Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, President of the Council of the EU, had a meeting today with the President of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadic. Their discussions centred on Serbia and Montenegro’s process of moving closer to the European Union, the Kosovo status questions and the future of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
“The EU is very interested in a speedy conclusion to the negotiations on an association agreement with Serbia and Montenegro. This depends on concrete, practical progress, however. In order to move closer to the European community of values, there must be full cooperation with the War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. There is a clear expectation within the EU on this point that a decisive breakthrough has to be achieved in April, i.e. Ratko Mladic must turn up in The Hague“, Plassnik stressed.
Plassnik expressed disappointment at the latest round of Kosovo status negotiations: “I had the impression that both sides need to work much harder to find a compromise. I therefore call on the negotiating teams to adopt a more constructive and more flexible approach to the negotiations and to set realistic goals, so that the next round on 4 May in Vienna can deliver the desired progress."
She said an important decision was pending in light of the independence referendum on 21 May in Montenegro, which should be handled in a European spirit. “It is important to conduct the referendum process in a democratic and objective manner. Whatever the outcome, Belgrade and Podgorica will have to work out their future working relationship together", Plassnik concluded.
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