A political manager at the Serbian Foreign Ministry, Borko Stefanovic, was appointed at a government session on Friday head of a state team for talks with Pristina, Belgrade's B92 television said.
Stefanovic told the station the talks would primarily focus on issues of vital interest for people in Kosovo which also concerned the issue of Kosovo's status.
"Our national interest from the beginning has been to bring Kosovo Albanians back to the negotiating table which, it appears to me, we have managed to do with the adoption of a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly and now, together with the European Union, we are embarking on negotiations with Pristina that will address all outstanding issues, of which there are many," said Stefanovic.
He added the negotiations would be difficult and probably long.
Asked if he was worried about a European Parliament resolution adopted yesterday, which includes an amendment calling on Belgrade not to enter the talks by raising the Kosovo status issue, Stefanovic said the amendment did not worry him.
"The European Parliament's resolution is significant for Serbia, we take it very seriously. That formulation is a recommendation. It is part of a broader declarative political act that can't be binding on the Republic of Serbia. It doesn't represent a condition or any pressure on Serbia," he said.
