European Union and Serbia warned that violence might flare up after the EU-mediated talks failed to solve the ongoing argument about the license plates in Kosovo, informs BBC.
The conflict started about the new rules regarding license plates in Kosovo. Serbian minority still uses Serbian license plates, some of them issued before the 1999 war of independence. Starting the 22nd of November, Kosovo police plan to press fines of 150 euros on anyone who uses Serbian license plates. Pristina insists that all residents of Kosovo should use local license plates. It may affect some 50 000 Serbs, who live primarily in northern parts of Kosovo.
USA urges to postpone fines and to find some compromise. Both sides «will need to make concessions to ensure that we do not jeopardise decades of hard-won peace in an already fragile region,» said USA State Department spokesman Ned Price.
After a new number plate ruling emerged, many ethnic Serbs resigned from their jobs in government institutions to protest it.
Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo blame each other for the failure of talks. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said that this situation puts the region on the verge of conflict and asked Pristina to think it over and not forcefully press the new rules. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti blames the EU for failure. However, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Kosovo refused to accept the compromise proposal, even though Serbia accepted it.
Serbia doesn’t recognize the independence of Kosovo.