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Council urges Serbia to co-operate on Kosovo

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Published 13 February 2007 - Updated 21 February 2007
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Kosovo Serbia Stabilisation and Assocation
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EU foreign ministers have called on Serbia to engage in consultations with Kosovo over its future status, and linked the re-opening of association agreement talks with Serbia to co-operation with the UN War Crime Tribunal in the Hague.

At a meeting on 12 February 2007, EU foreign ministers said that they "strongly urged Belgrade and Pristina to participate actively and constructively", in the consultations over the future status of Serbian province of Kosovo, to be held next week in Vienna. They also gave a strong backing for UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, who presented his plan to the Council on 12 February.

The Council also made clear that it is ready to resume talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia "provided that it shows clear commitment and takes concrete and effective action for full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)".

The SAA would create closer ties with the EU and would be a first step towards Serbian EU membership.

The EU still awaits the delivery of alleged war criminal Ratko Mladic to the ICTY. UN War Crimes Prosecutor Carla del Ponte last week urged that SAA talks should not be restarted before Serbia hands over Mladic.

Foreign ministers also offered to accelerate negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission in order to forge greater co-operation from the Serbian side.

Positions: 

Ahtisaari’s plan has divided member states; some showed reservations towards the proposal, such as Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Spain, Slovakia and Poland.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier  said: "Now that we have Ahtisaari’s proposals on the table, we are going to have to continue discussing carefully with Russia. I hope we find a solution, that will underpin stability in the Western Balkans."

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Serbia's full co-operation with the ICTY was a necessary condition for concluding the SAA talks.

EU High Representative Javier Solana said: "We have to send a positive signal at this moment. They will [Serbia] will get closer to the EU if they comply with the Council."

Vice-Presidents of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, Jan Marinus Wiersma and Hannes Swoboda, declared: "Serbia must be involved in finding a solution for the status of Kosovo on the basis of the proposals made by the United Nations Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari."

Wiersma added: "A new pro-European government is necessary to establish a better co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which will allow for the re-opening of the negotiations on and the final the conclusion of a stabilisation and association agreement between Serbia and the European Union."

Next steps: 
  • Ahtisaari has postponed talks to be held between Belgrade and Pristina this week in Vienna to 21 February 2007, following Serbia’s insistance on forming a government before resuming talks.
  • Ahtisaari aims to submit his revised plan to the UN Security Council by the end of March.
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Background: 

  • Kosovo has been under international civil and military administration since the 1999 conflict.
  • On 26 January, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari presented his plan for the future status of Kosovo to the members of the contact group (consisting of the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Russia).
  • On 2 February, Ahtisaari consulted the plan with the parties concerned in Belgrade and Pristina, in order to find acceptance.
  • On 7 February 2007, the EU Troika paid a visit to Serbia.
  • Serbia refused to engage in consultations with Pristina before forming its government following general elections on 21 January 2007.
  • On 11 Feburary 2007, Albanians in Kosovo protested violently against Ahtisaari’s plan, demanding immediate full independence.

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