Brussels, 19/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 19 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton told a group of journalists, including those from EUROPE, that the next dialogue meeting with the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo would take place in January. She did not give any information about the date, however. “There is still work to be done. The dialogue will continue and we are meeting again in January”, Ashton said. The discussions will focus on justice - as the last dialogue on 13 December did not manage to settle all the issues on this subject (see EUROPE 10985). “There just needs a little more work”, in Ashton's opinion. While the principles of a single court and a single chief prosecutor have been agreed upon, the prime ministers now need to decide how this will be set up on the ground, Ashton said. The questions concern “how many buildings, what buildings and who will be in the buildings”, she added.
The meeting in January will also be an opportunity to discuss the Council conclusions on Serbia and Kosovo. However, Ashton recalled that the dialogue is a route in itself and that it runs parallel to the stabilisation and association agreement with Kosovo and the opening of negotiations with Serbia. The issue of property could also be on the agenda for this dialogue.
More generally, Ashton stressed that the work which now remains to be done on the implementation is “very important and there is still a lot to do”, she said. She also said that the future of the dialogue belongs to them. “They can progress the process as far and as quickly as they want”, she added. She also stated that, as long as Serbia and Kosovo want to continue the dialogue, “we will continue”.
No recognition of Kosovo. Ashton again recalled that the issue of Kosovo's recognition by Serbia is not a point of the dialogue. “We have never put the issue of recognition in the dialogue”, she stressed, recalling that not all EU member states recognise Kosovo (Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia do not recognise Kosovo's independence). “This has never been a requirement of the dialogue. The requirement of the dialogue is to normalise relations”, she added. And this seems to work between the prime ministers. In Ashton's view, the atmosphere of the dialogue has improved over the 20 meetings (with over 200 hours of meetings). “They speak to each other like people who are negotiating”, she said, stating that the discussions are “strong, firm, clear and determined”, and that the politicians are respectful of each other. “There is never hostility”, Ashton added. (CG/transl.fl)