7th round of Kosovo dialogue ends, no agreement

BRUSSELS, BELGRADE The seventh round of the ongoing Kosovo dialogue, that started in the morning, has ended in Brussels late on Wednesday without agreement. Tanjug is reporting that "some progress has been achieved", and that the EU-mediated negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina would continue in early April. 7th round of Kosovo dialogue ends, no agreement Serbian and Kosovo PMs Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton held two trilateral meetings on Wednesday, while in between, the EU official held separate meetings first with Thaci and then Dacic. Dacic and Thaci are expected to address a joint news conference. Earlier on Wednesday evening, news agencies were quoting unnamed EC sources in Brussels who said the talks today had entered a key stage and would likely last "well into the night". B92's reporter learned unofficially that there had been very little progress on the issue of powers that should be given to an association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo. Before the first meeting with Thaci and Ashton, the Serbian prime minister met separately with U.S. diplomat in charge of the Western Balkans Philip Reeker who is considered a “silent participant” of the dialogue bearing in mind that he comes to Brussels ahead of every round of the dialogue. Reeker usually has separate meetings with negotiators at the sidelines of the negotiations. The EU has not ruled out a possibility of Dacic and Thaci meeting again soon if they fail to reach an agreement on northern Kosovo today. EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said on Monday that it depended on the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina whether Serbia would get a date for the start of the EU accession talks. Ashton’s Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters ahead of the meeting that “our efforts are aimed at making progress in the dialogue”, adding that Ashton had visited Belgrade and Pristina the previous week and had consultations with political leaders. Even though it has been speculated that this is the crucial round, Tanjug has learned that new rounds will probably be held in the next several weeks. “If an agreement is not reached tomorrow, there is still time to continue the dialogue,” an European Commission (EC) official who wished to remain anonymous told Tanjug on Tuesday. He underscored that EU foreign ministers, who should decide whether to grant Serbia a date for the start of the EU accession talks in June based on the EC’s report, would meet on April 22. “This is also the last possible deadline for a positive report,” he added. The delegation of the ruling German CDU/CSU party said in Belgrade on Tuesday that Serbia and Kosovo should commit themselves to a normalization of relations in writing or in front of the cameras before they started the EU accession talks. Commenting on the German MPs’ position, Serbian Deputy PM Suzana Grubjesic told B92 that it was just a “technicality” and that the main request was to find an acceptable and applicable solution. She pointed out that Serbia would neither explicitly or implicitly recognize Kosovo. Grubjesic told RTS on Wednesday morning that today’s round was not crucial because an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina “is not in sight“. “Some people from Brussels are saying that this round is crucial, we say it is not because an agreement is not in sight,” she explained. “The stakes are too high for the dialogue to fail,” European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin has said, noting he was optimistic about the results of the talks. Ivica Dacic, Catherine Ashton and Hashim Thaci (Beta, file) B92 Beta Tanjug

7th round of Kosovo dialogue ends, no agreement

Serbian and Kosovo PMs Ivica Dačić and Hashim Thaci and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton held two trilateral meetings on Wednesday, while in between, the EU official held separate meetings first with Thaci and then Dačić.

Dačić and Thaci are expected to address a joint news conference.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, news agencies were quoting unnamed EC sources in Brussels who said the talks today had entered a key stage and would likely last "well into the night".

B92's reporter learned unofficially that there had been very little progress on the issue of powers that should be given to an association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo.

Before the first meeting with Thaci and Ashton, the Serbian prime minister met separately with U.S. diplomat in charge of the Western Balkans Philip Reeker who is considered a “silent participant” of the dialogue bearing in mind that he comes to Brussels ahead of every round of the dialogue.

Reeker usually has separate meetings with negotiators at the sidelines of the negotiations.

The EU has not ruled out a possibility of Dačić and Thaci meeting again soon if they fail to reach an agreement on northern Kosovo today.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said on Monday that it depended on the agreement between Belgrade and Priština whether Serbia would get a date for the start of the EU accession talks.

Ashton’s Spokeswoman Maja Kocijančič told reporters ahead of the meeting that “our efforts are aimed at making progress in the dialogue”, adding that Ashton had visited Belgrade and Priština the previous week and had consultations with political leaders.

Even though it has been speculated that this is the crucial round, Tanjug has learned that new rounds will probably be held in the next several weeks.

“If an agreement is not reached tomorrow, there is still time to continue the dialogue,” an European Commission (EC) official who wished to remain anonymous told Tanjug on Tuesday.

He underscored that EU foreign ministers, who should decide whether to grant Serbia a date for the start of the EU accession talks in June based on the EC’s report, would meet on April 22.

“This is also the last possible deadline for a positive report,” he added.

The delegation of the ruling German CDU/CSU party said in Belgrade on Tuesday that Serbia and Kosovo should commit themselves to a normalization of relations in writing or in front of the cameras before they started the EU accession talks.

Commenting on the German MPs’ position, Serbian Deputy PM Suzana Grubješić told B92 that it was just a “technicality” and that the main request was to find an acceptable and applicable solution. She pointed out that Serbia would neither explicitly or implicitly recognize Kosovo.

Grubješić told RTS on Wednesday morning that today’s round was not crucial because an agreement between Belgrade and Priština “is not in sight“.

“Some people from Brussels are saying that this round is crucial, we say it is not because an agreement is not in sight,” she explained.

“The stakes are too high for the dialogue to fail,” European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin has said, noting he was optimistic about the results of the talks.