Milivojevic: Elections in the north of Kosovo without the Serbs lose their meaning

Former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic pointed out that if local elections were held in the north of Kosovo, they might have legality, but not legitimacy, and added that without the Serbs, the elections in the north of Kosovo lost their meaning, Blic writes.

"The position of the Serbs is clear that they do not want to return to the institutions until the CSM is formed. That's why I think it would be rational not to hold those elections," Milivojevic said.

As he added, the Ohrid Agreement determined the dynamics of further political processes in Kosovo.

"The formation of the CSM is in the foreground. Therefore, the development of events depends, first of all, on Pristina and the mediators in the dialogue, i.e. Brussels and Washington. After that, the issues of the missing persons, the formation of a monitoring team, and other points from the Ohrid Agreement can be on the agenda," Milivojevic analyzes.

However, he does not think that everything will happen quickly.

"I do not believe that the CSM will be formed soon because the fate of the current government in Pristina depends on it - only if there is great pressure from Washington," Milivojevic concludes.

On the other hand, the president of the Board of Directors of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, Dusan Janjic, is concerned about the institutional vacuum in Kosovo.

"Brussels and Washington brag about the Ohrid Agreement, but it is as if you have prepared everything for the race, the stadium, the track, and the field, and there are no athletes or starters. There is still no legal and legitimate return of the Serbs to the institutions, the police, the judiciary, the prosecutor's office, customs... Such a situation is no longer sustainable and represents a great danger," Janjic warns.

As he says, local elections in the north of Kosovo were unilaterally announced twice.

"First, they were supposed to take place in December, so they were moved to April. But those dates were not agreed upon with the Serbs who left the institutions. Belgrade is clear that there is no return of the Serbs to the institutions until the CSM is formed. Because of this, Lajcak spoke for the first time with the representatives of the Serb List during the recent visit to Pristina," Janjic assesses.

He also believes that it would be logical to postpone the local elections in the north of Kosovo.

"Now it's Quint's turn, which is practically the mediator in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and must ensure a bilateral agreement. Because the topic of the institutional and security vacuum is not finished with the Ohrid Agreement. That's why everything seems to me as if we are trying to find a needle in a haystack," Janjic concludes.