23/04/2008
BELGRADE, Serbia -- Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said on Tuesday (April 22nd) that it is unlikely Serbia will sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU before the May 11th parliamentary elections. He stressed, though, that Serbia's goal is to receive candidate status by the end of this year. Full co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague has been the main condition for signing the SAA. However, in recent weeks, several EU officials have suggested signing the agreement regardless of the level of war crimes co-operation in order to support reform-oriented parties facing elections. (Politika, Danas - 23/04/08; RTS, Beta, Tanjug - 22/04/08)