PRISTINA – “Prime Minister Thaçi, on behalf of the Republic of Kosovo, transferred to KFOR the absolute veto power over all future KSF missions in the north of Kosovo for an unenforceable period”, reads the announcement of the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, published on February 26.
Kurti has also addressed an official letter to the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, informing her about the existence of the secret agreement, as well as about “constitutional implications of the exchange of letters dated April 19, 2013, between the then Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi and the then Secretary-General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen, it is stated in the announcement.
In the 2013 letter written by Thaçi and published by the Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Thaçi assures Rasmussen that “the Kosovo Security Force would only undertake a mission in Northern Kosovo with prior concurrence with KFOR”.
“I, as prime minister, do not express any position for or against the secret agreement as to its content. I deeply understand and appreciate the extraordinary importance of the cooperation between the Republic of Kosovo and NATO in ensuring the full territorial integrity of the Republic and its citizens. And I, as Prime Minister, assure the Assembly, as well as all the citizens of the Republic, that they will not take any steps that would endanger this alliance necessary for the security of our country”, reads the letter of Prime Minister Kurti.
In his letter to Osmani, Kurti emphasizes the fact that after officially accepting the office of Prime Minister of Kosovo, he has asked the staff of the Office of the Prime Minister, without delay, to analyze the contents of this secret agreement, as well as its implications and constitutional requirements, respectively with regard to the constitutional requirements set out in Article 20 [Transfer of Sovereignty], Article 18 [Ratification of International Agreements] and Article 91 [Dismissal of the President].
Along with the letter, Kurti has also published a statement, in which he concludes that Thaçi has committed serious violations of the Constitution, writes Gazeta Express.
“Considering the evidence available to the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, there are sufficient grounds to conclude prima facie that President Thaçi, during his time as Prime Minister, committed serious violations of the Constitution and that the commission of these violations justifies the initiation of the constitutional procedure for his dismissal from the post of the President of the Republic of Kosovo”, concluded Kurti.
The procedure for dismissing the President is initiated through one-third of the members of the Assembly, who sign the petition, writes RFE/RL’s Balkan Service. If the petition alleges a violation of the Constitution, it must immediately be submitted to the Constitutional Court, which renders its decision within seven days of receipt of the petition. If the Constitutional Court determines that a violation of the Constitution has been committed, the Assembly may dismiss the President with the support of two-thirds of the MPs.