No new conditions, says German ambassador

German Ambassador to Belgrade Wolfram Maas says the EU is not coming up with new conditions for Serbia.

Izvor: B92

Sunday, 14.12.2008.

13:32

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German Ambassador to Belgrade Wolfram Maas says the EU is not coming up with new conditions for Serbia. Maas told Novi Sad's Dnevnik newspaper that all the Western Balkans countries that strive to join the EU face the same conditions. No new conditions, says German ambassador "This has not changed and I don't believe it will change," said he. The diplomat added that he does not expect that "recognizing Kosovo" will appear as an additional condition for Serbia. "A condition of that kind has never been made before, and I don't see a cause or need to do something like that." Maas continued to say that the Serbian government has shown that it takes its obligations toward the Hague Tribunal very seriously, and that with the extradition of Radovan Karadzic "it became clear that there is no doubt the government will, if it has a chance to, arrest ad extradite Ratko Mladic as well". "When it comes to the Interim Trade Agreement, my advice is to have a slightly more realistic approach. Namely, the EU has for a long time been implementing its part of the agreement, while the Serb side has decided to implement it unilaterally starting 2009, which means that with the first day of the next year we will have a de facto situation as if that act were enforced," the daily quoted the ambassador as saying. He also added that it is important for Serbia to immediately start implementing the agreement since it would later be an important indicator as the country's progress is evaluated in the context of achieving candidate status. Maas added that this "does not mean that it would be undesirable to have the issue of the agreement's implementation formalized". Serbia and the EU signed the SAA, of which the temporary trade deal is a segment, in late April this year, but it was immediately suspended pending Belgrade's full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

No new conditions, says German ambassador

"This has not changed and I don't believe it will change," said he.

The diplomat added that he does not expect that "recognizing Kosovo" will appear as an additional condition for Serbia.

"A condition of that kind has never been made before, and I don't see a cause or need to do something like that."

Maas continued to say that the Serbian government has shown that it takes its obligations toward the Hague Tribunal very seriously, and that with the extradition of Radovan Karadžić "it became clear that there is no doubt the government will, if it has a chance to, arrest ad extradite Ratko Mladić as well".

"When it comes to the Interim Trade Agreement, my advice is to have a slightly more realistic approach. Namely, the EU has for a long time been implementing its part of the agreement, while the Serb side has decided to implement it unilaterally starting 2009, which means that with the first day of the next year we will have a de facto situation as if that act were enforced," the daily quoted the ambassador as saying.

He also added that it is important for Serbia to immediately start implementing the agreement since it would later be an important indicator as the country's progress is evaluated in the context of achieving candidate status.

Maas added that this "does not mean that it would be undesirable to have the issue of the agreement's implementation formalized".

Serbia and the EU signed the SAA, of which the temporary trade deal is a segment, in late April this year, but it was immediately suspended pending Belgrade's full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

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