Wolfgang Petritsch, an Austrian diplomat and former European Union envoy for Kosovo, told N1 on Wednesday he doubted that the US concept for the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on the normalisation of relations would be successful.

He said, “the economy is important, but how can you imagine any progress, foreign investments and jobs if there is no political compromise?”

The US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Kosovo Richard Grenell invited Serbia's and Kosovo's presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci respectively, for a meeting at White House on June 27, to speed up the process that had been on hold since November 2018.

Grenell said the meeting would focus on the economic issues as the most important ones.

The dialogue was held under the EU auspices, but Grenell did not consult the bloc about the meeting, according to Brussels sources.

Petritsch told N1 that Miroslav Lajčák, the EU envoy for the dialogue and other regional issues, was an experienced politician and that was about time to solve the conflict “which has been going on for too long.”

“I would look at the bright side of this story first. It's good that the US and the EU realised that something must be done. Unfortunately, the EU facilitated dialogue stopped. Now, the EU has the special envoy Miroslav Lajčák, a very experienced politician with competences,” he said.

Petritsch added he doubted the American concept and “I clearly speak about it.”

He also said he didn't believe that the economic matters were more important than politics.

“A clear framework is necessary to solve this conflict, and only then, the two sides could build confidence. Only after that can we start a new future between Belgrade and Pristina,” Petritsch said, adding he didn't believe that Grenell's formula – first economy, and then the EU should deal with political issues, “can work.”

“As long as the Europeans and Americans worked in the past, some progress could be achieved. But now, as I see with great concern, the US wants to go on their own and I don't believe that the US can solve a European issue. We need strong European cooperation, and the EU should run the mission.” Petritsch said.

He added that Washington's move to publish the date of the White House meeting during Lajčák visits to Kosovo and Serbia “was not a friendly one.”

“We know Donald Trump doesn't like the EU and that in the case of Kosovo a solution could be found only in the cooperation between Washington and Brussels,” Petritsch said.

He added that any solution should be acceptable to both sides and the entire international community.

“If both sides reach an agreement that is not acceptable to Moscow and Beijing, it won't be acceptable” at all, Petritsch said.