Article author:
Reuters
Fatos Bytyci and Ivana Sekularac
Pristina/Belgrade — Serbian and Kosovar leaders have announced their It will participate in EU-mediated talks in Brussels on Thursday. But Kosovo's Serb and Albanian residents say there is little hope for progress.
This month, Serbs residing in the northern regions of Kosovo (supported by Belgrade and not recognizing Kosovar institutions) will have to start using Pristina-issued vehicle license plates. After saying no, long-standing tensions flared up again.
Kosovar Prime Minister Alvin Kurti said in an interview with Reuters last week that Belgrade's "aggressive policy" could turn into "some form of attack on Kosovo." said.
Kurti, who was due to meet with Serbian President Alexander Vucic in Brussels, agreed to postpone the license plate ban until September 1, under pressure from the West.
"I expect nothing" Tomorrow neither of these men will settle anything. It is inevitable that tensions will rise between Kosovo and Serbia in the future," Malush Bajraj, 41, an Albanian resident of Kosovo's capital Pristina, told Reuters.
There is an equally depressing atmosphere among the Serbs, who make up only 5% of Kosovo's 1.8 million population, and are predominantly Albanians.
"We are not optimistic that this round of dialogue will succeed," said Nenad Radosavljevic, editor-in-chief of his RTV Mir, which broadcasts to Serbs living in northern Kosovo. He said: A downbeat message coming out of both caps.
Growing tensions
Kosovo, a small landlocked Balkan state, gained independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising against oppressive Belgrade rule.
Today, both Belgrade and Pristina seek her EU membership, but Serbia still legally considers Kosovo an integral part of its territory. Russia's support prevents Kosovo from joining various international organizations.
Thursday's talks are expected to cover a range of issues, including greater autonomy for the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo. Kurti said such measures violated Kosovo's constitution. said it could solve the car license plate problem.
"We have dealt with enough Balkan issues to know that there is always the danger of tensions escalating," US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill told Reuters on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged calm after his meeting with Vucic in Brussels, urging 3,700 of his allies in Kosovo if stability was at stake. said a strong peacekeeping force was ready to intervene.
But Kosovo is not all dark.
Mentor Gasi, an Albanian, and Slavisa Stojanovic, a Serb, have been running a dog shelter near Pristina for the past decade. ``We never had a problem. said while stroking and stroking the dog. (Additional reporting by Fedja Grulovic Editing by Gareth Jones)
