The key issue for the refusal was that Netherlands insists that Belgrade catch and surrender fugitive war crimes suspects Radovan Karazic and Ratko Mladic. The reason for such an attitude is the Dutch part in events around massacre in Srebrenica.
The argument is that because the Dutch are aware of their responsibility, they have to insist that responsible for that tragic event should found them selves in front of justice, meaning the Tribunal in Hague. Maybe for other EU countries is easier to say “ok, we should look into the future, and try to forget the past”, but the Dutch are not willing to drop it so easy.
Counter argument for backing up Serbia for the Pact is to support democratic candidate for the President of Serbia: Boris Tadic against Tomislav Nikolic, who is a candidate of SRS, the extreme right party. Of course, that is not sufficient reason for Dutch to give up insisting on justice.

So, what do we have here?
We have one horrible event that occurred during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and unfortunately not the only one. On the other side, we have one EU country that refuses to give up this issue because it was unable to prevent it, although had possibilities, responsibilities and the mandate to do it. That is why, now it is determined to remain though about this, until the guilty are punished.
However, we could ask who might be the guilty ones. Well, accused for this war crime are Radovan Karazic and Ratko Mladic: ex-president of the Serbian ethnicity in Bosnia and the general of the Bosnian Serbs Army. They are accused and could be probably guilty, although of course that is something that the Court should decide. Still, they are Bosnian Serbs, not Serbs from Serbia, and if there relations between them, those could be found only in Slobodan Milosevic and his support that he was giving during most of the war to Bosnian Serbs.
In addition, in some periods of Milosevic´s rule, SRS participated into Government and cooperated with Milosevic.

So, what do we get?
We get that the Dutch are blocking democratic Serbia that had nothing to do with Srebrenica, moreover that was fighting against Milosevic, the same person that was giving assistance to those who are accused to be guilty, and yet, asking from Serbia to be responsible for arresting and delivering those two to the Tribunal in Hague, although they are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Maybe some argument could be found for Mladic, because for some time he was hiding in Serbia, but for Karadzic there is no basis at all to connecting him to Serbia.
In that way, the political party and its candidate, whose ideology is related to those who actually are responsible the crimes and who cooperated with Milosevic, are indirectly supported by the Dutch. On the other hand, the democratic candidate that argues for the EU road is left without backup from the same EU.

And why? Because the Dutch need to wash them selves in their own eyes, not taking into consideration that they could cause even more damage.
But what is more important, why talking about the democratic candidate, nationalistic candidate and the presidential elections? Why not talking about Serbian people who support democracy in majority and trying to see their future in the European way? Why not mentioning millions common people, mostly young people, who had nothing with the war except its consequences and in spite of that, they find strength to forget the horrible past and look into the lighter future. And those who find it easier to blame EU for everything they have experienced are actually supported in their beliefs.

At the end, one could ask about the consequences of such attitude of the Dutch and wander of number of new victims of such behaviour. How many new victims are needed that we could go on?

Some people in Brussels seem to panic awfully easily. While I think a Nikolic Presidency would be very bad news for Serbia, it’s not going to much affect the EU. Serbia’s candidacy would be delayed, but it’s not like it’s imminent anyway.

Mosh: right, because the ICTY is a creature of the EU. The EU is trying to dismember Serbia, so Serbia should never cooperate with the ICTY.

Oh, wait… the ICTY is an arm of the United Nations. You know, the body that passed Resolution 1244, affirming Serbia’s territorial integrity? The one whose Security Council is all that’s stopping an independent Kosovo from getting formal international recognition? That United Nations?

Oh, well, Serbia should refuse to cooperate with the ICTY anyway. Because… because Serbs have been victimized enough! Yes!

Doug M.

I fear you may be right about the Dutch coming under increased pressure. Seselj’s deputy, Toma “the Gravedigger” Nikolic, looks like a good bet to get a plurality of votes in the first round of Serbia’s presidential elections on Sunday. If and when he does so, the resulting dumb panic in EU capitals is likely to find its expression in enormous pressure being brought to bear on the Netherlands to agree to an SAA signing, without Mladic, before balloting begins in Serbia for the second round of the elections.

The Belgrade mass-circulation daily Glas javnosti is already trumpeting assurances that the Dutch will soften their stance and give up insisting on Mladic’s arrest. As its source, Glas cites Vladimir Vukcevic, chief prosecutor of Serbia’s war crimes court, and other local experts. Glas also claims to know that Brammertz will be pressured (by Brussels) to agree to some kind of deal (a positive report, in exchange for more promises of “cooperation”?) when he makes his first visit to Belgrade at the beginning of next month.
http://www.glas-javnosti.co.yu/clanak/glas-javnosti-19-01-2008/holandjani-ce-popustiti

Is there any truth in all this, or is it just hopeful Serbs whistling in the dark? Time will tell soon enough. But it’s enough to make one nervous.