NATO, Serbia sign security agreement

BRUSSELS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- NATO and Serbia on Wednesday signed a security agreement that allows for exchange of classified information with the two, said the alliance.

The agreement, a standard document between NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries, was signed at the NATO headquarters by Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

The agreement will facilitate military-to military cooperation between Serbia and the alliance, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told a briefing on Wednesday.

He said the signing of the agreement was a "substantial step" in the relationship between Serbia and NATO.

Serbia joined NATO's PfP program in November 2006, together with Montenegro and Bosnia. Unlike the other two Balkan states, Serbia had been reluctant to move forward in its relationship with the alliance.

The step of the new Serbian government was strongly welcomed by NATO allies, said Appathurai.

Sutanovac, who was visiting the NATO headquarters, also addressed the North Atlantic Council, composed of ambassadors from NATO countries.

He was told by the ambassadors that a democratic Serbia in Euroatlantic structures is good for regional security and stability, said Appathurai. Serbia was also asked to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), he said.

Serbia arrested former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and handed him over to the ICTY in July. Serbia is yet to arrest to transfer former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic.