Spain to lobby for SAA signing

The Spanish government says it will try to neutralize the opposition of certain EU member-states to signing the SAA with Serbia. After talks with his Serbian opposite number Vuk Jeremic, Spanish Foreign Minister Migual Angel Moratinos said that he hoped a compromise would be reached allowing signature of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) before the end of the month. Spain to lobby for SAA signing During his conversation with Moratinos, Jeremic said that Serbia had to extract itself from the swamp that it fell into after Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. The signals that are coming from Brussels that the EU could offer the SAA to Serbia before the elections, will not turn into a more concrete offer while Holland maintains its opposition. The Hague has not altered its position, not even after the visit of the Dutch parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee President Henk Jan Ormel to Belgrade. Moratinos said that Spanish government representatives had spoken to colleagues from countries that oppose signing the SAA, including Holland. The Spanish foreign minister said that he hoped Serbia would sign the agreement as soon as possible. “Serbia is a key country in the Balkans, that’s why it’s a logical strategy, as my colleague Jeremic said, for them to be in the EU, to guarantee the region’s stability, peace and prosperity,“ he stressed. During his conversation with Moratinos, the Serbian foreign minister said that Belgrade had to pull itself together in the wake of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration. “We’re in the swamp that came into being after the temporary institutions in Pristina declared independence illegally. When we talk about whether or not Serbia has a European future, our position remains: we won’t accept an imposed solution for Kosovo. And it’s possible to continue EU integration, be an EU member, and not recognize independence,“ insisted Jeremic. President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajic said that the chances of the SAA being offered were remote. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic agreed with Ljajic, saying that it was very unlikely that the agreement would be signed before the elections. Meanwhile, New Serbia leader Velimir Ilic, whose party opposes the agreement in its current form, said that even if the SAA was signed, it would not be ratified by the new parliament.

Spain to lobby for SAA signing

During his conversation with Moratinos, Jeremić said that Serbia had to extract itself from the swamp that it fell into after Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence.

The signals that are coming from Brussels that the EU could offer the SAA to Serbia before the elections, will not turn into a more concrete offer while Holland maintains its opposition.

The Hague has not altered its position, not even after the visit of the Dutch parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee President Henk Jan Ormel to Belgrade.

Moratinos said that Spanish government representatives had spoken to colleagues from countries that oppose signing the SAA, including Holland.

The Spanish foreign minister said that he hoped Serbia would sign the agreement as soon as possible.

“Serbia is a key country in the Balkans, that’s why it’s a logical strategy, as my colleague Jeremić said, for them to be in the EU, to guarantee the region’s stability, peace and prosperity,“ he stressed.

During his conversation with Moratinos, the Serbian foreign minister said that Belgrade had to pull itself together in the wake of Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration.

“We’re in the swamp that came into being after the temporary institutions in Priština declared independence illegally. When we talk about whether or not Serbia has a European future, our position remains: we won’t accept an imposed solution for Kosovo. And it’s possible to continue EU integration, be an EU member, and not recognize independence,“ insisted Jeremić.

President of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić said that the chances of the SAA being offered were remote.

Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić agreed with Ljajić, saying that it was very unlikely that the agreement would be signed before the elections.

Meanwhile, New Serbia leader Velimir Ilić, whose party opposes the agreement in its current form, said that even if the SAA was signed, it would not be ratified by the new parliament.