Sawt Falasteen - No talks breakthrough as Serbia and Kosovo resist EU pressure

After hosting a meeting with Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc would now publish its plan to normalise ties between the foes.

This, he hopes, would focus minds on resolving the quarter-century-old dispute before a further round of talks in mid-March.

"Progress was made today, and I commend the parties for their engagement," Borrell said -- appearing before reporters alone without the Kosovo and Serbian leaders, and taking no questions.

"At the same time, more work is needed to ensure that what was accepted today by the parties will be implemented," he said, promising that EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak would continue "shuttle diplomacy" between Belgrade and Pristina in the coming weeks.

Even before the latest talks, a senior European diplomat said the parties had already accepted the then-unpublished European plan and that Monday's meeting was to discuss implementation.

- 'Nothing special' -

But afterwards, Vucic and Kurti confirmed there had been no breakthrough, and each hit out at the other, addressing their domestic media to stress they were not making concessions, despite strong pressure from Europe and the US to come to agreement.

"It's good that we talked and I believe we will be able to overcome unilateral moves which would endanger the safety of the people on the ground," Vucic said.

He dismissed the talks as "nothing special" and, while he agreed to continue talking, he insisted: "We don't have a roadmap, people, we don't. We need to sit and work on the roadmap."

Kurti was more positive, and said he would have been ready to sign an agreement if Vucic had been.

"The agreement fully establishes equality between the parties, symmetry and good neighbourliness," he said. "I believe that we are on a right track for the normalisation of relations with Serbia and on a one-way path to good European neighbourliness."

Vucic said he had insisted on part of the plan that would create an Association of Serb Majority Municipalities within Kosovo, and would not budge on other issues until this came about. Pristina has been reluctant to accept what could become a breakaway enclave, loyal to Belgrade.

Borrell said the next talks would be in mid to late March and predicted success before the next EU leaders summit. Vucic suggested they would be on March 18, in North Macedonia.

Serbia refuses to recognise the unilateral declaration of independence Kosovo made in 2008, and bouts of unrest erupt between local authorities and the Serb minority in the former breakaway province.

Both sides say they are being increasingly squeezed by Western governments to hammer out an agreement after more than two decades of acrimony. Ahead of the meeting Borrell's spokesman urged both sides to adopt what he called "European behaviour".

The latest round of talks followed months of shuttle diplomacy, nearly 25 years after the war between ethnic Albanian insurgents and Serb forces triggered a NATO bombing campaign that ended the fighting.

Kurti hopes that the deal in the works would pave the way for the territory's entry into several international institutions, a long-sought goal for the government in Pristina.

On the other side, Serbia's Vucic has said his government is under intense pressure to come to an understanding, while insisting to his domestic opponents that he will not give ground.

During Monday's talks, Vucic posted a picture to social media of him sitting opposite Kurti, smiling to the camera while Borrell slumped, his head in his hands.

"Rough meeting. Expected. No surrender," the caption read.

- Wedge issue -

The peace drive comes as Western governments have reserved much of their diplomatic muscle for addressing the war in Ukraine, spurring fears that the Kremlin could use the Kosovo issue as a wedge to further divide Europe.

On Friday, a senior EU official told journalists that Russia was actively trying to derail negotiations between the two sides by stirring up opposition among Serbs.

Questions remain over how both leaders would be able to sell any potential agreement to their respective populations.

Kosovo remains an obsession among large swathes of the Serbian population, who regard the mainly Albanian-speaking territory as part of their rightful homeland, one that witnessed pivotal battles over the centuries and is steeped in nationalist mythology.

Kosovo is home to an estimated 120,000 Serbs, many of whom remain largely loyal to Belgrade -- especially in northern areas near the border where there are frequent bouts of unrest.

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