President explains why he won't back PM's Nobel nomination

BELGRADE "PM Ivica Dacic cannot win my support if he stands next to Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci even as a Nobel Prize candidate,"President Tomislav Nikolic has said. Nikolic told the daily Vecernje Novosti in an interview that his stand is based on the suspicion that Thaci, as former commander of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, organized many crimes against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and that investigations against him "may be brought to an end if he won the prize." President explains why he won't back PM's Nobel nomination “A Serb cannot receive the prize together with Thaci who is a suspect for crimes in Kosovo and Metohija,” Nikolic said. “In the international arena, I am always bringing up the crimes against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the founded suspicion that these were organised by Thaci. I also pointed to extraction of human organs and the Yellow House. This is a crime yet undocumented in the civilized world… And now a Serb is supposed to stand next to Thaci in the nomination, next to a man who is saved from investigation by foreign factors. I fear that all investigations against him may be brought to an end if he was to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This is why a Serb must not stand next to him,” Nikolic said. The president noted that he was "old enough to offer a piece of fatherly advice to Dacic." “My message to him is that he is still young, there is still time, and he can do a lot for Serbia. Kosovo and Metohija is not a closed case. It will take some time. Nobody won a prize because of initiating talks, only once a problem is solved,” Nikolic said. A file photo of Ivica Dacic and Tomislav Nikolic (Tanjug) "Nikolic should be nominated" President Tomislav Nikolic should be nominated for the Nobel Prize because he the talks with Hashim Thaci were initiated at his proposition and he backed everything connected to the process, Ivica Dacic stated. “I believe that Nikolic should have said that he does not support Thaci's nomination for the Nobel Prize and the stand that he does not support Dacic's nomination is in keeping with the instruction he gave to me whenever I asked him about what should be done in Brussels,” Dacic said. Dacic noted that he took on a very difficult task in the negotiations with Thaci and that he was not even asked whether he wishes to do it or not. “It simply happened that Thaci is a prime minister and we do not recognise the government headed by him, but Nikolic put forth the proposition. He asked me to negotiate with Thaci,” Dacic said in an interview for the Macedonian Television Sitel. Nikolic agreed on this matter with High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Dacic added. “I participated in the process for the sake of Serbia,” Dacic underscored and added that he did not conduct the negotiations with Thaci for the sake of a prize. “I did not ask for a Nobel Prize and I did not participate in the process for the sake of the prize, nor does that interest me. I did not ask Nikolic or anyone else to voice their opinion on this matter, but it is still somewhat unfair for him to assume such a stand,” Dacic said. The idea to nominate Dacic and Thaci came from the U.S. Congress. Tanjug reported last week that the Serbian Caucus there confirmed that "representatives of the Serbian and Albanian Issues caucuses in addressed a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, nominating Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize because of their critical roles in normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina." Tanjug Vecernje novosti

President explains why he won't back PM's Nobel nomination

“A Serb cannot receive the prize together with Thaci who is a suspect for crimes in Kosovo and Metohija,” Nikolić said.

“In the international arena, I am always bringing up the crimes against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and the founded suspicion that these were organised by Thaci. I also pointed to extraction of human organs and the Yellow House. This is a crime yet undocumented in the civilized world… And now a Serb is supposed to stand next to Thaci in the nomination, next to a man who is saved from investigation by foreign factors. I fear that all investigations against him may be brought to an end if he was to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This is why a Serb must not stand next to him,” Nikolić said.

The president noted that he was "old enough to offer a piece of fatherly advice to Dačić."

“My message to him is that he is still young, there is still time, and he can do a lot for Serbia. Kosovo and Metohija is not a closed case. It will take some time. Nobody won a prize because of initiating talks, only once a problem is solved,” Nikolić said.

"Nikolić should be nominated"

President Tomislav Nikolić should be nominated for the Nobel Prize because he the talks with Hashim Thaci were initiated at his proposition and he backed everything connected to the process, Ivica Dačić stated.

“I believe that Nikolić should have said that he does not support Thaci's nomination for the Nobel Prize and the stand that he does not support Dačić's nomination is in keeping with the instruction he gave to me whenever I asked him about what should be done in Brussels,” Dačić said.

Dačić noted that he took on a very difficult task in the negotiations with Thaci and that he was not even asked whether he wishes to do it or not.

“It simply happened that Thaci is a prime minister and we do not recognise the government headed by him, but Nikolić put forth the proposition. He asked me to negotiate with Thaci,” Dačić said in an interview for the Macedonian Television Sitel.

Nikolić agreed on this matter with High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, Dačić added.

“I participated in the process for the sake of Serbia,” Dačić underscored and added that he did not conduct the negotiations with Thaci for the sake of a prize.

“I did not ask for a Nobel Prize and I did not participate in the process for the sake of the prize, nor does that interest me. I did not ask Nikolić or anyone else to voice their opinion on this matter, but it is still somewhat unfair for him to assume such a stand,” Dačić said.

The idea to nominate Dačić and Thaci came from the U.S. Congress. Tanjug reported last week that the Serbian Caucus there confirmed that "representatives of the Serbian and Albanian Issues caucuses in addressed a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, nominating Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and the EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize because of their critical roles in normalizing relations between Belgrade and Priština."