In its written response to RFE, the EU emphasized that it has continuously asked Serbia to promote this process, and Kosovo to enable the return to justice institutions of Serbian members of that system, in accordance with the dialogue agreements and Kosovo’s legislation.

The EU spokesperson also said that both parties must create the necessary conditions to fulfill these obligations, and avoid actions that could further complicate the process.

At the end of November 2022, representatives of the Serbian community collectively withdrew from Kosovo’s institutions. This action came in opposition to the Kosovo Government’s decision to phase out the use of vehicle license plates issued by Serbia and replace them with Kosovo plates.

In addition to police officials and local administration staff, around 130 judges, prosecutors, and judicial administrative employees resigned in the four northern Serb-majority municipalities: North Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zvečan, and Zubin Potok.

The issue of these resignations, still unresolved, was raised again in mid-June. Kosovo’s acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, asked the Kosovo Judicial Council and the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council to complete the relevant procedures “without delays,” arguing that their prolongation is affecting the proper functioning of the justice system.

The Kosovo Judicial Council told Radio Free Europe that it had received the letter on June 19 and that the topic will be addressed in one of the upcoming meetings, according to constitutional and legal competencies.

On the other hand, the Prosecutorial Council did not respond to Radio Free Europe’s request for comment.

The mass withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo’s institutions was an initiative of the Serbian List and was supported by the authorities in Belgrade.

After the resignations, the employees in question received temporary contracts and continued to receive salaries from Serbia’s budget.

However, over time, some of them who did not support the Serbian List lost this income, while the opportunity to return to their previous jobs was also lost.

After a series of crises in northern Kosovo, which peaked with the armed attack against the Kosovo Police in Banjska in 2023, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić requested the return of Serbs to the Kosovo Police and justice institutions.

Even the Serbian List, before last year’s local elections, admitted that the decision to withdraw from Kosovo’s institutions had been a mistake.

Kosovo authorities, led by Albin Kurti, have assessed that the return of Serbs to Kosovo’s institutions should not be treated politically, but as a legal and constitutional matter. / RFE

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Following the meeting, the British diplomat described as highly productive the discussions held with Lieutenant General Bashkim Jashari, commander of the Kosovo Security Force, and acting Minister of Defence Maqedonci, also attended by the British defence attaché and adviser.

During the talks, Hargreaves stressed that the United Kingdom’s commitment to assist the KSF on its path of development was reaffirmed, with the aim of aligning it with NATO standards and mechanisms, as well as deepening interaction with the British Armed Forces.

This cooperation contributes to creating a more stable future for Kosovo and the entire region, Ambassador Hargreaves concluded.

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In circumstances where every vote and every partnership could carry significant weight, it remains unclear how far compromises between political parties will go and whether there will be an agreement or a continuation of the political deadlock. It also remains uncertain which party could more easily cooperate with the Vetëvendosje Movement and under what conditions this cooperation could be built.

Speaking to “Bota sot” on this issue, political analyst Gani Qarri said that now that contacts between the parties have begun, he hopes a political agreement will be reached.

According to him, if that does not happen, citizens may be forced to return once again to the ballot boxes for new elections.

“The Central Election Commission (CEC), about a month after they were held, has certified the results of the snap parliamentary elections, but whether they have truly brought a solution as well depends on the political parties, something that is expected to be seen soon, since talks have already begun and, this time, they should finally result in an agreement, whether for coalition governance or at least for the election of a consensual president.

Otherwise, if no agreement is reached again and citizens are once more forced to turn to the ballot boxes, each political entity and every local political leader, before deciding on repeating the elections, must thoroughly justify their actions and clearly explain to citizens what will happen after the next elections. Otherwise, citizens may massively boycott the elections and no longer respond to politicians’ calls to participate in voting,” he said.

Commenting on the position of the LDK, Qarri stressed that, in his assessment, the party should not make Vjosa Osmani’s candidacy for president a condition for LVV, as such an approach could trigger reactions from other parties.

“On the other hand, the LDK should also not come out with the condition that Vjosa Osmani must necessarily be a candidate for president of the country, because this causes reactions from other parties and brings about a repositioning of the entire political spectrum in the country, an act which could provoke opposition from some quarters. Given that the PDK, even after the previous elections, was against Mrs. Osmani’s candidacy, while the AAK, or at least Ramush Haradinaj personally, has also put himself forward for the post of president, not to mention its problems with LVV, based on the above-mentioned reasons, if not all, then at least two or three parties may come out against Vjosa Osmani’s candidacy, which also jeopardizes reaching an agreement.”

He further spoke about the situation awaiting the country, underlining that the two largest opposition parties are going through internal difficulties.

In particular, he focused on the LDK and the opposition to its chairman. According to him, these internal divisions could also affect the presidential voting process if an eventual agreement is reached with LVV.

“However efforts currently under way to reach a possible inter-party agreement on the election of the president may vary, what is known is the fact that both main opposition parties continue to face internal problems. In fact, the current chairman of the LDK, while it is said that more than 150 signatures have been collected for holding the Assembly and their number continues to grow, may in a short time no longer be the valid person to negotiate on behalf of the LDK. Therefore, even if Abdixhiku is not completely removed from the position of chairman, not all of the party’s MPs may obey him in the vote for president or, even worse, with the deepening of disagreements, separate factions may also be created and the party may split permanently, which makes any agreement that may be reached between LVV and LDK even more uncertain, which, unfortunately, at the moment truly finds itself in complete agony.

It is surprising that the momentum of the problems raised within the LDK erupted precisely at the time when its current chairman declared himself ready to reach an inter-party agreement with LVV, so as not to send the country once again to new elections, which again may not bring a solution and may even further complicate the political situation in the country. For this reason, there is also suspicion that the problem currently appearing in the LDK did not come only as a result of dissatisfaction with the results of the June 7 national elections, but it seems as though there are forces within this party that have chosen this sudden way of acting precisely as a form of obstructing the possible coalition of joint governance between the LDK and LVV, as well as the resolution of the issue of electing the country’s president,” he explained.

According to Qarri, judging by current developments, negotiations between the parties are not expected to be easy at all. He also left open the possibility that the country could once again face political deadlock.

The analyst also stopped on the contacts between LVV and PDK, stressing that these talks should not end without a political agreement.

“Considering that even at these decisive moments the situation is not at all simple and it is well known that the process of electing the president once again has strong blocking potential, which, besides producing new political challenges, could again lead to the return of political stalemates and the repetition of snap elections, the prime minister and the winning party should now focus more than last time on talks with the PDK, because the country has been delayed too much and Kosovo no longer has time to lose, nor the luxury of going once again to snap elections.

And, if Bedri Hamza’s conditions are not against the interests of the country and do not present obstacles to the normal functioning of the Government and state institutions, the talks should not end without an agreement, but the necessary compromises should be made for the sake of Kosovo and getting the country out of its current unenviable political and institutional situation, from which no one benefits and we all lose. Therefore, this is the decisive moment for the three main parties to enter talks to find a solution and not to produce justifications, with the perfidious aim that the country should once again be forced to go to elections, while the fictitious participation of party leaders in meetings with the prime minister is misused, as last time, to shift blame to the other side for the failure to reach an agreement.”

In conclusion, Qarri also mentioned the risk posed by another political deadlock and publicly appealed for the parties, at least this time, to agree on the election of a consensual president.

He also added that the country’s president should be elected by the people, through the necessary constitutional changes.

“Knowing that this is not the first legislature that could once again bring the Assembly to the brink of dissolution, or even self-dissolution, precisely because of disagreements over the election of the president, if no agreement is reached and political parties are once again left room for Assembly sessions to fail one after another, ‘for lack of quorum,’ while the sides deliberately return to the now familiar claims of blaming one another for imposing elections and a return to the ballot boxes on citizens for the second time within this year and for the fourth time within less than two years, this truly would be one of the greatest challenges for the country and one of the most undesirable acts for the state and its citizens, the severe consequences of which no one can accurately predict in advance, which I hope does not happen.

Based on the bitter experience of inter-party disagreements over the election of the president in the Assembly, which have repeatedly led Kosovo to snap elections, we make a public appeal that at least this time an inter-party agreement be reached on a consensual president. Immediately after the election of the president, the double majority must be secured and the amendments for the necessary constitutional changes must by all means be voted in the Assembly by the new legislature, so that from now on the country’s president is elected directly by the people and no longer by the Assembly, if we want such highly negative situations for Kosovo not to be repeated in the future as well, after national elections are held in our country,” Gani Qarri concluded to “Bota sot”.

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Acting Prime Minister and leader of the winning party, Albin Kurti, told the media today that the process is currently awaiting the completion of the certification of results and the review of complaints.

He stressed that only after this step will the necessary political discussions begin.

“First we must wait for the certification of the election results, and the handling of complaints, and then without losing time we will have the necessary communications and discussions,” Kurti said.

On the other hand, acting Trade Minister Mimoza Kusari-Lila believes that difficult talks lie ahead for the winning party and the other parties.

On Wednesday, she said that the coalition she represents will present an official position and that she expects the other entities to do the same, since so far, according to her, only general statements have been heard from party representatives and not official decisions, with the exception of the Alliance.

According to Kusari-Lila, the political developments after the June 7 elections appear more complicated than in previous processes, because more than one position is being seen within the other parties regarding possible political agreements or coalitions.

She assessed that this situation makes it more difficult to create new institutions and reach an agreement.

“Up to now, what I have heard, at least, have been general statements from party representatives, but not at the level of decisions by these parties. I exclude people from the Alliance, which has come out concretely. At the moment of certification of the results, official communication with official positions should begin. In our case it is the leader of the largest party in the coalition, Prime Minister Albin Kurti. In other positions are party leaders, who should present the party’s official position, but also that of the group of deputies they have. Because the situation is a bit more complicated than in past elections, when today from one parliamentary grouping or from one political entity there are two or three positions. This is greatly complicating and will complicate the constitution of institutions or an agreement between the election-winning entity and the other parties,” Kusari said.

Gazmend Halilaj, a member of the “Guxo” Movement, told the newspaper “Bota sot” that Kusari-Lila’s statement realistically reflects the current political situation.

He underlined that LVV, as the winner of the elections, has the duty to hold talks with all parliamentary entities, while the other parties must also place the interest of the state above party calculations.

“The statement by acting Trade Minister Mimoza Kusari-Lila that the country faces difficult negotiations after the certification of the election results is a realistic reflection of the political situation, but at the same time it does not diminish the fact that the Vetëvendosje Movement remains the force with the greatest citizen legitimacy and with the first right to lead the process of forming institutions. As the winner of the elections, LVV has the responsibility to hold talks with all parliamentary entities, while the other parties also have the responsibility to place the state interest above party calculations. Despite the statements so far, politics is the art of compromise and negotiations often bring new dynamics, especially when it comes to creating functional institutions,” Halilaj said.

According to him, the main problem lies in the lack of willingness of some parties to cooperate with the winner of the elections.

Halilaj warned that if a political agreement is not reached in the first weeks after certification, the country could face delays in the constitution of institutions.

“The main obstacle remains the lack of willingness of some parties to cooperate with the winner of the elections, as well as differences in political programs and demands over the division of institutional responsibilities. However, public pressure for stability and the functioning of institutions is expected to influence the parties to reflect. If a political agreement is not reached in the first weeks after certification, the country risks facing delays in the constitution of institutions, in the approval of important decisions and in advancing development and integration processes. Such a situation would create political and institutional uncertainty, but at the same time would increase expectations for political entities to show maturity and responsibility. In this context, LVV has the opportunity to prove that it is ready to build bridges of cooperation on the basis of its program, the public interest and respect for the will of the citizens, aiming to create a stable and effective government,” the member added.

In the June 7 elections, the Vetëvendosje Movement, in a pre-election coalition with Guxo and Alternativa, came first with 47.13% and 53 seats. The Democratic Party of Kosovo won 19.44% and 22 seats, the Democratic League of Kosovo 16.69% and 18 seats, while the Alliance won 6.74% and seven seats.

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While Washington speaks of planned talks, Tehran insists there is no meeting at the negotiating level in the coming days.

First through a post on the Truth Social platform and then speaking to reporters at the White House, Donald Trump referred to contacts that, he said, would take place on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar.

“There will be a meeting about this tomorrow in Doha. They will go to Qatar, I think they have already left or are preparing to leave. We will see how it goes,” he said.

The American president described the talks as “perhaps important, perhaps not,” leaving open the possibility of their outcome.

Trump claimed that the United States has made significant progress in efforts to denuclearize Iran.

“I would say it has been almost won militarily,” he said, adding that Washington’s main goal remains that Tehran never acquires nuclear weapons.

In fact, he expressed the view that Iran has already agreed not to acquire nuclear capability.

At the same time, according to two US officials cited by CNN, US special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Doha.

It is still not known whether he is traveling with the American president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Meanwhile, a senior US official told CNN that technical talks on implementing the memorandum of understanding are continuing as normal, despite the recent exchange of fire in the area.

For its part, Iran continues to maintain that no negotiating meeting with the United States at any level has been planned in the coming days.

Tehran stresses that its priority remains the implementation of the provisions of the memorandum of understanding and not the opening of negotiations for a final agreement.

The divergence in public positions from Washington and Tehran creates uncertainty regarding the content and nature of the contacts expected to take place in Qatar.

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