The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, presented, on Monday 12 June, to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, a five-point document aimed at putting an end to tensions in the north of the country. The past few weeks have been marred by violence in the region following the election of Albanian mayors in four Serb-majority municipalities (see EUROPE 13190/20).
As a first step, the Kosovar Prime Minister said it was urgent to re-establish the Rule of law in the municipalities affected by the violence. This would result, he added, in legal action being taken against the perpetrators of the violence. Some 700 NATO troops had been deployed to the region to try to contain them.
In addition, Mr Kurti suggested that the national police and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) - the multinational armed force implemented by NATO - should carry out security assessments every 15 days. In the Prime Minister’s view, this would “guarantee a safe and secure environment for all and support measures relating to the Rule of law”.
The question of new elections in the region, announced on 2 June by Mr Kurti (see EUROPE 13193/16), is also part of Pristina’s plan to end tensions. In this context, said Albin Kurti, the Kosovar government should coordinate with all the players concerned in order to organise early elections.
The Prime Minister is also calling on Belgrade to engage in dialogue with Pristina in Brussels in order to implement the agreements relating to the normalisation of relations between the two countries (see EUROPE 13145/5). Lastly, he suggested an “immediate withdrawal of violent groups from the country” and a “downgrading” of the security forces in several municipal buildings in the north of the country. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)