US Ambassador Christopher Hill said on Thursday that Washington was clear about the need to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) in Kosovo.

I believe the US said clearly months ago that the CSM is a key element that has to be implemented, the pro-government Kurir tabloid quoted him as saying. The ambassador said that Pristina is not happy about being blocked from some international organizations. We have to deal with that, he said.

According to Hill, Serbia faces a big job in terms of many common goals and the need to improve economic relations. He said that the US interests in relations with Serbia are motivated by the prospects of the entire Western Balkan region being peaceful and linked. Hill said that official Belgrade’s Open Balkan initiative is part of the solution, adding that the European Union needs countries that can co-exist in peace and cooperate with each other.