“Nikolić to be lead negotiator in talks with Priština”

Source: Press

BELGRADE -- Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolić will almost certainly be a new head of the Belgrade negotiating team, daily Press has learnt from the president’s office.

Tomislav Nikolić

According to the daily, the government needs to approve the decision.
They added that Nikolić would not run away from the responsibility.

“He is ready to talk with representatives of the provisional authorities in Kosovo but a precondition is to first reach a consensus among all relevant factors in Serbia, parliamentary parties, civil sector and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPS) and Kosovo Serbs,” the daily’s sources explained.

They stressed that Nikolić had announced earlier that he would insist on bringing the UN into the Belgrade-Priština dialogue.

On the other side, Prime Minister Ivica Dačić most likely will not take part in the talks, Press writes.

“The plan is to let the president devote himself to Kosovo while the prime minister would be more concentrated on European integration issues, solving of economic and social problems,” the Serbian government told the daily.