(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, 26 DIC - Belgrade will allow cars with
Kosovo license plates to enter Serbia, a Serbian official
announced on Tuesday, a decision that appears to pave the way
for the resolution of a long-running dispute between Serbia and
its neighbor, whose independence it does not recognize. The
decision was taken to "facilitate the free movement of all
vehicles" from Kosovo, Serbian public broadcaster RTS quoted the
head of the Serbian office for Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, as saying
on Tuesday. Until now, vehicles from Serbia or Kosovo have been
able to cross the border provided they affix stickers to the
national emblems visible on their license plates. This measure
will come into force on January 1, said Mr. Petkovic. "Allowing
all vehicles to travel (...) is a purely practical decision, to
facilitate people's freedom of movement, and cannot be
interpreted as recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed
independence of so-called Kosovo", said Mr. Petkovic.
Serbia had agreed to recognize Kosovo's license plates and
vice versa following an agreement reached in 2011 under the
aegis of the European Union, but the decision was never fully
implemented. In 2022, Kosovo backtracked on a controversial
decision to penalize drivers who failed to replace Serbian
license plates with those issued by Pristina. Kosovo's Serb
minority, which remains loyal to Belgrade and still considers
itself part of Serbia despite Kosovo's independence in 2008,
reacted by leaving local administrations in Serb-majority
northern Kosovo and setting up roadblocks, a blockade movement
punctuated by clashes with police. Since then, "99%" of Kosovo
Serbs have voluntarily replaced their license plates with those
issued by Pristina, added Mr. Petkovic, explaining that for them
this was a necessity of daily life.The Kosovo government has not
yet indicated whether it will take a similar reciprocal measure.
mbs/mr/fal
/ (ANSA-AFP).
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