Defense minister weighs in on Satellite Affair
Everyone has a right to defend themselves the way they wish to before the court, says Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac.
Tuesday, 01.06.2010.
11:43
Everyone has a right to defend themselves the way they wish to before the court, says Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac. He was commenting on the news late on Monday that the state prosecution decided to indict former Serbia and Montenegro State Union Defense Minister Prvoslav Davinic for abuse of office in the so-called Satellite Affair. Defense minister weighs in on Satellite Affair Davinic also swiftly reacted yesterday by denying any responsibility for signing a harmful satellite rental contract in 2005 with Israel's ImageSat. He stated that responsibility must be sought elsewhere, and mentioned then and now cabinet minister Mladjan Dinkic in this context. Serbia failed to honor the contract and was ordered after losing an international arbitrage case to pay EUR 36mn in damages to the Israelis. Sutanovac now tells B92 that Davinic's reaction was an “attempt to accuse those who wanted to cushion the (negative) effects of the contract signed by him”. “Firstly, we don’t know why the minister at the time signed something that has ‘contract’ written on it on a Saturday in some hotel room in Paris,” said Sutanovac. “Why did he initial each page, why did he allow everything to be in accordance with the Anglo-Saxon law in London and arbitrage in Paris. I know that I would feel very responsible if I did something like that,” he stressed. “I can neither say who is responsible there, nor I do I wish to judge,” he continued, and added: “ It’s important to me to as soon as possible remove the problem in which the Defense Ministry is mentioned daily as responsible, while nobody from the Defense Ministry has anything to do with it except Prvoslav Davinic, who is today a retired defense minister.“ Asked about former Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Markovic's role, and his statement that “no contract was signed”, although he attended the signing, Sutanovac said this was “unacceptable”. “If one is a responsible person, a politician, if they're buying anything, a car, they don't sign unless someone tells them how the thing is done. It’s not important how well they know the language, they can read the contract. That's not done, who ever was there (at the signing) bears some of responsibility, or a lot of it, I don’t know that, the court will determine.” Dragan Sutanovac (Vecernje Novosti, file) Israeli ambassador in first comments Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Arthur Koll stated on Monday that he hoped the satellite case would be solved in the most favorable manner, and soon, adding that he believed he dispute should be resolved by the Serbian government and ImageSat. “I have not commented on this issue so far, because it is not an issue between the two states but a problem between the Serbian government and company ImageSat. I may only say that I hope the issue will be resolved in the fastest possible and most favorable way for both sides,” Koll was quoted as saying.
Defense minister weighs in on Satellite Affair
Davinić also swiftly reacted yesterday by denying any responsibility for signing a harmful satellite rental contract in 2005 with Israel's ImageSat. He stated that responsibility must be sought elsewhere, and mentioned then and now cabinet minister Mlađan Dinkić in this context.Serbia failed to honor the contract and was ordered after losing an international arbitrage case to pay EUR 36mn in damages to the Israelis.
Šutanovac now tells B92 that Davinić's reaction was an “attempt to accuse those who wanted to cushion the (negative) effects of the contract signed by him”.
“Firstly, we don’t know why the minister at the time signed something that has ‘contract’ written on it on a Saturday in some hotel room in Paris,” said Šutanovac.
“Why did he initial each page, why did he allow everything to be in accordance with the Anglo-Saxon law in London and arbitrage in Paris. I know that I would feel very responsible if I did something like that,” he stressed.
“I can neither say who is responsible there, nor I do I wish to judge,” he continued, and added: “ It’s important to me to as soon as possible remove the problem in which the Defense Ministry is mentioned daily as responsible, while nobody from the Defense Ministry has anything to do with it except Prvoslav Davinić, who is today a retired defense minister.“
Asked about former Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marković's role, and his statement that “no contract was signed”, although he attended the signing, Šutanovac said this was “unacceptable”.
“If one is a responsible person, a politician, if they're buying anything, a car, they don't sign unless someone tells them how the thing is done. It’s not important how well they know the language, they can read the contract. That's not done, who ever was there (at the signing) bears some of responsibility, or a lot of it, I don’t know that, the court will determine.”
Israeli ambassador in first comments
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to Serbia Arthur Koll stated on Monday that he hoped the satellite case would be solved in the most favorable manner, and soon, adding that he believed he dispute should be resolved by the Serbian government and ImageSat.“I have not commented on this issue so far, because it is not an issue between the two states but a problem between the Serbian government and company ImageSat. I may only say that I hope the issue will be resolved in the fastest possible and most favorable way for both sides,” Koll was quoted as saying.
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