Milivojevic on the new round of dialogue: Continued pressure on Serbia; Pristina will not change its position

Former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic, on the occasion of the new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which will be held today in Brussels with the mediation of the EU, says that we should expect continued pressure on Serbia, RT Balkan reports.

"All the positions of Belgrade and Pristina and the negotiators ahead of the continuation of negotiations are clear," Milivojevic says.

As he points out, Pristina will not change its position and will insist that it is already working on de-escalation, referring to what it says are alleged concessions.

"They will insist on the implementation of the so-called Ohrid Agreement. Belgrade will demand the withdrawal of Kosovo Special Forces, the release of the arrested Serbs, and the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities," Milivojevic adds.

According to him, a lot depends on the European mediators, who also stated their position.

"Lajcak said that he was looking for de-escalation, the unconditional organization of new elections, and talks on the implementation of the Basic Agreement. It should be expected that there will be discussions on the mentioned lines. Of course, the Serbian side cannot accept to discuss the Ohrid Agreement before de-escalation takes place and until everything does not return to the previous state. The CSM is the most important condition," Milivojevic notes.

He points out that he expects that the request will be repeated to both sides.

"Although there is no Serbian guilt, they will insist on the Ohrid Agreement and the understanding for the Pristina side will be repeated because it is allegedly taking steps. There are no new moments if there is no de-escalation in the essential sense, the withdrawal of all forces, and the cessation of imposing a political solution by force. And this means leaving the mayors, as well as some police forces," Milivojevic said.

He noted that there were no conditions for the Serbs to go to the elections without the CSM.

"When all is said and done, I expect continued pressure on Serbia," Milivojevic concludes.

According to Milivojevic, there is room for optimism only when it comes to the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.

"The formation of the CSM would be a kind of concession to Serbia, which would enter into the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement," Milivojevic said.