Don’t Trust Serbian or Kosovo ‘Kings’ to Achieve Peace

As the over-mighty presidents of Kosovo and Serbia meet again without revealing much about their talks, the question is whether either of them has the mandate, the willpower – or the interest – to reach a final deal.
The presidents of both Kosovo and Serbia paid visits to Washington this week, and again circumvented the governments of their respective countries, reportedly making promises they have no legal right to make.

That complaint is almost laughable, however. Both presidents have got the world and their own citizens used to the idea that they are the ultimate powerbrokers; all other state institutions, like parliaments and prime ministers, are there just for decoration.

Hashim Thaci and Aleksandar Vucic are well-known guests in Washington, and it would seem that they have already made a draft agreement of what they both call “a solution to the crisis” between their countries.

For years, both men have used the “dialogue” between Kosovo and Serbia to serve their own political aspirations.