Serbia, Kosovo to Launch First-Ever Direct Talks

Serbia and breakaway Kosovo will start their first bilateral direct negotiations in Brussels Tuesday, mediated by the European Union.

The issues of personal documents, licence plates, crossing the administrative border, and other practical matters are expected to be the topics to be discussed during the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

The two delegations will be led by Borko Stefanovic, a director in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by Edita Tahiri, vice-PM of Kosovo.

"This an opportunity to achieve an historical reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians and we must not miss it," stated Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic.

At the same time, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Vuk Jeremic issued a stern statement requesting a serious investigation of the accusations of forceful organ harvesting carried out in Kosovo, allegedly under the protection of former KLA leader and current Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci.

"This investigation is a moral imperative of the utmost importance," stated Jeremic during his meeting with the president of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mevl?t ?avu?o?lu Sunday.

The talks between Prishtina and Belgrade will be first after Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia three years ago.

The Bulgarian National Radio correspondent in Belgrade has pointed out that while Prishtina views the upcoming talks as purely technical Belgrade sees them as a new development on the status of Kosovo. Serbia remains vigorously opposed to the recognition of the independence of its former province.

For the time being, no discussions will be held regarding Kosovo's status, which is what Pristina prefers.

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