Belgrade-Pristina talks to resume in Brussels

Belgrade-Pristina talks to resume in Brussels

The Beta agency reported this was said by an EU diplomatic source, who stated they "cannot say whether some other topics that are not on the agenda, will be the subject of discussion."

These are mainly the question of Serb property in Kosovo, which was launched when the Pristina authorities attempted to nationalize Trepca, as well as the dismissal of a Serb minister in the Kosovo government, strongly condemned by Belgrade as possibly having a bad effect on the dialogue in Brussels.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that she called on Serbian and Kosovo prime ministers Aleksandar Vucic and Isa Mustafa, as well as Ivica Dacic, to, in the first round of the negotiations since March 31, 2014, "exchange views on further normalization of relations."

Vucic said that Serbia was ready for dialogue about Trepca and that it would be discussed in the framework of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in Brussels.

The Serbian prime minister underlined that the attempt of Pristina to show that the mining complex was "a resource of Kosovo" has failed so far, adding Pristina wanted to finish the privatization of Trepca before opening this issue and the contentious issue of privatization of Serb property in Kosovo in Brussels.

Dacic said that the Serbian team in Brussels will insist on property issues, the return of IDPs and the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The foreign minister said that creating "real condition"s for the return of internally displaced persons from Kosovo was one of the key factors in the reconciliation process.

And, as he pointed out, "even fifteen years after the conflict there are no conditions for sustainable return of internally displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija, primarily due to lack of adequate interest in this issue by the provisional institutions in Pristina."

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said ahead of the talks that "the obligations arising require that the community Serb municipalities is now on the agenda and we will try to make sure it is," and stressed that the Belgrade delegation will ask that the dialogue considers several topics of importance to the Serb community in Kosovo, including Serb property, the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, the judiciary.

He also stressed that "the issue of missing persons whose fate, on both sides, has not yet been clarified" was "inevitable."

Pristina's authorities have not expressed a willingness to accept the issue of Serb property and Trepca as a topic of the dialogue, while Mogherini asked that the issue of Trepca "not be escalated."

The Kosovo authorities have indicated that they will seek discussion on gaining international country code for Kosovo, and on the formation of a basic court in the north of the province.