Germany: Accession depends on outcome of talks

"We regret that the talks between Serbia and Kosovo … have so far remained without an agreement. It is important for both sides to maintain the dialogue. A result would be useful for both sides, also in view of the next steps in Serbia's EU rapprochement," the Berlin official said. The commentary was issued a day after the unsuccessful closing of the eighth round of talks in Brussels on Tuesday in which Belgrade and Pristina are trying to agree on "normalisation of relations" in the wake of Kosovo's declaration of independence five years ago, and the big sticking point is what to do about north Kosovo. The portal reports that Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic told Kosovo Prime Minister Hasim Taci on Tuesday that ethnic Serb enclaves should be governed by an autonomous Community of Serb Municipalities, and that ethnic Serb security services could become part of normal Kosovo police if local Serb leaders get to nominate the Serb police chiefs. However, Taci refused, citing Kosovo's constitution on territorial integrity. The portal reported that Germany is the main decision maker on Western Balkan enlargement and that the U.S, as a country “which led a bombing campaign against Serbia in the Balkan wars”, also has an important role. A spokesperson at the US mission to the EU said: "We encourage both sides to seize this extraordinary opportunity to reach an agreement that opens their respective paths to European integration." The U.S. diplomat also said that the December 2012 conclusions of the European Council note that a north Kosovo solution must ensure "a single institutional and administrative set up within Kosovo."