Serbia-Kosovo talks to resume

Ivica Dacic

Wikipedia-Dragan Zebel...

Early in December, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed her confidence that the dialogue would advance and appreciated the introduction of the Integrated Borders Management (IBM) as a positive development. 

A week later, Dačić spoke about what he defined as a violation of the IBM agreement claiming that customs should not be paid for goods coming from central Serbia and destined for the northern, Serb, part of Kosovo.

"I will not take part in the negotiations unless what we have agreed on is being respected," Dačić told reporters in December.

He added: "If Hashim Thaci [Kosovo's PM] does not have the power to respect agreements, let somebody else who does come."

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by more than 90 countries. 

Serbia, however, has vehemently rejected Kosovo's unilateral proclamation of independence. Nonetheless, it has been pushed to pursue a dialogue and attempt to improve relations with its breakaway southern province in order to continue its EU accession talks.

The high official did not make any reference to a possible accession date for Serbia.

The dialogue between representatives of the two states has taken up a steady pace in recent months. Dačić and his Kosovo counterpart Thaçi have participated in several meetings hosted by Ashton in Brussels.