Expert: Changes to SAA bad for Serbia

An international relations expert says "any kind of change of the SAA could lead to divisions within the EU, which would paralyze negotiations with Serbia".

Izvor: Tanjug

Monday, 02.06.2008.

14:08

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An international relations expert says "any kind of change of the SAA could lead to divisions within the EU, which would paralyze negotiations with Serbia". Ivo Viskovic, a Belgrade University professor, told Novi Sad daily Dnevnik that even a slightest change of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) would need to be approved by all members of the EU. Expert: Changes to SAA bad for Serbia "Serbia would then have to wait a long time before the new negotiations would begin," he said. Viskovic added that the idea of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) for the agreement to be supplemented with a sentence that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, "would bring to a great division within the EU, due to which the negotiation process with Serbia would be paralyzed". He assumed that countries which have recognized Kosovo Albanians' unilateral independence would not accept Serbia’s request, rendering the SAA "lost". "This contract has two parts. One took effect immediately, while the other must await ratification in the countries that signed the agreement,” Viskovic said. The former ambassador to Slovenia also reminded that the first part of the SAA directly referred to lifting of trade barriers, which enables for an interim mechanism, but also added that "even this could be suspended if Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal was not complete". That could be the case due to Belgium’s and especially the Dutch insistence on cooperation with the Tribunal, Viskovic explained for the newspaper. He said it should be kept in mind that there were other parts of the agreement that did not have any interim mechanisms attached, which will not be implemented prior to the full ratification. Viskovic said this situation was reminiscent of the 1980s, when Yugoslavia signed an agreement with the then European Community, but it took three years for some countries to accept it. "Today, the fast ratification of the SAA is expected in parliaments of the EU countries, and it would be pointless and meaningless if we didn’t do our part of the job,” he concluded.

Expert: Changes to SAA bad for Serbia

"Serbia would then have to wait a long time before the new negotiations would begin," he said.

Visković added that the idea of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) for the agreement to be supplemented with a sentence that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, "would bring to a great division within the EU, due to which the negotiation process with Serbia would be paralyzed".

He assumed that countries which have recognized Kosovo Albanians' unilateral independence would not accept Serbia’s request, rendering the SAA "lost".

"This contract has two parts. One took effect immediately, while the other must await ratification in the countries that signed the agreement,” Visković said.

The former ambassador to Slovenia also reminded that the first part of the SAA directly referred to lifting of trade barriers, which enables for an interim mechanism, but also added that "even this could be suspended if Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal was not complete".

That could be the case due to Belgium’s and especially the Dutch insistence on cooperation with the Tribunal, Visković explained for the newspaper.

He said it should be kept in mind that there were other parts of the agreement that did not have any interim mechanisms attached, which will not be implemented prior to the full ratification.

Visković said this situation was reminiscent of the 1980s, when Yugoslavia signed an agreement with the then European Community, but it took three years for some countries to accept it.

"Today, the fast ratification of the SAA is expected in parliaments of the EU countries, and it would be pointless and meaningless if we didn’t do our part of the job,” he concluded.

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