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My interpretation is that Slovenia is just showing Croatia who's boss. It's payback time for all those jokes about Slovenia being a small country.

Either that or it's the US.

It's not necessarily the goal here to slow down EU expansion but maybe to ensure that Croatia's accession is delayed until it can join simultaneously with Serbia.

En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Dec 20th, 2009 at 04:10:27 AM EST
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I don't know how credible this commentary is, but regarding US intentions towards the Balkans and the EU, there's the following paragraph:
It is good that Slovenia did not want Serbia's SAA with the EU to be conditional on Kosovo's independence, and that the U.S. at least did not want it to seem to be so. Surrendering territory should not be the price of entry into the European club. Surrendering perpetrators of genocide should be. Serbia still shields Ratko Mladić, the butcher of Srebrenica.

According to Politika, Slovenia complained to the U.S. that the Netherlands and Belgium are insisting on Serbia's compliance with the ICTY; and the U.S. promised to tell the Dutch that an SAA for Serbia is more important for stabilizing the region than compliance with the Hague. Now that is disrespect for international law.

The Dutch have held out, forcing EU foreign ministers to compromise on offering Serbia an interim agreement instead of a full-fledged SAA. Messy, but possibly for the best.



En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Dec 20th, 2009 at 04:21:29 AM EST
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