Brussels, 01/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - Conditions are now ripe for a resumption of negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, the European Commission said on Friday. The Commission will set the date of the first meeting after the visit of Carla del Ponte to the country. The commitments made by the new Serbian government on full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have been backed up by “concrete action”, says Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in a press release. Mr Rehn, in the press release, speaks of Thursday's arrest of Zdravko Tolimir, a senior military aid to Ratko Mladic (see related article), and feels that the creation of a Serbian National Security Council on the same day was “a key step to create a clear chain of command and ensure effective co-ordination with the ICTY”. “Following an extensive and careful assessment, I can therefore confirm that the Commission can resume negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia,” he said, indicating that the Commission would set the date for the first round of talks in the light of what Ms del Ponte, the ICTY chief prosecutor, says on her return from Belgrade, which she is due to visit next week. (ab)