EU hits back at Kostunica over "deeply wrong" jibe

BRUSSELS, June 21 (Reuters) The European Commission, in an unusually blunt riposte, told Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica today to stop blaming Brussels for his own government's failures.

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn was reacting to comments by the Serbian leader that the European Union's stance towards Belgrade was ''deeply wrong'' and counter-productive.

''Commissioner Rehn considers that it is in the hands of Serbia and its leaders to fulfil the conditions and realise the EU perspective,'' Rehn's spokeswoman, Krisztina Nagy, told a news briefing.

''Accusing the European Union for the country's own failures is not serious,'' she said.

The EU froze talks on closer ties with Serbia in May after it failed to hand over war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic to the UN tribunal in the Hague as promised.

Two weeks after that suspension, Serbia's long-time partner Montenegro voted for independence, partly on the belief that the road to the EU would be quicker without Belgrade's baggage.

Kostunica was quoted on Monday as saying: ''The policy of constant setting of conditions, as practised against our country for already quite some time, is deeply wrong and has so far produced only negative consequences.'' In a sign of exasperation, Rehn, a keen soccer fan, said he was ''grateful that Prime Minister Kostunica stopped short of putting responsibility on the EU for Serbia-Montenegro's 6-0 defeat against Argentina in the World Cup''.

Nagy said full cooperation with the UN war crimes tribunal was a long-standing condition for all Western Balkan countries aspiring for closer ties with the EU.

Brussels was ready to resume negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the first rung on the ladder towards membership, as soon as Serbia complied, she added.

Meanwhile, financial aid for Belgrade, work on economic development and better trade relations and plans to ease people-to-people contact with Serbia through visa facilitation and scholarships underlined Brussels' commitment, she said.

The freeze on talks and Montenegro's independence vote were both seen as humiliations and caused a public backlash in Serbia. Recent polls showed the popularity of the ultranationalist Radical Party topped 40 per cent.

REUTERS SHR PM1752