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The American ambassador in Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said on Thursday that there should be a dialogue on the way of implementing the regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK), which defines the euro as the only currency for making cash payments.
Hovenier made these statements during a conversation with journalists at the American Embassy building in Pristina.
He said that the dialogue may not be the most suitable place to discuss the internal issues of Kosovo, but that the topic of the dinar should be negotiated, since Kosovo has given a commitment to protect the minority communities.
Hovenier has insisted that the United States is not challenging the responsibility and authority of the Central Bank of Kosovo, nor is it defending the dinar, but is concerned about the way the CBK regulation is being implemented.
"It has a direct impact on individuals who are more vulnerable ," said Hovenier, taking the example of a 70-year-old who is used to going to an office to receive his pension.
Among other things, Hovenier said that Serbia should not have a veto on the way of providing aid, but this issue should be discussed.
The new regulation of the Central Bank of Kosovo (CBK) - which entered into force on February 1 of this year - defines the euro as the only currency for making cash payments in Kosovo.
This regulation has affected municipalities with a Serbian majority in Kosovo, as the Serbian dinar is also used in them.
The State of Serbia declares that it allocates millions of euros to Serbs in Kosovo and pays them salaries, pensions and additional benefits.
The United States has continuously called on Kosovo to suspend the decision on the Serbian dinar and for the talks on the CBK regulation in Brussels to "continue urgently".
On February 27, the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia met in Brussels, under the mediation of the European Union on this issue, but European officials said that "additional meetings will be necessary".
The Constitution of Kosovo stipulates that there should be only one currency for making cash payments.
Kosovo is not part of the Eurozone - which consists of 20 member countries of the European Union - but has had the euro as its main currency since 2002.
Some Serbs in Kosovo have indicated that they cannot receive income from Serbia in dinars, due to the lack of this currency.
Kosovo Customs has banned the entry of dinars into Kosovo twice this year, on the grounds that such a thing has not been authorized by the CBK, the only institution that can import and export currencies./ REL
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