EUROPEAN REACTION: THE ARREST of indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic will give new impetus to Serbia's bid to join the European Union, European leaders said – but obstacles remain in its way.
“Justice has been served and a great obstacle on the Serbian road to the EU has been removed,” EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Füle said in Brussels. “The Serbian leadership has repeatedly promised to bring Gen Mladic to justice. They have delivered and thus proved their credibility and the credibility of Serbia.”
As the country attempts to put its war-torn past behind it, via eventual EU membership, the arrest of Europe’s most wanted war crimes suspect marks a clear step forward.
Belgrade’s aim is to follow in the footsteps of other former Yugoslav states like Slovenia, a member state which is already in the single currency; and Croatia, which is well down the road to joining the union.
This is by no means a straightforward process. The application of the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia is bogged down in a procedural row with Greece over the use of the name Macedonia.
The Mladic arrest comes five months before the European Commission hands down a formal opinion on Serbia’s December 2009 application for union membership. While adding clear political momentum to that process, the commission’s consideration of the application is inherently bureaucratic and centres from the outset on Serbia’s written replies to bulky questionnaires.
The ultimate opinion adopted by the union’s executive branch, which will be subject to the approval of European foreign ministers, will determine whether a protracted accession negotiation with Serbia begins in 2012.
An alternative is for the commission to call for Serbia to be simply given the status of an EU candidate state, with entry talks delayed until further progress is achieved.
It is also open to the commission not to recommend any advance in the country’s application, something which would put it back by several years.
All applicant countries must be judged by the union to fully or sufficiently fulfil specific political criteria before negotiations can begin.
In Serbia’s case these include the capture of war fugitives and progress in its regional co-operation with Kosovo, the former Serbian province whose declaration of independence in 2008 Serbia refuses to recognise.
Each of these questions is politically sensitive for Serbian president Boris Tadic, who was showered with praise from international leaders for the capture of Mr Mladic.
His arrest is crucial because “full co-operation” with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague is an essential pre-condition for accession talks.
EU leaders have ruled that this must include not only his arrest but also that of Goran Hadzic, another war crime suspect who still remains at large.
Mr Füle reiterated that Europe has made it “absolutely clear that we’re talking about the two people”. However he added that he had no reason to doubt Serbia’s commitment to deliver the remaining fugitive.
Although bitter antagonism between Serbia and Kosovo remains undimmed since Serbia was expelled from the territory by Nato forces in 1999 – after an 11-week bombing campaign – the two entered formal talks two months ago in an attempt to forge deeper ties.
This difficult dialogue follows Serbia’s decision last year to abandon a challenge in the UN General Assembly to Kosovo’s independence.
Months earlier, the UN’s highest court ruled that the declaration of independence did not violate international law.
Mr Tadic has long insisted that Serbia will not recognise Kosovo’s independence. But Pristina hopes that will be the ultimate result of the talks. Crucial here is the internal pressure on Mr Tadic not to dilute his resistance to Kosovo’s independence.
While there was never any expectation of an immediate breakthrough, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had been expected in advance of her scheduled visit to Belgrade yesterday to press the Serbian government to deepen its engagement in the talks.
In the event Baroness Ashton arrived in the city just as news broke of Mr Mladic’s arrest, leading certain European officials to conclude that the capture was deliberately timed.
Mr Füle said he would not add to such speculation, saying simply that he did not care about the timing of the arrest. “What I care is that it has been done and that ex-general Mladic is on his way to the Hague,” he said.
“Tomorrow in this new momentum created, work must intensify on reforms which are a key to enable the European Commission to present a positive opinion later this year.”