Ashton Presses for Serbia, Kosovo Dialogue

Special Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, Tony Blair (R) and European Union top diplomat Catherine Ashton (L) sit together during a Secretary-General meeting with the Middle East Quartet. EPA/BGNES

EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, has urged Serbia and Kosovo to "start dialogue as soon as possible."

In an interview published Thursday by several Serbian media, Ashton says that the talks to settle the issues between Serbia and its former province Kosovo must start, and the sooner, the better.

But at the same time she stressed the point that any kind of bilateral dialogue must be carefully prepared.

Serbia's status as an EU candidate country still has not been recognized even though it submitted its application for accession in December 2009.

After in July 2010, the International Court of Justice ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence was not contrary to international law, at the beginning of September Serbia agreed to tone down a draft resolution on Kosovo that it submitted to the UN General Assembly.

The "thaw" was achieved by heavy EU pressure but was accompanied with statements of senior Serbian officials that Serbia in no way intended to recognize Kosovo.

EU officials have repeatedly urged Serbia to quit trying to restore its sovereignty over Kosovo in exchange for a green light to its EU membership.

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