UK joins US in supporting formation of CSM in Kosovo

Tolga AKMEN / AFP

The UK ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, said on Thursday that London supported the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), a day after his colleague, the US envoy to Pristina Phillip Kosnett, told Kosovo authorities they should do that.

Both messages followed Tuesday’s meeting between Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels mediated by the Europan Union officials.

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Kurti insisted on a new way of negotiations, ignoring what had been agreed in the previous talks, including the CSM, and wanted mutual recognition as the critical condition for any further discussion.

Vucic accused Kurti of coming to talks not to agree on anything and reiterated he would never recognise Kosovo as an independent state.

Miroslav Lajčák, the EU special envoy for the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue on the normalisation of relation, briefly told reporters in Brussels the talks were not easy but that it was important they resumed after a long pause. He did not take questions.

Abbott recalled the formation of the CSM was agreed on in the previous phases of the dialogue.

„I think it’s clear the issue is on the table and that Kosovo’s Government has agreed on,“ Abbott said.

On the other hand, he added, it should be seen what was specified as the CSM jurisdictions and whether some could endanger Kosovo’s Constitutions and work on them.

He added the worst thing was that those who claimed it was against the Constitution „because of the name and then give up and leave.“