Brussels, 14/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - The Slovenian minister of foreign affairs and currently president of the Council of the EU, Dimitrij Rupel, will be going to The Hague on Wednesday 16 January for a crucial visit on the future European integration of Serbia. While visiting the Dutch capital, Mr Rupel will first of all have a meeting with the new general prosecutor for the Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTFY), Serge Brammertz, with whom he will discuss Belgrade's cooperation with the ICTFY. The subject is of utmost importance, as “full cooperation” remains the final condition to be fulfilled by the Serbian authorities if the signing of the stabilisation and association agreement (SAA) negotiated with the EU, is to take place. Even if the Slovenian presidency insistently underlines that it will not be the ICTY but the Council of Ministers of the EU that will decide whether the condition has been met (EUROPE 9575), Brammertz believes that the issue is very probably unavoidable. Mr Rupel will then meet the Dutch foreign affairs minister, Maxime Verhagen. As long as Serbia's cooperation with the tribunal fails to achieve tangible results, the Netherlands and Belgium remain the two member states with most misgivings about the signing of the SAA, particularly with regard to the arrest and transfer to The Hague of the former Bosnian Serb military leader, Ratko Mldadic, charged with genocide in 1995.
The Slovenian presidency wants the SAA to be signed on 28 January at the General Affairs Council, but so far it has been unable to convince all the different partners, especially the Dutch and Belgians. The latter's position may be re-assessed after the Belgian justice minister, Karel De Gucht's meeting with Mr Brammertz on 18 January. Last week (EUROPE 9575), Mr Rupel announced the setting up of a Serbia task force to help Belgrade speed up its rapprochement process to the EU, including the question of cooperation with the (ICTFY). The exact mandate of the group, its makeup and work timetable have not yet been agreed, explained the Slovenian presidency spokesperson on 14 January. This logically reduces the chances of a swift agreement on the signing of the SAA before 28 January. Despite this, Rupel remains optimistic. At the end of the meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Vuk Jeremic, in Ljubljana on 11 January, Mr Rupel stated: “We still have a lot of time until 28 January to proceed to the necessary consultations and I believe we will succeed. We intend to sign this agreement by the end of the month”.
On the other hand, it appears highly unlikely that the General Affairs Council of 28 January will adopt the definitive decision on sending a civilian ESDP meeting to Kosovo, in order to avoid increasing tension surrounding the presidential elections in Serbia, the second round of which is planned for 3 February. A declaration of independence by Kosovo is not expected until mid-February or even March, according to European diplomats. (H.B.)