Kosovo: compromise plan puts Vučić under pressure
Representatives from the EU and the US presented a proposal for a settlement on the Kosovo issue in January. At a special session of the Serbian parliament, President Aleksandar Vučić has now stressed that although he does not want to let the West call the shots, a failure to go along with the plan would lead to the suspension of EU payments, investments and accession negotiations. Is he paving the way for a compromise?
Decisive moment in Serbia
People in Serbia are also slowly realising that a solution must somehow be found to the Kosovo issue, Telegram.hr notes:
“The atmosphere in Belgrade alternates between resignation and anger. ... And to all appearances, even Aleksandar Vučić is trying to assess which of these two moods will prevail and whether he has enough strength to cushion the rebellion of that part of the population that will surely demonstrate if the plan is adopted. His next steps will depend on this assessment. The Serbian Orthodox Church and the pro-European opposition will also play an important role.”
An opposition that is anything but
Peščanik reflects on the tumultuous scenes in the Serbian parliament with dismay:
“You betrayed Kosovo. No, YOU betrayed Kosovo. But who really betrayed Kosovo? ... Let's take a different approach: Do people live on this stretch of land? Yes. How do they live? Badly. Who's to blame for that? If this tiny piece of land were in Serbia, would its inhabitants live any better? No. Whose fault is that? ... If we had an opposition in Serbia, that's what we would hear. But that's not what happens here. The opposition never stops shouting Kosovo, Kosovo. But what it's saying is the same thing Vučić is saying. What will the so-called opposition say when he signs the treaty - or doesn't?”