The May 24 article "Appeasing Serbia hurts EU," by Natasa Kandic and Mabel Van Oranje, is one-sided in the sense that it focuses on Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica without making single mention of the more democratic President Boris Tadic, who is far more dedicated to turning former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic over to The Hague tribunal.

It also does not mention the fact that Tadic's party has gained more influence with the police and security services in the recent Cabinet reshuffle, which is, along with the arrests of dozens of Mladic supporters, the probable reason why the European Union has resumed talks with Serbia. The article also doesn't mention that Mladic is believed to be out of Serbia, beyond the direct reach of the Serbian government.

So I would say that the article does little but perpetuate the image of Serbia since the 1990s, when the country and the entire region suffered under then-President Slobodan Milosevic. There are more sides to this story than the authors seem to think. It is easy to play the same old tune that people are accustomed to hearing because that's what sells.

ilya musulin