Garic: The day has come when we will find out if the EU is able to deal with Kurti

Editor-in-chief of the "Kosovo Online" website Milos Garic said in his interview for Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) that the idea of the talks in Brussels was to prevent drivers in the north of Kosovo from being punished for license plates and to suspend the decision of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on re-registration to RKS (Republic of Kosovo) license plates.

"It is incomprehensible that Brussels and Washington are unable to explain to one person that having KS on the license plates is enough," Garic said.

Garic added that after today's meetings in Brussels, it would be clear whether the European Union had the capacity to deal with Kurti.

"The day has come when some things will be known, first of all, whether the EU is able to deal with Albin Kurti. President Vucic went to that meeting, he will be there, but the main focus is on Kurti and whether Borrell and Lajcak would manage to make some kind of agreement with him that would guarantee that there would be no further escalation of tensions and that we would not enter into any conflicts from tomorrow when the application of fines should begin, according to the idea of Pristina - 150 euros for Serbs in the north who have not changed their license plates to RKS markings. We'll see if Kurti is someone who will succeed in defying the whole West, Brussels, and Washington," Garic pointed out.

Garic reminded that another announcement came from Washington last night, with an invitation to find a solution in preventing further escalation of events in any way.

He noted that Josep Borrell also issued a statement indicating that it was important to reach a solution that would calm the tensions, that would not be in the direction that things have been going now and that Kurti has been pushing.

According to him, Pristina's policy towards the Serbs was aggressive and violated the Serbs' rights, which is why they left the institutions.

"We will see if they keep their word today in Brussels and if they will implement the agreements that they guaranteed and signed. We found ourselves in a time crunch thanks to both Brussels and Washington because they allowed Kurti to be so persistent and to insist on his unilateral decisions," Garic said.

On the day when the implementation of the punishment of the Serbs was supposed to start, the question arises, as Garic says, whether they will be able to make some kind of agreement with Kurti, which would guarantee that he would give up his intent to punish the Serbs and that this decision is abolished, not postponed.

Just delaying that decision would not bring much if the Serbs get pressured again to have RKS license plates at any cost - the Serbs would not agree to that, Garic underlined.

"We have come to a situation where all this is happening because of one R letter on the license plates. If Kurti could give up the R letter – which stands for Republic, he is trying to impose that false statehood of Kosovo –  if they could have KS plates, Kosovan Serbs would accept it, and that would be a compromise," Garic explained.

It is incomprehensible, Garic added, that Brussels and Washington are not able to explain to one person that it is enough for the plates to read KS, that there doesn’t have to be an R (RKS), which is why we are in a position where conflicts are almost certain if Kurti continues to "push" in that direction.

"The subject of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is much more important than the license plates. They are a technical issue that shows Kurti's intention to insist on statehood - Kosovan Serbs disagree, and that is where the matter is divided now - we will not be able to move forward until Kurti changes his approach," Garic concluded.