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Take 5 min to read this thread & you’ll understand why the rose-garden treaty @WhiteHouse with land-swaps failed & why @albinkurti was right.
Those following dialogue btw
&
know that it started after a resolution by at 
in Sept 2010, after @CIJ_ICJ ruling in favor of
Those following dialogue btw
& know that it started after a resolution by at in Sept 2010, after @CIJ_ICJ ruling in favor of
The dialogue started as technical in March 2011 but w/ agrm of Feb 2012 on Footnote; April 2013 on Association of Serb Municipalities (ASM) & Aug 2015 on a detailed ASM, it entered into deep political waters, reopening closed issues such as Kosova’s soverignty & independence.
This deterioration of dialogue at #Brussels, worsened when @HashimThaciRKS & @avucic started pushing for a historic agrm with land-swaps where parts of Albanian populated areas in Serbia would join Kosova whereas northern parts in Kosova would join Serbia. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/world/europe/kosovo-partition-aleksandar-vucic.html
@FedericaMog, who was acting as mediator, had agreed to this idea of land-swaps and started a campaign to convince EU member states. So, at this point, the land-swaps idea becomes an agenda which has the backing of the EU mediator.
https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_a_burning_issue_how_to_restart_the_dialogue_between_serbia_and_k
https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_a_burning_issue_how_to_restart_the_dialogue_between_serbia_and_k
On July 20 2018, @HashimThaciRKS for the 1st time says that Kosova is ready for a painful compromise.
This prompts a massive protest by @LVetevendosje on Sept, 2018 where close to 100.000 people protest against the idea of land-swaps. https://kosovotwopointzero.com/en/could-kosovo-and-serbia-really-exchange-territory/
This prompts a massive protest by @LVetevendosje on Sept, 2018 where close to 100.000 people protest against the idea of land-swaps. https://kosovotwopointzero.com/en/could-kosovo-and-serbia-really-exchange-territory/
The protest doesn’t stop @HashimThaciRKS from further promoting this idea, and lobbying contracts reveal that he was lobbying in major capitals of Europe, including Washington to convince them on the land-swap idea. https://prishtinainsight.com/more-land-swap-lobbying-uncovered/
Lobbying works and on Dec 3rd 2018, Trump writes letters to both presidents @HashimThaciRKS & @avucic inviting them to rose garden to celebrate a historic accord. The letter by Trump sheds more lights on a ready-made deal which was waiting to be signed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-dangles-rose-garden-treaty-moment-in-quiet-peace-effort-between-serbia-and-kosovo/2019/01/06/b32f0d76-1067-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html
At this point it becomes clear that @realDonaldTrump administration and @FedericaMog EU are rallying behind the idea of land-swaps pushed by two presidents @avucic & @HashimThaciRKS but it is Germany who oposes. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-and-eubut-not-germany-support-land-swap-in-balkans-1538226000
On 29 April, the Berlin Summit fails to relaunch dialogue but it also brings into surface disagreement between EU & US and between Germany and France with regard to land-swap ideas. https://www.politico.eu/article/merkel-macron-balkans-serbia-kosovo/
W/ Trump open to land-swap idea & looking for a quick deal & a photograph at rose-garden, on Oct. 3rd he appoints @RichardGrenell as Presidential Special Envoy for Kosova-Serbia talks. Grenell engages directly with Thaci, a proponent of the land-swap idea. https://www.dw.com/en/trump-ally-richard-grenells-kosovo-serbia-post-a-mixed-bag-for-rapprochement/a-50702881
Oct. 6 elections make @albinkurti a winner & this changes all calculations & investments they made for a land-swap agrm, including a $110,000 consulting agrm btw PDK party of @HashimThaciRKS & Samuel Nunberg, a former aide to Donald Trump. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2019/10/03/nunberg-working-on-kosovo-elections-484953
With @albinkurti prime minister, land-swap ideas and quick deals were dead. So, @RichardGrenell and @HashimThaciRKS engaged in overthrowing the Kurti gov. to open path for their deal. Junior partner LDK, breaks under Thaci & Grenell pressure & withdraw. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/20/kosovan-acting-pm-accuses-trump-envoy-of-meddling
Former Trump’s NSA @AmbJohnBolton confirms land-swaps: “In the case of & there were indications as early as 2018 that the leaders wanted to get these questions resolved…One of the things they were discussing was the possibility of a land swap…” https://exit.al/en/2020/07/05/john-bolton-kosovo-and-serbia-leaders-discussed-land-swap/
& there were indications as early as 2018 that the leaders wanted to get these questions resolved…One of the things they were discussing was the possibility of a land swap…” https://exit.al/en/2020/07/05/john-bolton-kosovo-and-serbia-leaders-discussed-land-swap/
So, there was no doubt that the dialogue at Washington and signing ceremony at rose-garden were to happen due to an agrm with land-swaps as pursued by two presidents. But this idea was hit once by massive protests by @LVetevendosje, then by @haradinajramush & @albinkurti as PM.
The last nail in the coffin of land-swap idea and the signing ceremony at rose-garden was given by Special Court on June 24th this year which made it impossible for @HashimThaciRKS, the main proponent of land-swap idea, to lead the meeting @WhiteHouse & deliver on his promises.
For those who say that a bad deal was not going to be signed @WhiteHouse, please read above.
If on Sept 4 we didn’t witness a rose-garden agrm, is largely bcs the idea was fiercely rejected, especially by @albinkurti
This does not mean that yesterday’s deal is good.
If on Sept 4 we didn’t witness a rose-garden agrm, is largely bcs the idea was fiercely rejected, especially by @albinkurti
This does not mean that yesterday’s deal is good.
On the contrary, it is a bad deal & one which will hunt future governments, but the drastic mistakes were avoided and prevented.
Now we need new elections in Kosova and a new legitimate government to lead the dialogue and hopefully the #EU has learned the lesson by now.
Now we need new elections in Kosova and a new legitimate government to lead the dialogue and hopefully the #EU has learned the lesson by now.
