“Serbia – EU candidate in 2008”

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic hopes Serbia will attain an EU candidate status by the end of 2008. He said in Paris Friday that Chief Hague Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte’s report on Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal "would not be negative," and would represent no obstacle to the initialing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. “Serbia – EU candidate in 2008” At the beginning of his three-day visit to France, Djelic met yesterday with officials of the French Foreign Ministry to discuss Serbia’s EU perspective, touching on ongoing Kosovo status negotiations. Following a meeting with French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jan-Pierre Jouyet, he said he was "glad there is an understanding that December 10 is not a magical date“ in the status settlement process, nor the end of the process itself." Djelic reiterated that “Serbia finds Kosovo’s independence unacceptable.” Jouyet said that "negotiations on the future status of the province were not related to Serbia’s European integration," stressing that Serbia’s EU journey at this stage depended on its capacity to achieve full cooperation with the UN court. “The signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement hinges on the full cooperation of the Serbian authorities with the Hague Tribunal. The SAA has in effect been wrapped up and we see no reason why it cannot be initialed soon after the remaining technical conditions are met,” he said. Djelic repeated that Serbia was not lacking in political will to bring the cooperation to a close. Regardless of Del Ponte’s recent statements according to which the process was slow, the deputy prime minister said he hoped chief prosecutor’s report will not foil Serbia’s chances to initial the SAA. Del Ponte will in Luxemburg attend a meeting of the European Union Ministerial Council and present her assessment of Serbia’s cooperation with the Tribunal. “My optimism is based on the fact that we are doing all in our power to have the fugitives arrested. It is not a matter of our good will. We are trying to locate the remaining war crimes suspects and help the Tribunal,” he said. Djelic told the French diplomat the Serbian government was looking to meet all necessary criteria so as to attain the EU candidate status by the end of 2008, voicing hope that Serbia would be put on a so-called White Schengen list during the French presidency of the EU, due to begin on June 1, 2008. Bozidar Djelic and Jean-Pierre Jouyet (Beta)

“Serbia – EU candidate in 2008”

At the beginning of his three-day visit to France, Đelić met yesterday with officials of the French Foreign Ministry to discuss Serbia’s EU perspective, touching on ongoing Kosovo status negotiations.

Following a meeting with French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jan-Pierre Jouyet, he said he was "glad there is an understanding that December 10 is not a magical date“ in the status settlement process, nor the end of the process itself."

Đelić reiterated that “Serbia finds Kosovo’s independence unacceptable.”

Jouyet said that "negotiations on the future status of the province were not related to Serbia’s European integration," stressing that Serbia’s EU journey at this stage depended on its capacity to achieve full cooperation with the UN court.

“The signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement hinges on the full cooperation of the Serbian authorities with the Hague Tribunal. The SAA has in effect been wrapped up and we see no reason why it cannot be initialed soon after the remaining technical conditions are met,” he said.

Đelić repeated that Serbia was not lacking in political will to bring the cooperation to a close. Regardless of Del Ponte’s recent statements according to which the process was slow, the deputy prime minister said he hoped chief prosecutor’s report will not foil Serbia’s chances to initial the SAA.

Del Ponte will in Luxemburg attend a meeting of the European Union Ministerial Council and present her assessment of Serbia’s cooperation with the Tribunal.

“My optimism is based on the fact that we are doing all in our power to have the fugitives arrested. It is not a matter of our good will. We are trying to locate the remaining war crimes suspects and help the Tribunal,” he said.

Đelić told the French diplomat the Serbian government was looking to meet all necessary criteria so as to attain the EU candidate status by the end of 2008, voicing hope that Serbia would be put on a so-called White Schengen list during the French presidency of the EU, due to begin on June 1, 2008.