Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that the U.S. ambassador to Kosovo is very committed to finding a solution to a tense situation in the north of Kosovo over a phaseout of Serbian license plates.
Kurti said he held talks until late in the night with U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier to seek a potential deal "without undermining the constitutionality but at the same time not to allow the threat to peace and stability."
Hovenier "is always constructive, positive, creative" in his role, Kurti said. "He is doing his best, as is the U.S., especially," the prime minister said, adding that the parties were also in contact with Brussels.
Kosovo earlier on November 22 postponed plans to fine drivers who refuse to give up old car license plates for another 48 hours. The request for the delay, made late on November 21, came from the United States after talks in Brussels between Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic failed to reach an agreement on the issue.
Kosovo police had said that fines of 150 euros were to be issued from 8 a.m. local time on November 22 and would have affected around 10,000 drivers.
Hovenier previously stated that he requested that the fines be postponed so that European and U.S. mediators could work out an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.
Kurti said he was ready to work with Washington and the European Union to resolve the issue over the next two days but reiterated his desire that an agreement go beyond the license-plate issue.
The dispute has stoked tensions for almost two years between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is home to tens of thousands of minority Serbs.
Hundreds of police officers, judges, prosecutors, and other state workers from the Serbian minority quit their jobs earlier this month after Pristina ruled that local Serbs must replace their old car license plates with ones issued by Kosovo.
The talks on November 21 were held in the presence of EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell and Miroslav Lajcak, the EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues.
Borrell said after the talks that Vucic accepted the proposal he put forth, but Kurti did not.
Kurti said it was not enough to talk about license plates alone and any proposal that was not accompanied by an agreement "to urgently commit to a final agreement for complete normalization of relations" was unacceptable.
Vucic described the situation as very difficult and "on the verge of conflict," but said he would ask Kosovo Serbs to remain calm. He also said Serbia would stop issuing and renewing its own car plates for northern Kosovo.
U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill met with Vucic and asked him to continue constructive engagement in the negotiating process.
Hill also said the European Union had made it clear that "it would like to see another 365 days" to find a solution.
Kosovar authorities implemented the license-plate-conversion plan on November 1 despite calls from the international community to postpone it. The plan laid out phases of increasingly tougher warnings and fines leading to a deadline of April 21 for all cars to be reregistered.