Serbia must deliver war criminals before EU deal

1.57.59pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th Apr 2008

In advance of the meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, Liberal Democrat London MEP and European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford has called on the EU not to sell out on the demand for Serbia to hand over war crimes suspects Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadic to the international tribunal in the Hague.

In response to signals that a majority in the EU is prepared to sign with Serbia a pre-accession 'Stabilization and Association Agreement' (SAA), a step towards EU membership, Sarah Ludford said:

"The EU needs to have one consistent line and stick to it. That line is that every effort will be made to help Serbia draw economically and politically closer to the EU, and that the door to their EU accession is kept open. But the firm unwavering and non-negotiable condition is cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal."

"As the International Crisis Group said this week, 'appeasement in the Balkans has failed for the past decade and a half'. In any case, the perceived interference in Serbian internal politics through an attempt to dangle carrots before the electorate is counterproductive."

"Perhaps the only inducement which would have a positive impact in putting the EU in a good light is to abolish the EU visa requirement for Serbian visitors, so working towards that objective is the real top priority."