Negotiators interpret Brussels meeting differently

Negotiators interpret Brussels meeting differently

BRUSSELS -- Marko Đurić says he is "stunned by the statement of Edita Tahiri" that an agreement was reached "to remove the barricades" from a bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica.

The head of the Serbian governmnent's Office for Kosovo and Metohija spoke for B92 after negotiations in Brussels on Tuesday to add that "Peace Park" - soil and concrete flower boxes that local Serbs built their after removing a barricade - would remain in place.

"I have the impression that we were in two different meetings," Đurić said, in reference to Tahiri's statement. Tahiri headed the delegation of the Kosovo authorities in the talks.

"I have to express my complete surprise by statements of Edita Tahiri after the meeting, about the supposed agreement, I quote, 'on the removal of the barricades.' I guess that by 'barricades' she means Peace Park, through which she passed a couple of days ago, visited it, and had coffee in northern Kosovska Mitrovica," Đurić said.

"So, as far as the statement of Edita Tahiri, I have the impression that we were in two different meetings. We agreed that Peace Park remains, that there should be no events related to the bridge and the immediate vicinity of the bridge until the talks continue, that in the meantime a visual assessment of the condition of the bridge should be done so that as the talks continue there can be agreement about what the bridge and the area immediately around the bridge will look like - exclusively through consensus of the two sides," said Đurić.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri previously said that an agreement was reached to gradually remove the barricade on the bridge over the Ibar River in Kosovska...