Hoxha: UN must determine Serbia-Kosovo dialogue has failed for a peace conference to happen

Political analyst from Pristina, Leart Hoxha, expressed doubts that there was international enthusiasm for organizing a peace conference to resolve the situation in Kosovo, and he reminded in a statement to Kosovo Online that the ongoing dialogue had begun with the decision of the United Nations and had then been transferred to the EU. He believes that a conference could only be organized if it is concluded that the negotiations have failed.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama proposes organizing an international peace conference to address the situation in the north, while former Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa claims it is not a good idea for Kosovo.

"We have to start from the basic point, and that is that the current dialogue started with the decision of the United Nations, so the United Nations must come to a conclusion that this dialogue has failed, and then a peace conference should be organized. It should be known whether this is again under the auspices of the United Nations, which would mean the possible involvement of Russia and China in the whole process. Russia is currently a bit preoccupied with other matters in the East, so I doubt there is international enthusiasm to move in that direction," Hoxha emphasized.

He says that efforts should be focused on the existing dialogue, increasing pressure on both sides, and, if necessary, involving higher diplomatic levels.

"A peace conference, if it were the way forward, should have been held 20 years ago, not in 2024," Hoxha asserts.

People who believe in this idea, according to Hoxha, think it's easier to "skip over" the European Union. The decisive factor may be the elections in Slovakia, which could potentially bring special representative for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak back to his homeland and open the door for someone else to mediate.

"I think that as long as there is no official assessment that this dialogue has failed, I doubt that something else can be done under the auspices of the United Nations. If it's not done under the UN, then it is something else, and I doubt it can be done quickly," Hoxha claims.

He mentioned the Dayton Agreement, which, he says, stopped the war but left Bosnia and Herzegovina a dysfunctional state even after so many years.

"Kosovo functions much better as a state than Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this can be easily seen not only on the ground but also if you read international reports. So, if other proposals emerge, they should be elaborated in detail and be quite deep so that people know that something unpredictable will not happen again in about 20–25 years, which would paralyze the state. This has already been done in Bosnia, and I think that scenarios that are unpredictable and offer quick, instant solutions, I think that simply does not work in the Balkans," Hoxha stated.