The Serbian delegation for the talks with Kosovo has arrived in Brussels and is expected to begin the dialogue, which will be mediated by EU representatives, on Tuesday evening.

The Serbian team is led by Borko Stefanovic, followed by his deputy Vladimir Jovicic and a number of experts in the fields that are going to be discussed in the first round.

The team arrived in Brussels on Monday.

However, no one from the Serbian delegation was willing to speculate on whether the Kosovo team would show up.

The Kosovo media reported earlier on Tuesday that Deputy Prime Minister Mimoza Kusari had stated the meeting in Brussels would not be held, but then afterwards released that the Kosovo delegation would depart for Belgium later in the afternoon.

According to Tanjug's information, the first round of the talks was supposed to begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday, but it was postponed because the Kosovo delegation failed to arrive on time.

The Kosovo team should have been in Brussels on Monday, but its trip was delayed because the parliament opposition objected to the draft resolution regarding the talks.


Tahiri: Talks will officially begin upon adoption of resolution

Head of Pristina's delegation for the dialogue with Belgrade Edita Tahiri stated Tuesday that the talks will officially begin upon the adoption of a resolution by the Kosovo parliament, which is expected to occur at the session on Thursday.

The Kosovo parliament's resolution is very important for internal harmonization, as it will provide legitimacy and support the process, Tahiri said in an interview for Deutsche Welle. She is to leave for Brussels later today, where Belgrade's delegation, headed by Borko Stefanovic, had already arrived on Monday evening.

As two resolutions appeared before parliament, one drafted by the goverment and the other by the opposition, it was concluded that the two documents need to be harmonized, Tahiri said, adding that after the adoption of the resolution the Kosovo delegation will be ready for talks.

When asked if this means that negotiations will officially begin only after the resolution has been adopted, Tahiri responded affirmatively.

Speaking about the position of the Serbian government that the talks will include a discussion on Kosovo's status, Tahiri said that three parties take part in the talks - Kosovo, Serbia and the EU, adding that agenda is determined based on the agreement between all sides.

What I am saying is not that Belgrade does not want to raise the issue of status, but these are the rules of the game, Tahiri said.

When asked what Kosovo will gain through these talks, Tahiri said that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is of mutual interest, which could later persuade Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence.

Tahiri also said that Kosovo's participation in the talks is an international obligation, stressing that Kosovo is a young state whose goal is the EU integration, which implies good neighborly relations with all countries and fulfillment of internationals obligations.