(THE PAVLOVIC TODAY)—Despite Secretary Blinken’s effort to engage Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti last week and urge him to extend the license plates pre-registration deadline, he refused to do so.
Speaking to The Pavlovic Today on Monday about what will the Biden administration do if PM Kurti continues to say no to Secretary Blinken and the United States and, ultimately, the EU, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the Biden administration’s message to Kurti is clear.
“Our efforts are ongoing,” Ned Price revealed. “You know that we released a statement last week to make very clear our belief and the belief of our international partners that the government of Kosovo needs to extend the implementation period,” Price told The Pavlovic Today.
The United States believes Kosovo has the right to implement these changes under The Brussels Agreement, a fact which the Serbian government disputes under the signed agreement.
“We’re disappointed. We’re concerned that the government of Kosovo has rejected the requests and advice of its closest international partners on implementation,” Ned Price told The Pavlovic Today.
“We encourage Kosovo and Serbia to continue to engage in the EU-facilitated dialogue. We will remain in close touch with our partners in the region. We will remain in close touch with the EU that is facilitating this dialogue,” added Price.
The Kosovo government announced that starting tomorrow, November 1, Kosovo police will begin issuing police warnings to Serbs to preregister their license plates. Then, from November 21, they will start to give EUR 150 fines to all Serbs who refuse to comply.
The Pavlovic Today asked if Secretary Blinken agrees with Prime Minister Kurti’s step to fine the Serbian population in Kosovo and, if not, what would the Biden administration suggest as the best way to resolve this dispute.
“We’ve been clear in public and in private that the international community, including the United States, seeks a full delay in the implementation of these matters. We don’t see a partial delay. We don’t see phased implementation. The international community has asked the government of Kosovo for a full delay in implementation,” revealed Ned Price.
