LUXEMBOURG, June 18 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday hailed concrete steps taken by the new Serbian government in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),
stressing that the pace and conclusion of Serbia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU would depend on the implementation of reforms and full cooperation with the Hague tribunal.
LUXEMBOURG, June 18 (Hina) - European Union foreign ministers in
Luxembourg on Monday hailed concrete steps taken by the new Serbian government
in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), stressing that the pace and conclusion of Serbia's
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU would depend on the
implementation of reforms and full cooperation with the Hague tribunal. The Council of the EU has welcomed the fact that the new government in
Belgrade had shown clear determination and took concrete and efficient steps
aimed at full cooperation with the ICTY which enabled the European Commission
to continue the SAA negotiations with Serbia, the ministers said in a statement
after the meeting in Luxembourg.
The European Commission resumed the SAA negotiations with Serbia last
week after a 13-month break.
In its conclusions about western Balkans, the Council of the EU called
on Serbia to continue implementing necessary reforms and invest more efforts so
as to bring the remaining ICTY fugitives to The Hague.
The ministers also advocated the accelerated solving of the Kosovo
status in accordance with the plan of the UN special envoy, Martti Ahtisaari,
which foresees Kosovo's international monitored independence.