Solana: All hinges on Brammertz report

Javier Solana says that Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz’s report to the UN SC could allow the EU to unblock the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia. At the same time, the EU high representative for common foreign and security policy voiced his confidence that Belgrade would do what it can to “ensure the smooth functioning of the EU mission which officially began its mandate in Kosovo on Tuesday.” Solana: All hinges on Brammertz report When asked about the chances of unblocking the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia, Solana said that the arrest and transfer of Radovan Karadzic was “a very important step forward.” “Let me congratulate the Serbian government on that,” he said. “Full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is not only something the EU expects of Serbia, it is also important for Serbia's future, and I am glad the current government is fully committed to it,” the high representative pointed out. When asked if he believed that, in future, Serbia's accession to the EU would be conditioned with recognizing Kosovo’s independence, Solana replied that “all the countries of the Western Balkans have a clear EU perspective.” “The conditions are known to all, as is the work required to fulfill them. I have no doubt that the Serbian government will do what it can to make rapid progress,” said Solana. “In due course we will, of course, need to return to the issue of Kosovo, but it is too early to launch this debate now,” he said. Javier Solana (FoNet, archive) Mladic, reforms needed for EU integration SEIO Director Milica Delevic says that completing Hague Tribunal cooperation and reforms are the key for Serbia’s rapid EU integration. She told radio B92 that the EU Council of Ministers had concluded yesterday that there was a possibility of more rapid progress providing that “all conditions were met.” The Serbian European Integration Office director said that Holland insisted that the EU agreements with Serbia could be unblocked only when Ratko Mladic was extradited to the Tribunal, while the other EU member-states thought that Serbia was ready now. She said that no-one disputed that Hague cooperation meant that both Mladic and Goran Hadzic should be extradited to the Hague. "That is something Holland expects from us, but other EU members as well. Serbia also wants that,” she said, adding that this issue should not be turned into something that only pertained to the unblocking of the Interim Agreement or the EU. She said that the crimes Mladic was accused of were so grave that he needed to be extradited to the Hague as soon as possible. "It’s a question of certain values, confronting the past and, only then, something that could help unfreeze the EU agreement,” she said. Delevic said that the path that lay ahead of Serbia was much longer than the one it had taken so far, and that in that sense, further pressure could be exerted at all future stages. The SEIO director said that, technically, Serbia could still receive EU candidate status in 2009. She said that this depended on many factors, the majority of which were “on our side”, and came down to fulfilling conditions, though she added that “some depend on the Europeans” who are due to have elections next year.

Solana: All hinges on Brammertz report

When asked about the chances of unblocking the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia, Solana said that the arrest and transfer of Radovan Karadžić was “a very important step forward.”

“Let me congratulate the Serbian government on that,” he said.

“Full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is not only something the EU expects of Serbia, it is also important for Serbia's future, and I am glad the current government is fully committed to it,” the high representative pointed out.

When asked if he believed that, in future, Serbia's accession to the EU would be conditioned with recognizing Kosovo’s independence, Solana replied that “all the countries of the Western Balkans have a clear EU perspective.”

“The conditions are known to all, as is the work required to fulfill them. I have no doubt that the Serbian government will do what it can to make rapid progress,” said Solana.

“In due course we will, of course, need to return to the issue of Kosovo, but it is too early to launch this debate now,” he said.

Mladić, reforms needed for EU integration

SEIO Director Milica Delević says that completing Hague Tribunal cooperation and reforms are the key for Serbia’s rapid EU integration.

She told radio B92 that the EU Council of Ministers had concluded yesterday that there was a possibility of more rapid progress providing that “all conditions were met.”

The Serbian European Integration Office director said that Holland insisted that the EU agreements with Serbia could be unblocked only when Ratko Mladić was extradited to the Tribunal, while the other EU member-states thought that Serbia was ready now.

She said that no-one disputed that Hague cooperation meant that both Mladić and Goran Hadžić should be extradited to the Hague.

"That is something Holland expects from us, but other EU members as well. Serbia also wants that,” she said, adding that this issue should not be turned into something that only pertained to the unblocking of the Interim Agreement or the EU. She said that the crimes Mladić was accused of were so grave that he needed to be extradited to the Hague as soon as possible.

"It’s a question of certain values, confronting the past and, only then, something that could help unfreeze the EU agreement,” she said.

Delević said that the path that lay ahead of Serbia was much longer than the one it had taken so far, and that in that sense, further pressure could be exerted at all future stages.

The SEIO director said that, technically, Serbia could still receive EU candidate status in 2009.

She said that this depended on many factors, the majority of which were “on our side”, and came down to fulfilling conditions, though she added that “some depend on the Europeans” who are due to have elections next year.