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SERBIA HAS REJECTED a Brussels-brokered proposal on easing tensions with breakaway Kosovo, seen as a key condition for EU integration talks to begin, but pledged to continue negotiations with Pristina.
“The government of Serbia cannot accept principles verbally presented to its negotiating team in Brussels, since they do not guarantee full security and protection of human rights to the Serb people in Kosovo,” Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters.
However Belgrade “pledges an urgent resumption of dialogue with Pristina with EU mediation,” Dacic said.
A deal with Kosovo is the key Brussels-set condition for Serbia if it wants to start accession talks for EU membership later this year. A refusal could delay Serbia’s integration into the EU indefinitely.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on Serbia ”to make a last effort to reach an agreement” with Kosovo, a key condition for EU integration talks to begin.
Dacic spoke after the Serbian government met to draft a response to proposals made verbally in Brussels last week, when Belgrade and Pristina failed to find common ground on how to defuse their longstanding tensions.
Both sides are expected to respond to the proposals to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton — who has chaired the eight rounds of talks between the Serbian and Kosovo delegations — by Tuesday.
Serbia and Kosovo have been under pressure from Brussels to strike a deal ahead of a European Commission report to be issued on April 16.
The report, which EU leaders will evaluate at a late June summit, is crucial to paving the way for Serbia to join the bloc, as the beginning of membership talks are contingent on the improvement of relations with its former province.
Earlier, Serbia’s deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who took part in the last round of talks, said in an interview that Serbia wanted an agreement. However, he said that at the April 2 talks “eight points were read to us; six were acceptable for Belgrade, but two were not.”
The two disputed points relate to the sensitive issue of representation in the police force and law courts. Pristina objects to Belgrade’s insistence on full representation for Serbs in areas populated by a Serb minority in majority ethnic-Albanian Kosovo.
Conservative Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said Sunday that the proposal “can and should be improved”. The influential Serbian Orthodox Church has called on the Belgrade leadership to reject the deal with Pristina.
The main stumbling block in the talks, which got under way late last year, has concerned the future of Kosovo’s Serb minority, especially in the north.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has since won recognition from more than 90 countries, including the United States and most EU member states.
Serbia and the some 40,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo continue to reject Pristina’s declaration of independence.
Both sides earlier agreed to establish an association of Serb municipalities, but Kosovo refuses to grant it the executive and judicial powers demanded by Serbia.
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They have obviously never been to Athy in County Kildare
Best laugh I’ve had all day Angela, very good indeed :)
Don’t think Athy is a city!!
Wasn’t that funny in fairness now
That scene in The Lion King comes to mind:-
“What’s that dark place over there dad?”
“That is Athy Simba. you must never go there”
Not sure what’s more miserable, your comment or your profile pic !
Ain’t never been to Chicago either…hahaha, NOT
I for one love Dublin. Yeah economy maybe in mess, corruption all over the place and junkies on every corner but there is no words, currency or statistics that can describe this “something” about this place…
I call it home. When ever I go away I just love the feeling of relax when I get back to Dublin and I know what’s going on around me. Its a nice little city center we got
I’ve lived in and out of Dublin for the last 20 years. As soon as I see it from the plain window I get a sudden sense of anxiety. I’m a patriotic Irishman but strangely its always had that affect on me.
Ive lived in Dublin but now im back home in London. I visit as often as i can. Every time i see the coast around Howth and Portmarnock and those 2 big chimney towers in the docklands it makes me really happy to be back. Dublin is a great city.
Was in Dublin last week. The junkies on the street will be my memory of the place. How can they let it have fit so bad. Won’t be back again unless I have to. Very dirty and smelly.
I brought my four young children down to the Zoo on Monday and then walked about the place for a few hours before getting the train back at 9.00pm and we encountered all of life. On the Luas two men were dealing drugs with each other beside us, a girl spent ten minutes sitting beside my four year old loud and pound on her mobile phone with every sentence having one or two f@%ks, we saw a guy giving a girl a crack hit on Millenium walkway outside the really nice cafe (Lemon Jelly) we were sitting in, we got asked for money a heap of times during the day. We nearly stepped in human shit three times between Dublin castle and Gt Georges St South. We walked back to the train station along O Connell St and Abbey St and the amount of junkies was unreal.
Besides that we loved the buzz of the place, especially the live music on the street. Will definitely not take the kids near the place again.
That’s a fair amount of bad luck in one day, but it’s happened to me. Some days you’ll just run into freaks at every turn and then other days, not a bother.
To be fair I am down in Dublin quite a bit and had never really noticed before. It was just seeing it through kids eyes that it was different. I love Dublin and just feel sad for what’s happening in people’s lives. It was the first time I had to explain homelessness to my daughter. Saying that, their faces were full of wonder at loads of other great stuff – they loved the spire, the bridges, Phoenix Park, the Luas, the buskers, the bikes, the Chester Beatty garden and St Stephens Green.
Belfast has a zoo you know ;-) or animal long kesh as we like to call it…
Aye I know but we wanted to see something other than Spidies and Orange Dinosaurs
Was this a poll of Irish expats? All Canada and Australia bar two, they must be doing something right.
Bar 3 you mean?! No As in Geography in your Leaving Cert. I guess! Auckland is in New Zealand which is definitely not in either Canada or Australia the last time I checked.
I have visited all those cities. All are nice clean cities some of them a little boring. But i would never want to live in any of them and probably will never make a return visit.
Vienna looks nice but the locals are unfriendly sods.
I never had a problem with the people in Vienna, they were all very friendly
Id love to live in Vienna its beautiful
Just like the dubs here Kevin
Vienna reminds me of 90′s Krakow. In fact I’m pretty sure they use the same trams…
Was there once. It’s a lovely city for sightseeing and is picturesque, safe and very clean. But the atmosphere was so lacking it felt like a city that had had a lobotomy
Worked in bienna for six months. … boring, arrogant and unfriendly. ..Gratz down the road leaves them trailing
I need to know where Galway placed? Half of Mayo, Clare, Brazil and Spain live here, we must be doing something right!?! (I have absolutely no evidence to back up my figures!)
Surprised Berlin isn’t up there. Been there a few times and each time it feels like a different trip. One of the most interesting places everything is so impressive.
I agree. It’s a beautiful city and the people are so friendly.
Definitely agree Lauren :) I’ve done the tours around and they’re so interesting. The last time I went on an alternative tour of all of the graffiti areas and old buildings if you ever go again I’d really recommend it.
Is that you again Enda?
Cork was number 11……right??
Cork was actually number 1 but was omitted from the final list due to a shocking clerical error by some langer.
Where did Dildo in Newfoundland rank? I guess it would be a pleasurable place…
Think it can be a bit hot and sticky there so dropped some places.
Newfoundland, isn’t that another Ireland?
Yeah I went on Vacation there last week… Awesome place, like Ireland with whales, Icebergs and screech! Great street called George st, newfie temple bar!
Lucky enough to be living in Melbourne now, it’s an amazing city!
#yolo #amazeballs
#totes
Could you share how Irish cities did please? (The link provided requires registration to see the full list).
1st world problems
Surely the great city of Waterford. Ireland’s oldest city, capital of the sunny South-East & home of the blaa was in the running. Urbs intacta Manet Waterfordia.
http://www.thejournal.ie/waterford-hidden-ireland-heritage-week-1039308-Aug2013/
Check out this great article from the Journal for those who don’t realise what history Waterford has to offer.
Waterford with its city centre trade decimated with 16% of premise closed while B&Q couldn’t get out of town quick enough? Nice to look at but a total kip these days. Blame your city council.
Oh no, there’s no B&Q. Disaster. Is that how you measure a city? Waterford’s retailers are struggling to be sure but there is a fight back & the city centre is getting the care it deserves after too many years of neglect. The works on the quay when finished will make it far more attractive & as a destination for tourism the city has improved it’s offering hugely in the last 3 or 4 years, the entire Viking triangle area & the 3 Waterford Treasures museums are very impressive. Waterford has to fight harder than other cities which are politically favoured but fight we will. Waterford, Our nations oldest city is 1100 years old next year & it’s going to be celebrated in style. Up the Deise & &#%¥ the begrudgers.
B and Q was shite, there was a reason noone wanted to shop there.
Where does dear ole dirty ole Dublin rank?
Personally always loved Barcelona
So many pick pockets and prostitutes on La Rambla though.
Three these cities I’ve lived and worked in and u wouldn’t want be out work for more then two weeks in any them so im assuming this poll does not include homeless people ! Most liveable place is prob my mothers couch, free rent ,ul get away wthout a job as long as u attend all local funerals with her and ur most likely always be fed hahahahaha
This survey is a scam and a farce and a scam!!!
Yeah – no Newry !
Rome should be right up there. Lovely city with amazing sights and history
But the traffic! And the police are grumpy feckers.
Problem is, all roads lead there….
Melbourne is savage in fairness, nothing cheap about it though, suppose that’s why the average wage is $1,000 per week
That’s not a lot living over here in Oz.. Trust me…
What has happened over there. I spent a summer there in 2004 and everything was the same price it was here but the currency was half the value. Eg a €5 breakfast was $5 but €1=$2. Needless to say I had a very good time.
Where’s Limerick?
Limerick’s in the mid-west; where it’s always been :-)
On the Shannon River in the mid-west of Ireland.
In munster ;)
Aren’t we smart at half ten at night! Ye think ye are soooo smart
It’s moved to Knackeragua
what?
limerick has moved to Dublin, well I never!
4 of the top ten are Oz and no San Diego, Shenanigans!!!
That would be 3. Auckland is in NZ.
It sure is but Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth & Sydney are all in Oz. Someone needs to invest in a map.
My mistake.. Sorry I counted wrong.
So basically move to oz
Tehran, Douala (Cameroon), Tripoli, Karachi, Algiers, Harare, Lagos, Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Damascus (are at the bottom of the list with conflict responsible for many of the lowest scores, the report stated.
Melbourne is a fab city but I doubt the 100 of homeless people sitting on Elizabeth st would agree its the most liveable.. It’s all relative surely
All them places have one very bad thing in common there not cork the city in the world as we all know. Up the rebels!!!!
Boston?
You’re joking right? Id say whole Victoria state in Oz has only like 2x crime rate of Boston having 10x more population.
This is a bit confusing comparing all Victoria State with just the city of Boston. I suppose you could include all of northern New England as a comparison with someplace as vast as Victoria and then numbers would be more interesting. Does seem a bit twisted to make the comparison as you have. That being said the condition American cities, for the most part, is a message to urban folk from the government that the country is not run for the likes of people who ride the subway or live in cities. Still I think Irish people would be hard put to find a place that gives them a warmer welcome than Boston. That is why they continue to poor in every time the govt back home is so corrupt or ineffectual they have to run.
As far as crime, stay out of those businesses that have a high unnatural death rate and you will be ok. But some terrible things happen everywhere…..
Angela that is brilliant ! Made me laugh
Prague is another beautiful city full of nice people. Hopefully it’s in the top 20!
What? theres exactly 100 homeless people in Melbourne???
I don‘t think she counted the ones on Flinders Street͵ just Elizabeth. :)
Neverneverland
Where’s Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? :)
I guess it‘s not so liveable for women… :)
I lived in Melbourne for a year, great city but im happy to be back!
I live in simpli.city its nice here
Surely the great & historic city of Waterford. Ireland’s oldest city, capital of the sunny South-East & home of the blaa is in the running. Urbs intacta Manet Waterfordia.
no langers,junkies,vikings or gangters in kilkenny, so thats the place to be
They only published the top 10
Granard.. Fact
Each and every one in sparsely populated countries.
Nearly took an engineering job in port moresby,glad i didn’t now!!
Loved Adelaide and Perth when i was there but very costly to live there.
Is Waterford in Leinster???
Hopefully not
Where is Waterford?
Don’t be mean. Waterford is struggling economically but there is a fight back & the city centre is getting the care it deserves after too many years of neglect. The works on the quay when finished will make it far more attractive & as a destination for tourism the city has improved it’s offering hugely in the last 3 or 4 years, the entire Viking triangle area & the 3 Waterford Treasures museums are very impressive. Waterford has to fight harder than other cities which are politically favoured but fight we will. Waterford, Our nations oldest city is 1100 years old next year & it’s going to be celebrated in style. Up the Deise & &#%¥ the begrudgers.
Can’t go wrong in Australia it seems
Full report is behind a paywall, but the one that you can dowload just lists a top and bottom ten. For the record the ten worst are:
131 Iran Tehran
132 Cameroon Douala
133 Libya Tripoli
134 Pakistan Karachi
135Algeria Algiers
136 Zimbabwe Harare
137 Nigeria Lagos
138 PNG Port Moresby
139 Bangladesh Dhaka
140 Syria Damascus
Atleast there all fairly sunny places, so there’s that
have your say