“We expect EU negotiations to begin in early 2012”

Serbian President Boris Tadic told Agence France Presse (AFP) that he hoped the EU would set a date for the beginning of accession negotiations for early 2012. “Getting a date for accession negotiations is our strategic goal now,” he noted. “We expect EU negotiations to begin in early 2012” According to him, Serbia is not asking for a special treatment from the EU and expects to be treated exactly as Croatia, which obtained the EU candidate status and a date for opening accession negotiations in 2004 even though Croat General Ante Gotovina, wanted by the Hague Tribunal, had not been arrested at the time. Tadic said that Serbia still needed to implement some of the key reforms in order to fulfill Brussels’ conditions but added that this was not an obstacle to the beginning of the accession negotiations. “Serbia, by capturing Ratko Mladic, by implementing all other reforms in the judicial sector, in the fight against corruption, fulfils all its obligations in respect of the European Union,” the Serbian president pointed out. The European Commission (EC) should publish its opinion on Serbia’s readiness to get the EU candidate status in October and the EU Council of Ministers will in December decide whether to grant the country the EU candidate status or not. Brussels could then set a date for the beginning of accession negotiations between Belgrade and the EU. “Serbia will not take for granted that it will get the EU candidate status and a date for the beginning of negotiations,” Tadic told AFP. “We are not naive, but we demand to be treated like all other countries,” he pointed out. Commenting on Mladic’s arrest, Tadic said that Serbia would conduct an investigation into people who had helped him hide. “We are receiving information about Mladic’s hiding every day, every minute. The investigation into his hiding is underway,“ he stressed and once again dismissed allegations that Belgrade had known where Mladic had been hiding. “We paid a very high price every day of investigation. We paid on a moral level, we paid in the economic field, we paid for the position of my country in international institutions. But it’s finally over,“ said the Serbian president. “Mladic is in the Hague Tribunal now and we have turned toward ending of Goran Hadzic’s case,“ he pointed out. Tadic said that he had realized that “the big day had finally arrived” when he had received the phone call telling him that Mladic had finally been arrested. “Serbia is not the country it used to be,” the president said, adding that “this is a new Serbia which has fulfilled its moral obligation, which is the most important thing”. “We are fulfilling moral obligations which differs from the recent history of Serbia and peoples of the Balkans in general,” he stated. “If you’re asking me whether I expect the international community to recognize that…. We’ll see,” Tadic concluded. Boris Tadic (Beta, file)

“We expect EU negotiations to begin in early 2012”

According to him, Serbia is not asking for a special treatment from the EU and expects to be treated exactly as Croatia, which obtained the EU candidate status and a date for opening accession negotiations in 2004 even though Croat General Ante Gotovina, wanted by the Hague Tribunal, had not been arrested at the time.

Tadić said that Serbia still needed to implement some of the key reforms in order to fulfill Brussels’ conditions but added that this was not an obstacle to the beginning of the accession negotiations.

“Serbia, by capturing Ratko Mladić, by implementing all other reforms in the judicial sector, in the fight against corruption, fulfils all its obligations in respect of the European Union,” the Serbian president pointed out.

The European Commission (EC) should publish its opinion on Serbia’s readiness to get the EU candidate status in October and the EU Council of Ministers will in December decide whether to grant the country the EU candidate status or not. Brussels could then set a date for the beginning of accession negotiations between Belgrade and the EU.

“Serbia will not take for granted that it will get the EU candidate status and a date for the beginning of negotiations,” Tadić told AFP.

“We are not naive, but we demand to be treated like all other countries,” he pointed out.

Commenting on Mladić’s arrest, Tadić said that Serbia would conduct an investigation into people who had helped him hide.

“We are receiving information about Mladić’s hiding every day, every minute. The investigation into his hiding is underway,“ he stressed and once again dismissed allegations that Belgrade had known where Mladić had been hiding.

“We paid a very high price every day of investigation. We paid on a moral level, we paid in the economic field, we paid for the position of my country in international institutions. But it’s finally over,“ said the Serbian president.

“Mladić is in the Hague Tribunal now and we have turned toward ending of Goran Hadžić’s case,“ he pointed out.

Tadić said that he had realized that “the big day had finally arrived” when he had received the phone call telling him that Mladić had finally been arrested.

“Serbia is not the country it used to be,” the president said, adding that “this is a new Serbia which has fulfilled its moral obligation, which is the most important thing”.

“We are fulfilling moral obligations which differs from the recent history of Serbia and peoples of the Balkans in general,” he stated.

“If you’re asking me whether I expect the international community to recognize that…. We’ll see,” Tadić concluded.