PM: New proposals for platform to be defined soon

BELGRADE PM Ivica Dacic says all proposals and objections of the opposition, Kosovo Serbs and ruling coalition regarding a Kosovo platform will be defined next week. He told Belgrade-based Prva TV on Sunday that the platform represented Serbia’s view of the solution for the Kosovo issue but that it did not mean that Kosovo Albanians and the international community felt the same. PM: New proposals for platform to be defined soon “I have an opinion and a position about it but the question is how achievable it is and if I can impose my opinion as an opinion of the entire state when it comes to the solution for the Kosovo problem,” Dacic stressed. He noted that it was not important what was written on a paper and that it was much more important whether the solution proposed by Serbia would be implementable and sustainable. The PM said that Serbia must not put itself in a situation that it “cannot move forward or go back” and that it needed to keep moving forward, adding that the Kosovo and the EU accession issues were connected and that one could not go without the other. “Serbia can make a decision not to join the EU, we just need to be aware of consequences of such a decision,” Dacic underscored. He said that if he had to choose between Kosovo and the EU, he would choose Kosovo like the majority of the Serbian citizens. However, he explained that Serbia “could not get Kosovo back if we said we do not want the EU, we want Kosovo”. Dacic said that Serbia needed to send envoys to Arab countries that still had not recognized Kosovo as soon as possible. He noted that Pakistan had recently recognized Kosovo’s independence and that Serbia would suffer serious consequences if Egypt did so as well. “I do not know if we are aware of the fact that we are in a lost situation, Pakistan has recognized Kosovo’s independence and is anyone of us dealing with countries that have not recognized the independence,” the prime minister wondered. Dacic noted that many countries had recognized Kosovo simply because Pristina representatives had visited them and lobbied for the recognition. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug, file) Dacic denies conflicts with president, deputy PM He stressed that there was no conflict between him, President Tomislav Nikolic and First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vucic. Dacic added that it would not be good to hold new elections because there was a series of problems that needed to be solved. According to him, Serbia is facing a very difficult period because it needs to resolve the Kosovo issue, economic and social crisis. The prime minister pointed out that relations within the ruling coalition were good and that all decisions were made together and that there were no personal differences. Beta Tanjug

PM: New proposals for platform to be defined soon

“I have an opinion and a position about it but the question is how achievable it is and if I can impose my opinion as an opinion of the entire state when it comes to the solution for the Kosovo problem,” Dačić stressed.

He noted that it was not important what was written on a paper and that it was much more important whether the solution proposed by Serbia would be implementable and sustainable.

The PM said that Serbia must not put itself in a situation that it “cannot move forward or go back” and that it needed to keep moving forward, adding that the Kosovo and the EU accession issues were connected and that one could not go without the other.

“Serbia can make a decision not to join the EU, we just need to be aware of consequences of such a decision,” Dačić underscored.

He said that if he had to choose between Kosovo and the EU, he would choose Kosovo like the majority of the Serbian citizens.

However, he explained that Serbia “could not get Kosovo back if we said we do not want the EU, we want Kosovo”.

Dačić said that Serbia needed to send envoys to Arab countries that still had not recognized Kosovo as soon as possible.

He noted that Pakistan had recently recognized Kosovo’s independence and that Serbia would suffer serious consequences if Egypt did so as well.

“I do not know if we are aware of the fact that we are in a lost situation, Pakistan has recognized Kosovo’s independence and is anyone of us dealing with countries that have not recognized the independence,” the prime minister wondered.

Dačić noted that many countries had recognized Kosovo simply because Priština representatives had visited them and lobbied for the recognition.

Dačić denies conflicts with president, deputy PM

He stressed that there was no conflict between him, President Tomislav Nikolić and First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vučić.

Dačić added that it would not be good to hold new elections because there was a series of problems that needed to be solved.

According to him, Serbia is facing a very difficult period because it needs to resolve the Kosovo issue, economic and social crisis.

The prime minister pointed out that relations within the ruling coalition were good and that all decisions were made together and that there were no personal differences.