FM tells EP to "condemn Seselj, but not Serbia"

FM tells EP to "condemn Seselj, but not Serbia"

"We should not be condemning Serbia, a different policy won in the election. I'm sorry I spoke longer, but since you talked about us longer, without our presence, allow me that right, too," Dacic was quoted as saying "at the end of a ten-minute speech that was unusual for visitors from third countries called before the Committee on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament."

Dacic noted that the EP is entitled to discuss whatever it wants, but "must start from the fact that Serbia was not involved in the release of Seselj."

"The Hague court did not inform us, did not set any conditions before him, and the trial has lasted for 11 years. Well is that possible? The prosecution did not appeal while he was in The Hague, and now that he is Belgrade they did. I have been saying that Seselj is an issue of the past and do not know where the comments about the Serbian government not declaring itself come from. On the other hand, you should be aware that Seselj cannot be prosecuted for any other act while he is prosecuted at the Hague," he said.

According to the paper, he "stressed that the aim of releasing Seselj was to cause political unrest in Serbia."

"Therefore, the resolution of the EP was interpreted in Serbia as disappointing, as a lack of understanding of the situation. Serbia has changed. Today it is not the same as it was when Seselj left for The Hague. After all, this meeting would not be possible before the Serbian government changed in 2012. There is no way that a minister from Serbia would sit with a Kosovo minister. Please understand that we do not do this because of the EU, are working for Serbia. The EU is not a goal, but rather a path to create a society in which there are European values. All problems should be resolved bilaterally. I see no reason for Croatia and Serbia not to talk about this bilaterally. And I'm sorry that my visit to Croatia, which was scheduled for the day of Seselj's release, was canceled. At your request," Dacic said, addressing Croatian representatives.

Andrej Plenković, a MEP from Croatia's HDZ party, who is also vice president of the EP Foreign Policy Committee, told Dacic said that Serbia "cannot be credible if it ignores the warmongering rhetoric of Vojislav Seselj."

"Minister, you said that the EU is very popular in Serbia. I hope that European values ​​are popular in Serbia. The public warmongering rhetoric Seselj is so unacceptable that it requires the reaction of the government. This reaction is missing. If you want to be credible and if you want to make progress on the European road, you cannot ignore the rhetoric. You need to be clear about that," said Plenkovic.

Croatian MEP Ruza Tomasic took part in the debate that followed, reported the Croatian daily.

"I support the enlargement policy. The only thing I would notice in Mr. Dacic is that his arrogance in this parliament will not pass. To speak so arrogantly that we asked Serbia to identify with what Seselj is saying... We have not asked for that. We simply asked the Serbian leadership to distance itself from Seselj. Since we know what was happening. We know that Dacic was the closest associate of Seselj," said she.

Dacic reacted to that from his seat, without using a microphone, reported the daily, and quoted him as saying, "Do you mean (Aleksandar) Vucic, or Dacic?"

Tanjug is reporting that Dacic responded by saying his statement was not arrogant, but instead reflected "Serbia's position on the legal circus" taking place in the Seselj case."

"No normal person in Serbia supports Seselj today," he continued, and then quoted EU representative in Belgrade Michael Davenport as saying that "Serbia had clearly distanced itself from Seselj."

"Everyone has their own Seselj," Dacic further remarked, pointing to Tomasic's statement that "Croatia is a country for Croats, while all those who don't like it can pack up and leave."

"I won't allow her to lecture me about democracy," Dacic said of the Croatian MEP.

He then explained his "controversial" statement about Serbia's access to the sea, saying he made it in the context of an Adriatic-Ionian Initiative meeting, where Serbia was the only landlocked participating country.

"Serbia has no intention of gaining access to the sea, but surely you have the intention of having Serbian citizens come to your seaside," Dacic told the Croatian MEPs.

He stressed that "nobody can choose their past, but can influence the future," and spoke in favor of "continuing the efforts in the direction of reconciliation."

Head of the committee Elmar Brok concluded the debate by saying, "as a German I know best how much of a burden the past can be."

He added that "the principle of non-discrimination" was built into the EU foundations in 1950, and added:

"The EU cannot solve problems from the past, but can make them irrelevant."