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Kosovo, Serbia agree on an EU-brokered deal to finish a dispute over car licensing plates.
Kosovo and Serbia have reached a deal to finish a long-running dispute over car licence plates that the European Union had warned may set off ethnic violence.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s overseas coverage chief, introduced the settlement on Twitter on Wednesday.
“We now have a deal,” Borrell stated.
“Very happy to announce that chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia beneath EU-facilitation have agreed on measures to keep away from additional escalation,” he stated.
Serbia and Kosovo – which declared itself unbiased from Belgrade in 2008 – will now flip to specializing in an EU proposal on find out how to normalise their relations, Borrell stated.
Kosovo’s declaration of independence is recognised by about 110 nations however not by Serbia, Russia, China and 5 EU member states.
The most recent dispute between the Western Balkan neighbours erupted after the federal government in Pristina tried to require its Serb minority to alter automotive plates relationship from earlier than 1999, when Kosovo was nonetheless a part of Serbia.
However Serbs within the northern a part of Kosovo – who refuse to recognise Pristina’s authority and nonetheless contemplate themselves part of Serbia – have resisted the ban, typically violently.
As an indication of disobedience, near 600 cops from Kosovo’s Serb minority, adopted by judges, prosecutors, and different state employees give up their jobs earlier this month.
Regardless of the fierce protests, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti insisted the plan would go forward – earlier than asserting on Tuesday he would delay it for 2 days, when he got here beneath stress from america.
The dispute additionally sounded alarm bells within the EU, which has been mediating talks to attempt to normalise ties, and needs each side to carry off on provocative gestures.
Borrell on Monday, after internet hosting Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels for negotiations on the problem, had stated Vucic had been prepared to just accept a compromise however Kurti had not.
Kurti blamed Borrell for focusing solely on the licence plates as an alternative of the total normalisation of ties between the neighbours.
Vucic stated Kurti was answerable for the failure of the assembly.
On Twitter on Wednesday, Borrell stated the deal reached by each side entailed Serbia ceasing to subject licence plates with markings indicating Kosovo cities, and Kosovo “will stop additional actions associated to re-registration of autos”.
Borrell added that he’ll invite each events within the coming days to debate an EU proposal, supported additionally by France and Germany, that may permit the foes to normalise relations.
Washington stated it welcomed Wednesday’s deal.
“The 2 events took a large step ahead as we speak, with EU facilitation, in direction of assuring peace and stability all through the area,” stated Ned Value, a spokesman for the US Division of State.
“We additional commend the 2 nations’ settlement to pay attention absolutely and urgently on normalizing relations beneath the auspices of the EU-facilitated dialogue,” he added.
The difficulty of Kosovo’s independence sparked a conflict between 1998 and 1999 through which about 13,000 folks died. Serbia launched a brutal crackdown to curb a separatist rise up by the territory’s ethnic Albanians.
NATO bombed Serbia in 1999 to finish the conflict.
The Western safety alliance nonetheless has some 3,700 peacekeepers on the bottom to take care of the delicate peace.
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