The Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija announced earlier on that an agreement had been reached with EU mediation that Pristina lift at 9 am Friday the unilateral blockade of trucks carrying hazardous substances.
However, Kosovo Customs Office spokesman Adriatik Stavileci told RTV KiM that the blockade is still in force, denying reports to the contrary by Zvecan-based TV Most.
Stavileci said that the blockade, imposed as a reciprocal measure following a March 21 decision by the Kosovo Ministry of Trade, does not apply to all goods from central Serbia, but only to hazardous substances such as oil and gas.
The Pristina authorities on Friday morning lifted a blockade of trucks transporting hazardous substances from central Serbia to Serbia’s southern province, and there are no major delays at the Merdare administrative crossing and traffic is unobstructed, Zvecan-based TV Most reported.
Truck drivers say that they are passing through without trouble because there are no long delays.
An agreement had been reached with EU mediation that Pristina stop violating the CEFTA agreement and lift at 9 am Friday the unilateral blockade of trucks carrying hazardous substances such as oil and gas from central Serbia to Serbia’s southern province.
In a bid to find a lasting solution to the problem, the two sides agreed that a special round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue be held next week at expert level, the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija said Thursday.
The Kosovo authorities called the blockade a reciprocal measure, while Serbia said that Pristina is violating the CEFTA agreement and that Belgrade was in constant contact with Brussels over the issue.
Source: Tanjug