Serbia, Kosovo Under Pressure to Reach Deals

The office of the EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on June 19 said the new round of Kosovo-Serbia talks on Tuesday would focus on implementing agreements on energy, telecommunications and the establishment of the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo.

The two leaders will also discuss the barricade on the bridge in the divided northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica.

A source close to Serbia's negotiating team told BIRN on June 22 that some agreements could be reached.

"It may be possible to reach some kind of an agreement regarding the bridge in Mitrovica although I doubt it could be opened for car traffic at this point," the source said.

Agreements on the energy system in Kosovo and the Association of Serbian Municipalities would also be difficult.

"That Association is the priority for us, since it is crucial for the survival of the Kosovo Serbs. We cannot let it become an Association with no real authorities, as Kosovo would like it to be," the Serbian source told BIRN.

On the other side, Kosovo MP Besnik Tahiri maintained that no agreement should be signed if it allows the Association executive powers "because this would limit the sovereignty of Kosovo and compromise the constitution," Tahiri wrote on Twitter on June 22.

The dispute over the bridge in Mitrovica has run on for years. Kosovo wants it reopened to traffic as soon as possible while the Serbian side is more cautious.

Kosovo media reports say a possible deal could include moving the barricade, which Serbs call a "park".

"EU representatives in Kosovo have met with the representatives of the North and South Mitrovica and proposed moving the park off the bridge, northwards," the Kosovo daily Koha Ditore reported.

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