Vladeta Jankovic/BETAPHOTO/NENAD PETROVIC/
Former ambassador Vladeta Jankovic said on Sept. 27 that no severe armed conflict could erupt as long as NATO remained in Kosovo, even allowing for the possibility of an unforeseen and uncontrollable isolated incident.
Jankovic told BETA that what should be anticipated as the denouement of the crisis in northern Kosovo and Metohija was the establishment of a form of status quo, where Serbs, as always, will be the losing side, with no chance of regaining the ground lost. Asked about his take on the current situation in northern Kosovo, Jankovic said it appeared more alarming than it was.
"If we're talking about the causes, you could say that, for (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic, the time has come to pay the piper. He made a series of big concessions as far back as 2013 and 2016 -- handovers of Serb institutions, participation in elections and the government, Gazivode and a lot more, and then picked a bad time to supposedly draw the line at pointless license plates. Opposite him he has a tough nut in (Kosovo Premier Albin) Kurti, who isn't encumbered by a Hague mortgage and is openly desirous of unification with Albania, while both have elections coming up," Jankovic said.
He added that both Kurti and Vucic benefit from the fanning of patriotic flames, and that "a crisis like the one at Jarinje is perfect for that."
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