Acting Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti has launched a stinging attack on US President Donald Trump’s acting national intelligence director, accusing him of meddling in Kosovo’s politics and helping to bring down Kurti’s former government with the goal of delivering a quick diplomatic victory for Trump.
Kurti is staying on as prime minister in an acting capacity after his coalition partners turned against him in a legislative vote last month that was egged on by US diplomats.
The upheaval was met with disbelief among many Kosovars, who wanted the government to focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kurti acknowledged the crisis had a local dimension, but accused US Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, who has been working on a potential deal for Serbia to recognize Kosovo, of being “directly involved” in pushing for the vote.
“My government was not overthrown for anything else, but simply because Ambassador Grenell was in a hurry to sign an agreement with Serbia,” Kurti told a news conference held via video link from Pristina.
A Trump loyalist, Grenell is US ambassador to Germany and was also appointed as the acting director for national intelligence, coordinating the work of 17 US intelligence agencies.
He previously caused controversy in Berlin by saying that he wanted to “empower” right-wing forces in Europe.
“What he [Grenell] needs is a quick deal to show they can fix crises in the world, perhaps in contrast to the Clintons, Bushes and Obamas, without any military intervention, and this can be presented as a success in this electoral year,” Kurti said.
He accused Grenell of being disinterested in the substance of any deal and of being focused only on getting “the signature on the bottom of the paper” as soon as possible.
After Trump’s failure to make progress on a deal with North Korea or in the Middle East, it is possible that the White House now sees the Balkans as the best bet for a diplomatic breakthrough, but time is running out before the US presidential election in November.
Belgrade refuses to recognize the independence of its former province, which split off from Serbia after a bloody crackdown by Belgrade triggered a NATO bombing campaign in 1999.
A deal would ideally pave the way for Kosovo to take up a seat at the UN and for both countries to become EU members in future. The most controversial aspect of discussions has been talk of a possible land swap. Parallel talks between the two countries have been held under EU auspices.
Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has proved more receptive than Kurti to US overtures, and Grenell on Sunday wrote on Twitter that he had spoken to Thaci and to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “to make clear they must start building confidence today in preparation” for dialogue.
He denied that he or anyone else in the discussions had mentioned a land swap.
Thaci on Sunday wrote on Twitter that he would form a new government this week, although it was unclear whether he can do so constitutionally without new elections.
The COVID-19 crisis would appear to make elections and any major protests against the situation impossible for now.
“They are hoping that coronavirus will last and people will have to stay indoors,” Kurti said.
As of Monday, Kosovo had 561 confirmed cases, with 12 deaths.
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