Official dismisses talk of "Pristina's embassy"
Priština - i.e., the Kosovo authorities - will certainly not have "an embassy" in Belgrade, a Serbian government official has said.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Monday, December 10, 2012
Government's General Secretary Veljko Odalovic also asserted that the country's bid to join the EU was "not taking it farther away from Kosovo".
"It will certainly not be an embassy, nor will it be an office of a state," Odalovic told Serbia's public broadcaster.
He commented on the issue after interpretations of last week's Brussels talks between Ivica Dacic and Hashim Thaci surfaced to claim that the exchange of liaison officers would mean that "Kosovo will have its diplomatic representation in Belgrade".
Kosovo's ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence almost five years ago, but Serbia, under its Constitution, considers the territory its southern province.
Odalovic stressed that offices may be opened - "not in state premises, but rather in premises of some European organization".
Lastly, Odalovic stated that Serbia's EU bid was not "taking Serbia farther away from Kosovo", but could instead "help find a lasting and sustainable solution".
