Escobar: Kosovo Government should change the "take it or leave it" approach, their obligations are clear

It's time for a new approach among partners within the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said, as reported by Voice of America.

Escobar is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly session and plans to meet with leaders of Western Balkan states.

In an interview with Voice of America, he specified that after yet another failure in talks between Belgrade and Pristina, the side that operated on a "take it or leave it" basis needed to change its approach.

"I'm specifically referring to the Kosovo Government. They know what their obligations are. I think Borell's statement was very clear. We continue to encourage Serbia to be constructive and patient. We continue to ask them not to do anything that contributes to the destabilization of Kosovo. We have to keep working on the dialogue. There is no alternative for the region, except European integration," Escobar said.

He added that he did not accept criticism of the mediator in the talks, diplomat Miroslav Lajcak.

"Lajcak enjoys the full confidence of the European Union and the United States. After the talks collapsed, 27 EU member states publicly expressed support for Lajcak. So this is something he (Kurti) will have to deal with. Lajcak and the dialogue are not going away. A country with 1.5 million people will not convince the transatlantic community of 700 million people to change tactics," Escobar noted.

He emphasized the need for a more pragmatic approach from the Kosovo Government.

"Last week, I was disturbed by information that Lajcak was the target of personal attacks on Kosovo's social media. I asked President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti to condemn them. I'm not saying they come from the Kosovo Government, but it is necessary to make it clear that personal attacks on the special envoy are unacceptable," Escobar specified.

Regarding Serbia's failure once again to align with Western allies' sanctions policy toward Russia, Escobar pointed out that the country should not be, as he put it, a stranger in the European family.

"I will say that we believe Serbia should impose sanctions. It has no legal obligation to do so, and it is clear that it is a country that independently conducts its own foreign policy. So that is what we have consistently conveyed, and I will repeat it," Escobar stated. 

As he said, due to a tight schedule, he has not yet spoken with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"I hope we will meet during the week," Escobar added.