Serbia-Kosovo Peace Talks End Without Progress Despite EU Intervention

Failure of Talks Amplifies Fears of Renewed Violence; EU Struggles to Enforce February Agreement Between Hotly Divided Leaders.

Following key talks mediated by the European Union, leaders of Serbia and Kosovo failed to make progress in resolving their longstanding dispute. Both nations had endorsed an agreement in February aimed at normalizing relations.
The deadlock has not only angered EU leaders but also heightened fears of renewed violence. Particularly troubling were the events of September 24, when about 30 Serb gunmen crossed into northern Kosovo, killing a police officer and setting up barricades.
A major point of contention is the refusal of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to sign the February agreement, an act which Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti suggests is paramount to the deal's implementation. Vucic denies any evasion of responsibility.
The EU, along with the U.S., has been pressing Kosovo to permit the formation of an Association of Serb-majority Municipalities to oversee issues such as education, healthcare, and economic development in regions mainly inhabited by ethnic Serbs.
Despite the deadlock in talks, Kosovo's leader asserted that his country deserves to be officially recognized as a candidate for EU membership, citing its democratic and economic progress.