EU's Ashton hails deal to re-start Serbia, Kosovo dialogue

(BRUSSELS) - European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton on Wednesday hailed an agreement with Serbia to re-start dialogue with Kosovo after the UN votes on a new co-sponsored resolution.

Ashton said the new text, hammered out in talks with Serbia President Boris Tadic, would see "all 27 EU member states and Serbia... co-sponsoring this draft resolution."

She said the outcome was "a reflection of our common commitment to Serbia's European perspective."

The UN General Assembly will on Thursday vote on the new text, after which "the important thing will be that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina can start," Ashton said.

The draft resolution now "presents a compromise which Serbia has reached in cooperation with the European Union," the government in Belgrade said in a statement.

Serbia insisted that the draft "does not, in any way, recognise the independence" of Kosovo.

In February 2008, Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia, despite fierce opposition from Belgrade, which continued to consider it as its southern province.

So far 70 states including the United States, but only 22 of the 27 EU members -- Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain -- have recognised Kosovo as an independent state.

Belgrade submitted the draft resolution after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a non-binding opinion in July that Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence did not violate international law.