The Netherlands continues to press for extradition of Mladić17 Jan 2024 | Serbia must cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) before the Netherlands will sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the European Union.
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Ministers Verhagen (left) and Rupel |
That was the message foreign minister Maxime Verhagen shared with his Slovenian counterpart Dimitrij Rupel, who visited The Hague yesterday. Slovenia holds the Presidency of the European Union for the first six months of 2008.
The Stabilisation and Association Agreement is considered the gateway to EU membership. At the urging of the Netherlands, the European heads of government have stated that Serbia must cooperate fully with the ICTY before the agreement can enter into force. ‘The Netherlands is convinced that there is a place for Serbia in Europe’, said Minister Verhagen. ‘We would be willing to sign the agreement tomorrow. But it is in Serbia’s hands. They must cooperate fully with the ICTY. The best proof of cooperation would be to put Mladić on a plane to The Hague.’