Kosovo Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff Avni Arifi said on Friday Pristina’s Government still did not decide whether to honour the US request to annul the decision on the 100 percent import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia, while Washington warned Kosovo it should not make moves contrary to the US interests, the Beta news agency reported.
“We haven’t decided on the US demand,” Arifi told gazetablic.com website.
His statement came hours after the US embassy in Pristina said Kosovo should not “take actions contrary to our interests.”
The embassy’s warning came three days after the meeting ambassador Philip Kosnett held with Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
Following the talks, Haradinaj said Pristina would not revoke its decision on import tariffs before Belgrade recognised its former province independence despite pressure from the United States and the European Union.
Pristina's Parliament Speaker Kadri Veseli described the meeting as “constructive”, adding Kosovo would make its decisions in coordination with the US and other international partners.
However, the US on Friday issued the strongest warning so far, after its two calls on Pristina to lift the tariffs went unanswered.
“We reiterate our stand that an immediate suspension of taxes on import from Serbia and Bosnia is one of necessary measures for the dialogue (between Belgrade and Pristina on normalisation of relations) to resume,” the US embassy said in the statement.
It added that Kosovo was prosperous only in its partnership with the US, while the decisions which imperil the dialogue under the European Union auspices and the refusal to abolish the taxes were contrary to Washington’s interests.
The statement said the US supported the dialogue and that its result should be a comprehensive solution, beneficial to both sides.
The dialogue has been on halt for a while with Belgarde saying it cannot resume before the import tariffs introduced last November are lifted.
On the other side, Pristina insists that Belgarde's recognition of Kosovo independence becomes a part of the dialogue agenda and a final agreement.
