DSS, SNS fail to agree on Constitution

Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader Vojislav Kostunica says that his party and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) do not agree on the Constitution. He added that the DSS would continue to oppose amending it. DSS, SNS fail to agree on Constitution After a meeting with SNS Leader Tomislav Nikolic, the main topic of which was Serbia's Constitution and possible amendments to the act, Kostunica explained that “since the DSS finds the Constitution of Serbia the most important issue for the state and the country, as it contains provisions relating to all core issues that Serbia is facing, it is obvious that the DSS and SNS have different attitudes and different policies regarding this basic and most fundamental problem.” He said that the DSS would principally criticize and fight against all initiatives to amend the Constitution, regardless of whether they came from the ruling or opposition parties. The DSS leader said he had presented a number of arguments to Nikolic in order to show why it was by no means good to amend the Constitution only four years after its adoption, especially since leaders of both the current ruling and opposition parties had taken part in its drafting. “Nikolic did not accept the arguments I presented and confirmed that the SNS remained in favor of amending the Constitution,” Kostunica said. After handing over to the Serbian parliament on Thursday a total of 304,580 signatures collected in an action to gain support for constitutional amendments and cutting the number of MPs, the SNS leader said the party was supported in the action by New Serbia (NS) and that he expected other parties to back them up as well. Earlier this week, the DSS accused the SNS of having a hidden agenda behind their initiative, which was effecting changes to the preamble to the Constitution of Serbia stating that Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia. Tomislav Nikolic and Vojislav Kostunica

DSS, SNS fail to agree on Constitution

After a meeting with SNS Leader Tomislav Nikolić, the main topic of which was Serbia's Constitution and possible amendments to the act, Koštunica explained that “since the DSS finds the Constitution of Serbia the most important issue for the state and the country, as it contains provisions relating to all core issues that Serbia is facing, it is obvious that the DSS and SNS have different attitudes and different policies regarding this basic and most fundamental problem.”

He said that the DSS would principally criticize and fight against all initiatives to amend the Constitution, regardless of whether they came from the ruling or opposition parties.

The DSS leader said he had presented a number of arguments to Nikolić in order to show why it was by no means good to amend the Constitution only four years after its adoption, especially since leaders of both the current ruling and opposition parties had taken part in its drafting.

“Nikolić did not accept the arguments I presented and confirmed that the SNS remained in favor of amending the Constitution,” Koštunica said.

After handing over to the Serbian parliament on Thursday a total of 304,580 signatures collected in an action to gain support for constitutional amendments and cutting the number of MPs, the SNS leader said the party was supported in the action by New Serbia (NS) and that he expected other parties to back them up as well.

Earlier this week, the DSS accused the SNS of having a hidden agenda behind their initiative, which was effecting changes to the preamble to the Constitution of Serbia stating that Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia.