Belgrade-Priština negotiations resume in Brussels

BELGRADE Prime ministers of the governments in Belgrade and Pristina Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci have resumed their dialogue in Brussels late on Thursday. The meeting is mediated by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. They are expected to discuss the integrated crossings management and issues related to the predominantly Serb, northern part of Kosovo. Belgrade-Pristina negotiations resume in Brussels Earlier in the day, the Serbian premier meet with U.S. State Department official Philip Reeker, and separately with Ashton. This is Dacic and Thaci’s fourth meeting. The first was held on October 19, 2012 and the previous on December 4 when the two agreed on the beginning of the implementation of the agreement on the integrated crossings management. According to announcements, Dacic and Thaci will today focus on the distribution of customs revenues from the crossings. The Serbian prime minister stated earlier that he did not expect important decisions to be made when it comes to the most difficult issues because they would be discussed in the future. He added that the most difficult issues were the parallelism of institutions, specificity of Kosovo Serbs and organization of their institutions. Dacic expressed hope that working groups in the technical dialogue would define proposals for the implementation of the agreements that had already been reached by Belgrade and Pristina in order to avoid problems in their implementation. Northern Kosovo Serbs have stated they will organize protests if they are forced to pay taxes to Pristina, adding that they would only pay Belgrade. The distribution of customs revenues from integrated crossings has also been discussed by the Belgrade and Pristina technical teams led by Dejan Pavicevic and Edita Tahiri. Hashim Thaci, Catherine Ashton and Ivica Dacic (EU, file) "First time on north Kosovo" The northern Kosovo issue will be opened for the first time during Thursday night's round of talks between Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci with Catherine Ashton, Ashton's spokesperson Maja Kocijancic has told reporters. She explained that individual problems related to the north were discussed during the previous three high-level meetings, but that the topic has now been made a separate item on the agenda for the first time. At a press briefing ahead of the working dinner, she said the coming round of talks would focus on the implementation of the agreements on integrated crossings management. We have known from the very beginning that this was a difficult process, said Kocijancic, recalling that Ashton said last year that Belgrade and Pristina would face hard decisions. Asked whether the Serbian parliament's recent resolution on Kosovo would be discussed, she said the European Commission was only interested in the conclusions adopted by the European Council late last year. Beta Tanjug

Belgrade-Priština negotiations resume in Brussels

Earlier in the day, the Serbian premier meet with U.S. State Department official Philip Reeker, and separately with Ashton.

This is Dačić and Thaci’s fourth meeting. The first was held on October 19, 2012 and the previous on December 4 when the two agreed on the beginning of the implementation of the agreement on the integrated crossings management.

According to announcements, Dačić and Thaci will today focus on the distribution of customs revenues from the crossings.

The Serbian prime minister stated earlier that he did not expect important decisions to be made when it comes to the most difficult issues because they would be discussed in the future.

He added that the most difficult issues were the parallelism of institutions, specificity of Kosovo Serbs and organization of their institutions.

Dačić expressed hope that working groups in the technical dialogue would define proposals for the implementation of the agreements that had already been reached by Belgrade and Priština in order to avoid problems in their implementation.

Northern Kosovo Serbs have stated they will organize protests if they are forced to pay taxes to Priština, adding that they would only pay Belgrade.

The distribution of customs revenues from integrated crossings has also been discussed by the Belgrade and Priština technical teams led by Dejan Pavićević and Edita Tahiri.

"First time on north Kosovo"

The northern Kosovo issue will be opened for the first time during Thursday night's round of talks between Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci with Catherine Ashton, Ashton's spokesperson Maja Kocijancic has told reporters.

She explained that individual problems related to the north were discussed during the previous three high-level meetings, but that the topic has now been made a separate item on the agenda for the first time.

At a press briefing ahead of the working dinner, she said the coming round of talks would focus on the implementation of the agreements on integrated crossings management.

We have known from the very beginning that this was a difficult process, said Kocijancic, recalling that Ashton said last year that Belgrade and Priština would face hard decisions.

Asked whether the Serbian parliament's recent resolution on Kosovo would be discussed, she said the European Commission was only interested in the conclusions adopted by the European Council late last year.