Escobar: Postponement of license plate rules requested

“It is no secret that we have asked for a longer implementation period up to another ten months,” said Escobar following talks in Pristina with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, adding that the same request was also made by the other Quint countries and that they are awaiting a reply from the Kosovo officials.

Escobar said one of the reasons for his repeated visit to Kosovo is that he wants to have regular consultations with the government of Kosovo.

“We want to make sure that we maintain unity with all our European partners on the way forward on what’s happening on this continent,” the US official told an interview with Kosovo’s Kanal 10 TV station.

Escobar said that the US supports the French-German proposal for an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

“I have heard it characterized by our European colleagues as a question of weeks and not years, for an agreement, for a way forward. Beyond that, it is up to the two parties and the facilitators to determine a timeline, but it should be quick. Realistically, in the context of what’s going on, everybody needs to step up and create stability not just in Europe but in the region as well,” Escobar said.

The US envoy said he discussed with President Osmani different models for the Community of Serb Municipalities, adding that this is something Kosovo has to implement.

He said the most important thing is for the Community to be in line with the laws of Kosovo.

“I talked this morning with the President about various ways in which we could shape that to be a win-win, both for the communities in the north, and for Kosovo. But the important thing is that it has to be under the Constitution of Kosovo, it has to be compliant with the laws of Kosovo and it cannot affect the functionality of Kosovo,” said Escobar.

He added that “there are many, many options, many European models that we can explore together that would make this a realistic possibility.”

Escobar noted that the US has always supported Kosovo’s recognition as an independent sovereign state and would welcome it in the UN and in any other European structures.

“What is more important for Kosovo is that you start a more sustainable path to integration into international structures, including recognition by the five remaining non-recognizers. That’s more important than anything else that you can get out of any process,” said Escobar.