Serbia to Move Kosovo Talks up a Notch

Borislav Stefanovic, Serbia's outgoing negotiator in the talks with Kosovo, said that the next round of dialogue with Pristina will be conducted by Serbia's President himself, or by the next Prime Minister.

The announced upgrade follows the visit of Serbia's new President, Tomislav Nikolic, to Brussels last week, when he said that the Prime Minister, once a new government is formed, will conduct the talks.

Serbia and Kosovo started EU-mediated talks in Brussels in March 2011, three years after Kosovo declared independence, which Serbia refuses to recognise.

So far, the two sides have reached deals on freedom of movement, mutual recognition of university diplomas and representation of Kosovo at regional meetings.

The talks are due to continue once Serbia gets a new government following the May general election.

Stefanovic said that the dialogue had already yielded concrete results. "Now political issues are to be considered, such as [the Serb-run area of] northern Kosovo, the protection of Serbs south of the Ibar river [i.e. in the rest of Kosovo], and the status of Serbian churches and property," he added.

Stefanovic, who was appointed by the outgoing government, noted that it was "good that Nikolic took the initiative on the Kosovo issue", but noted that he would "have to work with a new government on this."

Stefanovic also criticized Rober Cooper, the EU mediator in the dialogue, who is visiting Belgrade on Wednesday, for "interpreting some agreements the way it suits Pristina, although that was not the case during the talks in Brussels".

Meanwhile, Jelko Kacin, European Parliament Rapporteur, said that the newly elected Serbian President, Nikolic, appeared ready for dialogue with all Kosovo officials except for Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci.

Thaci was a leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, during the independence conflict of the 1990s and remains on the black list as far as many Serb nationalists are concerned.

Nikolic's own party, the Serbian Progressive Party, is part of the nationalist spectum in Serbia - though since becoming head of state he has been careful to strike conciliatory note and not alienate Serbia's EU allies.