Palmer says way for Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue must be found

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer, in an interview for the BBC in the Serbian language, has said it is necessary to find a way for the two countries to return to the negotiating table.

The “Taxat that Kosovo has imposed on products of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina must be removed so that the dialogue can continue”, Palmer was quoted as saying, Coha.net broadcast.

He has not wanted to give deadlines on when the agreement on full normalisation of reports between the two countries will be reached, but has said that “wishes that this would happen as soon as”.

Everything depends on how ready the parties are to continue this path first to return to dialogue, and then reach agreement”, Palmer tells BBC.

The senior US official says the US is part of dialogue as a supportive partner and will do everything to encourage and enable both sides to reach agreement.

This is in their interest, but it's also in the entire region, the EU and the US”.

Palmer says the US had no role in canceling the Paris summit.

“We encourage authorities in Pristina to do what it takes to continue the dialogue, as we talk to the authorities in Belgrade about parameters of the” agreement.

Asked whether the road to resolving Kosovo-led dispute Serbia may be some international conference like the 1999 Rambouillet conference, says it is still not the time for it.

“I am not sure whether the moment has come when we will need an international conference, as the process of dialogue has already begun under the leadership of the European Union and some progress has been achieved”, he said.

Palmer does not believe that next year's American presidential election will not have much impact on the pace of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, as according to him, “this is constant during many administrations in Washington”.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer, like the chief of European diplomacy, Federica Moghrini, envisions tensions and the return of the dark “forts of the past” if the region does not exploit the case.

“Tensions lead to wrong assessments, wrong estimates can lead to violence, and violence can escalate into conflict. So there are concerns, even though America is committed to reaching an agreement and supporting these countries on their path to the EU”.

He says these tensions are not only in the Kosovo-Serbia report, but throughout the Western Balkans.