After the elections in Kosovo, a new start-up needs to take place for the dialogue with Serbia. The idea of the boundary displacement must, however, says Florian Bieber in the DW-interview.
Deutsche Welle: Mr. Bieber, how do you see the importance of the early parliamentary elections for Kosovo? You think you can lead the country out of Stagnation?
Florian Bieber: There are important elections, first and foremost, with regard to the internal political future of Kosovo. It is a question of the extent to which those party since independence, the dominant, the PDK, the situation is more dominate Kosovo. To the extent that it is a direction decision. In other fields, such as, for example, dialogue with Serbia, I see no possibility for a fundamental change of direction. They will rather be the result due to the formation of a coalition after the elections, as the elections themselves.
Despite warnings from the EU, the government of Kosovo demanded that Serbia has to cease any campaign against the country will be abolished wholly-owned inch. I think, however, that with the new government in this matter, a motion is to come.
The question is whether the next government will be able to the inch will be possible to adjust without it, as a loss of face or a defeat pose. It very much will depend on how the new EU initiated the dialogue. It would be very important if the EU would send a very clear Signal.
With the theme of the Dialog is pushed the EU to its limits….
Federica Mogherini was not ultimately able to lead the dialogue in a productive way. Of course, it is not only with the EU. It also depends on the two actors. Both the Kosovo as well as Serbia had, in my view, not really a serious intention of a dialogue, and then can not conjure up even the EU. The EU says that a dialogue needs good will and Gestures of de-escalation from both sides.
How should a new Format for the dialogue?
A new Format would mean on the one hand, to arrange more intensive to Meet, not only the sporadic Meetings, as they were in the past.
On the other hand, needs a clear red line. This means, for example, that new boundaries are to be excluded along the ethnic boundaries. I think that’s very important. And at the same time, we need confidence-building measures. The provocations that we have both the Serbian as well as on the Kosovar side, would have to stop. So Serbia’s Blockade of the membership of Kosovo in Interpol and Unesco, for example, is unacceptable.
Vucic says Serbia can’t lose everything, and Kosovo have everything to gain. He search of a Deal. What could bring Vucic to say the sentence: “We accept Kosovo’s independence”? Might not recognize, but we accept the independence.
I am not convinced that Vucic is in the situation or really an agreement will have. Because, he ruled, ultimately, undemocratic in Serbia and sees this dialogue not only as a Legitimation at the international level. And that’s why I don’t think he’s really interested in this set. You’d first have to prepare the population in Serbia for such a step. But we see in recent years that the importance of Kosovo for the Serbian population has tended to reinforce. This means that more people look at Kosovo as an important issue than it was five-six years. And this is only a consequence of the rhetoric of the media close to the President Vučić. It seems the population is not a compromise to prepare, but rather incite in the opposite direction.
The interview was conducted by Lindita Arapi
Florian Bieber is head of the centre for Southeast European studies at the Karl Franzens University of Graz. Among his research foci are the history and the political systems of South-Eastern Europe, as well as democratization and ethnic conflicts in the Region.