Holland softens stance on Serbia
13-11-2009
The Netherlands may ease its opposition to Serbia joining the European Union, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing a foreign ministry spokesman.
The Netherlands is holding up a key treaty which would enable membership talks to start, arguing the country has not done enough to cooperate with the Yugoslavia tribunal in the Hague.
In particular, the Netherlands wants to see the arrest of Ratko Mladic. Mladic is charged with masterminding the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which 7,000 men and boys under the protection of Dutch UN peacekeepers were murdered.
This week, however, MPs gave foreign minister Maxime Verhagen approval to 'act accordingly' if a report from the tribunal's chief prosecutor shows Serbia is cooperating fully. The WSJ said this is the 'clearest sign yet' that the Netherlands may be ready to approve the agreement.
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