and NISMA, and some deputies from the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, also voted against the government.
Mustafa’s government became the third in Kosovo in a row to fall without completing its four-year term.
Made up of the PDK and Mustafa's own Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, it has undergone a torrid time as both the EU and US pushed it to take tough decisions on key issues that have been pushed under the carpet for years.
The opposition has been demanding elections for two years, mainly because of the controversial agreements that the government signed in Brussels in 2015 on border demarcation with Montenegro - that is still to be voted on in parliament - and on establishing an autonomous Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.
The ruling coalition has faced bitter opposition both outside and within institutions over both of these issues.
Opposition MPs have even resorted to using teargas in parliament to disrupt matters.
However, the government has been under strong international pressure to get moving with the border deal with Montenegro in particular.
The EU says it cannot proceed with visa liberalisation for Kosovo - an importance issue for the country - until the border issue with Montenegro is laid to rest.
Opposition parties insist the deal threatens to rob Kosovo of valuable pasture and farmland.
History of political crises
Kosovo’s two ruling parties, the PDK and LDK, have a history of bumpy relations. They established a coalition government in 2007, which oversaw Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008.
That coalition fell apart in 2010, when LDK leader Fatmir Sejdiu was forced to resign as President of Kosovo after the Constitutional Court ruled that keeping that post along with his party leadership contradicted the constitution.
On being elected President in 2008, Sejdiu had frozen his party duties but the Constitutional Court ruled that this was not enough.
Sejdiu’s resignation as President then prompted the withdrawal of the LDK from the government.
Subsequent elections resulted in a new coalition between the PDK led by Hashim Thaçi and Behgjet Pacolli’s Kosovo New Alliance, AKR, which governed until spring 2014.
That May, six months before his regular term as Prime Minister was due to end, Thaçi decided on snap elections.
The decision to dissolve parliament came after MPs failed to resolve two key issues: transformation of the lightly armed Kosovo Security Forces into a regular army and the reservation of seats for non-Albanian communities in parliament.
While other political groups backed the initiative, the opposition Vetevendosje party objected. Its leader, Albin Kurti, said Thaçi should have resigned as PM for failing to fulfil his key promises.
"He promised an army for Kosovo and has not realised the promise... so he must resign. If he does not resign, the opposition should dissolve the government. We should not allow the government to dissolve the parliament,” Kurti said in the parliament.
‘Deformed’ system cannot deliver consistency
Sociologist Artan Muhaxhiri told BIRN that politics in Kosovo was suffering serious structural deformations.
“One of the main reasons for this is the personalisation of the processes of making and breaking coalitions by party leaders,” he said.
“Lack of internal democracy and decision-making … have deprived government coalitions of consistency and of a regular spirit of cooperation,” Muhaxhiri added.
The current political system was not sustainable, he continued. “In Kosovo governments, budgets and the subsequent success of ministers are not achieved on the basis of merit but on the basis of the affiliations of the leader and clans around him,” Muhaxhiri said.
“Normalisation of the political spectrum can be achieved only through radical changes in the political mentality of the decision-making political personalities, which could take years,” Muhaxhiri said adding that it would also require more active engagement from ordinary citizens.
Petrit Zogaj, director of the Pristina-based monitoring organisation FOL [Speak-Up], told BIRN that building a democratic culture in Kosovo needs to “go beyond the constitution and paragraphs of law.
“On paper, we have the basic rules on how institutions should function, but in order to respect those rules, we need a better democratic culture,” Zogaj said.
“Due to the lack of a democratic culture and tradition, Kosovo is on the verge of creating another culture in which institutions cannot complete their regular constitutional mandates,” he added.
According to Zogaj, the political scene needs to see a new system in which coalitions are formed on the basis of ideology.
“Over the years, almost all the political parties, except Vetevendosje, have been in government coalitions. This has created a sense of complicity,” he concluded.
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Kosovo without a government....Originally posted by vicsinad View Post
Macedonia in deep crisis.....
Albania with no opposition parties taking part in elections...
Can anyone see what they all have in common?
Apart from the courtesy of the EU having their finger in the pie in each of these failing states.http://www.macedoniantruth.org/forum/showthread.php?p=120873#post120873Comment
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I see a large ripe area destined for opportunism.Risto the Great
MACEDONIA:ANHEDONIA
"Holding my breath for the revolution."
Hey, I wrote a bestseller. Check it out: www.ren-shen.comComment
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Kosovo is a mess. Due to a vote of no-confidence, it is their third government in a row to crumble before the end of its first four-year term. The latest victim was an uneasy coalition between the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which is the party of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the party of President Hashim Thaci. The LDK is the political wing of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK), which not only fought against Yugoslav troops, but also against its rival, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Hashim Thaci was a member of the KLA. The rivalry between LDK/FARK and the PDK/KLA has often been deadly, and mutual resentment exists till this day. This division also included Albania, where the Socialist Party of current Prime Minister Edi Rama supported the PDK/KLA group, whereas the Democratic Party of former President and Prime Minister Sali Berisha supported the LDK/FARK group. Anyway, it should not come as a surprise that in this recent vote of no-confidence some members of the PDK went against the coalition government. Others against it were the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), which is the party of former KLA member Ramush Haradinaj, Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), which split from the PDK due to some wiretapping scandal and also has former KLA members in it, and the radical nationalist Vetevendosje party, which merged with the People's Movement of Kosovo (PMK) a few years back - a group that is considered the origin of the KLA.
Can you see a pattern here? Even though they may have some differences and are fragmented into various groups, those who have some affiliation with the KLA all seem to be against the LDK/FARK party. And even though the opposing sides have formed coalitions in the past, they have always been very rocky. The main points of contention at the moment are the agreements that have been signed by the current coalition on border demarcation with Montenegro and the establishment of an autonomous Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. This is the reason for the no-confidence vote. To further add to these complexities, the Serbs in Kosovo indicated that they would vote against the border demarcation with Montenegro, but obviously they have other reasons for this. Something else. The current coalition has been under EU/US pressure to move on these issues, particularly the border demarcation with Montenegro. As Montenegro has committed itself to NATO, it looks like the Albanians now have a rival in the competition of who is the biggest US/EU lackey in the Balkans. The EU has indicated that progress towards membership for Kosovo (one of the steps being VISA liberalisation) will not happen until the border issue has been sorted out. Remember the recent threats of a "Greater Albania" by Edi Rama and Hashim Thaci if EU integration for Albania and Kosovo doesn't move forward? Remember how these two individuals are aligned with each other? Anyway, that is what I have been able to gather from a bit of reading on these issues so I thought I would put it all together for easier reference. If I have missed something, feel free to highlight it.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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Like I said - a mess.
Kosovo Politicians Tainted by Crime Claims
24 May 17
Major political parties in Kosovo are ignoring calls from the international community to exclude those with criminal charges from candidate lists for impending snap elections. Kosovo MP Fatmir Limaj appeared in court as the main defendant in a corruption case on Tuesday, at the same moment that the Central Election Commission was in the process of certifying candidate lists that include his name. Limaj, who denied the charges, stands accused, among other things, of manipulating tender procedures, giving and receiving bribes and obstructing evidence in relation to three tenders put out by the the Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunication (MTPT), for personal or material benefit between 2008 and 2010, when he headed up MTPT. Limaj’s Initiative for Kosovo, NISMA, recently joined the coalition with the Kosovo Democratic Party, PDK, and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK to stand in elections on June 11.
PDK’s Mergim Lushtaku, is also on the list. He is one of 24 people charged with being involved with plots to help former Kosovo Liberation Army commander Sami Lushtaku [his father] escape from custody three times while he was on trial for war crimes. Another PDK candidate that is being investigated by the Special Prosecution is Zenun Pajaziti, who is involved in a case surrounding the wiretapping of phone conversations of high-up PDK officials which reportedly illustrate the party’s powers of political patronage over top public sector jobs. In terms of the coalition between Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK and former President, Behgjet Pacolli’s Alliance New Kosovo, AKR, only the LDK candidate Naser Osmani is facing corruption charges. Naser Osmani is involved in an ongoing trial, facing charges over the privatisation of a factory at a time when he was a board member of the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo. The Special Prosecution started investigations against Osmani, on April 30, 2014. Opposition party Vetevendosje, which is the only one not part of any coalition, houses the biggest number of candidates facing criminal charges. Vetevendosje decided to put three activists on its list who stand accused of terrorism: Egzon Haliti, Adea Batusha and Atdhe Arifi. The trio are suspected of throwing an explosive device into the parliament building in early August, 2016. Three of them are presently under house arrest, while a further suspect, Astrit Dehari, was found dead in detention on November 5. Dehari's death was ruled a suicide, although Vetevendosje continues to demand an international investigation.
Former Vetevendosje leader and PM candidate, Albin Kurti, is the only one to have a warrant for his arrest, issued by the Pristina Basic Court in late April, after he failed to show up for his trial. He stands accused of letting off teargas in parliament last year. Other Vetevendosje candidates who face criminal charges for throwing teargas in parliament while opposing the ratification of a demarcation agreement with Montenegro and establishing the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities are Glauk Konjufca, Albulena Haxhiu, Donika Kadaj- Bujupi, Ismaj Kurteshi, and Fisnik Ismajli. Pal Lekaj from AAK and Haxhi Shala from NISMA, are also facing charges for throwing teargas, alongside former Vetevendosje MPs. The US embassy in Kosovo urged political parties on May 16 not to include anyone who is tainted by corruption on their candidate lists. “It is very important for all political parties to look at the kind of people they are putting on candidate lists, and elect people that are going to inspire the youth of Kosovo and that are going to work on their first priority on behalf of Kosovo and its citizens,” US embassy spokesperson Michele Schohn told Koha Ditore.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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Some people complain about a group of demonstrators that entered the Macedonian parliament and vented their anger against treacherous politicians, meanwhile in Albania opposition demonstrators are being poisoned by some "mystery white powder" thrown in the air and in Kosovo people are being threatened and intimidated - which is somewhat a regular occurrence - elections or not.Kosovo launches campaigning for June 11 parliamentary vote
31 May 17
PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s political parties have started campaigning for the June 11 parliamentary election. Some 19 parties, five coalitions and backers of two citizens’ initiatives will be seeking support from 1.8 million voters. There are 120 seats in parliament at stake, 20 of them reserved for ethnic Serbs and other minorities. The election is being held about a year earlier than scheduled because Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s government lost a no-confidence vote. The most contested issues will be two agreements signed in 2015: a border demarcation deal with Montenegro and one with Serbia that gives more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. The United States and the European Union will deploy election observation teams. The U.S. embassy in Pristina strongly condemned “anyone attempting to influence the election process or the voters’ choices” following “credible allegations of intimidation related to the election.” The embassy said political candidates, journalists, and their families had been threatened “across multiple regions of Kosovo.” Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. That has been recognized by 114 countries but not by Belgrade.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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Sounds similar to the load of rubbish our lot talk about when making reference to the constitution. In this case, Vucic seems to be testing the waters in preparation of a final sellout with regard to Kosovo.Serbia's new president calls for 'dialogue' over Kosovo
June 1, 2017
Belgrade (AFP) - Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, who was sworn in as the country's president on Wednesday, wants to open a debate over the future of Kosovo, the breakaway province whose independence Belgrade has refused to recognise. "I will preserve Serbia's integrity but I will always accept talks with Kosovo Albanians," Vucic told lawmakers after taking his oath of office in parliament. "I want that we open an internal dialogue over Kosovo... without prejudices, while respecting our constitution" which says Kosovo is part of Serbia, he said, adding that Serbia "should get rid of a mythic approach towards Kosovo." Many Serbs consider Kosovo the cradle of their country's history, religion and culture. Its independence was declared a decade after the 1998-1999 war between ethnic Albanian Kosovo rebels and Serbian armed forces, a conflict that claimed 13,000 lives, of which 10,000 were ethnic Albanians.
The Serbian forces, led by Slobodan Milosevic, were eventually ousted from the breakaway territory after a three-month NATO bombing campaign. But 100,000 to 150,000 Serbs remained in Kosovo, mainly in the northern region of Mitrovica, under supervision of NATO-led troops. Vucic, a former hardline nationalist, won the presidential election in April with a pledge to pursue Serbia's bid for EU membership, while maintaining ties with Russia. Kosovo is also hoping to join the EU, and both sides agreed in 2011 to open talks aimed at normalising ties, under the auspices of the European Union. "There should be no doubt into the European path to which we are dedicated," Vucic said. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by over 110 countries, but not by Russia nor by five EU members: Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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This could pretty much spell the end of Serbia's official claims to Kosovo. Vucic seems more interested in EU integration these days. Quite a transition for a guy who was a "Greater Serbia" nationalist until 2008.
Vucic wants "broad internal dialogue on Kosovo, and region"
1 JUNE 17
Aleksandar Vucic has reiterated that he will initiate a broad social dialogue on key issues for the country, such as the stance towards Kosovo and the region. He stressed that "if the objectives are set strategically, then the way to achieve them can be found." Vucic was in Pancevo when he said - responding to reporters' request to "further explain his statement yesterday that it is necessary to open an internal dialogue on Kosovo in which we will be rid of the mythical approach and of easily giving away of what we are entitled to" - that the position of Serbia should be "harmonized with life's problems and what bothers our people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as with the rights of our state." "But do not forget that we are the only ones deciding about that, that we know well also what the role of Albanians is. We need to put things on a rational plane, to talk in such a way," said Vucic.
He said he was aware that "some genius will show up again" who will "hold up a placard to him (saying) he was a traitor" - but said he does not care about that, "because he cares about the future of Serbia. " "I respect every Church, every religious community. It is my job as president of the Republic, as it was when I was prime minister. But people, our job is to take care of the earthly life, while somebody else should take care of the heavenly," said Vucic. Vucic said that apart from Kosovo, the region, a dialogue would also be opened on changing the Constitution. "If we can agree, then we will have solved something and done something for your country. If we cannot, then it's another thing that has fell through, and it will show show that we are still more concerned about the country of our grandparents instead of the country of our children," said Vucic.
When asked to be "more concrete," he said that he "cannot do that"- because he would in that way "present his position in advance, before any discussions." "And I want to open a social dialogue that will last three months, six months, on both topics, and our stance towards Kosovo and Metohija, and our relationship with the region, to see what our policy is, where we see Serbia in 20 years, to see the content of this policy," Vucic said. He stressed that he wanted to participate in the dialogue between all political parties and their representatives, all religious communities, civil society, "to make their voices heard about where they see Serbia." "When you set strategic goals, then you will be able to find your way," Vucic concluded. The president, who was sworn in on Wednesday, was in on an army barracks Pancevo on Thursday together with US Ambassador Kyle Scott, who presented 19 Humvee vehicles, a donation of the US government to the Serbian Army.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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Take note of the part in red. Then see what this liar said recently:"I can't even imagine Serbia joining EU before Kosovo"
2 June 17
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci says he cannot even imagine the EU accepting Serbia as its member before Kosovo. Thaci, who was in Zagreb on Thursday for talks with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, told Croatia's Hina agency in an interview that the biggest concern in southeastern Europe was caused by "the fact that the EU is too slow in bringing countries of the region closer, which opens the door to all kinds of radicalisms, as well as strengthening of the Russian influence." He thinks that the EU should therefore make decisions faster, and adds that he cannot imagine Serbia in the EU before Kosovo. "I cannot imagine something like this happening. I am confident that this will not be the case because Serbia would then certainly block Kosovo, and for an indefinite period of time. The EU knows very well what the attitude and behavior of Serbia is towards Kosovo. But, Serbia too cannot continue on the path of European while not behaving in a European way toward Kosovo," stressed Thaci. Thaci, who is effectively campaigning ahead of the early parliamentary election in Kosovo, added that he was confident Serbia would eventually recognize "Kosovo's independence." During the interview, he repeated a falsehood uttered several times in the past - namely, that "in private and informal conversations" Serbian politicians "admit that Kosovo is independent."
Thaci claims that Pristina "does not aspire to change borders, much less in the direction some kind of 'Greater Albania'," and that instead, "this is a construct coming from Belgrade, not from Pristina or from Tirana". According to him, Greater Albania is "a concept talked about by Belgrade to cover their ambition of creating a 'Greater Serbia'."
Commenting on the recent statements made by a former CIA chief, who said that another round of redrawing of borders in the Balkans would soon inevitably happen, and mentioning above all Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo, Thaci said: "Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia are sovereign countries with their borders." He added that Kosovo was "encouraged by pro-European governments in Macedonia and Albania," describing as "excellent" the decision on Montenegro's accession to NATO. Thaci claims that "the Kosovo army" will be established by the end of this year, after this has been suspended under international pressure. "Kosovo army will be formed this year. The whole process will be fully in line with NATO standards, fully coordinated with NATO and other partners of Kosovo. It will be a multi-ethnic professional army," said Thaci.
I don't even know why they bother to keep lying about it. Besides, Serbia looks like its ready to give up on Kosovo anyway.Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said that "all Albanians in the region will live in a single, united country" if the EU closes its doors.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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A Price Worth Paying? EU 'Slowly but Surely' Getting Serbia to Recognize Kosovo
4 JUNE 17
New Serbian President Alexander Vucic is faced with the seemingly impossible task of ensuring Serbia joins the EU, without giving up Belgrade's sovereignty over Kosovo or its military affairs, political analyst Igor Pshenichnikov writes. Former Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vucic was sworn in as President on May 31. He took office after an emphatic election victory on April 2, in which he received more than 55 percent of the public vote. However, his victory was subsequently marred by several weeks of public protests, in which demonstrators called for a recount and alleged that national broadcasters had given Vucic an unfair advantage over his opponents in the run-up to the election. His opponent Sasa Jankovic has alleged voting irregularities that resulted in 319,000 votes going uncounted. President Vucic responded to the allegation by promising to ask members of the Serbian Progressive Party [SNS] sitting on the electoral commission for a recount in front of the television cameras. Bosko Obradovic, leader of the right-wing opposition party Dveri, who came in sixth in the presidential elections with 2.29 percent of the vote, says that many Serbs are unhappy with the country's pro-Western direction. "He [Vucic] publicly said that his boss is the director of the World Bank and that not a single dinar from the country's budget can be spent without the permission of the International Monetary Fund," Obradovic told RIA Novosti columnist Igor Pshenichnikov. Pshenichnikov notes that less than half of Serbs are in favor of the course towards European integration espoused by Vucic. According to a March opinion poll by New Serbian Political Thought [NSPM] magazine, 47.7 percent of respondents answered yes to the question, "Do you support EU entry," while 39 percent said no and 13.3 percent of respondents said they weren't sure. Serbia is traditionally pro-Russian, and most Serbs remain in favor of closer ties with Russia. A 2015 poll found that 68.2 percent of Serbs were in favor of an alliance with Russia. Respondents also expressed more support for a political and economic union with Russia than with the EU: given the choice, 35.7 percent said they would choose Russia, while just 21.1 percent picked the EU. The importance of ties between Russia and Serbia is demonstrated by the fact that Vucic arranged a visit to Moscow just a week ahead of the elections, and held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite that, Vucic has rejected the prospect of economic integration with Russia in favor of the EU, whose demands are unpopular domestically.
The biggest areas of contention are the prospect of recognition for Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and increased participation in NATO. "Bringing Serbia's legislation in line with EU norms is, in fact, not such a big problem, although it requires work. The main problem and the main condition for Serbia's accession to the EU is the official recognition by Belgrade of Kosovo's independence. Vucic is heading towards this terrible moment for all Serbs — slowly but surely," Pshenichnikov writes. "Under the aegis of the European Union, official Serbian representatives and Vucic personally have held more than one meeting with Kosovo Albanians. Formally, the reason for these meetings was humanitarian issues. However, it is plain to see that the European Union is thereby accomplishing the task of getting the Serbian public accustomed to the idea of dialogue with Kosovo Albanians as a foreign state." The most recent such meeting took place last week, when EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini hosted an "informal gathering" of Prime Ministers of the West Balkan states, at which both Vucic and Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa were present. Kosovo will hold parliamentary elections on June 11 and the front-runner in the race for the next Prime Minister of Kosovo is former Kosovo Liberation Army leader Ramush Haradinaj, who leads the opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK). In April, Serbia tried unsuccessfully to extradite Haradinaj from France on charges of war crimes. Serbian prosecutors allege he is responsible for multiple murders and rapes of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in June 1999. Haradinaj has already been tried and cleared by The Hague war crimes tribunal for alleged war crimes committed in 1998.
The election of Haradinaj would raise tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, since Vucic would be forced to hold Brussels-mediated talks about the "normalization of relations" with Haradinaj, who recently called for more Serbian territory to be annexed in by Kosovo. Serbia should "delete Kosovo from the Constitution" or see "one-third of Serb land added to the Kosovo map," Haradinaj said. Prior to the meeting with Mogherini, Vucic said that Haradinaj's impending victory is set to open a host of problems. "This raises security issues; opens problems which I don't have to talk about. We need to understand how important it is that we engage in smart, serious and responsible policy. This is possible if we increase our growth… There won't be any of that if you don't have full stability and security. We have to be economically stronger and politically more powerful in order to be able to be secure," Vucic told Serbian Radio Television. President Vucic is hoping that EU integration will enable the country to achieve the necessary economic growth. However, this also requires integration with NATO, the military alliance which killed thousands of Serbs during its 1999 campaign of airstrikes. "Publicly Vucic declares that Serbia has chosen 'military neutrality […] In reality, Serbia doesn't have any kind of military neutrality," Pshenichnikov writes. "Many commentators think that the formula of military neutrality was intended to prevent the creation of an effective military alliance with Russia, which most Serbs are in favor of." In 2015, the Serbian Parliament ratified the Status of Forces Agreement with NATO and adopted the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which provides a framework for military co-operation between Serbia and NATO. However, the prospect of NATO membership remains unpopular among Serbs. According to a poll in March carried out by Serbia's Institute for European Affairs, just 11 percent of Serbs are in favor of joining NATO, while 84 percent are opposed. One-fifth of respondents named then-Prime Minister Vucic as the politician most in favor of joining NATO.In the name of the blood and the sun, the dagger and the gun, Christ protect this soldier, a lion and a Macedonian.Comment
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