Serbia to reject EU's deal over Kosovo recognition

Serbia said today it will reject an EU-brokered deal for Kosovo and will ask for more negotiations with ethnic Albanian leaders.

The EU has given Serbia until tomorrow to say whether it would relinquish its control of northern Kosovo in exchange for the start of Serbia’s EU membership negotiations.

Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said the plan is unacceptable because it does not give more autonomy to minority Kosovo Serbs. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after the eighth round of talks between Serbian and Kosovo officials last week that she wanted an answer from both sides by tomorrow and that the bloc’s mediation was over.

AP