Degert: Parts of platform go in right direction
Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert has said that the draft platform on Kosovo presented by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic contained elements heading in the right direction, but also some debatable ones.
(KosovoCompromiseStuff) Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Responding to an invitation by Degert and Ambassador of Cyprus to Serbia Nafsika Krousti, Nikolic had talks with heads of mission of EU countries to Serbia late on Tuesday.
According to Degert, a great part of the meeting was devoted to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and ways in which the platform can help in the process of normalization of relations between the two sides.
We went through the platform, Degert said in a statement to Radio Television of Serbia, not wishing to enter into a detailed analysis, as this is not the final version of the document and is yet to be discussed.
He said that copies of the first KiM platform draft had been given to a number of people in Belgrade for exchange of opinions, adding that comments on the document could be expected in the coming weeks.
According to Degert, during the talks with Nikolic, the EU delegations reiterated that the Union was committed to facilitating the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and that it was vital new positive steps were made.
When it comes to the start of EU membership negotiations for Serbia, Degert said that the European leaders had clearly mapped out the path ahead at the last summit in Brussels.
He recalled that a meeting assessing the progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina would be held in March of 2013, and it was possible Serbia would then get a date for the start of negotiations on the EU membership.
The talks we have just had in Belgrade were a great opportunity that we used to exchange opinions on all these issues with President Nikolic, said the head of the EU delegation to Serbia.
According to Degert, a great part of the meeting was devoted to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and ways in which the platform can help in the process of normalization of relations between the two sides.
We went through the platform, Degert said in a statement to Radio Television of Serbia, not wishing to enter into a detailed analysis, as this is not the final version of the document and is yet to be discussed.
He said that copies of the first KiM platform draft had been given to a number of people in Belgrade for exchange of opinions, adding that comments on the document could be expected in the coming weeks.
According to Degert, during the talks with Nikolic, the EU delegations reiterated that the Union was committed to facilitating the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and that it was vital new positive steps were made.
When it comes to the start of EU membership negotiations for Serbia, Degert said that the European leaders had clearly mapped out the path ahead at the last summit in Brussels.
He recalled that a meeting assessing the progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina would be held in March of 2013, and it was possible Serbia would then get a date for the start of negotiations on the EU membership.
The talks we have just had in Belgrade were a great opportunity that we used to exchange opinions on all these issues with President Nikolic, said the head of the EU delegation to Serbia.
