Drecun: Pristina is playing politics with both Brussels and the Serbian people

The President of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, Milovan Drecun, told RTS that Pristina is not ready for an agreement, it is politically playing with both Brussels and the Serbian people by offering 20 options.

The West has sufficient capacities to direct Pristina's behavior in a certain direction, and the situation in Kosovo is dangerous for two reasons, Drecun points out.

Both the European Union and the United States are asking Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to postpone the implementation of the decision on the license plates, but also to respect the Brussels Agreement. Brussels has invited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Albin Kurti to a meeting, but there is no official confirmation as to whether and when it will take place.

The President of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija in the Serbian Parliament, Milovan Drecun, said, as a guest in RTS, that a compromise requires two sides and that Belgrade is ready for an agreement.

"I expect that President Vucic will respond to the invitation of Brussels. The problem is in Pristina. There is no readiness of Pristina for an agreement, they insist on implementing a unilateral decision, they are playing politically with both Brussels and the Serbian people, offering 20 variants, as Bislimi says," Drecun said.

According to him, when Serbian political representatives "left the temporary institutions of self-government, the West took it seriously, it was a heavy blow for Pristina because no one can now talk about the multi-ethnicity of the institutions in Kosovo and Metohija".

As he says, the West has started a serious activity.

When Borrell invited the chief negotiator from Pristina to come to Brussels, after those talks Bislimi said that they offered 20 options for an agreement, Drecun added.

Drecun indicates that there are only two variants, one is to keep the KM plates in force and to return the KS status-neutral plates, not 20 variants.

According to him, KS plates can be a solution, KS plates are issued by UNMIK, but RKS plates are not status neutral, that is unacceptable for Belgrade.

Messages from Washington, Brussels and Berlin

Drecun points out that the West has sufficient capacities to direct the behavior of Pristina in a certain direction, Kurti will not behave as the West asks from him until he is faced with some kind of sanctions. Messages are coming from leading Western countries that Pristina has the right to implement a unilateral decision. This encourages Kurti to continue his one-sided behavior. You have requests to postpone the implementation, but the solution is to completely withdraw the unilateral decision.
The Serbian representatives made it clear - the return to the institutions is only possible if the CSM is formed and if the decision on the license plates is withdrawn and dismissed, and not to prolong anything.

"In addition to the license plates, we already have a new crisis ahead. Pristina has announced elections for four municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, instead of facing the problems, Pristina is canceling the electoral will of the Serbian people, who overwhelmingly supported the Srb List, and is now trying in the elections to takes over four municipalities in the north, which creates the conditions for a new and even more severe crisis than the license plates," Drecun said.

The situation in Kosovo

Drecun says that there is a threat of escalation and that the situation is dangerous for two reasons, security and political.

"Serbs left the temporary institutions, showed that there is no multi-ethicity in Kosovo - this is a blow to Pristina and the West, without multi-ethnicity they cannot talk about progress and push them into international organizations", Drecun underlined.

He adds that the security aspect is more dangerous.

"Until recently, special units only occasionally entered the north of Kosovo and Metohija, and now, with the construction of bases along the administrative line, they created the conditions for permanent stationing, they formed the so-called border police, within it they formed a special intervention unit, and through the backdoor they were brought into permanent stationing. They are deploying vehicles for quick action, they need to receive "Bayraktars" from Turkey, and they have created the conditions for the stay of members of the so-called KSF," said Drecun.

They were surrounded by members of the parapolice special units in the north of Kosovo, which indicates that they are preparing for the violent implementation of the decision. If they start implementing the decision immediately, then we are inthe most difficult situation in terms of security challenges since 2013, Drecun noted. 

Talks in Brussels

Speaking about possible talks in Brussels, Drecun says they will be difficult.

"It is useless to meet, if we only talk. If the preparation is good, if there is a basis for an agreement, then it will be achieved. The question is what Pristina will ask for in return, it seems that the tendency of some Western countries is for Pristina to postpone the decision, and if in return the Serbs return to temporary institutions, this trade will not go through. Vucic avoided many pitfalls, which were in earlier negotiations," Drecun concluded.