Tadić on Bosnian official's visit, Montenegro

President Boris Tadic says Bosnian Presidency Chairman Haris Silajdzic, “just like any other regional leader”, was “always welcome in Serbia”. Silajdzic was due in Belgrade on Monday for an official visit, but it was announced it would be postponed due to problems with his airplane. Tadic on Bosnian official's visit, Montenegro However, reports then suggested that the reason behind Silajdzic's decision not to travel to Serbia was that he could not visit convicted war criminal and former Bosnian official Ilija Jurisic in prison. Now Tadic said he believed that Sijaldzic will very soon come to Serbia, and urged that there be “no politicizing” of the visit. “Who gets to visit whom in prison is up to the Ministry of Justice, not the president of Serbia, to decide,” Tadic said, and added that he was against “populist welcoming of war crimes “indictees once they leave prison”. “I consider it very poor practice to demonstrate our patriotism by meeting and supporting those indicted and convicted of war crimes. Courts are the only institutions that can say whether someone's guilty or not, and we should not meddle in their work,” the president was quoted as saying. “If I felt motivated or spurred to visit all those accused of war crimes in the neighboring republics, where would that lead,” wondered Tadic. As for the recent criticism coming from Montenegro, whose officials said that one of his advisors influenced the forming of a united opposition front in that country, Tadic said the accusations were false. “Serbia has no interest in managing political processes in Montenegro. Serbia has no interest to integrate again with Montenegro. If I, as Serbia's president, today suggested such a thing to the citizens, they would refuse. These attacks on Serbia, no doubt about that, everyone sees it, serve only in the election campaign, and they have yielded results in these local elections in Montenegro,” said the president. Tadic also stated that Belgrade would continue with its policy of good neighborly relations toward Montenegro, and that it would refrain from reacting to attacks that he said were “reminiscent of the 1990's”. As for the media reports that he could mediate in the Croatia-Slovenia border dispute, Tadic said he “did not wish to raise the profile of his personal role, or that of Serbia, indefinitely”. “However, I remain available to all those who need me to help in the process of understanding,” the president was quoted. Boris Tadic (Tanjug, file)

Tadić on Bosnian official's visit, Montenegro

However, reports then suggested that the reason behind Silajdžić's decision not to travel to Serbia was that he could not visit convicted war criminal and former Bosnian official Ilija Jurišić in prison.

Now Tadić said he believed that Sijaldžič will very soon come to Serbia, and urged that there be “no politicizing” of the visit.

“Who gets to visit whom in prison is up to the Ministry of Justice, not the president of Serbia, to decide,” Tadić said, and added that he was against “populist welcoming of war crimes “indictees once they leave prison”.

“I consider it very poor practice to demonstrate our patriotism by meeting and supporting those indicted and convicted of war crimes. Courts are the only institutions that can say whether someone's guilty or not, and we should not meddle in their work,” the president was quoted as saying.

“If I felt motivated or spurred to visit all those accused of war crimes in the neighboring republics, where would that lead,” wondered Tadić.

As for the recent criticism coming from Montenegro, whose officials said that one of his advisors influenced the forming of a united opposition front in that country, Tadić said the accusations were false.

“Serbia has no interest in managing political processes in Montenegro. Serbia has no interest to integrate again with Montenegro. If I, as Serbia's president, today suggested such a thing to the citizens, they would refuse. These attacks on Serbia, no doubt about that, everyone sees it, serve only in the election campaign, and they have yielded results in these local elections in Montenegro,” said the president.

Tadić also stated that Belgrade would continue with its policy of good neighborly relations toward Montenegro, and that it would refrain from reacting to attacks that he said were “reminiscent of the 1990's”.

As for the media reports that he could mediate in the Croatia-Slovenia border dispute, Tadić said he “did not wish to raise the profile of his personal role, or that of Serbia, indefinitely”.

“However, I remain available to all those who need me to help in the process of understanding,” the president was quoted.