In an open letter to Kosovo police Director-General Rashti Qalaj, the Belgrade based weekly Vreme demanded urgent investigation of the fire at the Jarinje border crossing with Serbia proper which destroyed a car the weekly used while visiting Kosovo, the FoNet news agency reported on Wednesday.

A reporter of "Le Courrier des Balkans" joined Vreme’s crew on its way back to Belgrade.

The fire broke out suddenly late on January 4. All passengers escaped unharmed while the car was destroyed.

Regional broadcaster N1 reports that “Patriotic forces” supported by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) are planning to bring more than 70,000 people to the plateau in front of the St Sava Temple in Belgrade to greet Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 17, quoting Belgrade based daily Vecernje Novosti.

Deputy leader of the Serbian List Igor Simic told Radio Television of Serbia that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci’s statement that he was prepared to revoke the 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods is a fabrication.

Thaci told the Washington Post over the weekend that he is  "ready to consider lifting the tariffs if a clear way to proceed towards reaching a final peace agreement with Serbia is opened for Kosovo."

Belgrade does not expect the problem of Kosovo’s increase of tariffs on goods from Serbia to be solved through the Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, and there is no hope for any compensation for the economic damage the policy has caused, said Serbia’s Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Rasim Ljajic.

Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic said that the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted investigative actions in connection with the murder of the leader of the CI SDP Oliver Ivanovic, and that she believes that there will be concrete results although Pristina did not act upon and did not agree to the implementation of a joint investigation.

"Pristina's taxes, the so-called Kosovo army, the erasing of the border between Kosovo and Albania - have taken the dialogue not one, but 50 steps backwards," assessed Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

Speaking for Pink TV on Friday in Belgrade, Brnabic pointed out that due to all these decisions of the provisional institutions in Pristina she "does not see any indication of a compromise" - and instead believes that Belgrade and Pristina are increasingly removed from one.

A Kosovo Serb MP told reporters in Pristina on Thursday that the Serbian police and Security Information Agency (BIA) were harassing members of his party.

Slobodan Petrovic MP, leader of the Independent Liberal Party (SLS) told a new conference that he and his deputy Boban Stankovic had been held on separate occasions by the Serbian police at the Merdare border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia proper, adding that this was an abuse of Serbian institutions for party and political goals.

"It is true that in Kosovo and Metohija not everything is Albanian, and not everything is Serbian, and the truth is that we have to reach a compromise."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said this in an interview for the espreso.rs website.

He is convinced that "those who do not understand that will lead Serbia into the greatest tragedy from which we will exit defeated, more defeatedg than ever."

Ivica Dacic, the chief of Serbia's diplomacy, said on Wednesday he had invited Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, to visit Serbia, the Beta news agency quoted his Ministry’s statement as saying.

The ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), headed by the country's president as the most popular leader, will have the greatest voters’ support if an early election is held now, while the enthusiasm for the country's EU membership shrinks and Kosovo is "very important" to less than a half of those covered by an opinion poll published on Thursday.