EU hopes for consensus on SAA by Jan. 28

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic was in Brussels today for talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Solana said after the meeting that the majority of EU member-states agree with Belgrade's view that Serbia has done everything to secure full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). EU hopes for consensus on SAA by Jan. 28 According to Jeremic, Solana also expressed hope that a EU consensus will be reached by January 28, that would pave the way for the signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). The head of Serbian diplomacy, who is on two-day visit to Brussels, said that Belgrade believes Serbia has met all the conditions for signing the document, and that he hopes it will be signed at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers, on January 28. The agreement, seen as the first step toward full membership in the Union, was initialed in November last year. Jeremic and Solana also discussed creating a working group aimed at accelerating the process of Serbia's European integration, which would monitor Belgrade's cooperation with the UN tribunal at The Hague. As for his meeting earlier in the day with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, Jeremic said that De Gucht did not make any commitment on Belgium's behalf for the January 28 SAA date. Belgium, along with the Netherlands, demands a strict implementation of criteria demanded by the Hague, including the arrest of war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic. De Gucht himself previously said that "for the time being" Belgium maintains its stand on Belgrade's cooperation with the ICTY, but that January 28 will be "an opportunity to discuss this issue." Jeremic told his Belgian counterpart that Serbia's EU integration and preservation of territorial integrity are two of Belgrade's top priorities. In this context, he urged continued negotiations on the future Kosovo status, and voiced his opposition to plans to send an EU police and judicial mission without a prior UN Security Council decision. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has on several occasions in the past weeks warned that the EU would "have to choose" between developing closer ties with Serbia, i.e., signing the SAA, and sending its mission to the southern province. "The only way to send a mission is on the basis of a UN Security Council resolution [...] which must be in line with international law. Any other way would be unacceptable," Jeremic, of President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party (DS), said. Jeremic reiterated Belgrade's warning to countries which mull recognizing a unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, announced by the province's ethnic Albanian leadership, and stressed that in this case, these countries would have to face a "deep reconsideration of their relations with Serbia." The Serbian minister will on Wednesday meet with EU Enlargement and Judiciary Commissioners Olli Rehn and Franco Frattini. Ahead of the meetings today, Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach told Beta that events regarding EU-Serbia relations and Kosovo would be the focus of the talks, as they are the chief topics in the EU in the coming months, "especially the current electoral process in Serbia and the resolution of Kosovo's status." The meeting between Solana and Jeremic is a part of the customary and constant contact between the EU's high representative for foreign and security policy and President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Jeremic, Gallach pointed out. With regard to Kosovo, she added, Solana is in constant contact with the leadership in Pristina. "The EU absolutely wants to find solutions and see Serbia make a strong and speedy approach to the EU, as well as find the solution to the Kosovo Gordian knot, and these are its goals," Gallach told Beta. Jeremic, Solana meet in Brussels today (Beta) EU presidency seeks Serbia accord by end January New European Union President Slovenia said on Tuesday it wants Serbia to move towards membership as soon as possible but acknowledged some EU states needed to be convinced, Reuters reports. Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told reporters he wanted Serbia to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step towards future membership. "I am one of those who believe the SAA should be signed as soon as possible, possibly by the end of this month, but some of our colleagues have to be persuaded this is a good idea," he said. EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn has insisted Belgrade must first cooperate fully with the UN war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia. Serbia has been stopped from signing the SAA because of its failure to arrest and transfer former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic to the tribunal in the Hague on genocide charges. Serbia must have the unanimous agreement of the 27 EU member states before it can sign the SAA and Rupel acknowledged some capitals had problems. The agency says that "there is growing pressure in the EU to take the step with Belgrade to help pro-European reformist President Boris Tadic, who is seeking re-election in a vote scheduled for January 20 with a second round likely on February 3." Rehn said full cooperation with the Hague tribunal "has been, and this is still and will be the essential condition for the signature of the SAA agreement with Serbia." However, Rupel said it was the EU that would have the final say on what constituted full cooperation with the tribunal. Both he and Rehn said they would meet Carla Del Ponte's successor as chief Hague prosecutor, Belgian Serge Brammertz, soon to discuss the case. Rupel later said the EU presidency and the Commission would propose a "Serbia task force" to help speed up accession to the bloc, including ways to boost cooperation with the Hague tribunal. The working group, along the lines of a similar group that helped Croatia qualify to start accession talks with the EU, would comprise officials from Slovenia, France, which takes over the EU presidency in July, and other EU officials, he said. The Netherlands, home to the war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia, has said it will agree to signing the accord only once Mladic, is on a plane to the Hague. A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman said that position had not changed, and Belgium, another stickler for war crimes accountability, said the EU should take its lead from the prosecutor in determining whether Belgrade was cooperating. Rehn was less specific, saying it was up to Belgrade to demonstrate full cooperation that should lead to the arrest and transfer of Mladic, implying there could be a signature while Mladic was still at large. Rupel underlined the desire to boost pro-Western parties in Serbia, saying: "We hope for a continuity. We would like to see the democratic forces of Serbia winning." He denied there was any intention to offer closer EU ties to compensate Serbia for the looming loss of Kosovo, the breakaway province expected to declare independence in the coming months. "I don't think there is a trade-off between resolution of Kosovo's status and integration of Serbia into the EU," Rupel said.

EU hopes for consensus on SAA by Jan. 28

According to Jeremić, Solana also expressed hope that a EU consensus will be reached by January 28, that would pave the way for the signing the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).

The head of Serbian diplomacy, who is on two-day visit to Brussels, said that Belgrade believes Serbia has met all the conditions for signing the document, and that he hopes it will be signed at the next meeting of EU foreign ministers, on January 28.

The agreement, seen as the first step toward full membership in the Union, was initialed in November last year.

Jeremić and Solana also discussed creating a working group aimed at accelerating the process of Serbia's European integration, which would monitor Belgrade's cooperation with the UN tribunal at The Hague.

As for his meeting earlier in the day with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, Jeremić said that De Gucht did not make any commitment on Belgium's behalf for the January 28 SAA date.

Belgium, along with the Netherlands, demands a strict implementation of criteria demanded by the Hague, including the arrest of war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladić.

De Gucht himself previously said that "for the time being" Belgium maintains its stand on Belgrade's cooperation with the ICTY, but that January 28 will be "an opportunity to discuss this issue."

Jeremić told his Belgian counterpart that Serbia's EU integration and preservation of territorial integrity are two of Belgrade's top priorities.

In this context, he urged continued negotiations on the future Kosovo status, and voiced his opposition to plans to send an EU police and judicial mission without a prior UN Security Council decision.

Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica has on several occasions in the past weeks warned that the EU would "have to choose" between developing closer ties with Serbia, i.e., signing the SAA, and sending its mission to the southern province.

"The only way to send a mission is on the basis of a UN Security Council resolution [...] which must be in line with international law. Any other way would be unacceptable," Jeremić, of President Boris Tadić's Democratic Party (DS), said.

Jeremić reiterated Belgrade's warning to countries which mull recognizing a unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence, announced by the province's ethnic Albanian leadership, and stressed that in this case, these countries would have to face a "deep reconsideration of their relations with Serbia."

The Serbian minister will on Wednesday meet with EU Enlargement and Judiciary Commissioners Olli Rehn and Franco Frattini.

Ahead of the meetings today, Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach told Beta that events regarding EU-Serbia relations and Kosovo would be the focus of the talks, as they are the chief topics in the EU in the coming months, "especially the current electoral process in Serbia and the resolution of Kosovo's status."

The meeting between Solana and Jeremić is a part of the customary and constant contact between the EU's high representative for foreign and security policy and President Boris Tadić, Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica and Foreign Minister Jeremić, Gallach pointed out.

With regard to Kosovo, she added, Solana is in constant contact with the leadership in Priština.

"The EU absolutely wants to find solutions and see Serbia make a strong and speedy approach to the EU, as well as find the solution to the Kosovo Gordian knot, and these are its goals," Gallach told Beta.

EU presidency seeks Serbia accord by end January

New European Union President Slovenia said on Tuesday it wants Serbia to move towards membership as soon as possible but acknowledged some EU states needed to be convinced, Reuters reports.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told reporters he wanted Serbia to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step towards future membership.

"I am one of those who believe the SAA should be signed as soon as possible, possibly by the end of this month, but some of our colleagues have to be persuaded this is a good idea," he said.

EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn has insisted Belgrade must first cooperate fully with the UN war crimes tribunal on the former Yugoslavia.

Serbia has been stopped from signing the SAA because of its failure to arrest and transfer former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić to the tribunal in the Hague on genocide charges.

Serbia must have the unanimous agreement of the 27 EU member states before it can sign the SAA and Rupel acknowledged some capitals had problems.

The agency says that "there is growing pressure in the EU to take the step with Belgrade to help pro-European reformist President Boris Tadić, who is seeking re-election in a vote scheduled for January 20 with a second round likely on February 3."

Rehn said full cooperation with the Hague tribunal "has been, and this is still and will be the essential condition for the signature of the SAA agreement with Serbia."

However, Rupel said it was the EU that would have the final say on what constituted full cooperation with the tribunal. Both he and Rehn said they would meet Carla Del Ponte's successor as chief Hague prosecutor, Belgian Serge Brammertz, soon to discuss the case.

Rupel later said the EU presidency and the Commission would propose a "Serbia task force" to help speed up accession to the bloc, including ways to boost cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

The working group, along the lines of a similar group that helped Croatia qualify to start accession talks with the EU, would comprise officials from Slovenia, France, which takes over the EU presidency in July, and other EU officials, he said.

The Netherlands, home to the war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia, has said it will agree to signing the accord only once Mladić, is on a plane to the Hague.

A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman said that position had not changed, and Belgium, another stickler for war crimes accountability, said the EU should take its lead from the prosecutor in determining whether Belgrade was cooperating.

Rehn was less specific, saying it was up to Belgrade to demonstrate full cooperation that should lead to the arrest and transfer of Mladić, implying there could be a signature while Mladic was still at large.

Rupel underlined the desire to boost pro-Western parties in Serbia, saying: "We hope for a continuity. We would like to see the democratic forces of Serbia winning."

He denied there was any intention to offer closer EU ties to compensate Serbia for the looming loss of Kosovo, the breakaway province expected to declare independence in the coming months.

"I don't think there is a trade-off between resolution of Kosovo's status and integration of Serbia into the EU," Rupel said.