US State Department official visits Serbia to discuss Kosovo, and stability in region

A top US State Department official is in Belgrade on Thursday to discuss the Kosovo issue and overall stability in the region.

Philip Reeker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, has arrived on a three-day visit to Belgrade as part of his Balkan tour aimed at ensuring long-term stability in the region.

He is scheduled to meet with Serbian President Boris Tadic, Serbia’s chief negotiator in the Kosovo talks, Boris Stefanovic, and other state officials and representatives of civil society.

According to Stefanovic, one of main topics of the meetings will be Tadic’s four-point plan for resolving the Kosovo issue.

The plan includes a special status for Serbian monasteries in Kosovo; guarantees for Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo; guarantees for property of the Serbian state and its citizens in Kosovo; and a resolution of the status issue in the north of Kosovo, where most Serbs live.

The issue of the representation of Kosovo in regional forums will also be on the table during Reeker’s visit to the Serbian capital.