Kosovo to apply for Interpol membership again, Pristina media say

AFP/FRED DUFOUR

After its failure to join Interpol last November, Kosovo will try again, Pristina’s Interior Minister said on Friday as quoted by the Index online website.

Ekrem Mustafa told the website the Interpol office confirmed receiving the application.

“We supported the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister decision to apply,” Mustafa said, the KosSev website reported.

Last year, 68 Interpol member states supported Kosovo’s application, 51 was against and 16 sustained. The two-thirds majority is needed for the application to be accepted.

Belgrade saw it as a huge diplomatic victory, while Pristina blamed the failure on Serbia’s aggressive campaign against its membership.

Soon after Kosovo did not succeed to join the International Criminal Police Organization, it retaliated with the 100 percent import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia.

The move froze the European Union-facilitated Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on normalisation of relations with Serbia saying it would not resume as long as the decision was in place.

Despite repeated requests by the US and the EU to Pristina to either suspend or annul the measure, Kosovo’s government had been refusing to comply.

The issue splits Pristina authorities with President Hashim Thaci and Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli advocating the suspension to avoid the worsening of relations with the US, while Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj remaining firm, saying the decision was Kosovo's sovereign matter.

Haradinaj says the government will revoke the decision after Belgrade recognises Kosovo independence, what Serbia’s authorities say will never do.