Party leader accuses Democrats over "unfair campaign"

URS party leader Mladjan Dinkic says he will file a complaint with the country's broadcasting authority (RRS) over what he described as "an unfair campaign". The former cabinet minister and leader of G17 Plus spoke for B92 TV on Thursday in Belgrade, and specified that he thought the ruling Democrats (DS) enjoyed a privileged position in the campaign for the May 6 elections. Party leader accuses Democrats over "unfair campaign" Such degree of inequality, the United Regions of Serbia (URS) leader continued, "has not existed since the times of Slobodan Milosevic". As for this party's focus on the country's decentralization, Dinkic said it was "not aimed against Belgrade, but against centralism": "It is not fair to take out loans to build bridges in Belgrade, while the same can't be done for roads in Serbia. We need the metro rail and many more bridges. The problem is that 20,000 to 35,000 people arrive in Belgrade and stay there. A lot less would do that if they had a chance to work in their own towns. I am attacking a centralist government, in case somebody misunderstood: I have nothing against Belgrade's development, I'm a born and raised Belgrader." Dinkic also stated that he was doing everything in order for "other factories" to come to Serbia, and mentioned the example of Panasonic's investment. "If it weren't for me," said Dinkic, " Fiat would never have come to Serbia, they would have gone elsewhere, because only a few months later, in 2008, the economic crisis started, we literally wrestled Fiat from Romanians". "Had we not given (Fiat) EUR 300mn in incentives, we wouldn't have EUR 1.5bn a year. Why didn't someone else do this if it's so easy, it's not easy at all," concluded Dinkic. Mladjan Dinkic (file) B92

Party leader accuses Democrats over "unfair campaign"

Such degree of inequality, the United Regions of Serbia (URS) leader continued, "has not existed since the times of Slobodan Milošević".

As for this party's focus on the country's decentralization, Dinkić said it was "not aimed against Belgrade, but against centralism":

"It is not fair to take out loans to build bridges in Belgrade, while the same can't be done for roads in Serbia. We need the metro rail and many more bridges. The problem is that 20,000 to 35,000 people arrive in Belgrade and stay there. A lot less would do that if they had a chance to work in their own towns. I am attacking a centralist government, in case somebody misunderstood: I have nothing against Belgrade's development, I'm a born and raised Belgrader."

Dinkić also stated that he was doing everything in order for "other factories" to come to Serbia, and mentioned the example of Panasonic's investment.

"If it weren't for me," said Dinkić, " Fiat would never have come to Serbia, they would have gone elsewhere, because only a few months later, in 2008, the economic crisis started, we literally wrestled Fiat from Romanians".

"Had we not given (Fiat) EUR 300mn in incentives, we wouldn't have EUR 1.5bn a year. Why didn't someone else do this if it's so easy, it's not easy at all," concluded Dinkić.