Although some of the world most powerful countries are strongly opposing changing of borderlines, there are two realities in the field.One is that Kosovo is independent and the second one is that Serbs in the north are opposing authority of Pristina.

It seems that it is possible to find a compromise, says James Ker Lindsey, British expert in international relations in the Southeast Europe in an interview with Belgrade daily "Blic".

"If Serbia has to accept independence of Kosovo, then Pristina has to accept that the north is a part of Serbia. Direct consequences of refusal of compromise shall have to bear both Serbia and Kosovo and not the USA or Russia, stresses Lindsey, professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who was in Belgrade several days ago where he promoted his latest book "Kosovo – The Path to Contested Statehood in the Balkans".

According to him, only countries not suffering direct consequences from their decisions can take hard stances.

"Russia may have strong stance towards refusal of Kosovo independence but it does not have to pay for that by its relation with the EU as Belgrade does. The USA also can insist on its stance but that shall not cost it the UN membership or participation in sports competition, or having a postal code or the Internet domain. If that is understood then Belgrade and Pristina may try to reach a compromise", Lindsey says.

He believes the key supporters of Pristina independence know that it shall not be easy and that it would cost them a lot that Pristina takes over control in the north because of strong hostility by the local Serbs towards authorities in Pristina.

"That is what Belgrade should use and put concrete proposals on the table offering solution. Presenting clear plans by Belgrade can open new possibility for negotiations over the north", says Lindsey.

With regards to the way to urge world powers to accept negotiations over partition or status of the north, he stresses that if Belgrade presented a good and precise plan that would make them calculate again the cost of maintaining Pristina’s authority in the north.

When asked what would be the maximum that Belgrade could get from the present situation, the British expert says there is possibility that borders are changed and that Kosovo north belongs to Serbia.

"There are no provisions in international law preventing a country from negotiations over change of its borderlines", underlines Lindsey.