New meetings within Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Bislimi and Petkoviq in Brussels today

Even at other times, Kosovo and Serbian delegations will first have bilateral meetings with the European Union's special envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, and later the parties may have a joint meeting.

Kosovo delegation leads Besnik Bislimi, while Serbia's Petar Petkov.

According to sources within the European Union, discussions will continue on topics that were discussed three weeks ago, including the issue of car license plates.

The parties have not reached compliance with a long-term solution to the subject, even though it has expired the six-month mandate for working groups to reach an agreement.

After the last meeting, the EU had come up with a statement that until there are no new agreements, the regime with contagious letters will continue to be implemented.

According to EU officials, the six-month term has been for working groups, not for reaching the final solution.

Now this issue will be discussed at the level of chief negotiators.

The interim agreement between the two countries for the license plates, reached on September 30th last year, envisions covering with sticky letters of state symbols on car plates when they cross each other's territory.

This agreement has emerged after a few days of unrest in northern Kosovo, where some local Serbs have blocked roads to reject the Kosovo government's then ruling on reciprocity measures.

In addition to the issue of license plates, the meetings are expected to be discussed even on the issue of the unawares and energy. For both of these issues in the EU, they say there are “very close to solution” but it should also be “the final step”.

The EU and the international community have reiterated that they expect both sides to refrain from any unilateral action that could jeopardise security on the ground and complicate further progress in the dialogue.

The EU's representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, faced with a lack of success in this process, is trying to reach some agreement soon so that the way can be opened even for a high-level meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

Both leaders have not met under dialogue since last year's summer.

Days ago Kurt and Vuciq met at an informal dinner in Berlin.

European top diplomat Josep Borrell earlier said he would not invite leaders to the summit until there are no clear signals that concrete progress will be achieved at such a meeting.

The dialogue on normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia, with the European Union mediating, started in 2011.

The sides have reached dozens of agreements, but most of them have not found application on the ground. /Rel