Balkan countries

Kosovo’s president has named Ramush Haradinaj as prime minister-designate and given him the mandate to form a new government, apparently ending a months long political crisis in the Balkan country. Haradinaj told reporters in Pristina that he will present a new cabinet for approval by the parliament on September 9. “The duty of all of us is to revive the country and bring hope back”, he said. Veseli heads a three-party ruling coalition that backs Thaci, who headed the PDK before he resigned as required to assume the presidency. Saying there was no time to lose, Veseli urged the opposition to join the new government in passing reforms to improve the economy and to reduce unemployment. “There should be one joint stance on our agenda: Euro-Atlantic integration and backing dialogue with our neighbor Serbia”, said Veseli. There are about 120,000 ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and most of them, mainly in the north, oppose the Pristina authorities. Kosovar Albanians oppose greater autonomy for Serb-dominated municipalities, saying that this would give Belgrade more influence in the country.