Milivojevic: The situation in Kosovo is at a boiling point, we are on the way to new escalations - local elections will follow

Commenting on the situation in Kosovo, former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic said that we had been at the boiling point for a long time and we have only just come out of the crisis over the license plates which is repeated cyclically thanks to unilateral moves in Pristina. We are on the way to having new escalations, not only with the new appointment of Rasic as a Minister that goes beyond all norms but also with the local elections that follow in December, Milivojevic says.

Milivojevic said in a guest appearance on the morning news program of Radio Television of Serbia broadcaster (RTS) that what happened with the license plates was not enough for some international power centers to understand and act decisively on the Pristina authorities.

"We are on the way to have new escalations, not only with the new appointment of Mr. Rasic as a minister in violation of all norms but also with the local elections that follow in December," Milivojevic says.

He adds that the Serbian side is on the edge of patience and it is time for those who have real influence to take concrete measures.

"We need to prevent the production of politics that causes tensions," Milivojevic noted.

Serbs from the south of Kosovo are on the verge of leaving Kosovo's institutions. There are more of them than Serbs in the north, they have been integrated into the Kosovo system for almost 15 years, and many of them work in the police.

"They have adapted to the imposed situation, but it seems that their patience is coming to an end, and we are entering a crisis that can only escalate. If the Serbs in the south also decide to do something like that, then that system cannot function. Then we come to a place where it is necessary to apply other measures," the former diplomat explained.

He added that KFOR must also take matters into its own hands then and return to what the International Law and the UN Resolution 1244 say, which is the functioning of an entity under the UN protectorate because they are responsible for protecting peace and stability.

"If this escalation also takes place, then there is only that mechanism – there is no question of whether it is realistic or not. There is no other mechanism than the one set up by the UN," Milivojevic noted, adding that it was an illusion if one thought that Kosovo could be treated as a state that performs its functions and a political system that had full capacity.

"The most dangerous thing is that the EU does not behave status-neutral"

Speaking about the appointment of Nenad Rasic as a Minister in the Kosovo Government, he said that it would be realistic to abolish that measure, but he noted that the EU's reaction was delayed and lost credibility.

"It is impossible for anyone down there to represent Serbian people if the Serbian people don't stand behind them. We will enter into a new escalation if this is not prevented. I have the impression that the EU supports that system and that they are trying to impose a solution that would go in the direction of recognizing the so-called reality, that is, the recognition of Kosovo's statehood, which is not possible," he pointed out.

Milivojevic assessed that the most dangerous thing was that the EU did not behave in a status-neutral manner but rather in a status-biased manner.

"The majority in the EU, which support Kosovo's statehood, is pushing this story of candidacy and visa liberalization. And the Ukrainian crisis is dictating this pace," Milivojevic noted.

The elections for the mayors of four municipalities in the north, scheduled for December 18, are approaching. The Serb List announced that it was boycotting the elections, and the list of candidates had been concluded.

Milivojevic comments that this is an introduction to a new escalation and closure of all possible mechanisms.