SAA talks conclude, signing after Del Ponte report

Serbia and the EU have today in Brussels successfully concluded the Stabilization and Association (SAA) talks. However, the EU will put the signing of the document, seen as the first step towards full-fledged membership, on hold until Belgrade demonstrates it is fully cooperating with the Hague Tribunal. SAA talks conclude, signing after Del Ponte report EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the 27-nation bloc would await a report from Carla Del Ponte, the Hague chief prosecutor, before deciding when to sign, the AP reported. "To conclude the process Serbia now needs to achieve full cooperation," Rehn said. "We expect to see a positive ... and intensified cooperation by the Serbian authorities." Del Ponte is expected to visit Belgrade in the coming weeks and Rehn said her assessment would be critical. "We would expect initialing of this agreement in the fall, hopefully in October," Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic told reporters at a meeting with Rehn today. Head of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajic said earlier today that “all forces are concentrated” on locating and arresting all four Hague fugitives, not just Ratko Mladic. “If these efforts do not produce any results, I do not see any other solution but to change our tactics and strategies, or change the people that are responsible for implementing the plan,” Ljajic said. Although the talks were frozen in May of 2006 due to Serbia's lack of compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), specifically over the issue of the arrest of fugitive Ratko Mladic, they were restarted on June 13, 2007. The Commission officials at the time cited their "cautious optimism" over the recommencement of talks however pointed out that their continuation was dependent on Serbia's cooperation with the court. The new agreement could further open up EU markets to Serbian goods and will enable the country to move closer to the 27-nation bloc, adopting many EU rules and standards, while allowing in more EU aid to help promote widespread economic and political reforms. Djelic said Belgrade obtained transitional measures to protect products such as wheat, milk and wine from competition from the EU. Rehn said the deal would also work alongside a new visa facilitation agreement which will loosen restrictions on Serbian travelers into the EU. Meanwhile Rehn said he got assurances from Djelic that Serbia "is by no means contemplating any use of force or military action" to keep Kosovo as a province of Serbia, the AP said in its report from Brussels. He reiterated EU calls that both Serbia and Kosovo work for a compromise on the of the province. "I have received a clarification [from Djelic] and have been reassured that there has been a misunderstanding and that Serbia is by no means contemplating any use of force or military action [in Kosovo]," Rehn was quoted by the DPA. Rehn had demanded an explanation from the Serbian government after recent remarks made by Serbia's secretary of state for Kosovo, Dusan Prorokovic, who had suggested troops could be sent into the province to hinder the international recognition of an independent Kosovo. Earlier Monday, Italy urged its EU partners "to reach out to Serbia" in a bid to resolve the diplomatic deadlock over Kosovo. "We can't think about resolving the problem without Serbia having a role in Europe," Prime Minister Romano Prodi told a news conference in Slovenia after talks with his counterpart, Janez Jansa. "I've sent a letter to the EU Commission, a letter which underscores the political and economic aspects." Prodi gave no details but diplomats say Italy is proposing that Serbia be given a fast track to EU membership. While officially ready to supervise Kosovo's independence, the EU seems increasingly divided over whether it can recognize Kosovo as an independent state in the face of Serbia's total resistance and without a United Nations resolution, Reuters reported. "The problem that has to be confronted in the coming months is a very tough problem, very complicated," Prodi said. "European solidarity must be expressed with intelligence." "We must show that Serbia is not alone." He said his proposal included economic incentives. EU diplomats say there is a serious obstacle to any fast track to membership for Serbia, even if it did agree to a "soft no" on Kosovo rather than a diplomatic fight to the finish. "Prodi's letter has our complete support," said Slovenia's Jansa. "Serbia must, however, respect the conditions of full collaboration with the Hague tribunal." Rehn, Djelic in Brussels today (FoNet) Karadzic not Serbia’s responsibility Rasim Ljajic said on Sunday that while Serbia was expected to arrest Ratko Mladic, Goran Hadzic and Stojan Zupljanin, Radovan Karadzic was not Serbia’s obligation. "If the remaining Hague fugitives are not arrested in the next several months, there should be a change in strategy or in the people responsible for implementing the Action Plan for the completion of cooperation with the ICTY," he added. Ljajic said that it is difficult to prove that Mladic was not in the territory of Serbia, since that would mean that “the Serbian authorities know where he is and that the search was ‘condemned to failure’ from the start.” He added that Radovan Karadzic "cannot be an obligation of Serbia," recalling that Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte had said several times that Karadzic "seems to have disappeared into thin air." "About Karadzic we have absolutely no information, except that during our investigations many witnesses, participants in events, have said that Karadzic really did make a deal with one-time U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke and gave detailed descriptions of how that happened." Ljajic said that he did not believe the deal had been cut previously. “Several months ago I said that I didn’t believe in that agreement. If they asked me now, I wouldn’t be able to answer so confidently." He also said that Carla Del Ponte is to visit Serbia on September 24 and that this would be her last visit, as she will be leaving her post in December.

SAA talks conclude, signing after Del Ponte report

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the 27-nation bloc would await a report from Carla Del Ponte, the Hague chief prosecutor, before deciding when to sign, the AP reported.

"To conclude the process Serbia now needs to achieve full cooperation," Rehn said.

"We expect to see a positive ... and intensified cooperation by the Serbian authorities."

Del Ponte is expected to visit Belgrade in the coming weeks and Rehn said her assessment would be critical.

"We would expect initialing of this agreement in the fall, hopefully in October," Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić told reporters at a meeting with Rehn today.

Head of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal Rasim Ljajić said earlier today that “all forces are concentrated” on locating and arresting all four Hague fugitives, not just Ratko Mladić.

“If these efforts do not produce any results, I do not see any other solution but to change our tactics and strategies, or change the people that are responsible for implementing the plan,” Ljajić said.

Although the talks were frozen in May of 2006 due to Serbia's lack of compliance with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), specifically over the issue of the arrest of fugitive Ratko Mladić, they were restarted on June 13, 2007.

The Commission officials at the time cited their "cautious optimism" over the recommencement of talks however pointed out that their continuation was dependent on Serbia's cooperation with the court.

The new agreement could further open up EU markets to Serbian goods and will enable the country to move closer to the 27-nation bloc, adopting many EU rules and standards, while allowing in more EU aid to help promote widespread economic and political reforms.

Đelić said Belgrade obtained transitional measures to protect products such as wheat, milk and wine from competition from the EU.

Rehn said the deal would also work alongside a new visa facilitation agreement which will loosen restrictions on Serbian travelers into the EU.

Meanwhile Rehn said he got assurances from Đelić that Serbia "is by no means contemplating any use of force or military action" to keep Kosovo as a province of Serbia, the AP said in its report from Brussels.

He reiterated EU calls that both Serbia and Kosovo work for a compromise on the of the province.

"I have received a clarification [from Đelić] and have been reassured that there has been a misunderstanding and that Serbia is by no means contemplating any use of force or military action [in Kosovo]," Rehn was quoted by the DPA.

Rehn had demanded an explanation from the Serbian government after recent remarks made by Serbia's secretary of state for Kosovo, Dušan Prorokovic, who had suggested troops could be sent into the province to hinder the international recognition of an independent Kosovo.

Earlier Monday, Italy urged its EU partners "to reach out to Serbia" in a bid to resolve the diplomatic deadlock over Kosovo.

"We can't think about resolving the problem without Serbia having a role in Europe," Prime Minister Romano Prodi told a news conference in Slovenia after talks with his counterpart, Janez Janša.

"I've sent a letter to the EU Commission, a letter which underscores the political and economic aspects." Prodi gave no details but diplomats say Italy is proposing that Serbia be given a fast track to EU membership.

While officially ready to supervise Kosovo's independence, the EU seems increasingly divided over whether it can recognize Kosovo as an independent state in the face of Serbia's total resistance and without a United Nations resolution, Reuters reported.

"The problem that has to be confronted in the coming months is a very tough problem, very complicated," Prodi said.

"European solidarity must be expressed with intelligence."

"We must show that Serbia is not alone." He said his proposal included economic incentives.

EU diplomats say there is a serious obstacle to any fast track to membership for Serbia, even if it did agree to a "soft no" on Kosovo rather than a diplomatic fight to the finish.

"Prodi's letter has our complete support," said Slovenia's Janša.

"Serbia must, however, respect the conditions of full collaboration with the Hague tribunal."

Karadžić not Serbia’s responsibility

Rasim Ljajić said on Sunday that while Serbia was expected to arrest Ratko Mladić, Goran Hadžić and Stojan Župljanin, Radovan Karadžić was not Serbia’s obligation.

"If the remaining Hague fugitives are not arrested in the next several months, there should be a change in strategy or in the people responsible for implementing the Action Plan for the completion of cooperation with the ICTY," he added.

Ljajić said that it is difficult to prove that Mladić was not in the territory of Serbia, since that would mean that “the Serbian authorities know where he is and that the search was ‘condemned to failure’ from the start.”

He added that Radovan Karadžić "cannot be an obligation of Serbia," recalling that Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte had said several times that Karadžić "seems to have disappeared into thin air."

"About Karadžić we have absolutely no information, except that during our investigations many witnesses, participants in events, have said that Karadžić really did make a deal with one-time U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke and gave detailed descriptions of how that happened."

Ljajić said that he did not believe the deal had been cut previously.

“Several months ago I said that I didn’t believe in that agreement. If they asked me now, I wouldn’t be able to answer so confidently."

He also said that Carla Del Ponte is to visit Serbia on September 24 and that this would be her last visit, as she will be leaving her post in December.