The start of talks Serbia and Kosovo agreed to hold under European Union auspices to try and resolve problems spawned by war and diplomatic wrangling was marred by delays on Tuesday, dpa reported.
The Kosovo delegation, led by Deputy Premier Edita Tahiri did not show up in time for the start of the meeting in Brussels, where the Serbian side and EU officials were waiting for them.
An EU diplomat told the German Press Agency dpa the talks were "slightly delayed due to logistics and flights," indicating that they were due to begin at 1800 GMT rather than earlier in the afternoon.
Tahiri was reportedly late because a Kosovo parliament debate running longer than expected caused her to miss her flight out of Pristina late on Monday.
Serbia and Kosovo have had no direct contacts since the former province declared independence three years ago.
The EU wants the two sides to sidestep major diplomatic issues such as the status of Kosovo, which Serbia does not recognize, and address real-life problems that plague the population of both ethnicities and on both sides of the boundary.
Kosovo keeps EU waiting as starts of talks with Serbia is delayed
The start of talks Serbia and Kosovo agreed to hold under European Union auspices to try and resolve problems spawned by war and diplomatic wrangling was marred by delays on Tuesday, dpa reported.
