On April 24, 2013 the ACBH Executive Director, Ajla Delkic attended a Subcommittee Hearing titled Kosovo and Serbia: A Pathway to Peace that looked at what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done in regards to this process. Serbia has yet to recognize Kosovo's independence however on April 19, 2013 a deal was struck between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo titled "First Agreement on Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations."
Subcommittee Chairman, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) suggested that the individuals living in the disputed areas of Kosovo should be allowed to vote in a referendum and decide which country they would like to be integrated into – in other words, change the borders of Kosovo and Serbia. "The result would be two much more unified countries without the constant irritation of trying to rule over unhappy minorities who are looking across the border for help and sparking disputes" stated Chairman Rohrabacher.
Jonathan Moore, Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs at the U.S. Department of State argued that the point was not make countries ethnically pure and that the Obama Administration believes that Serbia and Kosovo must find a durable solution to the dispute. In addition, Dr. Daniel Serwer, Professor of Conflict Management at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies testified that a territorial swap between Kosovo and Serbia would destabilize Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. "I know of no way to prevent this. There is every reason to believe that Albanians in Macedonia and Kosovo would see it as a reason to seek union and that the Serbs of Bosnia would likewise see it as a reason to seek independence or union with Serbia" stated Dr. Serwer.
To view the entire hearing and read the testimonies of all witnesses please click here.