19 July 2006

Serbia’s NATO aspirations “reachable” News 18 July 2006 - NATO Visit to NATO by President of Serbia, Mr. Boris Tadic on Wednesday 19 July 2006 Multimedia Video file of the opening statements by the NATO Secretary General and the President of Serbia in the North Atlantic Council (wmv/4754kb) High resolution photos of the visit Audio file of the joint press point (MP3/7823kb) NATO wants and supports Serbia’s course towards Euro-Atlantic integration, said the NATO Secretary General during a visit to NATO HQ by Serbian President Boris Tadic, 19 July. Mr. De Hoop Scheffer said that Serbia becoming a NATO partner country is “an objective which is reachable … so long as the necessary conditions are fulfilled,” referring to full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The Serbian President visited NATO HQ to meet with the Secretary General and brief the North Atlantic Council on his country’s reform efforts and Euro-Atlantic ambitions. Paper into action “Allies have applauded the action plan which has been presented to arrest Ratko Mladic, and that action plan should now be translated from paper into action,” said De Hoop Scheffer at a press point after the meeting. The Secretary General also said the Council discussion is proof that Serbia matters to the Alliance, and that NATO member countries support Serbia’s course towards Euro-Atlantic integration. Peace and prosperity in the Balkans President Tadic underlined the importance of Serbia’s defence sector reforms. “By 2010 we are going to finalize the first phase of our reforms. We are going to have a professional army with NATO standards… [which] can be very useful regarding peace and stability in the region,” added Tadic. The importance of the situation in Kosovo was also discussed, and President Tadic expressed his appreciation for NATO’s presence in the region, and his confidence that “NATO and KFOR [Kosovo Force] will be capable of solving all possible problems in the future.”