EU: Negotiations to begin next week

Belgrade-Pristina negotiations will begin next week, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton’s Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told B92. She did not want to talk about other details and the issues that will be discussed. EU: Negotiations to begin next week According to unofficial information from the Serbian government, the negotiations will begin on March 8 in Brussels and will last for two days. Robert Cooper, who visited Belgrade on Tuesday and Pristina on Wednesday, will be an EU mediator. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Petrovic thinks that a priority should be the missing persons issue and other issues that concern every day life in Kosovo, such as license plates and personal documents. Even though the Serbian government has confirmed that the negotiations are scheduled for next week, there are still no details about the upcoming dialogue. Petrovic says that he will have more information after his meeting with head of Pristina's negotiating team Edita Tahiri on Monday. “What's very important are documents, license plates and everything that is directly connected to functioning of the people. You have a situation that people with Serbian license plates cannot even take temporary plates, on the other hand people who have two sets of license plates have double expenditures,“ he pointed out. The Kosovo deputy PM did not want to say whether the Kosovo status could be discussed during the talks. “The one who initiated the talks and who will run the talks is the EU, they will determine the agenda. The talks won't short,“ he stressed. When asked what the beginning of the talks would look like, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick said that Belgrade, Pristina and the EU were still negotiating that but that she was convinced that the important issues would be approached seriously which would enable success and increase mutual trust. Political analyst Obrad Kesic says that not much is expected from the upcoming talks since neither side has the authority to solve more difficult issues such as the the issue of Kosovo's status. “I simply think that both governments are in a phase right now where they have to restore or build the authority in order to be able to solve those much more serious and difficult issues,“ he pointed out. Foreign Ministry Political Director Borislav Stefanovic, who will lead the Serbian negotiating team, has announced that citizens' life issues will be discussed during the talks, not the status issue. Slobodan Petrovic (FoNet)

EU: Negotiations to begin next week

According to unofficial information from the Serbian government, the negotiations will begin on March 8 in Brussels and will last for two days. Robert Cooper, who visited Belgrade on Tuesday and Priština on Wednesday, will be an EU mediator.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Petrović thinks that a priority should be the missing persons issue and other issues that concern every day life in Kosovo, such as license plates and personal documents.

Even though the Serbian government has confirmed that the negotiations are scheduled for next week, there are still no details about the upcoming dialogue. Petrović says that he will have more information after his meeting with head of Priština's negotiating team Edita Tahiri on Monday.

“What's very important are documents, license plates and everything that is directly connected to functioning of the people. You have a situation that people with Serbian license plates cannot even take temporary plates, on the other hand people who have two sets of license plates have double expenditures,“ he pointed out.

The Kosovo deputy PM did not want to say whether the Kosovo status could be discussed during the talks.

“The one who initiated the talks and who will run the talks is the EU, they will determine the agenda. The talks won't short,“ he stressed.

When asked what the beginning of the talks would look like, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick said that Belgrade, Priština and the EU were still negotiating that but that she was convinced that the important issues would be approached seriously which would enable success and increase mutual trust.

Political analyst Obrad Kesić says that not much is expected from the upcoming talks since neither side has the authority to solve more difficult issues such as the the issue of Kosovo's status.

“I simply think that both governments are in a phase right now where they have to restore or build the authority in order to be able to solve those much more serious and difficult issues,“ he pointed out.

Foreign Ministry Political Director Borislav Stefanović, who will lead the Serbian negotiating team, has announced that citizens' life issues will be discussed during the talks, not the status issue.