March Date Likely For Serbia-Kosovo Talks
Long-awaited dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is expected to commence in a few weeks' time.
(KosocoCompromise Staff) Monday, February 28, 2011
The date of the first meeting in Brussels of Kosovo and Serbian delegations will be determined this week, a source close to the EU High Representative told.
"It is expected that the talks will begin in the next couple of weeks," the source said.
The source did not specify which topics would be on the agenda or outline the role of the EU in the talks. The two sides themselves needed to agree on the topics, the source explained.
Pristina unprepared for talks
The Kosovo government has appointed a head of its negotiating team but the agenda of the negotiations is still unknown, the Pristina based Albanian language daily Zeri writes.
It is still unknown whether official Pristina has a clear platform for the talks and whether the platform should be approved by the Kosovo assembly, the daily writes.
International sources told Zeri that Belgrade and Pristina would discuss political issues as well, especially the issue of north Kosovo, during the upcoming talks.
Numerous analysts and Kosovo opposition have assessed that appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri as head of the Kosovo negotiating team proves that this would be political talks.
The Self-Determination Movement points out that "the assembly should by all means discuss this very sensitive issue."
The Foreign Policy Club said that Prime Minister Hashim Thaci did not consult the opposition or the assembly about the issue.
"The Foreign Policy Club believes that the Kosovo assembly is a place where the decision about the beginning of the process should be discussed," the daily quoted the club's statement
