Ashton hopes agreement would be reached by Monday
High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton expressed the hope that Belgrade and Pristina would manage to reach an agreement by Monday and stated that the divide between the two sides has now turned 'narrow and shallow'.
(kosovocompromisestuff) Thursday, April 18, 2013
We asked the delegations of Belgrade and Pristina to revise the draft document and see whether an agreement is possible, Ashton said in a video statement posted on the official website of the European Commission after the ninth round of the dialogue in Brussels which lasted for 15 hours and ended without an agreement late on Wednesday.
She noted that there is still a little time left until Monday and the session of the General Affairs Council at which she would file her report on the progress in the dialogue, and expressed the hope that by then, both sides will reconsider whether they can make the final step and reach an agreement, thus leading their citizens to the future.
Ashton recalled the statement she made after the previous round of talks, when she said that an agreement is close at hand and that the divide is narrow. She stated that she can now assure that the divide is narrow and shallow.
The EU diplomat said that Wednesday was a long and intense day and that efforts were invested during the talks with a view to achieving certain convergence between the ideas discussed in the previous period, and it is now up to the two delegations to revise the proposition and make a decision.
She noted that there is still a little time left until Monday and the session of the General Affairs Council at which she would file her report on the progress in the dialogue, and expressed the hope that by then, both sides will reconsider whether they can make the final step and reach an agreement, thus leading their citizens to the future.
Ashton recalled the statement she made after the previous round of talks, when she said that an agreement is close at hand and that the divide is narrow. She stated that she can now assure that the divide is narrow and shallow.
The EU diplomat said that Wednesday was a long and intense day and that efforts were invested during the talks with a view to achieving certain convergence between the ideas discussed in the previous period, and it is now up to the two delegations to revise the proposition and make a decision.
