Dacic: Not getting a date would be bad

He added that Belgrade will do everything for compromise with Pristina to be reached, adding that the forming of a community of Serb municipalities is the most optimal solution. "Not getting a date would certainly be bad for Serbia. I cannot say we do not care whether we will be an EU member or not, but such news will not be end of the world. If we fail to reach an agreement with Pristina, it will mean that the other party had no understanding," the prime minister said. Asked if March 4, when the next round of dialogue with Pristina will be held, is a "D-Day" for Serbia, Dacic said he could not say that, though the dialogue is really important for Serbia. It is possible to overcome parallelism of institutions in northern Kosovo by forming the community of Serb municipalities, and Pristina has agreed with that, but there is disagreement in perceiving what this community would really be. "This is not about who would be in control, but rather whether this will be a regional government or Serbian self-government, how the administrative bodies would be chosen and what would be its jurisdictions, but also its ties with Pristina and Belgrade. Pristina's position is that the community should have coordinating function only, and no executive power." Dacic added he agrees with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton "that we are close to an agreement," but that this is precisely because "we agree that the community of Serb municipalities is the right solution." "However, we are very far from an agreement when it comes to the essence. This is why I do not know whether the meeting on March 4 will be a D-Day, because there will be other important dates in the coming days and months as well, and because Catherine Ashton should submit her report to the European Council in mid-April. The idea is that we should have some kind of an agreement and a plan for the implementation of the agreed by then," he stressed. Dacic also said that talks in Brussels are not about the status of the province and that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo.