Jeremić: Power struggle commencing within DS party

Vuk Jeremić on Wednesday rejected <a href="http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=07&dd=04&nav_id=81087" class="text-link" target= "_blank">claims by Belgrade Mayor Dragan Đilas</a> about the allegedly high cost of Serbia's UN General Assembly presidency.

Izvor: Beta

Wednesday, 04.07.2012.

21:17

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Vuk Jeremic on Wednesday rejected claims by Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas about the allegedly high cost of Serbia's UN General Assembly presidency. Jeremic - foreign minister in the outgoing Serbian government and a high ranking Democratic Party (DS) official - will as of September chair the world organization's assembly. Jeremic: Power struggle commencing within DS party Jeremic was reacting to a statement made by his fellow top DS official Djilas about the cost of the presidency, which the Belgrade mayor said was "disgraceful". In a statement for Prva TV late on Wednesday in Belgrade, he said the figures offered by Djilas were false, and qualified the controversy as "Djilas' struggle for dominance within the DS". "Let's call a spade a spade. This is a demagogic outburst, and the first shot fired in what will end in a struggle for the future and the soul of the Democratic Party," he said. But Jeremic believes that the party "will emerge from these temptations even stronger", and added that this would be "good for the DS and good for the state of Serbia". After being in power as part of Serbia's two previous governments, the party is likely to join the opposition after coming in second in the May elections, while the same month its leader, Boris Tadic, suffered defeat in his bid to be elected Serbia's president for a third term. According to Jeremic, "Djilas' attack contains elements of personal frustrations and animosity, as well as the Serb curse of being able to forgive everything, except success". As for the specifics of the claims made by the Belgrade mayor, Jeremic described as "nonsense" the assertion that he would receive USD 28,000 in monthly salaries for the next year, and said that he would be paid "many times less". A government spokesman also reacted on Wednesday to say that the outgoing cabinet was yet to discuss allocating funds for the presidency. "Some media reported that the UN General Assembly presidency would cost Serbia as much as USD 7.5 million! Even if that were the case, it would mean that Serbia would be able to preside over the UN for the next 60 years for the price of Ada Bridge," Jeremic said of the most important infrastructural project of Djilas' previous term as Belgrade mayor, and added: "And that, may I stress, is not counting the access roads." Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, file) Beta Tanjug Prva TV

Jeremić: Power struggle commencing within DS party

Jeremić was reacting to a statement made by his fellow top DS official Đilas about the cost of the presidency, which the Belgrade mayor said was "disgraceful".

In a statement for Prva TV late on Wednesday in Belgrade, he said the figures offered by Đilas were false, and qualified the controversy as "Đilas' struggle for dominance within the DS".

"Let's call a spade a spade. This is a demagogic outburst, and the first shot fired in what will end in a struggle for the future and the soul of the Democratic Party," he said.

But Jeremić believes that the party "will emerge from these temptations even stronger", and added that this would be "good for the DS and good for the state of Serbia".

After being in power as part of Serbia's two previous governments, the party is likely to join the opposition after coming in second in the May elections, while the same month its leader, Boris Tadić, suffered defeat in his bid to be elected Serbia's president for a third term.

According to Jeremić, "Đilas' attack contains elements of personal frustrations and animosity, as well as the Serb curse of being able to forgive everything, except success".

As for the specifics of the claims made by the Belgrade mayor, Jeremić described as "nonsense" the assertion that he would receive USD 28,000 in monthly salaries for the next year, and said that he would be paid "many times less".

A government spokesman also reacted on Wednesday to say that the outgoing cabinet was yet to discuss allocating funds for the presidency.

"Some media reported that the UN General Assembly presidency would cost Serbia as much as USD 7.5 million! Even if that were the case, it would mean that Serbia would be able to preside over the UN for the next 60 years for the price of Ada Bridge," Jeremić said of the most important infrastructural project of Đilas' previous term as Belgrade mayor, and added:

"And that, may I stress, is not counting the access roads."

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