"How Dačić evolved from Little Sloba to Churchill"

BELGRADE Ivica Dacic has received praise for this "historic speeches and statesman-like behavior" from an unlikely corner, Vecernje Novosti writes. Leaders of some NGOs in Serbia have recently likened the Serbian prime minister and SPS party president to Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill. "How Dacic evolved from Little Sloba to Churchill" The daily on Sunday analyzed the phenomenon, and said that "unofficial leaders of the Serbian civic movement" Vesna Pesic, Sonja Biserko, Nenad Prokic all believe that the Serbian state representative is a great statesman, and he deserves praise because of his involvement in the Kosovo negotiation process. “How did Dacic evolve from ‘Little Sloba (Slobodan Milosevic)', as he had been labeled by 'the other Serbia', into Churchill and de Gaulle? Has the civic Serbia, which is in favor of Kosovo's independence, utter words of praise for the Serbian Prime Minister precisely because it seems to it that the negotiating process is moving in this direction?," the article asked, and added that for Natasa Kandic, the founder of the Humanitarian Law Center - who has not issued any statements on this issue - there is no dilemma: “Dacic should be given support in the negotiations on Kosovo. The ongoing process is aimed at organizing good neighborly relations between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as organizing relations between northern Kosovo and Pristina. Everything that comes from Serbia and is developing in this direction should be supported. Serious progress in improving relations have been made for the first time.” Kandic points out that it is necessary to redefine relations in the region and to correct mistakes, so everything coming from Serbia that is going in this direction is good. “The ongoing negotiations process should show that Serbia is thinking of the people in Kosovo. Everything that is being developed from Serbia in this direction, which is stipulated in Ahtisaari’s plan, should be supported," Kandic believes, adding that now “those from the Nineties” have been given an opportunity to correct "the mistakes that they made". SPS MP Zoran Andjelkovic, who was in charge of the province in the late 1990s, also believes that Dacic is being supported by people who are in favor of Kosovo’s independence. “This is a group of people that sincerely want Kosovo to get independence as soon as possible, and on the other hand, Serbia wants this issue to be resolved as soon a possible. We will see up to which moment they will support Dacic and whether they will be completely satisfied. This is the position of people who support a certain process because of their perception of the political situation. In any case, I’m not exalted to hear this," said Andjjelkovic. Analyst Djordje Vukadinovic sees double standards and hypocrisy in the entire story: it is being shown that the problem is not Milosevic nor the Nineties, nor suspected crime clan leader Darko Saric - as long as what external centers of power want is being done. "Dacic is being forgiven everything if he is aligned with what Washington and Brussels support." Vukadinovic is convinced that this support for Dacic will not bring votes or points, but "just some relief on the international plane". Dacic’s coalition partners – the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) and United Regions of Serbia (URS) are not considering whether the praises of Dacic are also praises of them. “We have our path which is responsible, new and patriotic,” SNS vice-president Igor Mirovic told Novosti. And civic Serbia has its own path and own context within which it is praising Dacic. Vladimir Ilic, URS official, states that comparisons with de Gaulle and Churchill are pretentious and debatable. “Obviously Vesna Pesic is disappointed by the performance of the DOS in the past decade and her statements represent resentment and anger, more than a rational position," Ilic said. The DOS (Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was a coalition of 19 parties which in 2000 removed Milosevic from power. (Tanjug, file) VIP Vecernje novosti

"How Dačić evolved from Little Sloba to Churchill"

The daily on Sunday analyzed the phenomenon, and said that "unofficial leaders of the Serbian civic movement" Vesna Pešić, Sonja Biserko, Nenad Prokić all believe that the Serbian state representative is a great statesman, and he deserves praise because of his involvement in the Kosovo negotiation process.

“How did Dačić evolve from ‘Little Sloba (Slobodan Milošević)', as he had been labeled by 'the other Serbia', into Churchill and de Gaulle? Has the civic Serbia, which is in favor of Kosovo's independence, utter words of praise for the Serbian Prime Minister precisely because it seems to it that the negotiating process is moving in this direction?," the article asked, and added that for Nataša Kandić, the founder of the Humanitarian Law Center - who has not issued any statements on this issue - there is no dilemma:

“Dačić should be given support in the negotiations on Kosovo. The ongoing process is aimed at organizing good neighborly relations between Serbia and Kosovo, as well as organizing relations between northern Kosovo and Priština. Everything that comes from Serbia and is developing in this direction should be supported. Serious progress in improving relations have been made for the first time.”

Kandić points out that it is necessary to redefine relations in the region and to correct mistakes, so everything coming from Serbia that is going in this direction is good.

“The ongoing negotiations process should show that Serbia is thinking of the people in Kosovo. Everything that is being developed from Serbia in this direction, which is stipulated in Ahtisaari’s plan, should be supported," Kandić believes, adding that now “those from the Nineties” have been given an opportunity to correct "the mistakes that they made".

SPS MP Zoran Anđelković, who was in charge of the province in the late 1990s, also believes that Dačić is being supported by people who are in favor of Kosovo’s independence.

“This is a group of people that sincerely want Kosovo to get independence as soon as possible, and on the other hand, Serbia wants this issue to be resolved as soon a possible. We will see up to which moment they will support Dačić and whether they will be completely satisfied. This is the position of people who support a certain process because of their perception of the political situation. In any case, I’m not exalted to hear this," said Anđjelković.

Analyst Đorđe Vukadinović sees double standards and hypocrisy in the entire story: it is being shown that the problem is not Milošević nor the Nineties, nor suspected crime clan leader Darko Šarić - as long as what external centers of power want is being done.

"Dačić is being forgiven everything if he is aligned with what Washington and Brussels support." Vukadinović is convinced that this support for Dačić will not bring votes or points, but "just some relief on the international plane".

Dačić’s coalition partners – the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) and United Regions of Serbia (URS) are not considering whether the praises of Dačić are also praises of them.

“We have our path which is responsible, new and patriotic,” SNS vice-president Igor Mirović told Novosti. And civic Serbia has its own path and own context within which it is praising Dačić.

Vladimir Ilić, URS official, states that comparisons with de Gaulle and Churchill are pretentious and debatable.

“Obviously Vesna Pešić is disappointed by the performance of the DOS in the past decade and her statements represent resentment and anger, more than a rational position," Ilić said.

The DOS (Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was a coalition of 19 parties which in 2000 removed Milošević from power.