Monitoring Desk
BRUSSELS: The European Union has warned of violence in Kosovo following the failure of EU-mediated talks to resolve a dispute over Serbian car number plates.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative, invited Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucicto Brussels for emergency negotiations on Monday amid rising tensions between the Balkans neighbours.
However, Borrell said after the talks that the two parties could not agree to a solution.
Issue of old number plates
Kosovo, the former province of Serbia, has attempted this year to require the Serb minority living in the country to change their old car plates dating prior to 1999, when Kosovo was still part of Serbia.
The move has been resisted by Serbs residing in the northern part of the country, sometimes also violently, but Kosovo has warned of imposing fines from Tuesday.
This month, hundreds of state workers from the Serb minority in Kosovo quit their jobs after the government in Pristina made it mandatory on the local Serbs to replace their car plates issued by Northern Kosovo Serb municipal authorities loyal to Belgrade, with Kosovo state ones.
