Serbia Access To NATO-PFP Major Step To EU

Serbia's Defense minister said the recent access to NATO's Partnership for Peace program is Belgrade's major step toward joining the European Union.
Defense Minister Zoran Stankovic, in his weekly news conference Tuesday in Belgrade, said the Defense Ministry advocates Serbia's full cooperation as soon as possible with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, meaning the arrest and handing over to The Hague former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, Serbia's RTS radio-television said.
Mladic is wanted on genocide and crimes against humanity charges in the Yugoslav ethnic war from 1991-95.
The European Union put off association talks with Serbia early in May after Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica failed to arrest and transfer Mladic to the U.N. tribunal.
Serbia joined the Partnership program in Brussels on Dec. 14 and NATO opened its office in Belgrade on Dec. 18.

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