Belgrade, 22 November. Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti, today accepted Washington’s demand to postpone by 48 hours a deadline given to Kosovo Serbs to replace Serbian license plates with Kosovar ones, an issue that has sparked tensions and a An increase was expected, they reported. Kosovar Portal Kosev.
Pristina announced that from today it would start punishing the use of Serbian plates with a fine of 150 euros, which is common among the Kosovar Serb population in the north of the country.
The US ambassador to Pristina, Jeffrey M. Hovenier, asked Kosovo to postpone the decision on the plates past midnight, hours after efforts by Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, with European Union (EU) mediation, to end the crisis. Subtle solution.
Hovenier expressed concern about the situation, saying in a statement, “We have asked the Government of Kosovo to suspend the imposition of fines for 48 hours so that the European Union and the United States can continue to engage the parties to find a solution.” can keep.”
After some time, Kurti told that he has accepted the request.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, asked yesterday “that Kosovo immediately suspend the new phases of vehicle registration in northern Kosovo and that Serbia suspend the distribution of new license plates”, to search for ” time and space” for a “durable solution”.
Belgrade then accepted the offer, but Pristina did not.
In protest of the ultimatum on registration fees, representatives of the Kosovar Serb minority, which is concentrated in the northern border area with Serbia, withdrew from the police and other Kosovar institutions two weeks ago.
Serbia does not recognize the independence that its former province, which is populated by an Albanian majority, declared in 2008.
