Clinton says U.S. will help find agreement

U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton met in Washington on Wednesday. It was announced that they discussed "ways of assisting in the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo". Clinton says U.S. will help find agreement At a news conference after the meeting, which was used to discuss the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear program, Clinton confirmed she is going to visit Belgrade and Pristina in the next ten days. Ahead of her trip Clinton said that the leaders of two sides should make a decision on their future and that the U.S. and EU are ready to help so that agreement is reached. Ashton said that it's very important that both U.S. and EU work on the future dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, but she did not specify the respective roles that would be taken by Brussels and Washington. She also said that the EU wanted to see "progress regarding Serbia and Kosovo", and that they fully understood the importance of what Boris Tadic achieved with the resolution and the support that Hashim Thaci gabe to the solving of the problem. Belgrade daily Politika writes today that the EU expects officials in Pristina to start talks with Belgrade as soon as possible despite Fatmir Sejdiu's resignation, but says if there are elections there, the start of the talks could be "late by a few months". Hillary Clinton (Beta, file) Serbia's next step towards EU soon British Ambassador to Serbia Stephen Wordsworth has stated that he expects Serbia to soon make its next step on its way to the integration into the European Union. After the adoption of the Serbia-EU resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice by the United Nations General Assembly, the majority of the Union ministers believe that it is time for the next step, Ambassador Wordsworth said in an interview published by Vecernje Novosti. We want to see progress in October, but all of the 27 EU member states have to agree on that, said Wordsworth, underscoring that the official London strongly supports the Union's enlargement and accession of Serbia. He pointed out that it would be useful to start the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue soon. Britain's stand is that the issue of Kosovo's status is a closed issue and that a way should be found to put the disagreements on the issue aside. The ambassador said that, as far as he knows, Brussels did not request that the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue be opened symbolically with a meeting between Serbian President Boris Tadic and Hasim Taci. Belgrade and Pristina should decide who will sit at the table - politicians or experts, said the ambassador, adding that in any case, those should be the people who have the mandate to make certain decisions. Wordsworth reiterated that no one requests Serbia to recognize Kosovo.

Clinton says U.S. will help find agreement

At a news conference after the meeting, which was used to discuss the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear program, Clinton confirmed she is going to visit Belgrade and Pristina in the next ten days.

Ahead of her trip Clinton said that the leaders of two sides should make a decision on their future and that the U.S. and EU are ready to help so that agreement is reached.

Ashton said that it's very important that both U.S. and EU work on the future dialogue between Belgrade and Priština, but she did not specify the respective roles that would be taken by Brussels and Washington.

She also said that the EU wanted to see "progress regarding Serbia and Kosovo", and that they fully understood the importance of what Boris Tadić achieved with the resolution and the support that Hashim Thaci gabe to the solving of the problem.

Belgrade daily Politika writes today that the EU expects officials in Priština to start talks with Belgrade as soon as possible despite Fatmir Sejdiu's resignation, but says if there are elections there, the start of the talks could be "late by a few months".

Serbia's next step towards EU soon

British Ambassador to Serbia Stephen Wordsworth has stated that he expects Serbia to soon make its next step on its way to the integration into the European Union.

After the adoption of the Serbia-EU resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice by the United Nations General Assembly, the majority of the Union ministers believe that it is time for the next step, Ambassador Wordsworth said in an interview published by Večernje Novosti.

We want to see progress in October, but all of the 27 EU member states have to agree on that, said Wordsworth, underscoring that the official London strongly supports the Union's enlargement and accession of Serbia.

He pointed out that it would be useful to start the Belgrade-Priština dialogue soon.

Britain's stand is that the issue of Kosovo's status is a closed issue and that a way should be found to put the disagreements on the issue aside.

The ambassador said that, as far as he knows, Brussels did not request that the Priština-Belgrade dialogue be opened symbolically with a meeting between Serbian President Boris Tadić and Hasim Taci.

Belgrade and Pristina should decide who will sit at the table - politicians or experts, said the ambassador, adding that in any case, those should be the people who have the mandate to make certain decisions.

Wordsworth reiterated that no one requests Serbia to recognize Kosovo.