Kosovo

The EU is ready for a continuation of the EULEX mission in Kosovo under a new mandate that would imply a smaller presence and reduced executive powers.

Tanjug agency said it learned this in Brussels on Thursday.

The "Mirdita, dobar dan" ("good day" in Albanian and Serbian) festival was opened in Belgrade on Wednesday afternoon.

The annual presentation of the cultural and social scene of Kosovo is set to run until Saturday.

A Serb student from Kosovska Mitrovica has been lightly injured when a group of ethnic Albanians attacked him in the southern part of the divided town.

Sputnik is reporting that Kosovo police spokesperson Avni Zahiti confirmed the incident took place.

VIENNA - Kosovo-Metohija is a part of Serbia, says Vice-President of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria Norbert Hofer, who lost in the recent presidential run-off from left-wing independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen, adding that the Dayton Agreement confirms the legitimacy and legality of the existence of Republika Srpska (RS).

BELGRADE - "A solution will soon be found for Serbian passports in Kosovo-Metohija (KiM)," Director of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric said on Saturday, underscoring that Belgrade would not leave Serbs without valid documents of the Republic of Serbia with which they could travel to EU countries.

BELGRADE - The United States apparently has big plans for Kosovo and the Balkans in general, political analyst Petr Iskenderov told Radio Sputnik. These include increasing Washington's political influence and military presence in the territory that was carved out of Serbia following NATO's military intervention.

BELGRADE - Kosovo, a predominantly Muslim land severed from Serbia by US and NATO military intervention, was turned into a hotbed of radical Islamism and a fertile recruiting ground for terrorists thanks to money pumped into it by Gulf kingdoms, the New York Times reported.

BELGRADE - The residents of southern Serbia are worried about history repeating itself amid reports that Kosovan Albanians are buying up large amounts of property in towns and villages there, Sputnik Serbia reported.

The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will be continued at expert level in Brussels on Thursday, the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo has announced.

The two-day discussions will be held at the European External Action Service headquarters, with the agenda to include all open issues from past discussions between Belgrade and Pristina.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said on Wednesday in Belgrade that his country will "never" recognize Kosovo.

Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, but Serbia rejected this proclamation as a violation of its territorial integrity and Constitution.