SPS official says prime minister "has credibility"

BELGRADE The head of the MP group of Ivica Dacic's Socialists (SPS) says that the prime minister "has credibility", while his position lately "has changed". It is now much stronger, Branko Ruzic asserted during his appearance on B92 TV's Impression of the Week talk show late on Sunday. SPS official says prime minister "has credibility" He also stated that he "still claimed" that the goings on in the past days "represented an attack against the government, the state". Belgrade-based weekly Vreme editor-in-chief Filip Svarm took part in the same program to say that he "did not know for how long Dacic would remain prime minister" - but that he was no longer in the same position as before. According to this journalist, both Dacic and his SPS went from being a hot commodity in May to now having the status of a bargaining tool. "Vucic said he read some conversations about Dacic and Misa Banana (Radulovic)," said Svarm. "I think this government will survive some more, but Dacic's credibility has greatly eroded." Belgrade-based weekly Nedeljnik columnist Stojan Drcelic was also a guest on the talk show, where he said that the decision not to go to early elections for now had as its outcome Serbia "getting a new prime minister": "If there used to be one government and two prime ministers, the indicator is now that the prime minister is (Aleksandar) Vucic." Ruzic also made an analogy between the newspaper reporting and the ties between the authorities and crime in 2002 and 2003 and now, but Drcelic said this was "completely wrong", as Dacic was "the one most responsible for his own fate": "I don't believe that Dacic, in his second mandate as police (minister), did not know who he was talking with, that he is showing (the white) book without saying what he talked to him (Radulovic) about. Why didn't he raise the alarm, ask for protection if he did not know who he was. We can now occupy ourselves with who allowed for it to happen, many had a motive, but not possibilities, this was done to him by someone who had the possibility." Filip Svarm also believes that the analogy with 2002 is "a little strained". Beside the controversy about his contacts with the Saric gang member Radulovic, Ivica Dacic was also in the spotlight last week regarding the background of his adviser Ivica Toncev. Ruzic described the adviser as "a peripheral phenomenon", said that "it is important who Toncev is" - but that it was more important "that it must be known who is doing what", and that the intelligence agency BIA "did not do its job back then": "How did the Saric Clan come to be? Since 2004, who was police director, SBPOK director, governor, minister for privatizations, somebody from the SPS? Well, no. How is it possible that a billion euros belonging to (Darko) Saric have been injected in the Serbian economy, why is that not being investigated?" The SPS official also noted that during Dacic's visit last week to the U.S. he was commended, and added that had he been discredited - "it would not be possible for him to enjoy trust there". Drcelic reacted to this by saying that the U.S. was interested "only in the big picture": "He went on a working visit that was previously scheduled, what has happened is a new circumstance. The U.S. is interested in the cocaine route (organized by Saric) being cut, so there is some fallacy here. Dacic's achievements in the fight against crime are undeniable." According to Ruzic, "every politician has sat at the same table with somebody believed to come from the criminal milieu", while both Dacic and his first deputy Vucic "said that everything should be resolved completely". Drcelic believes that regardless of the good rating in the opinion polls Vucic and President Tomislav Nikolic "will not let themselves be asked in a year's time, 'how come you knew and did not bring down the government'." "I believe that this case will be seen through to the end. That Vucic does not believe Dacic committed a crime is another thing. It's possible that he has information that the investigation could be concluded with Dacic coming out clean." Svarm sees Vucic as the country's most dominant politician, and says the opposition DS party cannot bring down the government - but that Vucic's SNS can: "Vucic does not feel entirely comfortable in this whole affair, many are asking him how he can sit in the government with Dacic, so Vucic is creating an alibi for himself. At this moment, Vucic is safe and wishes to say, 'I'm not the judge and jury', he finds it more important to be able to say that there are institutions above him." According to Drcelic, Vucic can sustain losing a few points in the polls for being in the same government as Dacic. "But there is a wider plane - getting a (EU talks) date, removing Dacic from the dialogue with (Hashim) Thaci, then the dialogue would be lowered to a technical level, or taken to the presidential level." "I am not certain that Nikolic is ready to take the responsibility entirely. Vucic can bring down Dacic at any point. I'm not saying Vucic is the one who launched this affair, but he could benefit from it. Vucic could call elections tomorrow and be prime minister, but it is cheaper this way." Branko Ruzic (file) B92

SPS official says prime minister "has credibility"

He also stated that he "still claimed" that the goings on in the past days "represented an attack against the government, the state".

Belgrade-based weekly Vreme editor-in-chief Filip Švarm took part in the same program to say that he "did not know for how long Dačić would remain prime minister" - but that he was no longer in the same position as before.

According to this journalist, both Dačić and his SPS went from being a hot commodity in May to now having the status of a bargaining tool.

"Vučić said he read some conversations about Dačić and Miša Banana (Radulović)," said Švarm. "I think this government will survive some more, but Dačić's credibility has greatly eroded."

Belgrade-based weekly Nedeljnik columnist Stojan Drčelić was also a guest on the talk show, where he said that the decision not to go to early elections for now had as its outcome Serbia "getting a new prime minister":

"If there used to be one government and two prime ministers, the indicator is now that the prime minister is (Aleksandar) Vučić."

Ružić also made an analogy between the newspaper reporting and the ties between the authorities and crime in 2002 and 2003 and now, but Drčelić said this was "completely wrong", as Dačić was "the one most responsible for his own fate":

"I don't believe that Dačić, in his second mandate as police (minister), did not know who he was talking with, that he is showing (the white) book without saying what he talked to him (Radulović) about. Why didn't he raise the alarm, ask for protection if he did not know who he was. We can now occupy ourselves with who allowed for it to happen, many had a motive, but not possibilities, this was done to him by someone who had the possibility."

Filip Švarm also believes that the analogy with 2002 is "a little strained".

Beside the controversy about his contacts with the Šarić gang member Radulović, Ivica Dačić was also in the spotlight last week regarding the background of his adviser Ivica Tončev. Ružić described the adviser as "a peripheral phenomenon", said that "it is important who Tončev is" - but that it was more important "that it must be known who is doing what", and that the intelligence agency BIA "did not do its job back then":

"How did the Šarić Clan come to be? Since 2004, who was police director, SBPOK director, governor, minister for privatizations, somebody from the SPS? Well, no. How is it possible that a billion euros belonging to (Darko) Šarić have been injected in the Serbian economy, why is that not being investigated?"

The SPS official also noted that during Dačić's visit last week to the U.S. he was commended, and added that had he been discredited - "it would not be possible for him to enjoy trust there".

Drčelić reacted to this by saying that the U.S. was interested "only in the big picture":

"He went on a working visit that was previously scheduled, what has happened is a new circumstance. The U.S. is interested in the cocaine route (organized by Šarić) being cut, so there is some fallacy here. Dačić's achievements in the fight against crime are undeniable."

According to Ružić, "every politician has sat at the same table with somebody believed to come from the criminal milieu", while both Dačić and his first deputy Vučić "said that everything should be resolved completely".

Drčelić believes that regardless of the good rating in the opinion polls Vučić and President Tomislav Nikolić "will not let themselves be asked in a year's time, 'how come you knew and did not bring down the government'."

"I believe that this case will be seen through to the end. That Vučić does not believe Dačić committed a crime is another thing. It's possible that he has information that the investigation could be concluded with Dačić coming out clean."

Švarm sees Vučić as the country's most dominant politician, and says the opposition DS party cannot bring down the government - but that Vučić's SNS can:

"Vučić does not feel entirely comfortable in this whole affair, many are asking him how he can sit in the government with Dačić, so Vučić is creating an alibi for himself. At this moment, Vučić is safe and wishes to say, 'I'm not the judge and jury', he finds it more important to be able to say that there are institutions above him."

According to Drčelić, Vučić can sustain losing a few points in the polls for being in the same government as Dačić. "But there is a wider plane - getting a (EU talks) date, removing Dačić from the dialogue with (Hashim) Thaci, then the dialogue would be lowered to a technical level, or taken to the presidential level."

"I am not certain that Nikolić is ready to take the responsibility entirely. Vučić can bring down Dačić at any point. I'm not saying Vučić is the one who launched this affair, but he could benefit from it. Vučić could call elections tomorrow and be prime minister, but it is cheaper this way."