Kosovo institutional crisis may jeopardize talks

Two months after the government was formed, Kosovo got into an institutional crisis.

Pacolli, who was elected on February 22, finally made a statement. Even though he told Kosovo television that he would act in accordance with the Constitutional Court's decision, it is unknown whether his New Kosovo Alliance (AKR) will withdraw as well, which would mean the fall of the government.

According to Pristina-based Albanian language daily Koha Ditore, Pacolli will hand over his duties to Kosovo assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi. It is expected that he will first be served with the Constitutional Court's ruling, the daily writes.

There is also a question of how the institutional crisis in Kosovo would affect the Belgrade-Priština talks.

Serbian State Secretary for Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic that the newly-created institutional crisis could affect the continuation of the talks, whose second round should be completed on Monday in Brussels.

"As far as the negotiations are concerned, they are going in the organization of the Kosovo government. But I believe that this could be used to stop (the negotiations) until the election and completion process of the institutions in Kosovo is finished due to resistance that exists down there. The Albanians didn't understand the need for the negotiations since the very beginning, as if they entered them because they were forced by the international community," Ivanovic pointed out.

"When you have a suppressed feeling, it causes consequences sooner or later. The institutional crisis is a good excuse to stop the negotiations and give time for consolidation of the Priština's side which wanted to postpone the negotiations until the last moment," he concluded.