"Luxembourg in call to unfreeze SAA"
“It would be good if the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the interim trade agreement were ratified as soon as possible,“ says Luxembourg’s FM.
Friday, 09.01.2009.
12:12
“It would be good if the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the interim trade agreement were ratified as soon as possible,“ says Luxembourg’s FM. In an interview with Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti, published on Friday, Jean Asselborn underlined that the previous year had been one of turbulence in the Balkans, especially in Serbia, and that time had come for Serbia to make progress on its European integration path. "Luxembourg in call to unfreeze SAA" “EU member states have unanimously decided that all the Balkan countries have a European perspective, and this has not changed, particularly not in respect to Serbia, whose regional importance is incontestable,“ the Luxembourg foreign minister underlined. He noted that the Netherlands had not changed its position and that it was completely natural for this country “to want to make sure that the Hague Tribunal is performing its mission unimpeded.“ In this context, Asselborn said that he could imagine a scenario where the Serbian authorities could convince the Hague prosecutor that, in spite of the fact that (Ratko) Mladic and (Goran) Hadzic had not been arrested, they had established full cooperation with the Tribunal and that the SAA and the interim agreement should, therefore, be ratified. “I personally think that these documents should be ratified without any further delay,“ he said. “Luxembourg, like the vast majority of EU member states, is ready to do that this very moment,“ he stressed. As to Serbia’s fears that recognition of Kosovo independence could be set as a condition for EU membership, he said that “those two aspects are not formally linked.“ “Five EU members have not recognized Kosovo. These five states are nonetheless the exception compared to the 22 EU member states that have recognized it. That reality has very specific ramifications in relations between these countries’ governments and the Kosovo government. So the answer to your question is complex,“ said Asselborn. “I can but encourage the authorities in Serbia to look to the future and to always heed the very clear message sent by Serbian citizens at the last elections, who showed that they want to move towards the European family. Hiding behind the Kosovo problem, slowing EU integration, would bea bad political move,” the minister stressed. Asked when Serbia could receive candidate status and become a fully-fledged EU member, he replied that “one shouldn’t set dates in advance until all the conditions have been met.” “The stages in Serbia’s integration process have been clearly defined and everyone knows them. I sincerely hope that 2009 will be a historic year in relations between the EU and Serbia,” Asselborn surmised.
"Luxembourg in call to unfreeze SAA"
“EU member states have unanimously decided that all the Balkan countries have a European perspective, and this has not changed, particularly not in respect to Serbia, whose regional importance is incontestable,“ the Luxembourg foreign minister underlined.He noted that the Netherlands had not changed its position and that it was completely natural for this country “to want to make sure that the Hague Tribunal is performing its mission unimpeded.“
In this context, Asselborn said that he could imagine a scenario where the Serbian authorities could convince the Hague prosecutor that, in spite of the fact that (Ratko) Mladić and (Goran) Hadžić had not been arrested, they had established full cooperation with the Tribunal and that the SAA and the interim agreement should, therefore, be ratified.
“I personally think that these documents should be ratified without any further delay,“ he said.
“Luxembourg, like the vast majority of EU member states, is ready to do that this very moment,“ he stressed.
As to Serbia’s fears that recognition of Kosovo independence could be set as a condition for EU membership, he said that “those two aspects are not formally linked.“
“Five EU members have not recognized Kosovo. These five states are nonetheless the exception compared to the 22 EU member states that have recognized it. That reality has very specific ramifications in relations between these countries’ governments and the Kosovo government. So the answer to your question is complex,“ said Asselborn.
“I can but encourage the authorities in Serbia to look to the future and to always heed the very clear message sent by Serbian citizens at the last elections, who showed that they want to move towards the European family. Hiding behind the Kosovo problem, slowing EU integration, would bea bad political move,” the minister stressed.
Asked when Serbia could receive candidate status and become a fully-fledged EU member, he replied that “one shouldn’t set dates in advance until all the conditions have been met.”
“The stages in Serbia’s integration process have been clearly defined and everyone knows them. I sincerely hope that 2009 will be a historic year in relations between the EU and Serbia,” Asselborn surmised.
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