EU foreign ministers said here on Tuesday that the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was "a significant step on Serbia's path towards the EU."
"This development illustrates the commitment of the new government in Belgrade to contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans regions," the ministers said in a conclusion of their meeting.
They encouraged the Serb government to maintain positive relations with the European Union and its member states and to take a constructive approach towards the EU's efforts to contribute to peace and stability in the Balkan region.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said in a statement on Tuesday that Karadzic's arrest was a "step in the right direction" for Serbia's EU prospect.
The EU signed in April the key Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, but full entry talks would not start unless Serbia hands over war criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
On the same say, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn told a joint press conference with visiting Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic that the arrest was a "milestone" in EU-Serbian ties.
Rehn said that he fully supported the immediate implementation of the SAA.
For his part, Jeremic said that he was upbeat that Serbia could become an EU candidate by the end of the year or early next year.
"We hope to get candidate status later this year or in the first half of 2009 and we will work closely and vigorously with the (European) commission and member states to make sure this is possible," he added.
Source:Xinhua
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