Kosovo sees little to gain from EU-brokered talks with Serbia

Serbia is certain to profit from the current European Union-brokered talks between Belgrade and Pristina, but Kosovo media on Wednesday questioned how their country would benefit, DPA reported.

The discussions, which began the day before in Brussels, are the first direct talks since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia three years ago.

The Pristina daily Zeri quoted journalist Veton Surroi as saying that the talks were devised "so that at the end of the process Serbia can get the status of candidate for European Union membership."

Serbia's progress towards EU membership has been held up mainly because of Belgrade's hostile relations with its former province and its failure to round up fugitive war criminals.

"At the same time, it is utterly unclear for Kosovo what it can get from this process," Surroi said.

Without the consensus of political forces in Kosovo, the talks will only harm the new country's fragile democracy, added Avni Klinaki, who heads an organization seeking unification with Albania.

The agenda for the Brussels talks sidesteps major diplomatic issues, focussing on everyday problems rather than the status of Kosovo, which Serbia still claims as its own territory.

The first day of talks hit a snag when Kosovo's delegation showed up late in the Belgian city because it was held up by debate in parliament over a negotiating platform.

Kosovo newspapers on Wednesday quoted parliamentary speaker Jakup Krasniqi as saying that the government has the authority to negotiate, but that any agreement will need ratification by at least two-thirds of the legislature.

But any concrete results from the talks could be a long time off. Serbia's state secretary for Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, predicted that the process could "go on for 10 years."