Ambassador Hill: Interesting proposals to be presented to Kosovo, Serbia

The European Union envoy, Miroslav Lajcak, will hold meetings in Kosovo and Serbia on 21 October. It will be accompanied by Washington's envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, by France's envoy, Emmanuel Bonn, Germany's Jens Plotner, and Italy's Francesco Talo.

According to Brussels, the purpose of the visit is to postpone implementation of the Agreement towards normalisation, which Kosovo and Serbia arrived earlier this year.

Hill also said Lajcak “has heard a lot” and thinks he knows “what Serbia and Kosovo” need.

Ambassador Hill said the US wants “an independent Kosovo, with a multiethnic environment” and the way ahead, in terms of reports between Kosovo and Serbia, is normalisation of reports.

Earlier in October 12th, Hill said that “I want Serbia to understand and accept Kosovo as an independent state”.

“People say Serbia simply needs to understand that Kosovo is an independent state and move forward. I would like that too, but the fact is that the problem is more complex”, he said.

The visit to Kosovo and Serbia of the group, which is known as “The large pair”, is the first since the September 24th attack on Kosovo police in Banjska in Zvecan.

A group of armed Serbs attacked Kosovo police, leaving Sergeant Africa Bulnjak dead. During the clashes, authorities said three more attackers were killed.

Kosovo has blamed Serbia for the attack, but Belgrade has said it has nothing to do with it. The responsibility for organising the attack was taken over by Radoic, who resigned from the post of deputy head of the Serbian List, the main party of Serbs in Kosovo that has the backing of official Belgrade.

The US and the EU have strongly condemned the attack.