BRUSSELS: The European Union will host today another round of Serbia-Kosovo talks amid speculation that a deal is in sight to end years of tensions and pave the way for closer ties with the bloc, officials said.
EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton, who has chaired eight rounds of EU-sponsored talks, said yesterday she had invited Serb Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci to Brussels.
“I have asked them to come in a constructive spirit, ready to explore different options and agree to a mutual compromise,” she said.
The last round of talks earlier this month finished with both sides separated by a “very narrow but deep” gap, as Ashton described it.
The announcement of today’s meeting stoked hopes the two sides are ready to do a deal given the prospect that if they do not, steps towards future membership of the EU will be stayed indefinitely. Germany warned Serbia bluntly yesterday that its bid to join the EU will remain on ice until it settles the dispute.
AFP
