Escobar: ZSO will be formed, even if Kurti doesn't want it

Escobar stressed that "Kosovo must now urgently move" and indicated that the establishment of the ZSO (Community of Serb Municipalities) is an international, legally undertaken obligation

US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar said in an interview with the Vienna daily Presse that the Community of Serb Municipalities must be formed and that the only question is whether Kosovo wants to wait for Euro-Atlantic integration until Prime Minister Albin Kurti fulfills his obligation.

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Escobar stressed that "Kosovo must now urgently move" and indicated that the establishment of the ZSO is an international, legally undertaken obligation.

"It does not depend on him. It is not an issue between Kurti and Serbia. It is an issue between Kosovo and Serbia. Even if Kurti does not want it, the ZSO will be formed," stressed Escobar when asked about Kurti's resistance to forming the ZSO.

He said that the only question is whether Kosovo wants to wait for Euro-Atlantic integration until the prime minister fulfills his obligations.

According to Escobar, if Kosovo does not want a new Serb Republic like in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then it must present its proposal of what it wants.

"They told us what they don't want. Now they have to tell us what they want, that's what we're waiting for," said Escobar.

Pristina's unwillingness to move forward on this issue, according to him, shows "an unwillingness to reconcile in its own country."

"Our message to Kosovo and Serbia is - until both sides implement the important agreements from the normalization agreement, it is not time for 'business as usual'," underlined Escobar.

He also said that Serbia should send a clear message that it does not tolerate violence, both against the KFOR peacekeeping forces and the Kosovo police.

(Telegraf.rs)