Exclusive Interview with the coming new Prime-Minister of Kosova Haradinaj: The new government – functioning and inclusive - Kosova Newspapers

‘My belief is that the international community has in a front of them a coalition government and it will also have institutions that will be capable of successfully implementing Kosovo’s agenda,’ said Haradinaj.

‘The political life in Kosovo has undergone certain developments and I think that is worth appreciating. This is our first experience of acting in Kosovo institutions and having an opposition at the same time… What I can say at this point is that the coalition government is serious about its work and responsibilities.’

‘We will have a government that will not only be functional but also inclusive with the best experts in Kosovo and I am certain that during this mandate we will achieve the expected results. I also want to say that we will ensure the necessary room for the opposition so that it is informed about the work of the government and play its role in the political and institutional life.’

Commenting on the implementation of standards as a precondition to start talks on Kosovo’s final status, Haradinaj was quoted as saying, ‘We have made the necessary preparations for this. We have prepared the action plan for the first six months. This plan is being discussed and in it we have envisaged the actions of the Kosovo Government that are needed to achieve success by mid-2005. We are planning to accelerate the process of decentralization and the work of the working group. We will also work in economic development… we believe that the new government in cooperation with other mechanisms operating in Kosovo will start the economic revival and by doing so ensure that our focus on priorities, which are the standards for Kosovo, enable at the same time an overall development of Kosovo.’

Asked to comment on interethnic relations and the dilemmas of the Serb community participate in institutions, Haradinaj said: ‘We are trying to convince Kosovo Serbs to cooperate and become part of the joint project that we have in Kosovo. And this is not all. We are working so that groups for technical dialogue are developed and address all mutual issues with the government in Belgrade. We don’t have dilemmas or illusions that there are problems in many areas in Kosovo, but we believe that we will manage to convince Kosovo Serbs to join in and take on their responsibilities in Kosovo institutions, and to create a joint life for all in Kosovo.’