No Belgrade-Brussels agreement

The EU Council of Ministers has not reached a decision about whether to send a mission to Belgrade to confirm the level of Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague. While Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic says that the invitation still stands, his colleague, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, believes the mission is not “the best solution” and says he cannot guarantee that the mission would have any effect. No Belgrade-Brussels agreement According to reports, the EU’s 27 member-states will discuss the dispatch of the mission again at their summit in March. “Perhaps the mission’s members would get a very good impression of Serbia, but we have to keep in mind that the final decision about full cooperation between Serbia and the Hague court will be made by (Chief Prosecutor Serge) Brammertz. I would say that sending the mission could even have the opposite effect, and therefore we must consider it in great depth,” said Schwarzenberg. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that the need to work on a visa-free regime for citizens in the region had been particularly highlighted at yesterday’s meeting in Brussels. “There is a principle that every country must apply through set rules and we’ll assess the situation in the spring. I have been hoping for some months that we will make this year the year of visa-free travel for many citizens in the western Balkans. I know how important that is for people in the region and I believe their governments will do everything possible to reach this important goal,” said Rehn. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that Serbia’s EU integration process was progressing well, but additional progress was being blocked by some European countries, as Ratko Mladic had not been arrested. Asked about the idea of sending a mission to Belgrade to allow the EU to see Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague for itself, Kouchner said that Brammertz was satisfied with Serbia’s cooperation and would be putting together a new report. Karel Schwarzenberg EU: No “misunderstanding” with Belgrade Italian FM Franco Frattini and EU High Representative Javier Solana said in Brussels that relations between Serbia and the EU “are developing very well.” They said yesterday there was no longer any ambiguity regarding cooperation and contact between Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic with Solana’s rapporteur in Belgrade, Peter Sorensen. Solana made the statement to Beta, adding that “everything is OK” with regards to general cooperation between Serbia and the EU, both over EULEX and Kosovo. Frattini said, furthermore, that it was “unjust” for the opinion of one EU member to “block” ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, and only focus on the “misunderstanding” between Jeremic and Sorensen, as was suggested by official EU sources. Officials in the EU Council of Ministers told Beta that that misunderstanding had been “completely clarified and ironed out,” though they said some ministers at the session had criticized the absence of reaction by official Belgrade representatives to the political gathering of Kosovo Serbs on Feb. 17 in Zvecan, where the presence of EULEX in Kosovo was questioned. Frattini told journalists that EU ministers had not spoken in detail “about the Belgrade incident” when, at the meeting with UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier, the Serbian foreign minister “clearly let it be known” that he did not see the purpose of Sorensen’s presence at the meeting, according to sources in Brussels. “I can say that UN envoy Lamberto Zannier is always given a good reception in the Serbian government,” said Frattini. He remarked, “with regards to the matter of behavior towards Sorensen, Jeremic called Sorensen after the said event and expressed his readiness to discuss and cooperate with him without prejudice or condition.” “As far as we in the EU are concerned, that is a closed case and I don’t believe that these events affected the debate about Serbia in the Council of EU Foreign Ministers. Though the fact remains that it gave more scope to Holland to maintain its rigid stance vis-à-vis Serbia,” Frattini responded, when asked how the “misunderstanding” over Sorensen’s contacts with the government in Belgrade was viewed.

No Belgrade-Brussels agreement

According to reports, the EU’s 27 member-states will discuss the dispatch of the mission again at their summit in March.

“Perhaps the mission’s members would get a very good impression of Serbia, but we have to keep in mind that the final decision about full cooperation between Serbia and the Hague court will be made by (Chief Prosecutor Serge) Brammertz. I would say that sending the mission could even have the opposite effect, and therefore we must consider it in great depth,” said Schwarzenberg.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that the need to work on a visa-free regime for citizens in the region had been particularly highlighted at yesterday’s meeting in Brussels.

“There is a principle that every country must apply through set rules and we’ll assess the situation in the spring. I have been hoping for some months that we will make this year the year of visa-free travel for many citizens in the western Balkans. I know how important that is for people in the region and I believe their governments will do everything possible to reach this important goal,” said Rehn.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that Serbia’s EU integration process was progressing well, but additional progress was being blocked by some European countries, as Ratko Mladić had not been arrested.

Asked about the idea of sending a mission to Belgrade to allow the EU to see Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague for itself, Kouchner said that Brammertz was satisfied with Serbia’s cooperation and would be putting together a new report.

EU: No “misunderstanding” with Belgrade

Italian FM Franco Frattini and EU High Representative Javier Solana said in Brussels that relations between Serbia and the EU “are developing very well.”

They said yesterday there was no longer any ambiguity regarding cooperation and contact between Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić with Solana’s rapporteur in Belgrade, Peter Sorensen. Solana made the statement to Beta, adding that “everything is OK” with regards to general cooperation between Serbia and the EU, both over EULEX and Kosovo.

Frattini said, furthermore, that it was “unjust” for the opinion of one EU member to “block” ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, and only focus on the “misunderstanding” between Jeremić and Sorensen, as was suggested by official EU sources.

Officials in the EU Council of Ministers told Beta that that misunderstanding had been “completely clarified and ironed out,” though they said some ministers at the session had criticized the absence of reaction by official Belgrade representatives to the political gathering of Kosovo Serbs on Feb. 17 in Zvečan, where the presence of EULEX in Kosovo was questioned.

Frattini told journalists that EU ministers had not spoken in detail “about the Belgrade incident” when, at the meeting with UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zannier, the Serbian foreign minister “clearly let it be known” that he did not see the purpose of Sorensen’s presence at the meeting, according to sources in Brussels.

“I can say that UN envoy Lamberto Zannier is always given a good reception in the Serbian government,” said Frattini.

He remarked, “with regards to the matter of behavior towards Sorensen, Jeremić called Sorensen after the said event and expressed his readiness to discuss and cooperate with him without prejudice or condition.”

“As far as we in the EU are concerned, that is a closed case and I don’t believe that these events affected the debate about Serbia in the Council of EU Foreign Ministers. Though the fact remains that it gave more scope to Holland to maintain its rigid stance vis-à-vis Serbia,” Frattini responded, when asked how the “misunderstanding” over Sorensen’s contacts with the government in Belgrade was viewed.