First Deputy PM hopes for "date, not just praise"

BELGRADE Aleksandar Vucic has said ahead of his trip to Germany that he hopes for a positive decision on giving Serbia a date for the start of EU talks. At the same time, the first deputy PM and leader of the ruling SNS party told FoNet news agency that he "feared that Serbia would only get praise". First Deputy PM hopes for "date, not just praise" Vucic however expects EU officials to "respect the work and effort and take into account the energy that Serbia invested, as well as the unpopular and difficult moves that the government made": "What I fear most at this point is that we will get much praise in Brussels and Berlin, but that it will not result in what we wish, and that is a date. That's what worries me and scares me the most, then those praises and everything we've done would not be significant." "There is a possibility to start the negotiations without a date. That is what they came up with as a phase, or an inter-phase solution. But I hope and expect that we will get a date." If that does not happen it would be "bad news for Serbia, for which, for the first time, Serbia would not even be responsible - they do not even plan to accuse Serbia for it", said the deputy PM. Vucic explained that he was traveling to Germany - "from which Serbia expects the most in the future" - for that reason, in order to tell that country's officials about everything that had been done on the road of EU integrations, and that a negative decision would cause "disappointment among the people in Serbia": "It is important to point out and show how much Serbia had done, that we would even feel a little offended if we don't get a date," he continued, and stressed that "even in that case Serbia would not leave the European road which is irreversible". According to Vucic, the level of German officials that he will met with shows that great attention will be focused on Serbia and that "they will probably ask for something else that Serbia needs to do, but obviously they are considering the possibility of a date in a very serious manner." He also asserted that the current government "did more in six months than the previous in four years", and said it had many important tasks ahead - "which is more important than the daily political things and mutual bickering". When asked about the affair concerning PM Ivica Dacic's contacts with a member of a drug clan, he said: "However, the important thing is, just so nobody says things are being swept under the carpet: it is of exceptional importance for the prosecution to be taking steps and to be doing, and continue doing, its job". "There will be no games or giving in to anyone," said Vucic and stressed that "nobody from the authorities or from another circle that could influence the work of state organs will be allowed to interfere in the work of the prosecution." "Will that cause jitters? Perhaps, perhaps not, but who cares. This has entered a flow from which there is no way back." Vucic at the same time stressed that he never said Dacic was under investigation, and added he was "partially aware" of the nature of the contacts the PM had with Saric gang member Rodoljub Radulovic, but would not reveal any details. He noted that "people will always make the decision" when it came to the credibility of any state official, including Dacic, himself, or the president. The state organs will ascertain whether the contacts that Dacic and his associates had with Radulovic amounted to a criminal act, he explained. Asked to comment on the speculation that "attacks on Dacic" were really aimed changing Serbia's policy on Kosovo and the EU, Vucic said that, "after all, it is not realistic, nor possible, to change Serbia's policy, because there is no political force that could take it back in any way." "That type of fear no longer exists. Whatever happens, I think the political elite is mature enough that everybody must behave in a responsible manner." He also said that his party wished to continue to work with its partners in the cabinet in order to achieve "some result for Serbia", and that for this reason, he did not like the idea of early elections. "But, I can't guarantee there will be no (elections). You never know what kind of atmosphere will be created, what relevant state organs will have to say on various issues," Vucic concluded. (Tanjug, file) FoNet

First Deputy PM hopes for "date, not just praise"

Vučić however expects EU officials to "respect the work and effort and take into account the energy that Serbia invested, as well as the unpopular and difficult moves that the government made":

"What I fear most at this point is that we will get much praise in Brussels and Berlin, but that it will not result in what we wish, and that is a date. That's what worries me and scares me the most, then those praises and everything we've done would not be significant."

"There is a possibility to start the negotiations without a date. That is what they came up with as a phase, or an inter-phase solution. But I hope and expect that we will get a date."

If that does not happen it would be "bad news for Serbia, for which, for the first time, Serbia would not even be responsible - they do not even plan to accuse Serbia for it", said the deputy PM.

Vučić explained that he was traveling to Germany - "from which Serbia expects the most in the future" - for that reason, in order to tell that country's officials about everything that had been done on the road of EU integrations, and that a negative decision would cause "disappointment among the people in Serbia":

"It is important to point out and show how much Serbia had done, that we would even feel a little offended if we don't get a date," he continued, and stressed that "even in that case Serbia would not leave the European road which is irreversible".

According to Vučić, the level of German officials that he will met with shows that great attention will be focused on Serbia and that "they will probably ask for something else that Serbia needs to do, but obviously they are considering the possibility of a date in a very serious manner."

He also asserted that the current government "did more in six months than the previous in four years", and said it had many important tasks ahead - "which is more important than the daily political things and mutual bickering".

When asked about the affair concerning PM Ivica Dačić's contacts with a member of a drug clan, he said:

"However, the important thing is, just so nobody says things are being swept under the carpet: it is of exceptional importance for the prosecution to be taking steps and to be doing, and continue doing, its job".

"There will be no games or giving in to anyone," said Vučić and stressed that "nobody from the authorities or from another circle that could influence the work of state organs will be allowed to interfere in the work of the prosecution."

"Will that cause jitters? Perhaps, perhaps not, but who cares. This has entered a flow from which there is no way back."

Vučić at the same time stressed that he never said Dačić was under investigation, and added he was "partially aware" of the nature of the contacts the PM had with Šarić gang member Rodoljub Radulović, but would not reveal any details.

He noted that "people will always make the decision" when it came to the credibility of any state official, including Dačić, himself, or the president.

The state organs will ascertain whether the contacts that Dačić and his associates had with Radulović amounted to a criminal act, he explained.

Asked to comment on the speculation that "attacks on Dačić" were really aimed changing Serbia's policy on Kosovo and the EU, Vučić said that, "after all, it is not realistic, nor possible, to change Serbia's policy, because there is no political force that could take it back in any way."

"That type of fear no longer exists. Whatever happens, I think the political elite is mature enough that everybody must behave in a responsible manner."

He also said that his party wished to continue to work with its partners in the cabinet in order to achieve "some result for Serbia", and that for this reason, he did not like the idea of early elections.

"But, I can't guarantee there will be no (elections). You never know what kind of atmosphere will be created, what relevant state organs will have to say on various issues," Vučić concluded.