The United States on Friday urged Kosovo authorities to work with the European Union to establish a new extension to the issuance of license plates to Serbian citizens in the north of the territory.
«Kosovo has the right to implement the license plate regime under the Brussels Agreement, but an extension of the timeline is in the interest of advancing the EU-facilitated dialogue to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia,» U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Thus, Washington said it was «disappointed and concerned» by the refusal of the Kosovar government to work with its international partners, since it is necessary to work on this issue «with urgency and flexibility», an opinion also shared by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
At a time of uncertainty due to the lack of agreement on the rule that on October 31 will impose Kosovar license plates and documents, which threatens to rekindle tensions in the Serb-majority north of Kosovo, Von der Leyen said she is «deeply convinced» that it is possible to reach a solution to the dispute.
«Talks are underway and we hope to have a concrete solution soon,» the leader of the European executive explained, calling on Belgrade and Pristina to approach the talks in a «constructive» and «flexible» spirit.
The Kosovar rule that Serbs living in Kosovo will have to start using the territory’s official license plates on their cars is the source of tension this summer in northern Kosovo with roadblocks and violent clashes. The deadline for implementing the law expires in November after several extensions agreed ‘in extremis’ between the parties with the mediation of the EU and the United States.
