September 1 (SeeNews) - Kosovo's parliament decided to postpone the ratification of a border demarcation agreement with Montenegro after the Serbian ethnic party said it will not take part in the vote, local media reported on Thursday.
The ratification of the deal, which is one of the European Commission's key conditions for scrapping visas for Kosovars, needed to be backed by 80 MPs, or two-thirds of all 120 deputies, to pass.
Earlier on Thursday the Serbian ethnic party Serb List, which has 11 seats in Kosovo's parliament, said it will boycott the vote.
Kosovo's main opposition party, the Self-Determination Movement (Vetevendosje), which controls 16 seats, is firmly opposed to the border demarcation deal as it believes that if the agreement is enforced in its current form, it would bite off more than 8,000 hectares of the territory of tiny Kosovo. The other two opposition parties in parliament too are against the deal.
Vetevendosje called a massive protest for Thursday, at the same time parliament was scheduled to hold its session.
"As prime minister, I consider that the necessary conditions are not in place today to put to the vote the law on the ratification of the agreement with Montenegro," prime minister Isa Mustafa said, as quoted by Oranews Tv. "It is not the right way to proceed with this law when the deputies are under pressure," he added.
The removal of this item from parliament's agenda does not mean that the agreement will be revised, Mustafa said, adding that Kosovo will proceed with its ratification when the government considers the time is appropriate.
The border demarcation deal between Kosovo and Montenegro agreement was signed last August in Vienna after three years of negotiations between border committees. In accordance with Article 12 of the signed agreement, it will become effective only after both countries have ratified it. Montenegro's parliament ratified the agreement in December.