A senior U.S. envoy has urged feuding neighbors Serbia and Kosovo to stop provoking each other and to resume talks aimed at normalizing relations.
David Hale, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, on March 8 also called on Kosovo to withdraw its 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods to allow European Union-led talks between the former wartime foes to restart.
"The United States calls for the abolition of tariffs, an end to mutual provocations, and resumption of dialogue," Hale said in a Serbian-language tweet issued by the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade.
The remarks come after Hale met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade. He is scheduled to meet with Kosovar leaders in Pristina on March 9.
Belgrade has not recognized the independence of its former province, proclaimed in 2008 after a 1998-99 guerrilla war.
More than 10,000 were killed in the war, which prompted NATO to launch an air campaign in the spring of 1999 to end the conflict.
In 2013, Pristina and Belgrade committed to EU-sponsored dialogue meant to resolve all unsolved issues but little progress has been made.
Vucic has repeatedly said Serbia will not resume talks with Kosovo until it abolishes import tariffs.
Pristina has insisted that Serbia fully recognize its independence and stop its efforts to block Kosovo from joining the United Nations and other international organizations.
On March 6, Kosovo's parliament adopted a 12-point negotiating platform that stipulates mutual recognition between Serbia and Kosovo, while preserving current borders between the two.
Vucic told Hale that Kosovo's platform "amounts to a decision by Pristina to halt dialogue with Belgrade" because it leaves no room for compromise, according to a statement by the Serbian presidential office.
In a speech later on March 8, Vucic called Kosovo's negotiating platform an "ultimatum" aimed at "humiliating Serbia."
"I will never agree to that. With those who don't want the talks, there are no talks and there will be no talks," Vucic told supporters.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and RFE/RL’s Balkan Service
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
6Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
10Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
