[Serbian]

Another act of treason from the ZOG puppet government of Serbia.

EU, Serbia sign membership accord

April 29, 2008 2:00 PM

LUXEMBOURG, Apr 29, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- The European Union (EU) signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia on Tuesday which brought Serbia a step closer to the EU after years of efforts by Serbia to try to join the bloc.

However, the implementation of the agreement, which is expected to boost trade and economic ties between the EU and Serbia, still hinges on whether Belgrade fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Speaking after the signing ceremony in Luxembourg, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said the signature of the SAA and an interim agreement with Serbia confirmed that "Europe wants Serbia to join the European family as soon as possible."

"Now Serbia is supposed to show how ready it is," he said, adding that full cooperation with the ICTY is essential.

"Serbia will enjoy the privileges of the accords once the conditions are fulfilled," Rupel said.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the SAA sent a signal to the Serbian people about their European future and is "a milestone" in the road towards eventual EU membership.

The signing of the deal was made possible after the Netherlands and Belgium dropped their opposition to the move Tuesday morning.

The two countries had previously insisted that the EU should not sign the deal with Serbia before Belgrade extradites key war crime suspects, in particular former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

The EU's decision to sign the SAA with Serbia is seen as an attempt to boost the chances of the pro-Western camp in the upcoming elections in Serbia. Serbian President Boris Tadic's Democrats will compete against the nationalist parties in Serbia in the early polls on May 11.

Welcoming the agreement, Tadic said it will bring about enormous economic and political benefits to Serbian people as well as EU citizens.

He said his country will do its best to fulfill the conditions set by the EU, including the capture and handover of war crimes indictees to the ICTY.

"We have been doing everything within our power (to capture and deliver them), but this is not very easy," he told reporters after attending the signing ceremony in Luxembourg.

"But we will do our best to fulfill all obligations," he added.

"I hope Serbia will become an EU candidate country by the end of this year," he said with great optimism.

However, Tadic stressed that the signing of the agreement did not mean that Serbia accepts the unilaterally declared independence by Kosovo.

The SAA does not prejudge the final status of Kosovo, he said.

"As president of Serbia I continue to protect the (territorial) integrity of Serbia, but at the same time I'm doing everything I can in order for Serbia to find its European future," Tadic said.

"The final status of Kosovo can only be determined within United Nations institutions," he said.

Relations between Serbia and the EU were strained after Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, which was supported by a majority of EU members despite Serbia's strong opposition.

Belgrade sees Kosovo as the cradle of their civilization and an integral part of the country's territory. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica on Monday said signing the SAA would be " unconstitutional" because leading EU countries recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence.

Kostunica said the pro-Western president Boris Tadic could sign the SAA only in his own name, but the agreement would not be binding on Serbia.