Serbia, Kosovo fail to agree in EU-mediated talks
Iran Press TV
Wed Apr 3, 2013 9:1AM GMT
Serbia and Kosovo have failed to reach an agreement in talks mediated by the European Union aimed at normalizing their relations.
In the 12-hour negotiating session in Brussels on Tuesday, Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his Kosovar counterpart Hashim Thaci could not agree on the status of the Serb-dominated northern parts of Kosovo.
The EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said, “The gap between the two sides is very narrow but deep.”
Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, has received international recognition from around 100 countries.
However, Serbia has not accepted Kosovo as independent and the nearly 50,000 Serbs in Kosovo continue to reject the authority of the government in Pristina.
In earlier talks, the two agreed to establish Serb municipalities, but Kosovo stands firmly on not granting the area with executive and judicial powers, which Serbia has demanded.
Kosovo fears that with autonomy for the northern parts there would be a risk that the area would break away.
CAH/HSN
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