The EU expects Belgrade and Pristina to agree on the first items of the dialogue as soon as October. The dialogue may initially cover the areas of transport, energy, the turnover of goods across the administrative-border, regional cooperation, and the like.

The consideration of such "practical issues" should open the door to talks on other topics which essentially concern Kosovo's position and the relation between Serbia and the Pristina authorities, it was stated by sources from EU headquarters in Brussels.

It is considered that the dialogue will begin on the level of officials who are "authorized" and who also have the right to make certain decisions, but at the start it should not be expected that the talks will be led between ministers or on a higher level.

The meetings held by EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton in New York with Serbian President Boris Tadic and with Kosovo Albanian leaders prior to that, should clarify if quick agreement can be achieved in the stands regarding the agenda of that essential first round of the dialogue.

The Pristina authorities previously stated that they can talk only about "interstate cooperation," which excludes contacts with Belgrade, although the EU diplomatic sources interpret that mostly as a message for "domestic use."

It was underlined that it is hard to believe Pristina would refuse the dialogue in light of the EU's "good favors." The sources in Brussels made it clear that both sides want the dialogue, as it assessed that "the current leaderships in Belgrade and in Pristina may perhaps be the best ones to address the essential questions."

Well-informed European diplomats said before the Tadic-Ashton and Thaci-Ashton meetings, that there can be no official political opening of negotiations on status, even though there are some important "technical issues" that will inevitably touch on the status dimension.

For Serbia, initiating the dialogue will undoubtedly be beneficial, as there is a "widespread belief" that it is time to send Belgrade's request for EU membership candidacy to the European Commission.