EU welcomes Serbian elections, expects pro-European gov't

The European Union (EU) on Monday welcomed the outcome of Sunday's general elections in Serbia and expressed the hope for a quick formation of a pro-European government.

"We have all the reason to welcome the fact that the parliamentary elections yesterday were conducted freely and fairly," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters after an EU foreign ministers' meeting.

"I note with satisfaction that the democratic, reformist forces that share European values achieved a clear parliamentary majority, which should enable them to form a reform-oriented and pro- European government."

He said he is looking forward to working with Serbia's Europe- oriented leaders in the country course toward the EU.

With good institutional capacity, Serbia could implement the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) quickly and effectively once the negotiations were concluded, he said.

The EU suspended SAA talks with Serbia last year on grounds that the country failed to cooperate fully with the UN war crime tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The SAA is a special arrangement for Western Balkan countries in their EU accession path. The signing of the SAA is the first step in their journey toward the bloc.

Rehn said the EU still sees full cooperation with the UN tribunal as a necessary condition for the "pace and conclusion" of the SAA negotiations.

He expressed the hope that the new Serbian government will take measures that will lead to the arrest and handover of General Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb military commander.