The talks in Brussels on the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) are a preliminary step for the Balkan country's eventual membership of the EU. Negotiations were broken off when Serbia refused to arrest Bosnian Serb Commander Ratko Mladic, accused of genocide over a 1995 massacre.
But the EU agreed to resume negotiations after the arrest of Zdravko Tolimir, a high-ranking general accused of killing thousands of Muslims at the end of the 1992-95 Bosnia war, an important step forward in Belgrade's cooperation with the United Nations war crimes tribunal.
Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner for enlargement, said at the launch of talks that the SAA would bring trade and economic benefits to Serbia, and serve as a key step for the country on its way toward EU accession.
The commissioner also praised Belgrade's efforts to cooperate with the Hague tribunal. "I commend the Serbian government for the actions it has taken to meet the conditions for resuming the talks," he said.
Serbia was a focus of talks at last week's G8 summit in Germany, where world leaders attempted to thrash out an agreement on the status of Serbia's predominantly Albanian province of Kosovo. The United States and the European Union are pushing for Kosovo's independence, while Russia, a staunch ally of Belgrade, has threatened to veto any UN resolutions to that effect.
The EU says that the SAA talks with Serbia are not related to Kosovo's independence, but Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica insisted on Wednesday that any partnership with the 27-nation bloc must include recognition of Serbia's existing borders, and its territorial integrity.
The decision to start talks was made last Thursday after talks between Rehn and the chief prosecutor of the Hague tribunal, Carla del Ponte, who said two weeks ago that the EU's executive body, the European Commission, could resume negotiations with Serbia.
