EU mediator to travel to Belgrade and Priština

European Union mediator Robert Cooper will visit Belgrade on Oct. 7 and Pristina on Oct. 10, Beta news agency is reporting. He will attempt to convince the two sides of the benefits of continuing their dialogue, but he will also be prepared "to listen and engage" in talks about the checkpoints and the implementation of the agreement on the Kosovo customs stamp, according to the news agency. EU mediator to travel to Belgrade and Pristina Beta learned from sources in the EU on Tuesday that Cooper would also be ready to discuss the situation at the Jarinje and Brnjak "if this issue is brought up during the talks in Belgrade." This is Brussels' response to the question of whether the EU believes that the dialogue can continue after Belgrade made it clear that talks about "practical issues" could resume. Tensions remains at the checkpoints manned by EULEX customs and police officers, and by customs and police officers sent by the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina, which Serbia and the Serbs in northern Kosovo strongly oppose. In Belgrade, chief negotiator Borislav Stefanovic told Politika daily that the purpose of Cooper's visit will be to find a solution for the situation at the two administrative line checkpoints. "I will suggest to Cooper several ways in which the situation in the north and the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings could be solved... In any case, that's the main purpose of his visit, along, of course, with considering ways in which the dialogue with Pristina, which has been postponed for now, could continue", he stated. In Brussels, Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU high representative Catherine Ashton, said that the purpose of Cooper's trip to Belgrade and Pristina was to "get the two sides to return to negotiating table and once again discuss telecommunications, energy, Kosovo's participation in regional organizations and the implementation of agreements that had been reached so far", Beta reported. Reacting to this, Stefanovic said it was "normal that the EU should say this". "They do not wish to irritate Pristina, because they think that if they now said publicly that we are discussing the situation in the north, that could disturb Pristina strongly. But, Pristina also knows it well that that subject will be very much discussed," Stefanovic told the newspaper.

EU mediator to travel to Belgrade and Priština

Beta learned from sources in the EU on Tuesday that Cooper would also be ready to discuss the situation at the Jarinje and Brnjak "if this issue is brought up during the talks in Belgrade."

This is Brussels' response to the question of whether the EU believes that the dialogue can continue after Belgrade made it clear that talks about "practical issues" could resume.

Tensions remains at the checkpoints manned by EULEX customs and police officers, and by customs and police officers sent by the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština, which Serbia and the Serbs in northern Kosovo strongly oppose.

In Belgrade, chief negotiator Borislav Stefanović told Politika daily that the purpose of Cooper's visit will be to find a solution for the situation at the two administrative line checkpoints.

"I will suggest to Cooper several ways in which the situation in the north and the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings could be solved... In any case, that's the main purpose of his visit, along, of course, with considering ways in which the dialogue with Priština, which has been postponed for now, could continue", he stated.

In Brussels, Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU high representative Catherine Ashton, said that the purpose of Cooper's trip to Belgrade and Priština was to "get the two sides to return to negotiating table and once again discuss telecommunications, energy, Kosovo's participation in regional organizations and the implementation of agreements that had been reached so far", Beta reported.

Reacting to this, Stefanović said it was "normal that the EU should say this".

"They do not wish to irritate Priština, because they think that if they now said publicly that we are discussing the situation in the north, that could disturb Priština strongly. But, Priština also knows it well that that subject will be very much discussed," Stefanović told the newspaper.