Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the implications for Serbia-Montenegro's future EU membership prospects on the failure to deliver the fugitive General Ratko Mladic to the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8982/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Serbia and Montenegro opened negotiations on a stabilisation and association agreement with the European Union in October 2005. This was a reflection of the progress the country has made in its reform process. The pace and conclusion of the negotiations will depend in particular on Serbia and Montenegro's progress in developing its legislative framework and administrative capacity, the effective implementation of its constitutional charter, and full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Full co-operation with the tribunal is essential to achieving lasting reconciliation in the region and lifting a fundamental obstacle to EU integration. Recalling Security Council resolutions 1503 and 1534, Ireland, together with its EU partners, has emphasised its expectation that Serbia and Montenegro take decisive action to ensure that all fugitive indictees, notably Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadic, are finally brought to justice. Successive General Affairs and External Relations Councils have stressed the importance of full co-operation with the tribunal, and Enlargement Commissioner Rehn and Commission President Barroso again emphasised the need for it during their recent visit to Belgrade in February.

At the most recent meeting of the Council in Brussels last week, Ministers stressed that full co-operation with ICTY must be achieved in order to ensure that Serbia and Montenegro's SAA negotiations are not disrupted. The Council also urged Serbia and Montenegro, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, to take decisive action to ensure that all remaining fugitive indictees are brought to justice without delay. The EU Presidency and Commission will remain in close contact with the chief prosecutor of the tribunal on the matter and continue to keep the Council fully informed. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.