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Vucic says Pristina has deployed special police force to northern Kosovo

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference after a meeting of the European Council on November 14 that delegates from Belgrade and Pristina would hold EU-brokered talks in Brussels

BELGRADE, November 21. /TASS/. The authorities of unrecognized Kosovo have sent a special police force to northern Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday.

"This evening, the entire special police force from Pristina was deployed to four locations in northern Kosovo, including to the Srbrica-Zubin Potok highway. We should avoid confrontation and keep the peace. Serbia will comply with [EU foreign policy chief Josep] Borrell’s request and will not issue license plates, but Pristina will not do that. We will have to face a difficult situation. Serbs will be fined starting tomorrow," he said in an address to the nation aired by Serbia’s RTS television channel.

Earlier in the day, Vucic said that Belgrade’s talks with Pristina on the problem of license plates in northern Kosovo had yielded no result.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference after a meeting of the European Council on November 14 that delegates from Belgrade and Pristina would hold EU-brokered talks in Brussels. He said that a solution must be found before November 29 to avoid a serious crisis.

On November 5, Kosovo and Metohija Serbs quitted all government institutions of unrecognized Kosovo after the Kosovo authorities had decided to fine those who did not change their Serbian license plates starting November 22. Fines will amount to 150 euros. After April 21, 2023, when the transition period is over, the Kosovo police will be authorized to seize cars with Serbian plates.