Confusion in ruling coalition over Kosovo, EU

Tensions have increased within the ruling coalition regarding the principles the government was founded on. The coalition, formed in May last year, in comprised of President Boris Tadic's Democrats (DS), Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), New Serbia, and G17 Plus. Confusion in ruling coalition over Kosovo, EU The DS and G17 Plus have lately used the media to accuse the DSS of "abandoning the principles on which the government was formed, most notably, European integration". The DSS continues to state that "Serbia will not become a part of the European Union without Kosovo" Preservation of the country's territorial integrity was also one of the principles. Tadic said yesterday at his party's main board session in Belgrade that he will "never abandon the policy of Serbia’s integrity and European integration", and that his party will represent this within the government. “As long as everyone respects the five principles, the Serbian government remains. When someone no longer wishes to respect the five principles, the government is in trouble. Before the presidential elections, there was an effort to change these principles. I said that they could not be changed,” said Tadic. But his informal partner within the coalition itself, G17 Plus leader Mladjan Dinkic, was more blunt as he spoke during last night's B92 TV Impression of the Week talk show. Serbia in Europe only with Kosovo, Dinkic said of the DSS official line, "is tantamount to an unrealistic political goal". Throughout the interview, he referred to Kosovo as "Albanians". "I don't believe that Europe wants Albanians in the EU and it is a big problem if we say that Serbia wants to join the EU only with the Albanians. Are we going to wait 30 years to join? I do not agree with this DSS position." "I cannot help the Kosovo Albanians because I cannot lead the economic policy there, I cannot get there without armored escort and KFOR. This is earthly, and what the DSS is saying is heavenly," Dinkic, the sole guest in the program, said, and several times dubbed Kostunica's policy over Kosovo as "insanity". Dinkic also claimed that Tadic had supported his idea that Serbia should stop paying the Kosovo part of its foreign debt after the Feb. 17 unilateral declaration of independence by the ethnic Albanians in the province. The DS has officially been silent on the issue. Today, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) has announced that it will consult "only the Democrats when it comes to the united state policy". The party spokesman, Andreja Mladenovic, confrimed this in Belgrade today, after a series of media attacks last week launched by the junior coalition partner, G17 Plus, and its leader, Mladjan Dinkic. "It is of utmost importance to preserve and maintain the united state policy because that is the only way for Kosovo and Metohija to remain within Serbia," he said. The DSS will not abandon any of the five principles that the government is based on, Mladenovic said, and reminded that the first of those principles is to defend the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. He also repeated Kostunica's party position that Serbia should join the EU, but only with Kosovo inside its borders. "Kosovo is Serbia. This is what's written in the constitution, this is in the government's official position. This is in every resolution the parliament has adopted," Mladenovic pointed out. "The DSS is calling on all parties not to divide the country over the EU entry, but to assume a united stand that Serbia does want to join the EU, with Kosovo and Metohija as its inalienable part," he said. "Parties have various programs, but when it comes to the defense of Kosovo, we must all be united," Mladenovic concluded. Meanwhile, analysts say that Boris Tadic and his Democrats prefer not to see the government collapse until the May 11 local elections, when they will be able to assess how the latest Kosovo developments have reflected on their political standing in the country. Today's daily Blic quotes insider sources with the party, who say that yesterday's main board session opted "not to bring down the government". The DS would continue to insist on signing the treaty with the EU, but the government would fall only in case the DSS refused to have it ratified in parliament, the sources said. NIN weekly journalist Dragan Bujosevic told B92 that he, too, did not expect the Democrats to make any "concrete moves". "I believe the DS will wait a while, until the local elections are over, to see how things stand then, and, possibly, act afterwards. And I don't believe the EU can offer anything tangible by then, that would test the DS' European orientation," Bujosevic said. He added that the DSS "gave up on the EU when they said the Stabilization and Association Agreement [SAA] will not be signed because it supposedly recognized Kosovo's independence". Brussels has not offered Serbia to sign the SAA – instead, on Jan. 28, it offered a political agreement seen as "interim". The signing of the SAA is conditioned by Serbia's full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, including the arrest and extradition of Ratko Mladic. But Bujosevic continued that even the DSS later admitted "this agreement had no such provisions", i.e. did not imply the recognition of Kosovo. "By inventing this story, they said they will not join the EU and chose a topic for the next elections. In other words, they expect new elections, but they need the story to pick up first," he said, and added that "Kostunica is in advantage since he controls almost all the media in Serbia". The Serbian Government (Beta archive)

Confusion in ruling coalition over Kosovo, EU

The DS and G17 Plus have lately used the media to accuse the DSS of "abandoning the principles on which the government was formed, most notably, European integration".

The DSS continues to state that "Serbia will not become a part of the European Union without Kosovo"

Preservation of the country's territorial integrity was also one of the principles.

Tadić said yesterday at his party's main board session in Belgrade that he will "never abandon the policy of Serbia’s integrity and European integration", and that his party will represent this within the government.

“As long as everyone respects the five principles, the Serbian government remains. When someone no longer wishes to respect the five principles, the government is in trouble. Before the presidential elections, there was an effort to change these principles. I said that they could not be changed,” said Tadić.

But his informal partner within the coalition itself, G17 Plus leader Mlađan Dinkić, was more blunt as he spoke during last night's B92 TV Impression of the Week talk show.

Serbia in Europe only with Kosovo, Dinkić said of the DSS official line, "is tantamount to an unrealistic political goal".

Throughout the interview, he referred to Kosovo as "Albanians".

"I don't believe that Europe wants Albanians in the EU and it is a big problem if we say that Serbia wants to join the EU only with the Albanians. Are we going to wait 30 years to join? I do not agree with this DSS position."

"I cannot help the Kosovo Albanians because I cannot lead the economic policy there, I cannot get there without armored escort and KFOR. This is earthly, and what the DSS is saying is heavenly," Dinkić, the sole guest in the program, said, and several times dubbed Koštunica's policy over Kosovo as "insanity".

Dinkić also claimed that Tadić had supported his idea that Serbia should stop paying the Kosovo part of its foreign debt after the Feb. 17 unilateral declaration of independence by the ethnic Albanians in the province. The DS has officially been silent on the issue.

Today, the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) has announced that it will consult "only the Democrats when it comes to the united state policy".

The party spokesman, Andreja Mladenović, confrimed this in Belgrade today, after a series of media attacks last week launched by the junior coalition partner, G17 Plus, and its leader, Mlađan Dinkić.

"It is of utmost importance to preserve and maintain the united state policy because that is the only way for Kosovo and Metohija to remain within Serbia," he said.

The DSS will not abandon any of the five principles that the government is based on, Mladenović said, and reminded that the first of those principles is to defend the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

He also repeated Koštunica's party position that Serbia should join the EU, but only with Kosovo inside its borders.

"Kosovo is Serbia. This is what's written in the constitution, this is in the government's official position. This is in every resolution the parliament has adopted," Mladenović pointed out.

"The DSS is calling on all parties not to divide the country over the EU entry, but to assume a united stand that Serbia does want to join the EU, with Kosovo and Metohija as its inalienable part," he said.

"Parties have various programs, but when it comes to the defense of Kosovo, we must all be united," Mladenović concluded.

Meanwhile, analysts say that Boris Tadić and his Democrats prefer not to see the government collapse until the May 11 local elections, when they will be able to assess how the latest Kosovo developments have reflected on their political standing in the country.

Today's daily Blic quotes insider sources with the party, who say that yesterday's main board session opted "not to bring down the government".

The DS would continue to insist on signing the treaty with the EU, but the government would fall only in case the DSS refused to have it ratified in parliament, the sources said.

NIN weekly journalist Dragan Bujošević told B92 that he, too, did not expect the Democrats to make any "concrete moves".

"I believe the DS will wait a while, until the local elections are over, to see how things stand then, and, possibly, act afterwards. And I don't believe the EU can offer anything tangible by then, that would test the DS' European orientation," Bujošević said.

He added that the DSS "gave up on the EU when they said the Stabilization and Association Agreement [SAA] will not be signed because it supposedly recognized Kosovo's independence".

Brussels has not offered Serbia to sign the SAA – instead, on Jan. 28, it offered a political agreement seen as "interim". The signing of the SAA is conditioned by Serbia's full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, including the arrest and extradition of Ratko Mladić.

But Bujošević continued that even the DSS later admitted "this agreement had no such provisions", i.e. did not imply the recognition of Kosovo.

"By inventing this story, they said they will not join the EU and chose a topic for the next elections. In other words, they expect new elections, but they need the story to pick up first," he said, and added that "Koštunica is in advantage since he controls almost all the media in Serbia".