Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said Thursday in Vienna that he expects the Dutch parliament will ratify Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) in the coming weeks.

"The Dutch parliament has not refused to ratify the SAA, this is just regular procedure, which says that in the coming days the Dutch foreign ministers will deliver the report which International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz submitted to the UN, along with a recommendation of the Dutch government," he explained.

In a statement for Tanjug, Djelic noted that on June 20, the foreign ministers of EU member countries will review the situation in Serbia following the arrest of ICTY indictee Ratko Mladic, and that the Dutch parliament's European Affairs Committee will hold a regular meeting June 30.

"I expect the Dutch parliament will ratify the SAA in the weeks to come. If this does not happen, the Netherlands would be sending a negative message to Serbia and its people. Serbia keeps its word, we expect the Netherlands to do the same," he said.

Djelic said that the faster Serbia progresses toward the EU, the faster its neighbors will progress. He expressed satisfaction that neighboring countries are supportive of each other's EU integration, noting Serbia supports Croatia's EU accession.

Bommel: SAA ratification already under way, debate in September

Deputy Chairman of the Dutch parliament's European Affairs Committee Harry van Bommel said Thursday that the ratification of Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) is already under way, and that only technical issues are stalling the final decision.

According to him, the parliamentary debate on the ratification should take place in September or October.

The ratification process is already under way. Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has sent the proposal to the parliament and now we need to take the next step and give our written comments, Van Bommel told Tanjug.

Van Bommel reminded that Foreign Affairs Commitee Chairman Henk Jan Ormel Wednesday proposed the parliament start the ratification process.

Mr. Omel proposed that we start this process, but not that we make a decision before the summer break. He proposed that we write our comments before the break, so that the minister could prepare his response over the summer, Van Bommel specified.

Serbian President Boris Tadic has expressed belief that the Dutch and other parliaments which have yet to ratify the SAA will do so soon.

The Netherlands made Serbia's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and the arrest of Ratko Mladic, a condition of the country's European integration and SAA ratification.

ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz informed the UN Security Council earlier in the week that Serbia made significant progress and fulfilled one of its key obligations to the court by arresting Mladic.

The SAA, which needs approval from all EU member countries before it can come into force, has been ratified by 18 out of the 27 EU parliaments so far.