EU Envoy Calls for Kosovo and Serbia to Resume Dialogue

The EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak has urged Serbia and Kosovo to return to the negotiating table to normalize relations and prevent a repeat of the violence that occurred last month in northern Kosovo. After a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Lajcak stated, "The attacks in Banjska have changed many things and must be properly investigated... At the same time, dialogue must continue." He added, "If there is no dialogue, escalation could recur." Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have escalated since September 24, when about 30 armed Serbs stormed the Serbian-majority village of Banjska in northern Kosovo and took refuge in a monastery frequented by Serbian Orthodox individuals.