Head of Serbia's negotiating team in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Borislav Stefanovic, who is on a working visit to Pristina, stated that the key to the problem of Kosovo is in Belgrade.

"Kosovo cannot become part of international organizations without Belgrade, or have a stable path toward Europe," Stefanovic said for Albanian language daily Koha Ditore.

He said that the north of Kosovo is the key to resolution of the Kosovo issue, and that those who do not want to accept this fact are only deceiving themselves.

According to him, Pristina and Belgrade have approached their positions on certain issues, and as a result first agreements may be signed in September. Stefanovic said that during his stay in Pristina he will try to persuade Kosovo officials and citizens that Belgrade has changed, regardless of its utter disagreement with Kosovo's independence.

According to him, Pristina is the place where both sides should show a balanced and constructive stand before the European partners, and from which they could send signals that that the existing problems could be solved through dialogue.

Stefanovic underlined that during his visit to Pristina he would like to send a message to Kosovo Albanians not to be suspicious of Belgrade's most recent offers.

"My visit to Pristina should, among other things, help to clear these doubts," Stefanovic stated.

Stefanovic: Real problems have priority in Kosovo talks

Leader of the Belgrade negotiating team with Pristina Borislav Stefanovic said on May 12 that the negotiating teams of Belgrade and Pristina discussed real problems, all the while realizing that the different opinions regarding the status of Serbia's southern province should not be in the forefront.

"We have very efficiently discussed real problems and we were aware that our different standpoints on the status should not be in the forefront and that in this kind of atmosphere and in normal communication we should solve these problems," Stefanovic told the Serbian Broadcasting Company.

He said that Belgrade's negotiating team upheld its national interests in spite of the protests in Pristina that took place during the meeting of the two delegations.

"Despite the unwanted riots that took place during our visit and the attack on our vehicle, we maintained our national interests, and defended and represented our sovereignty," Stefanovic said.

The Serbian negotiator will later on Thursday confer with head of Pristina's negotiating team Edita Tahiri, leaders of the Kosovo Albanians and representatives of the Serb community in Kosovo.

Kosovo police fire teargas to disperse ethnic Albanians protesting Serb official's visit

Kosovo police in riot gear fired tear gas and used batons Thursday to disperse a crowd of some one hundred ethnic Albanians that threw rocks and cans filled with red paint at them in protest over a visit by a Serbian official.

The protesters, mainly members of a nationalist opposition party that opposes ongoing talks between Kosovo and Serbia, chanted "Shame, Shame" and shouted the name of the rebel group that fought Serbia during the 1998-99 war.

The head of the party, Albin Kurti, was also among the protesters. Kurti has refused to meet with the Serbian official, Borko Stefanovic, the head of Serbia's delegation that is engaged in talks with Kosovo officials.