US pressure on Pristina ahead of urgent Kosovo-Serbia talks on Monday. Over the weekend, US State Department advisor Derek Chollet spoke of three points raised with Prime Minster Albin Kurti regarding normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, ahead of a crucial meeting in Brussels on Monday.
In a Twitter post, Chollet says that they discussed avoiding the escalation of the situation between Kosovo and Serbia.
“I talked with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti about avoiding further escalation: postponing the decision on license plate fines, keeping the door open for the return of Kosovo Serbs to institutions and focusing on the normalisation of the dialogue with Serbia. This is the best way to advance Kosovo’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration”, he says.
Kurti said that they had talked about “the necessity of a full normalisation agreement with Serbia at the centre of mutual recognition, with a focus on the security situation in Kosovo together with the rule of law”.
In his response, Kurti did not mention the issue of postponing the decision on license plates.
On Friday, Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandër Vucic were invited to Brussels for a dialogue at the highest level.
The meeting was confirmed to be taking place on Monday according to EU chief diplomat Joseph Borrell.
The move comes as a deadline to start implementing fines for citizens not displaying car registration plates issued by Kosovo institutions, the next stage in a gradual rollout that will see a total ban by April is due to expire on the same day.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said there was no surprise the EU called the meeting but that he did not see any reason for Vucic to attend.
He also issued a veiled threat of possible conflict if a solution was not found.
“It is necessary that someone comes to senses to prevent any possible incidents and sparks that can ignite the entire region. This means that it is necessary to postpone the decision on the license plates,” he added.
Vucic told Serbian media on Sunday that he is not optimistic about the talks and has little hope of an agreement emerging.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
Source: euractiv.com
