US urges Kosovo to postpone elections in north

In an interview with Voice of America, Chollet said that the United States thinks that “is not the right time for elections given the sensitivity of the moment and we have seen violence in the last 24 hours”.

It's a tense time and we want to make sure there are conditions to hold free and fair elections. Kosovo is a multiethnic democracy, like the United States. We are proud of the work the United States has done in these 20 years to establish democracy in Kosovo and want to work to support and preserve it. From this point on, we think that these choices should be postponed until the time is right and that when they can be held without further inducement and violence”, he has stated.

Chollet said continued talks are under way with leaders in Pristina, and US Ambassador Jeff Hovenier is very involved.

“I will be there next week and this will be among the main topics in talks with the president and prime minister while we expect to work on a common road before”, Chollet said.

The elections in northern Kosovo, which were announced after Serbs left the country's institutions amid disagreements over the use of car license plates, have been questioned following recent incidents in the north. The main political subject of Kosovo Serbs, the Serbian List, will boycott them.

Authorities said they would make decisions about them after assessing the Kosovo security bodies.