Party officials deny ruling coalition crisis

The government is stable – this is the message Serbia's ruling parties' officials sent out Monday. In spite of today's warning, coming from a high place from within the senior cabinet partner, President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party (DS), that the stability of the government was jeopardized with an ongoing presidential elections date controversy, a number of coalition representatives sought to calm the waters this afternoon. Party officials deny ruling coalition crisis Previously, Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac told daily Glas Javnosti that should Prime Minster Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) fail to support Tadic in the coming presidential vote, "the government could fall apart." But now a spokeswoman for the Democrats, Jelena Markovic, says neither the elections date issue nor the differences regarding the country's Euro-Atlantic future have driven a serious wedge in the cabinet made up of the DS, DSS, New Serbia and G17 Plus. The Democrats have in the past week said that presidential and local elections must be called by December 31, a deadline set by the Constitutional Law, but urged that the presidential vote be held by the end of 2007. "It would be normal and rational to hold the presidential elections by the end of the year, but our party only insists on honoring the legal deadline," Markovic clarified Monday in a statement to Tanjug news agency. "A compromise is therefore possible," she said, and added that "despite media reports," there were "no serious conflicts within the ruling coalition." The DSS, on the other hand, gives precedence to the Kosovo status issue, saying that an election campaign coinciding with ongoing talks over the province's future could "weaken Belgrade's negotiating position." However, DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenovic also sought to strike a calming note during a news conference in Belgrade today, saying that the coalition was "stable, with no insurmountable differences within the cabinet." "The public will be notified if an issue emerges over which compromise is impossible," he added. The second question that has exposed deep differences between the two leading parties from the so-called democratic bloc, that of future NATO membership, has also been addressed today. Kostunica's party has wrapped up a month-long verbal assault on NATO with an official statement Saturday that it opposes Serbia's membership in the alliance. Markovic, however, said the Democrats believed Serbia must join "all Euro-Atlantic integration processes," but added that, since the country was not even close to becoming a membership candidate at this moment, discussing the issue was "pointless and meaningless." "We need to stick to the possibilities offered by the Partnership for Peace program, and make a future decision on possible NATO membership with a cool head, and together with our citizens," Markovic said, and added, "none of the coalition parties have abandoned the jointly adopted state policy." "There are no differences inside the ruling coalition. The moment one of the parties abandons the government's guiding program, we will have a split. Parties are entitled to lead their own policy, but the state policy must be uniform," the DS spokeswoman said. The public will know in good time: Andreja Mladenovic (Tanjug)

Party officials deny ruling coalition crisis

Previously, Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac told daily Glas Javnosti that should Prime Minster Vojislav Koštunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) fail to support Tadić in the coming presidential vote, "the government could fall apart."

But now a spokeswoman for the Democrats, Jelena Marković, says neither the elections date issue nor the differences regarding the country's Euro-Atlantic future have driven a serious wedge in the cabinet made up of the DS, DSS, New Serbia and G17 Plus.

The Democrats have in the past week said that presidential and local elections must be called by December 31, a deadline set by the Constitutional Law, but urged that the presidential vote be held by the end of 2007.

"It would be normal and rational to hold the presidential elections by the end of the year, but our party only insists on honoring the legal deadline," Marković clarified Monday in a statement to Tanjug news agency.

"A compromise is therefore possible," she said, and added that "despite media reports," there were "no serious conflicts within the ruling coalition."

The DSS, on the other hand, gives precedence to the Kosovo status issue, saying that an election campaign coinciding with ongoing talks over the province's future could "weaken Belgrade's negotiating position."

However, DSS spokesman Andreja Mladenović also sought to strike a calming note during a news conference in Belgrade today, saying that the coalition was "stable, with no insurmountable differences within the cabinet."

"The public will be notified if an issue emerges over which compromise is impossible," he added.

The second question that has exposed deep differences between the two leading parties from the so-called democratic bloc, that of future NATO membership, has also been addressed today.

Koštunica's party has wrapped up a month-long verbal assault on NATO with an official statement Saturday that it opposes Serbia's membership in the alliance.

Marković, however, said the Democrats believed Serbia must join "all Euro-Atlantic integration processes," but added that, since the country was not even close to becoming a membership candidate at this moment, discussing the issue was "pointless and meaningless."

"We need to stick to the possibilities offered by the Partnership for Peace program, and make a future decision on possible NATO membership with a cool head, and together with our citizens," Marković said, and added, "none of the coalition parties have abandoned the jointly adopted state policy."

"There are no differences inside the ruling coalition. The moment one of the parties abandons the government's guiding program, we will have a split. Parties are entitled to lead their own policy, but the state policy must be uniform," the DS spokeswoman said.