EC president: Serbia has long way to go

Serbia is on the right track but it needs to speed up reforms and achieve full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso has said. He said after the meeting with Serbia’s top officials on Thursday night that Serbia needed to fulfill these conditions in order to get the EU candidate status by the end of the year. EC president: Serbia has long way to go Serbian President Boris Tadic says, on the other hand, that he believes that remaining Hague fugitives could be arrested by the time the EC starts reviewing Serbia’s candidacy application and the beginning of the accession negotiations. “The EC appreciates Serbia’s efforts but its officials point out that judicial reforms, continuation of combat against crime and corruption and full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal are still separating Serbia from the EU candidate status,” the EC president said last night in Belgrade. “It is important that Serbia fully cooperates with the tribunal. Clear messages that I heard from the Serbian president are an encouraging signal and they speak clearly of determination to find the remaining two fugitives. We expect progress in that field in order to get a positive opinion about cooperation with the court,” he explained. B92 has learned that Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in his latest report to the UN Security Council that Serbia’s efforts to arrest the remaining fugitives had been insufficient. Tadic pointed out that the EU accession was the most important goal which had no adequate alternative. He said that he did not share Brammertz’s opinion that Serbia was not doing enough to arrest the indictees. “We take the report as a suggestion in which direction Serbia should improve its cooperation with The Hague. But allow me not to agree with the assessment that Serbia is not doing everything possible in cooperation with the Hague Tribunal which is in accordance with our potentials of the cooperation today, which does not mean that Serbia is not going to increase its administrative capacities in cooperation with The Hague until the historical process is finally finished,” the president stressed. “I believe that Serbia can complete the cooperation with the Hague Tribunal within a deadline which is determined by our European integration process, approval of EU candidate status and the negotiations date,” he added. Barroso, who requested Belgrade to call on Kosovo Serbs not to boycott the population census, repeated that Serbia would not be asked to recognize Kosovo’s independence. However, the issue of Kosovo’s independence will be discussed during the talks in Belgrade. Jose Manuel Barroso and Boris Tadic (Beta)

EC president: Serbia has long way to go

Serbian President Boris Tadić says, on the other hand, that he believes that remaining Hague fugitives could be arrested by the time the EC starts reviewing Serbia’s candidacy application and the beginning of the accession negotiations.

“The EC appreciates Serbia’s efforts but its officials point out that judicial reforms, continuation of combat against crime and corruption and full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal are still separating Serbia from the EU candidate status,” the EC president said last night in Belgrade.

“It is important that Serbia fully cooperates with the tribunal. Clear messages that I heard from the Serbian president are an encouraging signal and they speak clearly of determination to find the remaining two fugitives. We expect progress in that field in order to get a positive opinion about cooperation with the court,” he explained.

B92 has learned that Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said in his latest report to the UN Security Council that Serbia’s efforts to arrest the remaining fugitives had been insufficient.

Tadić pointed out that the EU accession was the most important goal which had no adequate alternative. He said that he did not share Brammertz’s opinion that Serbia was not doing enough to arrest the indictees.

“We take the report as a suggestion in which direction Serbia should improve its cooperation with The Hague. But allow me not to agree with the assessment that Serbia is not doing everything possible in cooperation with the Hague Tribunal which is in accordance with our potentials of the cooperation today, which does not mean that Serbia is not going to increase its administrative capacities in cooperation with The Hague until the historical process is finally finished,” the president stressed.

“I believe that Serbia can complete the cooperation with the Hague Tribunal within a deadline which is determined by our European integration process, approval of EU candidate status and the negotiations date,” he added.

Barroso, who requested Belgrade to call on Kosovo Serbs not to boycott the population census, repeated that Serbia would not be asked to recognize Kosovo’s independence. However, the issue of Kosovo’s independence will be discussed during the talks in Belgrade.