Serbia to decide on members of negotiating team

According to analysts, Belgrade should carefully select team members who will negotiate with Kosovo, so as not to provoke the other side. Tadic hinted that Belgrade and Pristina should be represented by experts in the negotiations, and information coming from the EU indicates that dialogue could begin as early as October. Serbia to decide on members of negotiating team Executive Director of Civic Initiatives Miljenko Dereta argues that those who have previously participated in the negotiations with the Kosovo authorities should not be selected to the new team. "The team needs to be devoid of people who failed to reach an agreement in the first stage, this has to be a brand new team. I believe it should be made of experts recruited from the relevant ministries that deal with specific issues. I cannot mention names, but what they should have in common is the lack of political fervor and commitment to finding the concrete solutions”, Dereta said. Chairman of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, Dusan Janjic, also believes that the team with bad results should not participate in new negotiations. "It would be desirable to have as little as possible to do with those who have pent-up feelings from previous talks and can cause a negative reaction in the other side and the mediator. If we happen to replicate the team which represented us before the ICJ and in talks with Ahtisaari, we will automatically raise suspicion in the EU that we want nothing to change”, Janjic said. Dereta added Belgrade should include representatives of the civil society in the negotiating team. "The contacts between civil society organizations from Kosovo and Serbia are intensive, they are productive and friendly and they are effective, and not for a moment were they interrupted, no matter what was happening in the daily politics", Dereta noted.

Serbia to decide on members of negotiating team

Executive Director of Civic Initiatives Miljenko Dereta argues that those who have previously participated in the negotiations with the Kosovo authorities should not be selected to the new team.

"The team needs to be devoid of people who failed to reach an agreement in the first stage, this has to be a brand new team. I believe it should be made of experts recruited from the relevant ministries that deal with specific issues. I cannot mention names, but what they should have in common is the lack of political fervor and commitment to finding the concrete solutions”, Dereta said.

Chairman of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, Dušan Janjić, also believes that the team with bad results should not participate in new negotiations.

"It would be desirable to have as little as possible to do with those who have pent-up feelings from previous talks and can cause a negative reaction in the other side and the mediator. If we happen to replicate the team which represented us before the ICJ and in talks with Ahtisaari, we will automatically raise suspicion in the EU that we want nothing to change”, Janjić said.

Dereta added Belgrade should include representatives of the civil society in the negotiating team.

"The contacts between civil society organizations from Kosovo and Serbia are intensive, they are productive and friendly and they are effective, and not for a moment were they interrupted, no matter what was happening in the daily politics", Dereta noted.