Chairman of the Organization for European Security and Cooperation (OSCE) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, presented today to the heads of the OSCE missions in Belgrade, Pristina and Skopje a plan for the normalization of the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija.
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At a meeting with ambassadors Jan Bratu, Michael Davenport and Kilian Wall, Osmani presented a nine-step plan, which should enable the situation to be resolved and contribute to the achievement of peace and stability, as well as the return of Serbs to Kosovo’s institutions, the MIA agency reported.
Osmani pointed out that the OSCE has built a high level of trust among citizens through its long-term presence and engagement in Southeastern Europe, which is why it represents an extremely valuable resource that can help in the processes of normalization and improvement of trust-building measures.
According to him, the first step of his plan envisages that Kosovo and Serbia reaffirm their commitment to the basic agreement and the Ohrid Protocol.
The Ohrid agreement is good, and when we talk about the normalization of relations, the first principle is to respect what was agreed upon. We cannot talk about building trust if the agreements are not implemented, Osmani said.
As he stated, the second, third and fourth points are activities aimed at calming tensions on the ground.
Kosovo should withdraw its special forces, and Serbia should reduce its combat readiness. The Kosovo Police, together with KFOR and EULEX, must take care of the order and security of the country. The protests should be canceled and municipal functions restored, in order to ensure the normal functioning of life, said Osmani.
After calming down the situation, he added, in the next two points it is planned to resolve the political crisis caused by the local elections, which means that this summer the elected mayors in the disputed municipalities should resign, which would pave the way for new local elections.
According to his plan, extraordinary elections should be held by the end of the year and all political subjects from the north of Kosovo and Metohija would have to participate in them.
The last three points of the road map represent the role of the OSCE in the whole process.
The OSCE will support the electoral process through technical support to the Kosovo authorities, which will strengthen trust between communities. We will undertake a series of activities to engage young people in reconciliation programs and processes, and most importantly, the OSCE will make available its capacities to support both sides in the implementation of the agreed provisions and the continuation of the dialogue, said Osmani.
(FoNet)