Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said Monday that Kosovo was not an obstacle for Serbia on its path to the European Union (EU), stressing that Serbia was not responsible for the problems in the Kosovo north.

“Belgrade's authorities can influence the events in the north only very little,” Bildt said in Luxembourg ahead of the beginning the EU Council of Ministers meeting.

He said the key problem was that the authorities in Pristina had not gained the trust of the local citizens. British Foreign Minister William Hague said that Serbia would not be on the Luxembourg meeting's agenda, adding that finding a constructive solution in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue was in focus at the moment.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that Italy would push for Serbia's candidacy. I hope the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will resume, Frattini said, adding that it is not a precondition for the candidacy, but would definitely help improve the atmosphere in that regard.

Frattini said he was not familiar with any details regarding Serbia's proposal to hold a meeting dedicated to the Kosovo issue, but added, however, he would discuss that with Serbian President Boris Tadic.