Enlargement Commissioner Rehn: Excuses will no longer help Serbia

Olli Rehn

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"The time for excuses is over", said European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn on Monday when commenting on the fact that the Serbian General Ratko Mladic, who is wanted for war crimes, still has not been arrested.
      The EU had requested that the Serbian government arrest Mladic and hand him over to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague by Sunday at the latest. This has not happened.
      Rehn stated on Monday that the only remaining alternative was to discontinue the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) talks between the EU and Serbia. The next round of negotiations was scheduled to begin on May 11th. According to Rehn, the EU will make a formal decision on Wednesday not to proceed with the talks.
     
Earlier, the EU postponed the deadline for Mladic's arrest by a month, because there was a credible chance that Mladic might be caught and surrendered to the court by the end of April, Rehn commented.
      One reason for the delays in bringing Mladic to justice is believed to be the network of his loyal supporters in Serbia. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic also referred to the weakness of the Serbian Security Service when he met with Rehn in Brussels last week.
      "As a matter of fact it is of the utmost importance that a country aspiring to become a member of the European Union can demonstrate that its security services and armed forces are under the absolute control of a democratic civilian government", Rehn commented. "This is one of the fundamental criteria for a European constitutional state."
      Rehn said he would discuss the situation with the Tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte on May 3rd.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Commissioner Rehn urges Serbia to arrest Ratko Mladic (30.3.2006)

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