The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O’Brien, has said that the United States may not treat Kosovo as a partner if it makes decisions without consulting it, after the decision to ban the dinar.
In an interview with the Voice of America on Tuesday afternoon, O’Brien said: “I don’t make vague threats publicly. I would say, if we are not treated as partners, we will not treat the government of Kosovo as a partner either”.
Kosovo should withdraw from the decision on the dinar, says the senior American official. Although the United States had advised the Kosovo government against such action, it decided to implement it, without considering the advice of key partners, Mr. O’Brien says. Modern European countries, Mr. O’Brien says, resolve these issues with preliminary dialogue and inform residents in time. The American official said that he had several contacts with Prime Minister Kurti before the announcement of the decision and only a brief exchange after it was announced.
Asked about Kosovo-Serbia relations after the Ohrid agreements, Mr. O’Brien said that their implementation belongs to each party to undertake its own actions, unconditionally from the other party. Serbia, he said, has taken two important steps towards the de-facto recognition of Kosovo, such as the issue of license plates and customs documents. Asked whether Belgrade was behind the attack by the Serbian armed group in Banjska, Mr O’Brien said Serbia had replaced the intelligence chief who was involved in it, pulled troops close to the border with Kosovo and that Washington expected Serbia to prosecute the responsible persons.
A regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo which stipulates that the euro is the only currency that can be used for cash payments throughout the country entered into force on February 1, despite calls from the international community to postpone its implementation and opposition from Kosovo Serbs.
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