Speaking at a press conference, Van der Linden said he was pleased that the assassins of the first democratically-elected Serbian prime minister Zoran Djindjic have finally been sentenced and that he hoped this would help Serbia get back on a firm track to Europe.
Serbia is back on the road to European integration and this is probably the best way of paying tribute to Zoran Djindjic, who paved the way to democratic Serbia by fully complying with international law and by handing over Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague tribunal, he said, expressing hope that the new government in Belgrade would continue Djindjic's work.
Van der Linden welcomed the formation of the new government and the election of Oliver Dulic as speaker of the Serbian Assembly, saying he expected this would contribute to the democratic development and stability of Serbia.
Van der Linden said that during his talks with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic he had made it clear that cooperation with the Hague tribunal was one of the key issues if Serbia wanted to be instrumental in the fulfilment of the Council of Europe's mission.
Until Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic have been brought before the tribunal, justice will not be served for those who suffered, Van der Linden stressed.
He also said that the new Serbian government was facing a sensitive and difficult issue -- the future of the breakaway province of Kosovo -- to be dealt with through negotiations with the international community.
There is a clear connection between Kosovo and European integration, Van der Linden said, adding that the Kosovo issue had to be solved, because it was part of the process of negotiations on Serbia's European integration.
On the subject of Serbia's six-month chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Van der Linden said that this was a great chance for Serbia to show the international community it was its integral part and that it was fulfilling its duties towards the Council of Europe. In this context, he also said that Serbia could be a link between Russia and the rest of Europe.
A statement from the Office of the Serbian Prime Minister said that during talks with Van der Linden Kostunica had emphasised that Serbia respected European values and that it was working hard to meet the required European standards.
"This gives Serbia the full right to expect and request of all European institutions to respect Serbia as an equal partner, which primarily means, as in the case of all other European countries, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia," Kostunica said in the statement.
Van der Linden was scheduled to attend a meeting of the Permanent Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Belgrade on Thursday.
Serbia assumed the six-month chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers on May 11.