Several Albanian-language media outlets published articles claiming that US Deputy Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar has given a two-day ultimatum to Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
It was reported somewhere that this ultimatum was mentioned by sources, participants in the meeting that the envoys of the United States of America (US), respectively the European Union (EU), Gabriel Escobar and Miroslav Lajcak for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, had with Prime Minister Albin Kurti. This claim states that they (Escobar and Lajcak) have given Prime Minister Kurti two days to respond to the specific demands of the West on the resolution of the crisis in the north. (here)
Meanwhile, another part of the media derived the term "ultimatum" from a meeting on Tuesday that representatives of several media outlets had with Escobar at the US Embassy in Pristina. (here, here)
Excerpts from the article published by other media outlets:
""Those who obstruct the agreement obstruct the European path. Kurti and Vucic have until Friday, because on Friday Lajcak and I give responsibility to our superiors. The relationship with Prime Minister Kurti is challenging. Leaders who do not fulfill the agreements will face consequences. Those who do not implement the agreements reached, turn their backs on Europe."
However, from the transcript of Escobar's conversation with journalists, it is understood that the latter did not use the term ultimatum. Escobar only stated these deadlines after being asked by journalists. Reporteri.net has published this conversation in full: (here)
"Question from journalists: "You came here with a mission and your mission has a schedule, you're probably leaving today or tomorrow. What would you consider a mission accomplished and what would you consider a failure, and what if we have results, what are the next steps. If we see failures, what will be the consequences?" Escobar responds:
"Part of Escobar's response: We see that there is a way forward, the European Union has presented a way forward, which is immediate de-escalation, and that would include a plan that the presidents would not necessarily need to work in those buildings, as long as tensions are so high. And as I said, in the United States we have a lot of experience in these situations, and we try to share that experience and our vision. I can tell you personally that I was working in a federal building in San Francisco in 1991, when there was a protest against the Gulf War. And a federal building was closed that had prosecutors, the FBI, and other federal agencies. They just moved into another building, and they continued their work. And nobody said that we gave sovereignty to that crowd. No, not at all. So, one way is de-escalation, the second way is new elections with Serb participation, and the third way is to move immediately towards the implementation of the Ohrid agreement, which means we need to see a real effort by Kosovo to commit to the association and we also need to see steps taken by Serbia. So, this needs to be done now and we need to agree on this today and tomorrow, because on Friday, Miroslav [Lajcak] and I are expected to report to our superiors on whether we were successful or not.
This statement by Escobar, given to journalists during the meeting, was interpreted as a two-day ultimatum for Kurti by some Albanian-language media.
But what does the term "ultimatum" mean, which was used by the media in interpreting Escobar's statement?
There are several definitions in political and international relations terminology for the term "ultimatum", but a general definition would imply that an ultimatum is a final offer or demand that carries behavioral consequences for non-compliance. (here)
Based on this, the interpretation of Escobar's statement, defining the reporting deadline as an ultimatum, is incorrect.
He himself has proven this, in a statement made during the visit he had with his partner Lajcak in Belgrade. Asked by journalists in Belgrade about an ultimatum, he replied that the claim of a deadline for Prime Minister Kurti does not hold up.
"I didn't give a deadline, what I was asked in Pristina was what the next steps were, both I and Mr. Lajcak said that after this visit I will be asked by the White House on Friday to give an update on what is happening. I have to report whether we have progress or not. He has to go and report to Mr. Borrell, to give the same report. It is not a deadline, but these are the next steps for me and based on my reporting we have to make some decisions to move forward. But it is not a deadline for anyone". (here (min 2:25)
The non-existence of a formal ultimatum was also confirmed by Prime Minister Kurti. In a statement to the media, he announced that he had not received an ultimatum from the US and EU emissaries.
"I have not received any ultimatum. We met with the emissaries and I have offered them the sure way to have a sustainable exit from the crisis in northern Kosovo caused by illegal structures. First is the rule of law, we have dozens of NATO soldiers, Kosovo police officers and journalists who were victims of an unprecedented cruelty of violent extremists". (here)
While the two parties discussed in the media articles discussed deny the existence of an ultimatum, it turns out that the claim made in the headlines is not sufficiently substantiated with content.
This is also evidenced by other definitions of the notion of the term “ultimatum”. The common legal meaning, which has come with state practice in the 19th century, conceives of an ultimatum as a STATEMENT unilateral by a state or group of states issuing a binding warning against another state that certain consequences will follow if specified conditions are not met. Usually, but not necessarily, a specified period of time, however short, is set for compatibilityAn ultimatum may be conveyed in writing or by oral statement. (here)
Also, to be formal an ultimatum, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Public International Law (see Current Legal Situation section) it must be officially communicated.
In the case under consideration, from the verified facts, it appears that the US official himself denies having issued an ultimatum.
Also, according to modern definitions of this term, treated in the dictionary of of Oxford public international law, The ultimatum is an instrument of former times, rarely used in our day, due to strict restrictions on the use of force.
As a tool of coercive diplomacy, it has increasingly given way to other concepts, especially sanctions regimes. Sanctions that aim to induce a certain behavior by the targeted state are taken unilaterally.
Analyze:
From the control and verification of the facts published in the articles discussed, it is understood that the claim about the existence of an ultimatum is unfounded. The headline with this claim made by the media, whose articles were discussed, was made only by interpreting part of Escobar's response, when he says that the deadline for reporting to his superiors is until the ninth of this month.
However, this senior American official does not mention the term “Ultimatum”. On the contrary, he denies having given any ultimatum to the Kosovo authorities. Prime Minister Kurti also denies having received any official letter or message of any other form containing an ultimatum.
For this reason, based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses these claims as "unverified content".
Rating:
The “Unverified” rating is given to those media reports that do not provide sufficient information to confirm the claims made in the report, and which have not been able to confirm the same due to the lack or non-possession of reliable sources.