The American expert on Balkan issues, Daniel Serwer, told the Voice of America that the resignation of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj was his right move, which has opened the way for new elections in Kosovo.

In an interview, Serwer said that the developments after this resignation will postpone the talks with Serbia and Kosovo should work to ensure a better position in the talks and to avoid any agreement that would endanger the citizenship of

Mr. Serwer, how do you see Mr. Haradinaj’s resignation?

Daniel Serwer: You have a parliamentary system, these things happen. He has been to The Hague twice before. He’s done the right thing, in my opinion, by resigning, but it’s still a little unclear to me whether he’s going as a witness or as a suspect. But these things happen in parliamentary systems and you’ve been down this road before. You have to hold new elections in September and it is part of normal politics. I was at a cultural event last night and I think Pristina is very calm.

Is the invitation to The Hague related to his political positions, namely talks and tariffs?

Daniel Serwer: I have thought about this question, but I am not sure what the answer is. But if someone thought that he would defeat Mr. Haradinaj’s political positions by sending him to The Hague, he made a huge mistake because in the two previous cases when he was sent to The Hague, he won politically and this is something I expect this time as well.

What impact can these developments have if Kosovo goes to elections in the negotiation process?

Daniel Serwer: The talks should be postponed for a while, there is no discussion in this matter. The key to achieving a good position in the dialogue with Serbia is a high degree of unity and the ability to walk away from a bad deal. Kosovo has not had a high degree of unity and has not been able to escape from a bad agreement, so if the elections and a new government can improve the situation I would be very happy, but I think that this situation will still lead to a big postponement of the talks

​Mr. Serwer, does this create a gap in the process of talks really?

Daniel Serwer: Yes, eventually it presents a problem but I really don’t see much urgency as it deserves. talks. I know that people here in Kosovo feel this urgency. I remember immediately after the war, people in Pristina said that they never want to talk to Serbia again, while now they tell me that nothing good can happen here until we solve the issues with Belgrade. Even then I didn’t think that you should never talk to Belgrade again, while even now I don’t think that everything depends on talks with Serbia. I think that unity and escaping from a bad agreement are the key, and I would work for this if I were to deal with politics today in Kosovo.

Some initiatives for the renewal of talks have been mentioned. Do you believe that something like this can happen?

Daniel Serwer: No doubt it can happen, I would say that you should do everything you need to do as far as the talks are concerned and be satisfied with them, and Belgrade should also be satisfied. (Aleksandër) Vucic is in a stronger position than Ramushi ever was, because Ramushi’s parliamentary majority is limited while Vucic’s is very large, Vucic is undoubtedly in command in Belgrade, he is a president elected by popular vote. Hashim Thaçi, on the other hand, is not elected by the popular vote, while the Constitutional Court has decided that the talks should not be his responsibility but the government’s. So I think you face some disadvantages at this stage of the talks and you have to fix these things. More unity and more determination to get out of a bad deal, would be my advice.

What do you mean by bad deal in this case?

Daniel Serwer: To me a bad deal involves territory swapping, it involves accepting through territory swapping that you cannot treat all your citizens equally. This is a bad deal because it disqualifies you from membership in the European Union and let there be no doubt about it, if there is a change in borders, especially one that includes Albania, it will set back the entire Balkans, not to mention Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Therefore, I think you should be very careful in talks with Serbia at this stage. Belgrade wants a bigger Serbia, there are people in Kosovo who want a bigger Albania, but let’s be clear; Greater Albania means the destruction of the state of Kosovo, while I am a supporter of the state of Kosovo.

Kaynak: prizrenpost