Thaci: Sovereignty and state unity are non-negotiable

24/11/2008

In an exclusive interview with Southeast European Times correspondent Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci discusses EULEX deployment and other key issues facing the country.

By Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 24/11/08

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. [Getty Images]

Ten months since declaring independence, Kosovo still faces uncertainties. The new state has not been able to extend its authority to Serb enclaves in the north, which are resisting any attempt to bring them under the control of Kosovo institutions.

An EU mission intended to take over from UNMIK has been hampered by international disagreement. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has been trying to hash out a plan for EULEX deployment that would be acceptable both to Belgrade and Pristina, but Serbia – which has powerful allies on the Security Council – was cool to his initial set of proposals.

An amended version of Ban's six-point plan has received a green light from Belgrade, but now an obstacle comes from the other side. Kosovo leaders oppose the amended plan, saying it would threaten the country's sovereignty.

At issue is a provision calling for the UN to retain control of the police in majority Serb areas, while the EU would oversee police in the majority Albanian ones.

Kosovo leaders see the UN plan as a setback to their efforts to bring the northern enclaves under the direct control of Kosovo institutions. At worst, they say, it could amount to a de facto partition.

Meanwhile, Kosovo's efforts to win international recognition have continued, with increasing success. Macedonia and Montenegro recognised the new country last month, and even Greece – considered a firm ally of Serbia – has signaled it may make such a move in the near future.

Pristina wants Serb enclaves in the north brought under control of Kosovo institutions; Belgrade opposes such a move. [Getty Images]

Southeast European Times correspondent Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi recently interviewed Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, tapping his views on some of the hot issues facing the world's newest country.

Southeast European Times: Kosovo is now at the tenth month after independence. At what stage is the state building process?

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci: The independent and sovereign state of Kosovo is under consolidation. In the international field, the recognition process is continuing, despite some obstacles, while in the interior field, the process of establishing all required institutional mechanisms for a democratic state is continuing.

SETimes: You have indicated your opposition to the UN's [amended] six-point plan for EULEX deployment. What are your main objections?

Thaci: Pristina made its position clear. Every document or plan that [opposes the] constitution and the sovereignty of Kosovo state cannot be accepted. Sovereignty is non-negotiated, state unity unquestionable.

The logic of this plan produces division … [and] opens the perspective for continuing destabilisation. Who is interested in this? Only the remnants of the 'dark' structures of the near past. Democracy and Kosovo unity are in the interest of peace and stability in the region, as a basic premise for the integration perspective.

SETimes: Is there any mechanism that will allow Kosovo Serbs to integrate at a later stage within Kosovo institutions?

Thaci: We have offered institutional guarantees for respecting the citizens' rights of the Kosovo Serb community. Regardless of ethnic background, all the citizens will have the same rights in the state of Kosovo. I strongly believe in the idea that equal treatment produces integration.

SETimes: Do you think Kosovo's rejection of the plan endangers the country's partnership with Western countries?

The government is working to create an adequate environment for the development of the economy, Thaci said. [Getty Images]

Thaci: No. The partnership with the Western democratic world is continuing and our partnership is irrevocable. We said "no" to the plan that breaks the unity of our state. Moreover, we said "yes" to the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. Our partnership with the Western world is more than a partnership. It is the trust, value and vision of all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo.

We have welcomed and we are continuing to welcome the deployment of the mission of EULEX in the Republic of Kosovo. The Kosovo institutions now have a very good co-operation with international structures in Kosovo. We are entering the very difficult process of our Euro-Atlantic integration. This presence in Kosovo is helpful for us to achieve progress in a very short period in this national project.

SETimes: What have you done so far to improve the economy? We have seen some projects going on in infrastructure, but what are the other concrete plans you will undertake to improve the situation?

Thaci: The government is working with all its capacities to create an adequate environment for the development of the economy. Kosovo is [in the sights] of many foreign investors who are interested in investing in the Republic of Kosovo, and we will offer all institutional guarantees in order to entice them to start work in Kosovo.

SETimes: We have not seen any implementation of funds from the Donors' Conference. When will that happen, and what kind of impact will it have on economic growth in Kosovo?

Thaci: The process of implementation of these funds is in the first step. We need some time to see the effect, which will affect in the development of the economy. Through this development, we will ease unemployment and hardship. The Donors' Conference was the expression of the trust that democratic world has in our capacities as a state. I guarantee that I will not disappoint the friends of Kosovo.