Direct Kosovo talks resume on Sunday

Direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina are set to resume tomorrow in the UN Headquarters in Brussels. “The Contact Group Troika of mediators will tomorrow try to engage Belgrade and Pristina to exchange views in a more active manner, in order to move the talks from the testing phase to the genuine negotiations,” officials from the EU Ministerial Council told Beta on Saturday. Direct Kosovo talks resume on Sunday They conveyed the Troika’s belief that “certain common points can be discerned in the stances thus far heard from Belgrade and Pristina, even though their starting positions remain far apart.” However, the same sources said, the willingness to negotiate gives a sound basis to move the negotiating process into the new phase in which “the Troika will assume a more industrious role, instead of only waiting for Belgrade and Pristina to come up with suggestions.” Christina Galak, spokesperson for EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, said that “meetings between Belgrade and Kosovo Albanian side will from now on become more frequent, the exchange of views more effective, and the activity of the Troika more direct.” Unlike the New York meeting where Belgrade was represented at the highest level as Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and President Boris Tadic both headed the negotiating team, the Serbian government delegation will now be led by Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic. Samardzic said Friday in Kragujevac that the final decision over the future status of the province would not be made by the end of the year, adding he did not believe the ethnic Albanians would declare independence in December. “We are doing everything to avoid that. The unilateral proclamation is persistently being announced, and I have to say that it has been going on for years. In the event of such developments, the question is how the international community will react,” he said. “In any case, should the worse-case scenario come to pass, the Serbian state will continue to function in Kosovo the way it does today or even to a larger extent,” the Kosovo minister noted. Samardzic said that “Serbia would use all means it has at her disposal as a state in order to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity.” According to him, there is no substantial reason as to why Serbia should change its negotiating policy. “We are contemplating and making preparations in the event of the worst-case scenario, but nothing can at the moment be said regarding that. I have said on several occasions that the nature of the issue implies discretion on the part of the state,” Samardzic argued. “You cannot believe that the state will not make a counter-move with respect to another entity of international law aiming to cause damage to Serbia. Unfortunately, I cannot be concrete as to who the entity is and what the move would entail,” he said. Meanwhile, Jeremic said on Saturday that Serbia’s plan for substantial autonomy of Kosovo would be on the agenda of the tomorrow’s meeting in Brussels. He described the proposal as a fair offer, since Belgrade “is ready to completely cede numerous authorities and competences to Pristina.” “We are prepared to show maximum flexibility, and try as hard as we can to reach a compromise,” said the foreign minister, stressing however that “no one should expect that Serbia will cross the red line of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.” According to him, should a state recognize unilaterally proclaimed independence, the Serbian government will be “left with no other choice but to seriously reconsider bilateral ties with that state.” He said that the government “will not intervene militarily during the status settlement process, but use all available legal, diplomatic and political means in order to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Janjic: Brussels meeting - beginning of true talks “The meeting in Brussels is in effect the beginning of genuine negotiations,” says political analyst Dusan Janjic. “Both sides that have so far expounded on their entrenched positions, maintaining high level of diplomatic activity will now discuss essential issues,” he said. However, in his opinion, the Belgrade delegation has high and unrealistic expectations as far as the tomorrow meeting and their substantial autonomy plan are concerned. “They expect that the other side will enter a discussion on something that is completely unrealistic. The meeting will address technical and institutional issues that need to be solved in the province, which will brings us in a way to the agenda of the Ahtisaari plan,” Janjic argued. According to him, Kostunica and Samardzic will in that case face a delicate situation, since taking part in such talks would mean the acknowledgment that the Ahtisaari plan is not dead. He went on to explain that after the Brussels meetings, the opposing sides will have two more months of negotiations. Afterwards, the Troika will report on the process. “The Contact Group mediators can either suggest the continuation of the negotiating process or call an international conference,” concluded Janjic.

Direct Kosovo talks resume on Sunday

They conveyed the Troika’s belief that “certain common points can be discerned in the stances thus far heard from Belgrade and Priština, even though their starting positions remain far apart.”

However, the same sources said, the willingness to negotiate gives a sound basis to move the negotiating process into the new phase in which “the Troika will assume a more industrious role, instead of only waiting for Belgrade and Priština to come up with suggestions.”

Christina Galak, spokesperson for EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, said that “meetings between Belgrade and Kosovo Albanian side will from now on become more frequent, the exchange of views more effective, and the activity of the Troika more direct.”

Unlike the New York meeting where Belgrade was represented at the highest level as Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica and President Boris Tadić both headed the negotiating team, the Serbian government delegation will now be led by Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić and Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić.

Samardžić said Friday in Kragujevac that the final decision over the future status of the province would not be made by the end of the year, adding he did not believe the ethnic Albanians would declare independence in December.

“We are doing everything to avoid that. The unilateral proclamation is persistently being announced, and I have to say that it has been going on for years. In the event of such developments, the question is how the international community will react,” he said.

“In any case, should the worse-case scenario come to pass, the Serbian state will continue to function in Kosovo the way it does today or even to a larger extent,” the Kosovo minister noted.

Samardžić said that “Serbia would use all means it has at her disposal as a state in order to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

According to him, there is no substantial reason as to why Serbia should change its negotiating policy.

“We are contemplating and making preparations in the event of the worst-case scenario, but nothing can at the moment be said regarding that. I have said on several occasions that the nature of the issue implies discretion on the part of the state,” Samardžić argued.

“You cannot believe that the state will not make a counter-move with respect to another entity of international law aiming to cause damage to Serbia. Unfortunately, I cannot be concrete as to who the entity is and what the move would entail,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jeremić said on Saturday that Serbia’s plan for substantial autonomy of Kosovo would be on the agenda of the tomorrow’s meeting in Brussels. He described the proposal as a fair offer, since Belgrade “is ready to completely cede numerous authorities and competences to Priština.”

“We are prepared to show maximum flexibility, and try as hard as we can to reach a compromise,” said the foreign minister, stressing however that “no one should expect that Serbia will cross the red line of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

According to him, should a state recognize unilaterally proclaimed independence, the Serbian government will be “left with no other choice but to seriously reconsider bilateral ties with that state.”

He said that the government “will not intervene militarily during the status settlement process, but use all available legal, diplomatic and political means in order to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Janjić: Brussels meeting - beginning of true talks

“The meeting in Brussels is in effect the beginning of genuine negotiations,” says political analyst Dušan Janjić.

“Both sides that have so far expounded on their entrenched positions, maintaining high level of diplomatic activity will now discuss essential issues,” he said.

However, in his opinion, the Belgrade delegation has high and unrealistic expectations as far as the tomorrow meeting and their substantial autonomy plan are concerned.

“They expect that the other side will enter a discussion on something that is completely unrealistic. The meeting will address technical and institutional issues that need to be solved in the province, which will brings us in a way to the agenda of the Ahtisaari plan,” Janjić argued.

According to him, Koštunica and Samardžić will in that case face a delicate situation, since taking part in such talks would mean the acknowledgment that the Ahtisaari plan is not dead.

He went on to explain that after the Brussels meetings, the opposing sides will have two more months of negotiations. Afterwards, the Troika will report on the process.

“The Contact Group mediators can either suggest the continuation of the negotiating process or call an international conference,” concluded Janjić.