EU talks fail to end Serbia-Kosovo licence plate row

A European diplomatic intervention failed to resolve a dangerous row between Serbia and Kosovo over car licence plates, with Brussels blaming Pristina for the stalemate.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell hosted Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Brussels amid a row that could trigger a regional crisis.

Aftwards, Borrell said Vucic had been ready to accept an EU compromise proposal on vehicle licensing  "that could have avoided this risky situation" but that Kurti had not.

He told reporters that he would brief EU member states and allies "about the behaviour of the different parties and the lack of respect for international legal obligations.

"And I have to say that, particularly for Kosovo, I know this sends a very negative political signal," he warned.

The underlying source of tension is Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence which Serbia does not recognise. Belgrade encourages Kosovo's Serb minority to remain loyal to Serbia.

In the latest development this month, Serbs in northern Kosovo resigned from public institutions in protest over the row on vehicle number plates.

Pristina has declared that by next April, around 10,000 Kosovo Serbs with licence plates issued by Serbia must replace them with plates from the Republic of Kosovo.

The dispute sounded alarm bells in the European Union, which has been mediating talks to try to normalise ties, and wants both sides to hold off on provocative gestures.