Lajcak: Chief negotiators of Belgrade, Pristina to meet later this week

BRUSSELS - The EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has announced he would host a meeting of the chief negotiators of Belgrade and Pristina later this week in a bid to find a temporary solution for people affected by Pristina's decision to ban the Serbian dinar in Kosovo-Metohija.

"Later this week, I will host the Chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia for another round of talks in order to find a temporary solution for the people impacted by the Kosovo Central Bank decision," Lajcak wrote in a Facebook post.

"I expect both Parties to come to the meeting with an open mind, flexibility and a solution-oriented approach based on ideas presented during previous meetings," he added.

The chief negotiators' most recent meeting on the decision was held in Brussels on April 4.

Speaking to reporters after the discussions, the head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic, who is also chief negotiator, said Belgrade's delegation had tabled a balanced, compromise proposal for solving the issue of cash operations but that Pristina had shown no willingness for that.

Under a regulation by the so-called Kosovo's central bank that entered into force on February 1, the euro is the only permitted currency for cash operations.

The regulation has effectively banned the Serbian dinar in the province, putting under threat the livelihood of Serbs who depend on incomes paid by the Serbian authorities.