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| Gabriel Escobar (archive) |
The stance of the United States of America regarding the tensions created in northern Kosovo is clear: the government led by Albin Kurti is at fault, as it did not listen to the advice of the international community.
In an interview with "BBC RADIO," the U.S. Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, once again pointed the finger at Kurti, stating that the tensions in the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok, and Leposaviq were a result of the Prime Minister's unwillingness to listen to the international community, local media say.
"This escalation was partly a result of the Kosovo side's lack of willingness to listen to the international community, insisting on the use of municipal properties. It was important for us to build trust between communities in everything. Unfortunately, our efforts to coordinate with the Government of Kosovo were met with opposition," Escobar said.
According to the senior U.S. official, Kurti had promised that the new leaders in the north would only exercise administrative authority until a solution was found.
"There was no need to enter those buildings. They don't have any real value. They are mostly dry now. Kurti assured us that those mayors would only exercise administrative authorities to perform basic municipal services, but it turned into a clash of wills between those who did not want the new mayors to assume their duties and those who insisted that the mayors be present in those municipalities for symbolic reasons," he said, among other things.
Washington has presented specific requests to the Prime Minister to calm the situation.
"We have instructed him to remove the mayors from the municipal buildings, to remove police officials from the buildings, and then urgently initiate discussions on the formation of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities," Escobar said.