Escobar: It is not the time to use our imagination, to think about what the future holds

Escboar made these comments in interviews with N1 television in Belgrade and Serbia's Radio Television on Wednesday, after meeting with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic along with European envoy Miroslav Lajcak.

I don't want to go into the details of the negotiations, but I have to say there are elements for optimism. In addition to that, we need a solution not only for the current crisis, but we need sustainable solutions in the context of the regional situation. We want to turn this crisis into opportunities not only for Serbia and Kosovo, but also for the entire region”, Escobar said in N1.

He said blockades in Kosovo's north should be removed from those who have imposed them and that Serbs should return to domestic institutions from where they left early in November, amid disagreements over the use of car plates issued by Serbia.

Belgrade warned this week that it would seek from NATO peacekeeping forces allowing the return of a number of Serbian police and military troops to Kosovo, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Escobar said that the United States refuses such a return, underlining that “crisis should not be militarized. This is not the time to use the army, it's time for diplomacy, dialogue and compromise, as well as imagination, to think about what the future of the region has to do with”.

He reiterated the demand for the start of talks on establishing the Association of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo.

The “for the United States is a legally binding agreement between Serbia, Kosovo and the European Union. For us it is obligation because we have supported that process and a political party cannot unilaterally withdraw, so we will seek ways to make it a reality”, Escobar said in an interview with Serbia's Radio Television.