Appeasing Serbia

The West has opted for a softer approach towards Serbia, admitting it to NATO's Partnership for Peace in December 2006, and now allowing it to lead the Council of Europe for six months. But this will do little to strengthen democratic forces in Serbia--and much to strengthen the position of hard-liners who refuse to hand over indicted war criminals.

This month has been a bad one for the cause of human rights in Europe, as Serbia was allowed to begin its six-month presidency of the Council of Europe, the Continent’s oldest political body. With Serbia at the helm, the Council, which aims to promote human rights and the rule of law, is now overseen by a state that thumbs its nose at the Genocide Convention and harbors an indicted war crimes suspect, former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic. Moreover, the European Commission has indicated that it is ready to resume talks aimed at bringing Serbia closer to the European Union as soon as a reform-oriented government is formed in Belgrade.

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