Kosovar Leader Postpones Fines for Serbian License Plates for Another 48 Hours at US Request

Jarinje checkpoint on the administrative line between Central Serbia and KosovoEvgeny MikhaylovThe EU previously mediated negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo in Brussels, but to no avail: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic already said that talks were fruitless.Kosovar leader Albin Kurti stated on Tuesday he decided to postpone fines for car plates with the Serbian identifier for the disputed region at Washington’s request.

"I thank [US] Ambassador [to Kosovo Jeffrey] Hovenier for his commitment and engagement. I accept his request for a 48-hour postponement on imposition of fines for illegal ‘KM’ (and other) car plates. I am happy to work with the US and the EU to find a solution during the next two days," Kurti tweeted.

© Sputnik / Gavro DešićSigns at the Jarinje checkpoint on the administrative line between Central Serbia and Kosovo.Signs at the Jarinje checkpoint on the administrative line between Central Serbia and Kosovo.Tensions between Serbia and the self-proclaimed Kosovo flared up over the summer, when the Kosovar authorities required that local Serbs re-register their cars’ license plates. They demanded that the car plates feature the EU-standard letter code of RKS (‘Republic of Kosovo’) instead of KM, the Serbian identifier for the disputed region of Kosovska Mitrovica, which provoked a major crisis.The deadline for the re-registration was October 31. Issuing fines for Serbian plates was supposed to start on November 21, then was postponed to the morning of November 22 during negotiations in Brussels.

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