Press
point
by
NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson
and the Prime Minister
of Serbia, Zoran Zivkovic
Lord Robertson: I do apologize for
appearing late at this point de presse and inconveniencing members of
the press corps. The meeting started late and for which I blame the European
Union...to do with that.
But I was delighted this afternoon to meet Prime Minister Zivkovic
here, the first Serbian Prime Minister to visit NATO headquarters.
He follows, however, after the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia
Dr. Covic and the Foreign Minister of Serbia and Montenegro
Minister Svilanovic, both of whom have been here on such
repeated occasions
that nobody really notices that anymore. And we've worked closely
together on crisis management, in particular on the early crisis
in 2001 in southern Serbia where a combination of military
action and inspired political leadership defused the situation
and has
created a zone of stability.
The death of Prime Minister Djindjic horrified and shocked
all of us here since he represented a new democratic force
in what
we now know as Serbia and Montenegro and I'm delighted that
his successor has come following the action that has been taken
there
to reinforce the democratic forces and also the powerful impetus
towards integration with the European family of nations.
Serbia and Montenegro has an ambition to join the Partnership
for Peace; an ambition that we share. But NATO, of course,
has made it clear that the Partnership for Peace is open
to countries,
but that there are conditions laid down and we've discussed
those conditions here today and the Prime Minister has made
it clear
that if General Mladic is on Serbian territory then he will
be arrested and his indictment and arrest warrant will be
discharged in relation to the international criminal tribunal.
That is
one
of the critical preconditions for membership of the Partnership
for Peace.
However, NATO has also said that we will enter into arrangements
with Serbia and Montenegro to help with that process towards
membership of the Partnership for Peace and we will be looking
at a tailored program to assist Serbia and Montenegro, especially
with the issue of defence reform.
We are, after all, part of that European family and defence Minister
Tadic, who came here recently, impressed NATO Ambassadors with his mastery
of the subject after a very short time.
But also with his clear determination to reform the armed forces
of Serbia and Montenegro, which is of course a joint enterprise
that all European nations have to be involved in now if we're
going to deal with the threats that will face us tomorrow,
rather than with the enemies that we had in the past.
So you're very welcome, Prime Minister. Please.
Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic: Thank
you very much. Our visit to Brussels today had many purposes.
One of the purpose
was coming here to the headquarters of NATO to voice our clear
desire that Serbia and Montenegro join the Partnership for
Peace.
The reforms that Minister Tadic started have full support of the government
of Serbia and we'll do everything we can to make sure that by the end
of this year there will be no obstacles to us joining this programme.
There are no reasons why Serbia and Montenegro should be left
out of the process. There are certain conditions which I think
are possible to fulfil and I am also sure that by the end...
or come the end of this year the tribunal in The Hague will
say that Serbia and Montenegro have completed co-operation
successfully.
By this way we shall continue our road towards European and
Euro-Atlantic... on the road of our integration into European
and Euro-Atlantic
structures and by this way through the Partnership of Peace
Serbia in a matter of years will be in the position to join
the union
itself.
Since Lord Robertson is leaving this post at the end of this year I'm
sure that we can give him as a present the membership of Serbia and Montenegro
in the PfP programme, and wish him every success on the job he will work
in the future.
Q: Secretary General, you know we
have to ask, it's been reported, and it seems that we should expect tomorrow
a decision by NATO, by the Ambassadors at NATO to mandate the military
experts to eventually help Poland in the administration of its sector
in Iraq. What comment do you have on that? Do you confirm?
Lord Robertson: Well, you have to ask
the question and I have to give you the answer, that we have
not
taken a
decision yet,
and you should not assume that decisions will be taken tomorrow.
The matter is still being examined, still looked at. It will
certainly be discussed, but when there's a decision we'll tell
you.
Q: (inaudible)... Try to put a question for Prime Minister
Zivkovic in Serbian for the electronic media.
Mr. Zivkovic just said that he expected by the end of this
year Serbia will have fulfilled all the conditions and will
eventually
join the Partnership for Peace. Does that mean that all those
who have been indicted by The Hague will go over there and
that if they don't that the tribunal will say that Serbia has
done
everything to apprehend them and to bring them to justice,
but is not in the position to do so?
Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic: By the end of the year we hope that
(inaudible)... we do expect to complete our co-operation with
The Hague. We shall turn over those that we now have which
are on the indictment list of The Hague, or some of those who
have
been indicted will be ceded to us. Or eventually those who
are not on the territory of Serbian Montenegro they will be
recognized
as not being within the capacities of us to deal with them.
Q: Secretary General, if NATO decides tomorrow to give technical
support to Poland in Iraq, do you think that this could be
a first step like in Afghanistan in that NATO could take over
the
mission which Poland is going to lead in Iraq in a few months,
like it's going to in Afghanistan?
Lord Robertson: It's always,
I think, unwise to start a question with the word "if",
because it then allows the answerer of the question to say
that is
pure
speculation,
which is precisely
what I do.
We haven't got to the first stage. We haven't taken any decisions
yet. Once those decisions are taken then maybe further consideration
can be given, but that is not on the agenda at the moment,
or in the foreseeable future. We haven't reached the first
post,
never mind gone beyond that at all. So I cannot and will
not speculation.
Q: Prime Minister, are you willing to take one more question?
Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic: Yes.
Q: Sorry, it will also be in Serb.
Mr. Prime Minister, recently there were rumours that talks, low- level
talks will be started between Sarajevo and Belgrade, in which Belgrade
is supposed to be offering Bosnia-Herzegovina to help in the deconstruction
of the Republic of... Republica Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina should
desist from pursuing for it, or rather withdraw its suit before the International
Court of Justice.
Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic: If we could subsume under
low profile something which does not exist then indeed
such
negotiations
are going on, but as you know, no such negotiations
have gone on. They do not exist and no reasonable
people could
conduct
such negotiations.
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