EU foreign policy chief to submit report

BRUSSELS EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will today officially present to the Council of Ministers her report on the implementation of the Brussels agreement. In it, she said the the progress in normalizing relations with Pristina was "impressive," and called for the accession negotiations to be launched with Serbia. EU foreign policy chief to submit report Ashton will tell EU foreign ministers that Serbia fulfilled the requirements and earned the start of membership negotiations. Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said he expects that a decision to start negotiations would be made by the end of the week. He expects the meeting of EU ministers to adopt the negotiating framework and set a date for the conference about the beginning of negotiations with Serbia. "We are ready to the first intergovernmental conference to be held on Friday in Brussels, but if there is no agreement on that, of course, the deadline for holding all that is the end of January ... The government of Serbia has achieved historic results in the past year and a half of its existence. We have opened negotiations for membership in the EU and paved the way for dialogue as a way out of the impasse of the Kosovo crisis, to which we had been pushed," he said. His first deputy in the cabinet, Aleksandar Vucic, said that Ashton in her report to EU ministers stated the best news for Serbia. "Two dates have been set aside for the commencement of negotiations with the EU, the last date is January 21," said Vucic. The EU Council of Ministers will adopts its position and forward it to EU leaders who will be meeting on Thursday and Friday, and who should give their consent for the date of the negotiations. (Beta/AP, file) B92

EU foreign policy chief to submit report

Ashton will tell EU foreign ministers that Serbia fulfilled the requirements and earned the start of membership negotiations.

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić said he expects that a decision to start negotiations would be made by the end of the week. He expects the meeting of EU ministers to adopt the negotiating framework and set a date for the conference about the beginning of negotiations with Serbia.

"We are ready to the first intergovernmental conference to be held on Friday in Brussels, but if there is no agreement on that, of course, the deadline for holding all that is the end of January ... The government of Serbia has achieved historic results in the past year and a half of its existence. We have opened negotiations for membership in the EU and paved the way for dialogue as a way out of the impasse of the Kosovo crisis, to which we had been pushed," he said.

His first deputy in the cabinet, Aleksandar Vučić, said that Ashton in her report to EU ministers stated the best news for Serbia.

"Two dates have been set aside for the commencement of negotiations with the EU, the last date is January 21," said Vučić.

The EU Council of Ministers will adopts its position and forward it to EU leaders who will be meeting on Thursday and Friday, and who should give their consent for the date of the negotiations.