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Dutch reject Serbia deal with EU Serbia invited to sign EU accord
(about 3 hours later)
The Dutch government has rejected calls from EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn for Serbia to be allowed to sign a pre-membership agreement shortly. European Union nations have agreed to ask Serbia to sign a political deal days after the presidential election.
Speaking in Brussels before a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Mr Rehn said a "very strong signal of a European future" should be sent to Serbia. The political framework agreement offers Belgrade closer trade relations and relaxed visa requirements.
But the Netherlands said no pact should be signed until Serbia handed over war crimes suspects to The Hague tribunal. EU ministers were keen to give Serbia a positive message before Sunday's election but could not agree to a full pre-membership accord with Serbia.
General Ratko Mladic is among those indicted on genocide charges. The Dutch government said that should wait until Serbia handed over war crimes suspects to The Hague tribunal.
Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic is among those indicted on genocide charges.
He is wanted in connection with the massacre of Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war in 1995.He is wanted in connection with the massacre of Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war in 1995.
The Serbian government says it does not know where Mr Mladic is. The Serbian government says it does not know where Mr Mladic is but the EU has until now made the handover of suspects a condition of Belgrade signing the Stability and Association Agreement (SAA).
'Significant progress' Presidential run-off
Deputy Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans told reporters the Netherlands would sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) "the moment Serbia hands over the people who stand indicted for the Yugoslavia tribunal". On 3 February, ultra-nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic's takes on pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic in the second round of the presidential election.
Mr Rehn said that while the EU should insist on Serbia's full co-operation, Belgrade had made "significant progress especially since last spring". EU foreign ministers are inviting Serbia to sign the new deal on 7 February.
Until now the EU has made the arrest of war criminals a condition for signing the deal. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "the hand of friendship is going to be extended economically, culturally, politically" to Serbia to reinforce the message that its future lay in Europe.
But the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels say it is now taking a softer line, amid concerns that Serbia is moving away from the West as it faces a key presidential election overshadowed by the imminent independence of its breakaway province of Kosovo. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana denied that the agreement being offered to Serbia was unprecedented.
On 3 February, ultra-nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolic takes on pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic in the second round of the presidential election. "I don't think this is absolutely new but it's important that we get the European Union closer to Serbia and Serbia closer to the European Union."
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said there was no question of interference in Serbia's electoral process. Earlier Dutch deputy Foreign Minister Franz Zimmerman's insisted that the Netherlands would agree to sign the pre-membership accord "the moment Serbia hands over the people who stand indicted for the Yugoslavia tribunal".
"What we would like is everybody to know that the European Union is committed to move as close as possible (for) Serbia to the European Union."
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic is in Brussels and will talk to EU ministers on the margins of the meeting.