Pristina daily: Demarcation idea with Belgrade is not dead

The daily said Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci and his Serbia’s counterpart Aleksandar Vucic initiated the idea and got on board the European Union diplomacy chief and the Brussels dialogue mediator Federica Mogherini, as well as the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn.

Koha Ditore added the EU officials did not envisage a strong opposition to the idea in Kosovo, but inside the bloc as well.The daily’s diplomatic source said they believed that “not well-deliberated idea” was an attempt to help Vucic to “get something (in the dialogue) so that Serbia doesn’t look like a looser,” what would make Kosovo’s recognition easier.

But, the daily added those who supported the demarcation idea did not have much of an experience with the Balkans.

“They thought the two presidents would not have a big problem in getting support for the idea by their respective peoples. And they were wrong. They were even more surprised how strongly Great Britain, Germany, Croatia and some other EU states opposed the idea. They believed they could isolate Germany which has been the strongest opponent from the start,” the daily said.

It added that the EU insisted that an agreement should be acceptable to both sides and all the EU members, in line with the international law, the bloc’s standards and that it contributed to the stability of the region.

The diplomats told the daily that request for the regional stability excluded the border changes since they could only harm the region.

Thaci has been advocating the so-called border correction under which he means the annexation of three municipalities with ethnic Albanian majority in southern Serbia and no changes to Kosovo borders.

He faces stiff opposition at home, especially by the Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and the opposition, fearing that would mean “the north for the south,” i.e. that Serb-populated municipalities in Kosovo’s north would be a part of Serbia in return.

On the other side, Vucic said he favoured “the separation with the Albanians,” both did not elaborate.

Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said the demarcation was an option that could be discussed.