An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo to work on economic ties, hailed by US President Donald Trump on Friday as a "major breakthrough," reaffirmed pledges to establish highway and railway links but left movement on political normalisation on hold.
Both countries - part of the former Yugoslavia - agreed, for a year, to freeze campaigns advocating for and against normalising political ties, said US officials, who nevertheless lauded a handful of economic measures as significant progress in the relationship between the two sides.
Speaking in the Oval Office flanked by the two countries' leaders, Trump said Serbia had also committed to moving its embassy to Jerusalem, and Kosovo and Israel had agreed to normalize ties and establish diplomatic relations.
Serbian President Aleksander Vucic told reporters there were still many differences between Serbia and its former province, which declared independence in 2008, but said Friday's agreement marked a huge step forward.
He later told Serbian media that Serbia's agreement was with the United States, not Kosovo.
Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti also welcomed the measures, and said they should lead to mutual recognition between the two countries, the key issue dividing them.
"Serbia and Kosovo have each committed to economic normalisation," Mr Trump said. "By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to reach a major breakthrough."
Political analysts called the agreement underwhelming and hazy, however.
"In my mind this is more of a resumption of dialogue between the two sides. Thats good for the region. But its not like some massive, massive breakthrough," said Jasmin Mujanovic, a political scientist who specialises in Eastern Europe.
Its mostly vague. Its not even clear on the economic stuff," said Edward Joseph, a senior fellow with Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Study.
The Republican Trump, who is running for re-election in November, is seeking to play up his deal-making skills on the international stage and recently announced a pact to normalise ties between Israel and the UAE.
Mr Trump is trailing his Democratic rival Joe Biden, who served as vice president under then-President Barack Obama, in national opinion polls.
Friday's events, which came after two days of talks among the leaders and senior Trump aides, was originally scheduled to take place in the White House's Roosevelt Room, with two tables set up for the leaders to sit at. It was abruptly moved to the Oval Office, with Trump's desk between the two tables.
The Serbian and Kosovo leaders appeared to sign separate documents, not one. Mr Trump, meanwhile, signed letters acknowledging that the two countries would work together.
Ambassador Richard Grenell, who is serving as a special envoy on the issue but is not a US government employee, said the United States was not a signatory.
Serbia would be the first European country to open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, and Kosovo the first with a Muslim majority. Only two countries have done that so far: the United States and Guatemala.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the moves.
Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo, which is predominantly Muslim, declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1999 Nato-led bombing campaign in which the United States took part, to curb a war ignited by years of repressive Serbian rule and to stop ethnic cleansing by Belgrade.
Serbia, backed by its traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally Russia, has refused to recognise Kosovo's independence, a precondition for Belgrade's membership in the European Union.
Palestinians reacted with cynicism about the Kosovo and Serbia announcements, suggesting they were more to bolster Mr Trump's reelection prospects in two months while victimising them.
"Palestine has become a victim of the electoral ambitions of President Trump, whose team would take any action, no matter how destructive for peace... to achieve his re-election" in November, tweeted Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
"What else will Trump procure for Israel before November?" said senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi.
But in Washington Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, a key player in Middle East negotiations, said the moves advance peace and make Americans safer.
"Today's breakthrough really is historic," Mr Kushner said at the White House.
"This is just another chapter that this administration has been able to write towards making the world a safer and more peaceful place," he said.
More about Middle East geopolitics
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
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Results
1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Al Suhooj, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2pm Handicap (TB) 68,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mazagran, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly
4pm Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Hurry Up, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
EXPATS
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