Novosti: Both Belgrade and Pristina to come under strong pressure (Vecernje Novosti, B92)
Both Belgrade and Pristina would be under tremendous pressure at the upcoming meeting in Berlin, as the EU has an ambitious plan related to Kosovo daily Vecernje Novosti writes.
According to the Belgrade newspaper, pressure on both sides should be expected at the meeting on April 29, that would be attended by Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaci - as European officials have set a goal - to finish the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue by October, that is, by the time a new European Commission is formed.
Although there has been speculation that Germany and France, whose leaders are the hosts of this meeting, in this way wanted to take the leading role in the dialogue away from EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, the newspaper's source emphasizes that there are no differences between Brussels, Berlin and Paris, and that "everyone will have the same goal at the meeting."
The idea of "delineation" is no longer current - but, according to the newspaper this is "only partially" accurate. Namely, German Chancellor Angela Merkel opposes any sort of redrawing of the administrative line (between central Serbia and Kosovo) "if this relates to parts of territories inhabited by people." Minor corrections, when it comes to uninhabited areas, could be considered, the article said.
As the current set of European officials are leaving the stage, the last session of the European Parliament in this composition has been held before the elections scheduled for the end of May. New EU commissioners would take the office in October. Merkel, too, will soon leave her office - and they all want to steal past activities in connection with the dialogue with a legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina. Anything else they would consider as a major failure, Vecernje Novosti concluded.