Officials discuss next round of Kosovo dialogue

BELGRADE Top state officials are meeting in Belgrade on Monday to consider a strategy for the continued dialogue and the new, eighth round of talks with Pristina. The new round has been scheduled for April 2 in Brussels, daily Vecernje Novosti writes. Officials discuss next round of Kosovo dialogue Reports earlier today said it was expected that the round will be crucial because it will determine the destiny of the dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, but also of Serbia's path towards the EU. Key political actors should agree on the sequence of steps ahead of April 2, as the previous stage in Brussels yielded no progress, since the European Union offered an unacceptable paper to Belgrade. Serbian officials have the delicate task: they will have to fight for executive powers to be given to an association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo, and at the same time build the chances for Serbia to receive a date to start its accession talks with the EU in July. It will be this "tight rope walk" that President Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and other members of the cabinet are expected to discuss when they meet. "If by April 16 a compromise in the dialogue has not been reached Serbia's European integration will have to wait until the second half of 2014 years," Dacic warned on Sunday. The prime minister told Vecernje Novosti that Belgrade would continue to insist on executive powers for the community of Serb municipalities. Aleksandar Vucic made an appeal "for all forces to focus on solving the problem of Kosovo and Metohija". In addition to the expected meeting of the top officials, it is also possible that parliament could convene before the negotiations resume. A formal request is yet to arrive, but sources told the newspaper that they were not ruling out the possibility that MPs might deliberate on the continuation of the dialogue. Milovan Drecun (SNS), chairman of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija, says that MPs should take a vote "on the offer of EU", and the country's further moves. However, other officials from the the ruling coalition told the daily Danas they saw "no reason for parliament to join the search for a solution to the 'hellish' situation", while the opposition DS and DSS parties emphasize that this is necessary. The Democrats, however, support the negotiating team, and say that "in the previous government they were in a similar position", while the DSS fear that this is "a scenario that would allow authorities to publicly show as triumph their acceptance of the Ahtisaari plan". A file photo of Nikolic and Dacic addressing a news conference (Tanjug) Beta Danas Vecernje novosti

Officials discuss next round of Kosovo dialogue

Reports earlier today said it was expected that the round will be crucial because it will determine the destiny of the dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, but also of Serbia's path towards the EU.

Key political actors should agree on the sequence of steps ahead of April 2, as the previous stage in Brussels yielded no progress, since the European Union offered an unacceptable paper to Belgrade.

Serbian officials have the delicate task: they will have to fight for executive powers to be given to an association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo, and at the same time build the chances for Serbia to receive a date to start its accession talks with the EU in July.

It will be this "tight rope walk" that President Tomislav Nikolić, Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić and other members of the cabinet are expected to discuss when they meet.

"If by April 16 a compromise in the dialogue has not been reached Serbia's European integration will have to wait until the second half of 2014 years," Dačić warned on Sunday.

The prime minister told Večernje Novosti that Belgrade would continue to insist on executive powers for the community of Serb municipalities.

Aleksandar Vučić made an appeal "for all forces to focus on solving the problem of Kosovo and Metohija".

In addition to the expected meeting of the top officials, it is also possible that parliament could convene before the negotiations resume.

A formal request is yet to arrive, but sources told the newspaper that they were not ruling out the possibility that MPs might deliberate on the continuation of the dialogue.

Milovan Drecun (SNS), chairman of the Committee on Kosovo and Metohija, says that MPs should take a vote "on the offer of EU", and the country's further moves.

However, other officials from the the ruling coalition told the daily Danas they saw "no reason for parliament to join the search for a solution to the 'hellish' situation", while the opposition DS and DSS parties emphasize that this is necessary.

The Democrats, however, support the negotiating team, and say that "in the previous government they were in a similar position", while the DSS fear that this is "a scenario that would allow authorities to publicly show as triumph their acceptance of the Ahtisaari plan".