Tensions in the North: Cholles, Escobar visit Kosovo next week

He is expected to be accompanied by US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar.

In a response to Radio Free Europe, an American State Department spokesman has said that “Escobar travels frequently to the region and will be there for regular consultations”.

Their visit is expected to happen at the time of increasing tensions in northern Kosovo.

On December 6th, several groups of Serbian citizens have hampered the entry of Central Election Commission officials into the offices of this institution in the north, with the aim of preparing for elections, and thus caused incidents with firearms.

For such incidents, it was reported in Zubin Potok and North Mitrovica, the majority Serb municipality in northern Kosovo.

A day later, in northern Mitrovica two bombings were reported.

Elections for the northern municipalities of northern Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvecan '%s' Leposaviq are scheduled for December 18th, as their leaders have resigned as a sign of disappointment with the Kosovo Government's decision to reregister Serbian license plates in the RKS Republic of Kosovo.

Meanwhile, the parties have reached agreement.

Kosovo has agreed to suspend its plan for reregistering Serbian cars with Serbian license plates in the RKS, while Serbia has pledged that it will no longer issue new plates for Serbs in the north.

Chollet himself has talked to Kurti about the license issue and has called on “to work urgently for normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia in the EU facilitated dialogue, which the US strongly supports”.

Their visit also comes days after the announcement of European top diplomat Josep Borelli, that Pristina and Belgrade have been handed over the updated text of the so-called Franco-German plan for normalising relations.

This plan, supported by the United States, is aimed at resolving disputes between the two countries.

Earlier this week, EU envoy for dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has visited Kosovo and Serbia.

Kosovo and Serbia have launched negotiations on normalising relations in 2011, with the European Union's mediation.

The negotiations process is expected to end with legally binding agreement.

Although Kosovo claims that this agreement should include mutual recognition, Serbia refuses, insisting on <x0 compromise resolution”.