Prosecutor's EU trip could determine Serbia's path
17 Jan 2008 12:31:55 GMT Source: Reuters
By David Brunnstrom BRUSSELS, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The United Nations' new war crimes prosecutor for the Balkans meets EU officials in Brussels on Friday for talks that could influence whether the EU seals closer ties with Serbia ahead of a presidential vote. Serge Brammertz, who took over this month from Carla Del Ponte as chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), will meet EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The Slovenian EU Presidency and many EU states want to sign a pact with Serbia that is a first step to EU entry on Jan. 28 -- ahead of the decisive Feb. 3 second round of the Serbian poll -- to boost pro-EU parties at the expense of nationalists. But unanimity among the 27 EU states is needed, and the Netherlands insisted again on Wednesday it wanted Serbia to hand over indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic to the U.N. tribunal in The Hague before it would support the move. "The best proof that there is full cooperation is that they deliver Mladic," Foreign Minister Maxim Verhagen said after talks in the Hague with Slovenian counterpart Dimitrij Rupel. "We don't ask the impossible from Serbia ... It is in their hands," he said. Slovenia said on Wednesday the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement could now come in February, once Serbia proves its cooperation with the tribunal. Brammertz said on Wednesday his predecessor's view that Serbia was not fully cooperating with the court stood and urged Brussels' support in capturing four remaining fugitives. "We don't exclude miracles," said a diplomat in Brussels. "But at this point I think it is more likely than not that we will not be in a position to sign the SAA on Jan. 28." BACKFIRE RISK? Regardless of the tough stance by the Netherlands, an EU diplomat said there was still debate in Brussels as to whether signing the SAA with Serbia would help or hinder the campaign of pro-EU incumbent Boris Tadic in the Serbian poll. "Some people believe it would help; others think it may even backfire," the diplomat said. The latter camp fears nationalist Tomislav Nikolic will use an SAA signature to back a claim that Tadic would be selling the breakaway province of Kosovo for EU membership. Front-runner Nikolic has made clear he does not favour EU membership if the bloc insists on recognising Kosovo's independence, and would push for a neutral status while cultivating ties with Russia. The imminent declaration of independence by the Albanian majority province has turned Kosovo into a major election issue, both a slogan and a rallying cry that touches on history, national pride and Serbia's future place in the world. Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999, when NATO drove out Serb forces accused of atrocities while battling a guerrilla insurgency. Belgrade, backed by Russia, has said it will never accept a breakaway. But the European Union is preparing to send a supervisory mission and most of its members, along with the United States, have indicated they will recognise the territory as independent. All but one of the main candidates in the Serb election have come out against Kosovo's independence, but differ on how hard they are willing to oppose the West after it becomes fact. Tadic, second to Nikolic in the latest polls but seen as having a slight lead in the second round, is more conciliatory and has made joining the EU a priority. (Additional reporting by Alexandra Hudson in the Hague and Mark John in Brussels, editing by Janet Lawrence)
A woman covers her face to protect from teargas during ethnic violence in Nairobi January 2, 2008. President Mwai Kibaki's government accused rival Raila Odinga's party of unleashing "genocide" in Kenya ...
