| Đelić hopeful of interim deal unfreezing |
| 22 October 2009 | 11:44
| Source:
FoNet |
STOCKHOLM --
Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić expects EU members to discuss the unfreezing of the Interim Trade Agreement with Serbia by the end of the year.
Addressing the Swedish Foreign Affairs Institute in Stockholm, Đelić said that he was convinced that Serbia would be on the white Schengen list next year.
Đelić said that Serbia, in consultations with EU partners, planned to apply for EU membership by the end of the year, adding that he expected Serbia to harmonize its legislation with that of the EU by the end of 2012.
He said that Serbia belonged to the EU geographically and historically, and that he hoped that Serbia would become the 30th member of the EU, after Iceland and Croatia.
Đelić stressed that Serbia deserved the implentation of the Interim Trade Agreement by the end of the year.
Noting that the Netherlands was the only EU member that thought that Serbia had not done enough concerning cooperation with the Hague, he added that he expected Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen to visit Serbia in November, while Serbian MPs would visit their Dutch colleagues at the end of October.
According to the minister, Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal and the Dutch position on it would be discussed at the meetings.
’’There’s no doubt that Serbia is doing everything in its power to locate and extradite the two remaining Hague indictees,“ Đelić pointed out.
He said he expected Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz’s upcoming visit to Belgrade to reaffirm Serbia’s commitment to that issue.
Đelić reiterated that in its progress report on Serbia last week, the European Commission had formally recommended implementation of Interim Trade Agreement for the first time, which is the most important element of the Stabilization and Association Agreement.
“I hope Sweden, which is chairing the EU until the end of the year, will have arguments and the will to make this issue a part of the agenda of the upcoming EU Council of Ministers in November or the EU Summit’s agenda in December,” he stressed.
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