World

EU envoys consider Serbia's bid

by Dave Keating | July 29, 2008 at 12:57 am

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UPDATE 11AM: The EU has decided to put off a decision on whether to unfreeze trade benefits for Serbia.

For every action there is a reaction, and the EU is looking to quickly demonstrate that they were serious about the 'carrot and stick' approach to Serbia's joining the union by meeting today in Brussels to discuss the possibility of the country joining. After Serbia finally arrested the fugitive Bosnian Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic last week, the EU is keen to demonstrate that such Western-friendly actions will have immediate rewards.

But some nations, particularly the Netherlands, are still not convinced that Serbia has done all it can to deal with the atrocities committed during the Yugoslav civil war, and that its people have not atoned for what occured. They point to the fact that there have been massive street demonstrations in Belgrade protesting the arrest as evidence of this.

EU ambassadors are meeting in Brussels to discuss Serbia's EU ambitions after the arrest last week of former Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic.

Mr Karadzic is expected to be extradited to the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague this week.

Serbia's pro-EU leadership is hoping this will strengthen the country's case for EU membership.

Later on Tuesday, hardline nationalists are to take part in a mass rally in Belgrade to protest over his arrest.