Enough time
After the progress Serbia recently made toward improving its relationship with Priština, the country’s political leadership has brought forward an unrealistically ambitious platform for its future Kosovo policy. Even a superficial glance at the document suggests that Belgrade is looking to create another Republika Srpska with the potential to destabilize Kosovo at any time. Unsurprisingly, the Kosovo government has dismissed the platform as unacceptable; the Europeans for now seem to be rather cautious.
One reason for the ambitious platform is the praise that Serbian prime minister Ivica Dačić has received from the West for his pragmatic conduct in the negotiations with Hashim Thaçi. Encouraged, Belgrade is likely hoping that Brussels and Washington could be willing to put pressure on Priština to consider at least some of the ideas outlined. A difference compared to the usual practice is that in this platform Kosovo Serbs who live south of the Ibar river have for the first time been taken into account by a Serbian government.
Parts of the platform can be understood as an attempt to somehow accommodate divergent views and interests of various stakeholders. One of these is undoubtedly the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), whose leadership has already blasted the government for Dačić’s constructive approach to his ongoing talks with Thaçi. Given the level of influence and popularity that SPC enjoys among Serbs, domestic politicians would hardly dare to openly defy it.
The platform also helps two main parties of the ruling coalition – the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and Dačić’s Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) – create the impression that they are not going to “surrender without fight.” While they are both nominally pro-EU, a large portion of their voters are opposed to European integration.
Serbian opposition parties have reacted to the platform in a more or less expected fashion. Dragan Đilas, the new president of the formerly ruling Democratic Party (DS), considers most of its content to be out of touch with reality. Vojislav Koštunica of the conservative nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) is basically satisfied with the platform, albeit with some reservation. The clearly pro-Western Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) insists that the government must finally “tell people the truth about Kosovo” instead of prolonging the agony.
Unlike the Church, politicians, media and far-right extremists, ordinary people appear to have for the most part remained unmoved. This is potentially good news for leading government figures, allowing them to remove a number of controversial elements from the paper. Dačić has already stressed that the platform is not a “Holy Writ” and therefore can be amended. Likewise, SNS first deputy prime minister Aleksandar Vučić stated shortly after the platform was announced that Serbia must at all costs remain on the path of European integration if it is to avoid economic disaster.
The next round of talks between Dačić and Thaçi is scheduled for January 17. There is time for the platform to undergo revision before then, but a lot will depend on dynamics within the government itself. Judging from their recent statements, Dačić and Vučić are anticipating changes will be made in time.
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3 thoughts on “Enough time”
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Dear Milan
There is agenda in place called Ahtisaari’s plan. It is perfect for Serbian community who lives in Republic of Kosovo and most importantly is written by a neutral party. The international community including Russia also have approved Ahtisaari plan. Serbian platform is written to please ultranationalists and other extremist groups and has to nothing with reality on the ground.
In the whole Balkans there is no other plan or platform that protects the minority like Ahtisaari’s plan. The West is not going to bend policies especially for a small country like Serbia. Therefore I don’t see Kosovars starting any talks on Serbian platform when the agenda for talks is already known.
I fully agree with everything you wrote here. But the question is what people like you and me can do to put it in practice when we have no power to impose such ideas on Serbian decision makers? Much less we have a chance to become decision makers ourselves. So, let’s better focus on what we can really do given how limited our influence is.
They may tinker with the text, but it’s beginning to sound – especially from what Dacic is saying – that the negotiators will simply ignore the impossible provisions, the way most Holy Writ is ignored in practice, and deal with getting any agreements reached with Prishtina through Parliament when the time comes. With inflation at 13% it’s easy to see why ordinary people aren’t much interested in what is beginning to look like a political stunt that isn’t coming off.