BELGRADE, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Kosovo liaison officer in Serbia, Lulzim Peci, resigned on Wednesday only two days after he assumed the office in Belgrade, Serbian news agency Tanug reported.
Peci resigned after he received criticism from Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaqi about a statement he delivered to media on Kosovo-Serbia relations on the first day of his job.
"The reason of the resignation is the disagreement over the criticism made by PM Hashim Thaci, in relation to my statement in the media that the full normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia will happen only after the latter recognizes the independence of our country," said Peci in the resignation letter sent to Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga and distributed to the media.
Peci assumed the liaison officer duty in Belgrade on Monday, while his counterpart Dejan Pavicevic assumed the same duty in Pristina at the same time, as part of their efforts to normalize relations in line with Brussels agreement reached in the dialogue facilitated by EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton.
Peci's resignation is a blow to this ambition as two Prime Ministers, Thaqi and Dacic, will meet on Thursday, June 20 in a new round of the dialogue in Brussels, aiming to reach a breakthrough in the process so both can progress in the EU processes.
On June 28, European Council will decide whether to set the date for Serbia to start negotiations for membership in the block, and start the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Kosovo. The progress in the dialogue is crucial for Belgrade and Pristina.
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