Brussels, 16/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday the Commissioner for Enlargement insisted that Sunday's general elections will heavily impact on Serbia's European future. In a speech made in Rome, and which came as a call to Serbian voters to make the right choice during a closely monitored election, Olli Rehn affirmed, “I expect that a new reform-oriented and pro-European government in Belgrade will make rapid progress towards the EU”. Speaking shortly before the international community's decision on the status of the Serbian province of Kosovo, these parliamentary elections are above all, “a crucial opportunity” towards EU accession. In the event of a victory by democratic forces and “thanks to its institutional capacity, Serbia should be able to implement the SAA quickly once the negotiations are concluded, and thus open the door to applying for membership”, declared Mr Rehn. At a standstill since May 2006, the relaunch of negotiations for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Belgrade still depends on progress in cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Rehn added that the new government is still obliged to “demonstrate its clear commitment to achieving full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal without delay”. He also again explained that “full cooperation with the ICTY is an essential condition for the pace and conclusion of the SAA negotiations”. Mr Rehn hammered home the fact that the latter constitutes the “gateway” to accession, because once Serbia has a good record on SAA implementation, the EU will be able to take into account its candidacy for membership. (ab)