Dailies report that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg will visit Kosovo this week as part of his Balkans tour.

“We will focus on pragmatic ways to improve cooperation and strengthen dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade,” Steinberg said ahead of his visit.

Express reports that Steinberg will be accompanied by Spanish Foreign Minister

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said that Serbia has made encouraging progress in European integration and that during his visit to Belgrade in April he will broach some topics the U.S. and Serbia disagree on, primarily the status of Kosovo.

Ahead of his visit to the Balkans, which starts in Ljubljana on April 6, Steinberg said that the current U.S. administration has always been committed to stability and prosperity in the region. After Ljubljana, Steinberg will visit Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina.

"We've been very encouraged by some of the steps that Serbia has taken towards EU integration this past year," Steinberg told a news conference late in March, referring to the visa liberalization, Serbia's EU membership application and the unfreezing of the interim trade agreement.

He said he was assured by Serbian officials that Serbia understands the importance of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

Steinberg said he will also discuss the relations between Belgrade and Pristina with Serbian officials.

"We recognize that despite the differences, the formal differences, that there are common interests there, and that it's important to work in ways that do not create greater instability in the region," he pointed out.