"Candidate status without arrest of fugitives"

A Belgrade daily writes today the "prevailing mood in Brussels" is to make Serbia EU membership candidate even before the Hague fugitives have been arrested. Danas newspaper cited sources from the European Commission. "Candidate status without arrest of fugitives" According to this, "the mood in Brussels is to give Serbia EU member-country candidate status in late 2011 regardless of incomplete cooperation with the Hague, i.e. the fact that Ratko Mladic and Hadzic are still at large". “It seems that a consensus was reached at the EC that they should put a good face on the authority in Belgrade to a certain extent in relation to the issue which is regarded as insufficient cooperation with the Hague," sources described as close to EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said. However, the arrest of the two will be unavoidable condition for setting of the date for the beginning of the talks on the accession, the same sources said. In spite of the opposite signals that have been coming from the European capital cities, Serbian senior officials voiced on several occasions earlier this year their hope that Serbia could not only become EU candidate, but also the date of the beginning of membership negotiations. On June 15, the EC will start writing its annual report on progress Serbia has made in the European integration process. The report will include the EC’s opinion - the recommendation to the EU Council on the candidacy and the beginning of the talks, writes the newspaper. It is expected that the report will be presented on October 12, in order the Council comprised of the heads of the states or governments of 27 member-countries to make its final decision at December session. It is believed that only “a rather clear” report on Serbia's cooperation, that will be submitted by Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, "one that will accurately read whether Belgrade cooperates with the Hague or not, could change the very firm stand of the Netherlands that conditions further progress of Serbia with the arrest of the two fugitives". The daily also wrote on Tuesday that “a well-informed diplomatic source” claimed that the U.S. at this moment, through informal contacts with the Dutch government, "is trying to persuade it not to block Serbia’s candidacy for EU membership".

"Candidate status without arrest of fugitives"

According to this, "the mood in Brussels is to give Serbia EU member-country candidate status in late 2011 regardless of incomplete cooperation with the Hague, i.e. the fact that Ratko Mladić and Hadžić are still at large".

“It seems that a consensus was reached at the EC that they should put a good face on the authority in Belgrade to a certain extent in relation to the issue which is regarded as insufficient cooperation with the Hague," sources described as close to EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule said.

However, the arrest of the two will be unavoidable condition for setting of the date for the beginning of the talks on the accession, the same sources said.

In spite of the opposite signals that have been coming from the European capital cities, Serbian senior officials voiced on several occasions earlier this year their hope that Serbia could not only become EU candidate, but also the date of the beginning of membership negotiations.

On June 15, the EC will start writing its annual report on progress Serbia has made in the European integration process.

The report will include the EC’s opinion - the recommendation to the EU Council on the candidacy and the beginning of the talks, writes the newspaper.

It is expected that the report will be presented on October 12, in order the Council comprised of the heads of the states or governments of 27 member-countries to make its final decision at December session.

It is believed that only “a rather clear” report on Serbia's cooperation, that will be submitted by Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, "one that will accurately read whether Belgrade cooperates with the Hague or not, could change the very firm stand of the Netherlands that conditions further progress of Serbia with the arrest of the two fugitives".

The daily also wrote on Tuesday that “a well-informed diplomatic source” claimed that the U.S. at this moment, through informal contacts with the Dutch government, "is trying to persuade it not to block Serbia’s candidacy for EU membership".