Grenell's ready: "Serious dialogue" between Belgrade and Pristina is expected

Grenell's ready: "Serious dialogue" between Belgrade and Pristina is expected

In addition to the position of US ambassador, Grenell left the duties of the director of the National Intelligence Service to John Ratcliffe.

After leaving important positions, the envoy of the President of the United States can dedicate himself to the issue of Kosovo, Kosovo online reports.

This diplomat, who was appointed Special Envoy by US President Donald Trump in October, announced last month that a "serious dialogue" would begin when the reciprocity measures introduced by Albin Kurti's government were lifted.

Since Washington expects a new cabinet to be formed in Pristina very soon, which will annul Kurti's decision, Grenell may already be sketching his "work plan".

According to "Novosti", Grenell, in his short mandate as an envoy, reached an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on the renewal of the airline, and a statement of intent was signed on the renewal of railway traffic and the completion of the highway between the two cities.

Professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences Dragan Djukanovic says for Kosovo online that he expects Grenell to move from economic field to the political domain very soon.

"Now we are waiting for the establishment of a new government in Pristina, as well as for the elections for the Serbian parliament to be completed, so that the dialogue will gain momentum in the summer."

"Grenell could direct the story towards the status of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the issues of the SSO, as well as the protection of the Serbian cultural heritage, but also all other agreements whose parts have not been implemented so far," Djukanovic pointed out.

If the American diplomat takes it upon himself to complete the work started by Brussels, the question arises as to what Miroslav Lajcak, the EU representative for dialogue between the two sides, will do.

Djukanovic says that there are no excessive expectations from Lajcak, because the EU does not have pressure mechanisms to encourage dialogue, and at this moment, the United States cares more about reaching a solution.

Former head of the Serbian mission to the Council of Europe, Zoran Milivojevic, also says that, regardless of the letter from the foreign ministers of Germany and France, Heiko Mass and Jean-Yves Le Drian, in which they emphasize that it is high time to renew the dialogue, America will have primacy in the coming period. At least until the US election in November.

"Washington should not be expected to stand aside. Without the United States and the Security Council, there are no solutions. I assume that Grenell will first look to materialize the agreements that have already been reached under his mediation, such as the airline, that he will come up with another idea and that he will certainly move on to political issues. In general, these first agreements are also politics. It is very important that it has been officially confirmed that Grenell remains a mediator in the dialogue, and he will persist in what he started", Milivojevic concludes, as Kosovo online reports.