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| Lack of Accord May Hurt Serbia’s Aim to Join European Bloc | |
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| PARIS — Marathon talks aimed at overcoming ethnic divisions in Kosovo ended without an agreement on Wednesday, dealing a potential blow to Serbia’s aspirations to join the European Union and undermining hopes of improved stability in the Balkans. | PARIS — Marathon talks aimed at overcoming ethnic divisions in Kosovo ended without an agreement on Wednesday, dealing a potential blow to Serbia’s aspirations to join the European Union and undermining hopes of improved stability in the Balkans. |
| After more than 12 hours of talks in Brussels, Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, who acted as mediator, said in a statement that the gap between officials from Serbia and Kosovo was “very narrow, but deep.” She said the meeting was the last she would call between the parties, though both sides indicated their openness to continuing the discussions, with less than two weeks to go before a crucial milestone for Serbia’s attempt to join the European Union. | After more than 12 hours of talks in Brussels, Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, who acted as mediator, said in a statement that the gap between officials from Serbia and Kosovo was “very narrow, but deep.” She said the meeting was the last she would call between the parties, though both sides indicated their openness to continuing the discussions, with less than two weeks to go before a crucial milestone for Serbia’s attempt to join the European Union. |
| “They will now both go back and consult with their colleagues in their capitals and will let me know in the next few days of their decision,” Ms. Ashton said. “I wish them a good journey home and every possible success in reaching a conclusion.” | “They will now both go back and consult with their colleagues in their capitals and will let me know in the next few days of their decision,” Ms. Ashton said. “I wish them a good journey home and every possible success in reaching a conclusion.” |
| The heated negotiations, which focused on the degree of autonomy to grant ethnic Serbs in the north of Kosovo, a former Serbian province, were overshadowed by historical enmity. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after NATO intervention helped end Serbia’s bloody civil war with Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians. Serbia still considers Kosovo its medieval heartland and refuses to recognize its independence. | The heated negotiations, which focused on the degree of autonomy to grant ethnic Serbs in the north of Kosovo, a former Serbian province, were overshadowed by historical enmity. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after NATO intervention helped end Serbia’s bloody civil war with Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians. Serbia still considers Kosovo its medieval heartland and refuses to recognize its independence. |
| The United States and most of the European Union recognize Kosovo as an independent nation. Russia and many other countries, including Spain, oppose that view. Their concerns include the fear that recognizing Kosovo would spur secessionist movements in their own territories. | The United States and most of the European Union recognize Kosovo as an independent nation. Russia and many other countries, including Spain, oppose that view. Their concerns include the fear that recognizing Kosovo would spur secessionist movements in their own territories. |
| Ms. Ashton is expected to issue a report on April 16 that will determine whether Serbia will be given a date to begin talks to join the European Union. Normalizing relations is considered a prerequisite for Serbia and Kosovo to eventually join the bloc. Failure of the talks could marginalize both countries, undermine their economic progress and entrench ethnic nationalism in the face of an already fragile stability. But analysts said the deadline could still focus minds. | Ms. Ashton is expected to issue a report on April 16 that will determine whether Serbia will be given a date to begin talks to join the European Union. Normalizing relations is considered a prerequisite for Serbia and Kosovo to eventually join the bloc. Failure of the talks could marginalize both countries, undermine their economic progress and entrench ethnic nationalism in the face of an already fragile stability. But analysts said the deadline could still focus minds. |
| People close to the talks said tempers flared at times. The Serbian news media reported that at one point a senior member of the Serbian negotiating team, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, offered his resignation to Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who refused it. | People close to the talks said tempers flared at times. The Serbian news media reported that at one point a senior member of the Serbian negotiating team, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, offered his resignation to Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, who refused it. |
| According to B92, an independent broadcaster in Serbia, Mr. Dacic told reporters that the main stumbling block to the deal was a failure to agree on the autonomy of the judiciary and the police in the northern part of Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs who do not recognize the authority of the government in the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, are in the majority. | According to B92, an independent broadcaster in Serbia, Mr. Dacic told reporters that the main stumbling block to the deal was a failure to agree on the autonomy of the judiciary and the police in the northern part of Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs who do not recognize the authority of the government in the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, are in the majority. |
| Under a potential deal, Kosovo could grant autonomy to Serb-dominated municipalities in the north in return for the Serbian government’s tacit recognition of Pristina’s authority there. But Pristina is vehemently opposed to any deal that would create a rival executive body and undermine its sovereignty. | Under a potential deal, Kosovo could grant autonomy to Serb-dominated municipalities in the north in return for the Serbian government’s tacit recognition of Pristina’s authority there. But Pristina is vehemently opposed to any deal that would create a rival executive body and undermine its sovereignty. |
| The talks are also seen as a test of the European Union’s soft power: its ability to persuade countries to make difficult political and economic changes by dangling the incentive of joining the world’s biggest trading bloc. | The talks are also seen as a test of the European Union’s soft power: its ability to persuade countries to make difficult political and economic changes by dangling the incentive of joining the world’s biggest trading bloc. |