Talk of 'Border Changes' in Kosovo, Serbia Draws Warnings

Growing talk of potential border changes by Kosovo and Serbia's presidents drew warnings on Friday from the UK and Germany, who cautioned that such rhetoric could destabilize the war-scarred region. 

The leaders of Serbia and of Kosovo are in EU-brokered talks to overcome a bitter diplomatic stalemate that has thwarted both governments' aspirations to join the bloc. 

At the heart of the 'frozen conflict' is Serbia's refusal to recognize Kosovo -- an ethnic Albanian majority province that broke away from Serbia through a bloody guerrilla conflict in the late 1990s, declaring independence in 2008.

Another sticking point is Belgrade's desire to keep strong links with a Serb minority in northern Kosovo. 

This week the countries presidents signaled that "border adjustments" might be on the negotiating table. 

The talk raised fears of efforts to re-draw the map along ethnic lines, a move that could open a Pandora's box of conflict in a region still simmering with the ethnic tensions that drove the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

"We believe that calls for re-drawing national borders could be destabilizing," the British embassy in Pristina said in a statement.

Germany's embassy also told AFP that Berlin has made its official position "clear" in recent comments to the media, in which officials cast the possibility of shifting borders as dangerous.

- 'New conflicts' -

The warnings come after Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told reporters on Wednesday that Serbia's Presevo Valley, an area dominated by ethnic Albanians, could join Kosovo as part of a deal. 

He tweeted earlier in the week that his "proposal for a peaceful solution with Serbia is clear: no partition along ethnic lines, but yes to border adjustment and mutual recognition."

Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic also said this week that he was "in favor of pushing the boundary with Albanians."

The talk has alarmed civil society groups in Kosovo and Serbia, who penned an open letter to Federica Mogherini, the EU's diplomatic chief, asking her to condemn any territory exchange along ethnic lines. 

"More frequent mentions of the possibility of redrawing the borders send a very dangerous message," the letter said, adding that it could "open the door to new conflicts."

More than 130,000 people died in the inter-ethnic wars that broke up Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

Kosovo's 1998-1999 war for independence ended after a NATO bombing campaign forced Serbian troops to withdraw.

Around 120,000 Serbs are estimated to live in Kosovo, while some 60,000 ethnic Albanians live in Serbia.

Kosovo has been recognized by more than 110 states, including the U.S. and most of the EU.