A new round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialog, focussing on Pristina's regional representation and the implementation of the achieved agreements, will start in Brussels on Feb. 21, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told BETA on Feb. 16.

Kocijancic added that she could not say whether the prospect for resolving these issues had grown stronger after the recent visit to Pristina of EU mediator in the dialog Robert Cooper and his meeting with Belgrade chief negotiator Borislav Stefanovic in Vienna.

She explained that Cooper's meetings with the Pristina officials and with Stefanovic were a part of the effort to organize a new round of dialog in the second half of February.

On Feb. 16, Stefanovic said the date for the continuation of the dialog was not set yet, although Feb. 21 was being mentioned as a possible date. He stressed that the Belgrade delegation was ready for the talks at any moment.

Stefanovic also said Pristina's representation at international forums was still "a stumbling block." He added that the referendum, in which the Serbs in the north of Kosovo had rejected the Pristina institutions, had been unnecessary.