Pristina now has only one goal: To get to Gazivode Lake! But the real plan is far more sinister

The Pristina delegation, led by the chief negotiator in dialogue with Belgrade Avni Arifi, traveled to Brussels, as it was announced, "to a regular exchange of opinions within the dialogue". Arifi has announced that he will ask European mediators to talk about energy. This is in line with the opinion of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, who previously stated that the technical part of the negotiations was stopped because Kosovo insists on the implementation of the energy agreement. However, behind this statement, the plan is far more sinister.

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Initially, the Pristina side allegedly canceled participation in the technical dialogue in early June. The European Commission did not comment on this move, but Haradinaj said that the technical part was stopped because Kosovo insists on the implementation of the energy agreement, and Belgrade wants, first of all, the establishment of the Community of Serb municipalities.

- It has been some time since the technical dialogue was stopped, precisely because of this situation. We considered that it is useless to sit by the desks if the energy was not the number one topic. We are not rejecting other topics, but this should be at the top of the list - Haradinaj said.

Foto: Tanjug/AP

If Haradinaj says that the energy is number one topic, that it means the center of that topic is the lake Gazivode.

Temporary Pristina institutions want to own Gazivode at all costs because Pristina and several Kosovo municipalities are supplied with water from the lake. The Ibar-Lepenica hydro system irrigates a part of central Kosovo, and the thermal power plants in Obilic is being "cooled" with water from Gazivoda, so they would not be able to work if the water stops coming from there.

Foto: Wikipedia/Shkumbin Saneja

The entire area of the lake is located 20% in Serbia, and 80 percent on the territory of Zubin Potok, in the north of Kosovo. Everything is maintained from the money from Serbia, that is by Serbs, and no one else invests in that system. The production of drinking water and electricity for Pristina directly depends from Gazivode. 

It is clear then why Haradinaj insists on applying the energy agreement. However, the truth is completely different.

Jezero Gazivode Foto: Wikipedia/ Bobik

The Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic recently said that there are no agreements in that area when it comes to the agreements Serbia had to fulfill from energy treaty.

- They think that because of the pressure from two western countries we have to give Gazivode and Valac. They are just interested in occupying the north - he said adding that they want to take our electrical network.

Vucic reminded that the Pristina authorities were offered to run it, but they refused.

He pointed out that Gazivode is located in the territory of central Serbia and partly in the territory of Zubin Potok, and that the Pristina authorities have never been interested in hearing and listening to the arguments of the Serbian side.

- We don't have an energy agreement. They lie and make things up, and they do that openly - Vucic concluded.

The Brussels agreement opened the question of who will manage Lake Gazivoda, dam, and hydroelectric power station.

Belgrade advocates to keep the part of the complex "Gazivode" under control of future Community of Serbian Municipalities and that Zubin Potok - where the dam, hydroelectric power station, and a part of the lake are located - to manage this resource.

- It is not true that Belgrade isn't doing anything, and the only thing that is true is that Pristina runs away from the dialogue and that they are prepared to talk only with themselves - deputy director of the Kosovo and Metohija Office Dusan Kozarev said, responding to Arifi's statement.

- Belgrade has fulfilled all obligations taken over by the First Brussels Agreement, and Pristina and its chief negotiator Avni Arifi persistently seek to find justification to unilateral avoidance of the dialogue - he said.

Foto: Tanjug/Rade Prelić

Although Pristina states that the continuation of the dialogue is not useful, Belgrade emphasizes that dialogue is useful, and also necessary, because everything else takes us a step back, into destabilization and worsening of the situation on the field, reported in the statement.

- Pristina has adopted unilateralism and non-co-operation as a model of behavior, and an effective response to such a negotiating strategy needs to be found in order to continue the dialogue - Kozarev concluded.

(Telegraf.co.uk / M. Ivas / marko.ivas@telegraf.rs)