No breakthrough as EU’s Borrell holds crisis talks with Kosovo, Serbia leaders

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell proposed steps to end weeks of violence in predominantly Serb areas of northern Kosovo to the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday, but there were no signs of an immediate breakthrough.

Violence flared in four northern Kosovo municipalities late last month after ethnic Albanian mayors took office following a local election in which turnout was just 3.5% after Serbs, who form a majority in the region boycotted, the vote.

Tensions worsened after Serbian police arrested three Kosovo policeman last week, saying they crossed the border between the two countries. Pristina says they were arrested inside Kosovo.

After meeting Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for emergency talks in Brussels, Borrell said he asked Kurti to withdraw the mayors, remove special police from near four municipal buildings and uphold a 2013 deal for an association of Kosovo Serb municipalities.

Borell also asked Vucic to free the three Kosovo policemen and withdraw Serb protesters from the vicinity of municipal buildings in the four towns simultaneously with the pullout of Kosovo police.

The top EU diplomat said he asked Kurti “to announce early elections, as soon as possible, in all four municipalities on condition of participation of Kosovo Serbs”.

“Here is the core of the problem and also the core of the solution – early elections, as soon as possible,” Borrell told reporters after four hours of talks.

Kurti said new elections could only be held in accordance with Kosovo law, meaning local Serbs would have to sign a petition to demand them.

“Every condition by (EU and U.S.) that is in violation with Kosovo’s laws I cannot fulfil,” he told reporters.

“If we stick to our laws, of our democratic republic, they provide enough of a frame and platform to get out from this crisis. We just need goodwill.”

He called for the immediate release of the three police officers from Serbian custody and said he had presented evidence to Borrell that they were inside Kosovo territory when they were detained.

Vucic said he was ready for more talks with EU mediators, adding that meeting Kurti in person “makes no sense”.

“We will continue to talk on a daily basis because we believe peace and stability are of crucial importance, but … Serbs … do not want to suffer Kurti’s terror,” he told reporters.

Borrell said Vucic presented him with a report alleging beatings of Serbs arrested during and after the protests and said that an EU judicial mission in Kosovo would investigate.

“Arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of prisoners is completely unacceptable,” he said.

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