The critical first step is the Campaign Against Violence, which the Albanians see as a way of burnishing their democratic credentials and the Serbs see as a test of whether the Albanians really want reintegration. If the participants launch this campaign with real fanfare before the beginning of the electoral campaign and calm interethnic relations, a great deal more could follow. Likewise, successful elections and participation of appointed Serb members in municipal councils would create the institutions required for multiethnic governance. The Waitt Foundation's donation of laptops to all the participants was intended to give them the means of communicating and to enable the building of a network to continue the dialogue. USIP plans to support this virtual diplomacy, along with other efforts called for in the Declaration.
Future meetings are likely, though who, when and where remains undecided.
That is the decisive factor. Daniel Serwer is Director of the Balkans Initiative at the US Institute of Peace and acted as executive director of the Airlie House meeting and chair of the second working group. The views expressed in this article are his own.