Summary of the week

Some looked to the past, some into each other's eyes, and some into the mirror. As always in Kosovo, everyone saw what they wanted to see. Whose view is objective, and whose reflection is distorted? About the votes that rectify injustice and those that won't occur due to injustice. All this in another weekly compilation by Kosovo Online.

Heroic attack or heroic defense? It depends on which side of the distorted mirror you are looking from after 25 years at Kosare. Both sides say, "we will not forget it."

"For me, the battle at Kosare is the second Battle of Kosovo," says Vladan Stoiljković, now a sheriff in a Canadian town, formerly a member of the 63rd Parachute Brigade of the Serbian Army. He adds that he still remembers scenes like from horror movies.

Those who faced his war comrades across the sights also believe it was a battle and a victory for history.

In a situation where two such opposing views exist, a third, objective perspective usually helps. This is often a mediating one. It may not bring a solution, but it instills hope and, like Miroslav Lajčak, sees something that other participants do not.

"The talks in Brussels are constructive, negotiators are coming, and the atmosphere is better than it was," describes Lajčak about the discussions that have seen no progress for months.

Pahor or someone else. Whoever replaces Lajčak at the head of the Brussels table in September will seemingly inherit an untouched legacy from his predecessor. Perhaps even a bit enlarged with issues that were not previously on the list for resolution. Thus, the question arises of who needs this "hot potato."

"To tell you the truth, when I heard that Pahor might take this position, the first thing I thought was, why does he need this. Why, when he doesn't have to? Why doesn't he deal with some easier topics?" comments Novica Mihajlović, a journalist from the Slovenian 'Delo,' on the possible arrival of Borut Pahor as the new mediator in the dialogue.

While a solution is being sought, we have other topics. A referendum that will not take place, and a census that again, for many, does not exist. Due to the stance of the Serbs on these issues, a warning arrives from Brussels.

"We regret that the Serbian List has decided not to participate in the elections planned for April 21st," stated EU Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nabila Masrali.

Even more, they say, are those who regret that promises related to the referendum were not fulfilled.

Political scientist Ognjen Gogić reminds us that there has long been talk of a promise by the international community that it would be enough to collect signatures for a petition, and then the mayors would resign on their own.

"There really was this assurance given to people to collect signatures for petitions, and that is the reason why people even agreed to collect signatures under those conditions," says Gogić.

Somewhere around the non-existent referendum, both sides will look into another mirror. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will announce whose reflection is correct.

Retired diplomat Milovan Božinović says that in a world where political, not legal, criteria decide, anything is possible.

"If we lived in a world where rules are respected, this wouldn't be possible or imaginable," adds Božinović.

Discrimination against a group of European citizens, simply because they have different passports, is unimaginable, say even those who make such decisions. That's why the European Parliament has taken the first step to change this decision.

Citizens of Northern Kosovo with whom we spoke believe this is the only correct stance.

"It means we can travel. Otherwise, we've been closed off as if we were from another world," says one of the Mitrovica residents we spoke with.

In a few weeks, we will know if the remaining Serbs from Kosovo will be able to travel and discover a different world. In the following months, we'll also find out if they, like some who have had this privilege for four months, have bought a one-way ticket.