Holland softens SAA stance?

EU foreign ministers are set to determine whether the Dutch position on the signing of the SAA with Serbia leaves them with "wider maneuvering space", reports say. The foreign ministers of the 27-nation bloc will discuss the possibility of signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia before the May 11 elections as they meet in Brussels on April 28. Holland softens SAA stance? B92 has learned that the Dutch parliament yesterday gave Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen instructions in line with three guidelines. The first is that Serbia must complete its Hague cooperation, the second it that the country "must not enjoy any benefits" of the signed agreement until it completes this cooperation, and thirdly, that Holland wished to send "a message to Serbian citizens about the EU's open door".. These guidelines are seen as a softening of the previous explicit Dutch position – that the SAA with Belgrade can only be signed once Ratko Mladic has been extradited to the Hague Tribunal. Earlier today and last night, reports suggested that Holland had not changes its position on the possible signing of the deal. The government in The Hague continues to oppose the signing over what it sees as Serbia's insufficient cooperation with the UN war crimes court, based in the same city, news agencies said. Also today, Brussels announced it had prepared a document related to the visa regime it has with Belgrade - the EU visa liberalization plans will be presented on May 7. Thursday, the EU's Western Balkans Committee failed to reach a consensus over the SAA because of the Dutch opposition. At the same time, this country's parliament's foreign policy committee met to hear Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen say that Holland is ready to allow the EU to make a good will gesture toward Serbia "ahead of the parliamentary elections", but that it continues to insist Belgrade must arrest and extradite war crimes suspects. "We wish to make it clear we have nothing against Serbia," Vergahen was quoted as saying. "Serbia must choose which road it will take, not us. They will vote, not us. But it is clear that if they choose isolation, this will not be good for them or the Balkans, or for Europe." "And there is a possibility that the results of these elections will show that chances for Mladic to ever be extradited will become slim," the minister said. In the meantime, a so-called road map for the liberalization of the visa regime has been adopted in Brussels last night. The document lists all the conditions that must be met by Serbia, so that her nationals could travel to the EU countries without visas. The European Commission will send the Serbian government this text, and a proposal to start the dialogue on the issue, with the goal of reaching a visa abolishment agreement, "that will begin gradual implementation at the start of next year", sources have said, according to Beta news agency.

Holland softens SAA stance?

B92 has learned that the Dutch parliament yesterday gave Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen instructions in line with three guidelines.

The first is that Serbia must complete its Hague cooperation, the second it that the country "must not enjoy any benefits" of the signed agreement until it completes this cooperation, and thirdly, that Holland wished to send "a message to Serbian citizens about the EU's open door"..

These guidelines are seen as a softening of the previous explicit Dutch position – that the SAA with Belgrade can only be signed once Ratko Mladić has been extradited to the Hague Tribunal.

Earlier today and last night, reports suggested that Holland had not changes its position on the possible signing of the deal.

The government in The Hague continues to oppose the signing over what it sees as Serbia's insufficient cooperation with the UN war crimes court, based in the same city, news agencies said.

Also today, Brussels announced it had prepared a document related to the visa regime it has with Belgrade - the EU visa liberalization plans will be presented on May 7.

Thursday, the EU's Western Balkans Committee failed to reach a consensus over the SAA because of the Dutch opposition.

At the same time, this country's parliament's foreign policy committee met to hear Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen say that Holland is ready to allow the EU to make a good will gesture toward Serbia "ahead of the parliamentary elections", but that it continues to insist Belgrade must arrest and extradite war crimes suspects.

"We wish to make it clear we have nothing against Serbia," Vergahen was quoted as saying.

"Serbia must choose which road it will take, not us. They will vote, not us. But it is clear that if they choose isolation, this will not be good for them or the Balkans, or for Europe."

"And there is a possibility that the results of these elections will show that chances for Mladić to ever be extradited will become slim," the minister said.

In the meantime, a so-called road map for the liberalization of the visa regime has been adopted in Brussels last night.

The document lists all the conditions that must be met by Serbia, so that her nationals could travel to the EU countries without visas.

The European Commission will send the Serbian government this text, and a proposal to start the dialogue on the issue, with the goal of reaching a visa abolishment agreement, "that will begin gradual implementation at the start of next year", sources have said, according to Beta news agency.