Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti called opposition stakeholders to meet this weekend to discuss ongoing negations with Serbia while analysts believe a snap election could be on the cards.
Rumours have been swirling for the last two weeks that a breakthrough agreement could be forthcoming between Serbia and Kosovo before the end of the year. Matters such as EU membership, visa liberalisation, and recognition are on the table for Kosovo, while Serbia, an EU hopeful that relies on Russian gas, wants an end to pressure to align with Russian sanctions.
Following the meeting, the Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, requested greater US involvement in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue.
“The topic was the final agreement with Serbia for mutual recognition, we discussed the process, the agreement, the challenges, it was a meaningful meeting”, said Haradinaj.
“For this process to be fully guaranteed, the final agreement with Serbia must be signed by the American level,” he added.
The agreement is the so-called Franco-German plan, drafted by recently appointed envoys to the region from Paris and Berlin.
The plan envisages Belgrade accepting Kosovo’s independence, without formally recognising it, for which it would obtain some financial benefits and the prospect of EU membership in return, media reported.
But analysts and some MPs have started talking about the possibility of early elections as a way to deal with the decision-making process. Kosovo journalist Xhemajl Rexha said that Kurti does not want to accept the Franco-German proposal.
In an interview for Euronews Albania, Rexha said Kurti could resign and lead the country to early elections.
“One of the options is for Kurti to resign, as the proposal is not the right one. By calling new elections, he can benefit more by being re-elected with more votes,” the journalist also said.
Pressure is also mounting on Kurti to postpone the license plate rule which is due to come into force on 1 November. Already postponed due to EU and US pressure, the new rules mean every car in Kosovo must have Kosovo-issued plates, including some 50,000 belonging to ethnic Serbs in the north who refuse to recognise the country’s sovereignty.
President Vjosa Osmani said it is not acceptable that number plates from the genocidal regime of Slobodan Milosevic are circulating in the country. She noted that 90% of Serbs in the north had changed their plates and the rest must do so to align with the rule of law.
