Serbia And Kosovo Agree To Cooperate On Borders

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(RFE/RL) — Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to work together to patrol their common border.

The two sides reached the agreement in Brussels late on December 2.

A statement from the EU, which mediated the discussions, said “The parties will gradually set up the joint, integrated, single and secure posts at all their common crossing points.”

The breakthrough comes hours after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Serbia was not ready for EU membership.

Speaking to parliament, Merkel said Serbia could only join the EU “through the normalization of its relations with Kosovo,” and that “Serbia has so far not lived up to these expectations sufficiently”.

Unrest between NATO troops and ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo near the border with Serbia has flared up in recent weeks.

Thirty German and Austrian soldiers were hurt in clashes this week.

Trouble began in July when Serbs erected dozens of roadblocks after the government of Kosovo said it would man border posts in the mainly Serb north.

Many Serbs that live there reject the country’s 2008 secession from Serbia and say NATO is supporting Kosovo institutions.

RFE RL

RFE/RL journalists report the news in 21 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established.

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