Ukshini: If the Special Court convicts KLA leaders, I do not believe any prime minister will establish the CSM

Former Kosovo diplomat Sile Ukshini stated that expectations surrounding the Brussels Agreement were high both in Serbia and in Kosovo, and that political leaders in Belgrade and Pristina believed in a dialogue that would lead to normalization. However, he assesses that there were two key problems. He also referred to the trial of KLA leaders in The Hague, noting that if the Special Court convicts them, he does not believe any prime minister would have the courage to establish the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM).

“When the Brussels Agreement was signed, I was working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Expectations were high both in Serbia and in Kosovo. I believe that politicians in Pristina and Belgrade had faith in a dialogue that would lead to normalization, but there were two problems,” Ukshini told Kosovo Online.

According to him, the Self-Determination movement, then in opposition, was against the establishment of the CSM, while Aleksandar Vucic was aware that a final agreement—namely, the normalization of relations—had to be reached.

He added that the previous Government of Kosovo lacked the capacity to implement the Brussels Agreement, which has left Pristina in a difficult position today.

“Frankly, if the Special Court decides to convict KLA leaders, I do not believe any prime minister will have the courage to establish the CSM, because in Kosovo there is a perception that the establishment of the Special Court is a betrayal, and that it was created by Dick Marty, even though it was a report compiled by Konstantin Kosachev, a KGB man. From this perspective, this form of trial is not even a genuine reckoning with the past and does not create the conditions for reconciliation between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. Therefore, I believe that the CSM is being used as an instrument to avoid the possibility of a final agreement,” Ukshini said.

Although he considers the Brussels Agreement a solid foundation, he assesses that the EU, Serbia, and Kosovo have lost “momentum” following the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and ongoing developments in the Middle East.

“International events are not working in our favor, and I am somewhat skeptical about progress in the dialogue,” Ukshini concluded.