Merkel, Macron to host Balkans meeting in Berlin

BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are hosting a meeting of Balkan leaders in Berlin, a move intended to restart deadlocked talks between Serbia and Kosovo.

The meeting on Monday will include the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, several Western Balkans leaders and the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.

Main issues will include Serbia's refusal to acknowledge the 2008 independence of Kosovo, high mutual tariffs, as well as controversial suggestions of a land swap between the two.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci told German news agency dpa in an interview ahead of the meeting that "Serbia has to recognize Kosovo's national existence without any precondition."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is thought to be seeking changes to Kosovo's borders as part of an overall agreement — something not welcomed by many EU states.