"Tripartite group to supervise Kosovo talks deals"

EU facilitator in the Belgrade-Pristina talks Robert Cooper came from Pristina to Belgrade on Tuesday night, B92 has learned. In an interview given earlier to daily Blic, Cooper said that a tripartite group, chaired by the EU, would supervise the implementation of any agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, adding that all problems that occurred in practice would be resolved by repeated talks. "Tripartite group to supervise Kosovo talks deals" “I will insist that Belgrade and Pristina reach agreement on everything. The implementation of any agreement will be supervised by a tripartite group, chaired by the EU,” said Cooper who is to confer with head of the Belgrade team Borislav Stefanovic and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic in Belgrade Wednesday. He told Blic however, that heads of both Belgrade and Pristina teams were extremely tough negotiators, adding that a major difficulty was that both sides maintained the positions that in time had been determined and accepted as right, lawful, and best possible for them. When asked if the achieved agreements, as well as the forthcoming ones, predetermine the status of Kosovo, Cooper said that the Belgrade-Pristina talks were held based on the fact that neither the very dialogue nor the reached agreements predetermine the position of any side as regards to status. “Therefore, neither current nor future agreements will have an effect on the status of Kosovo. Pristina will maintain its position, as well as Belgrade,” he stressed. Cooper added that the success of talks Belgrade-Pristina talks was guaranteed by the fact that both sides had interest in gaining credibility in Europe, in the region and in mutual relations. Belgrade, Pristina's negotiating teams and Robert Cooper

"Tripartite group to supervise Kosovo talks deals"

“I will insist that Belgrade and Priština reach agreement on everything. The implementation of any agreement will be supervised by a tripartite group, chaired by the EU,” said Cooper who is to confer with head of the Belgrade team Borislav Stefanović and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić in Belgrade Wednesday.

He told Blic however, that heads of both Belgrade and Priština teams were extremely tough negotiators, adding that a major difficulty was that both sides maintained the positions that in time had been determined and accepted as right, lawful, and best possible for them.

When asked if the achieved agreements, as well as the forthcoming ones, predetermine the status of Kosovo, Cooper said that the Belgrade-Priština talks were held based on the fact that neither the very dialogue nor the reached agreements predetermine the position of any side as regards to status.

“Therefore, neither current nor future agreements will have an effect on the status of Kosovo. Priština will maintain its position, as well as Belgrade,” he stressed.

Cooper added that the success of talks Belgrade-Priština talks was guaranteed by the fact that both sides had interest in gaining credibility in Europe, in the region and in mutual relations.