Becirovic: Pahor cannot be chosen as a mediator without the blessing of the US

Zijad Becirovic, Director of the International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies, points out that although Borut Pahor has the support of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia to succeed Lajcak as the mediator in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, there is an unwritten rule that special envoys for the former Yugoslavia region cannot come from the region of the former SFRY. He also adds that a special envoy of the EU cannot be chosen "without the blessing of the United States."

Becirovic reminds Kosovo Online that neither judges nor prosecutors in The Hague, at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, could be from the region of the former Yugoslavia.

"So, that factor and that fact actually distance Borut Pahor from any function in the former Yugoslavia area, including the EU Special Envoy for conducting the dialogue between official Belgrade and Pristina. As for his ambitions, he has those ambitions; even the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia have supported him because, in a way, he is becoming a disruptive factor, as he appears daily on the political scene in various roles – least of all as a politician," our interlocutor emphasizes.

He adds that Pahor, as a former president and long-time politician, in a way jeopardizes the position, especially of the current President of the Republic of Slovenia, who, in his opinion, is very faintly present in public, as well as the ruling coalition, which is very close to Pahor's background, "although Pahor traditionally has good relations with right-wing politicians."

"However, crucially, whether someone will be appointed as the EU Special Envoy depends on the 'most important European country,' and that is the United States. Without America's blessing, he cannot be chosen as a special envoy," Becirovic concludes.

According to him, the position of a special envoy is very difficult.

"It is a very difficult position to be an EU Special Envoy, precisely because of the state within the EU itself and the five member states that do not recognize Kosovo's independence. And the EU's foreign policy is not actually a unified one, there is no common policy there. You are a special envoy, but negotiations are actually taking place between major powers, and of course, they are aligned with the interests of both official Belgrade and official Pristina. It is a quite difficult and unsustainable position, and regardless of who is chosen for that position, they will have a difficult task. But overall, the US plays a crucial role in all of this," Becirovic believes.