Serbia and Kosovo hail 'landmark' agreements

Serbia and Kosovo voiced satisfaction Wednesday with an EU-brokered deal that marked a major step forward in normalising ties between the former foes, and boosted hopes of faster accession to the European Union.

"We have gained more than we hoped for," Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told national broadcaster RTS of Tuesday's agreement, which was mediated in Brussels.

"I have no bad news, I am not dissatisfied with what has been accomplished," he said, adding that he would visit Kosovo in September to present the deal to ethnic Serbs.

His Kosovo counterpart Isa Mustafa said the agreement was considered  "a great success, a success that will allow full sovereignty over the territory of Kosovo, including the north" where ethnic Serbs make up the majority.

Some 120,000 ethnic Serbs live in impoverished Kosovo, where 90 percent of the 1.8 million population are ethnic Albanians.

A key part of the deal is a plan to create an association of Serb-run municipalities within Kosovo, allowing for greater autonomy, as well as a judiciary in the north that would be acceptable for both ethnic groups.

In their talks the two sides also struck deals on the issues of energy, telecommunications and the Mitrovica bridge, which divides the northern city along ethnic lines and has been a flashpoint area since the end of the 1998-1999 war.

Serbia and Kosovo have had difficult relations ever since the conflict, which ended after Serbian forces withdrew from the territory following an 11-week NATO bombing campaign.

Serbia and its ally Russia have persistently refused to recognise Kosovo's 2008 unilateral declaration of independence, recognised by more than 100 countries, including 23 out of 28 EU member states and the United States.

- Road to EU accession -

In 2013 Pristina and Belgrade signed an EU-brokered agreement to normalise ties which enabled Belgrade to start EU accession talks a year later.

But no chapters in negotiations subsequently opened as the process of improving relations stalled, mostly due to early legislative elections in Serbia in March last year, and three months later in Kosovo.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who brokered the talks, said the deal "represents landmark achievements in the normalisation process", while Vucic said he now saw "no more obstacles" to starting negotiations over Serbia's EU accession.

Serbian political analyst Dusan Janjic said the first chapters of such talks could open as early as this autumn, describing the deal as  "a compromise that is extremely favourable for Serbia".

Kosovo, which is a potential candidate for future EU enlargement, "will also be compensated" by the bloc for its concessions, Janjic told AFP.

But Kosovo analyst Belul Beqaj was more sceptical, saying the deal was an attempt by both sides "to deceive their citizens" and that Kosovo's politicians were "allowing for power to be drawn away from the Pristina government".

The plan for an association grouping 10 Serb-run municipalities in Serb-majority areas is the deal's main achievement for Belgrade, which could directly finance them, according to Vucic.

"We are bringing good agreements that not only guarantee security but also keep the jobs" of Kosovo's Serbs, he said.

- 'Form of acceptance' -

Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said meanwhile that the accord reached was "a form of acceptance".

"Serbia agreed to sign documents where our country will be treated as the Republic of Kosovo," Thaci said.

In Kosovo's north, ethnic Serbs received news of the agreement with mixed feelings.

While some described it as a "great victory", Djurdjica, a 56-year old in Mitrovica, thought the new Serb-run entities would not have significant power.

"People are not stupid," she said.

The agreement came ahead of a major summit grouping leaders of western Balkan nations and Mogherini on Thursday, amid concerns over a huge flow of migrants and refugees through the region and over Russian influence.
Source: AFP