Weapons cache case "more serious than we expected" - Vucic

Weapons cache case "more serious than we expected" - Vucic

"I did not expect that the police to make progress, but last night they did. I expected them to find nothing, but only a fool would think that the weapons were left there by accident," he said.

"There will be some changes and it is normal that I, too, should bear the consequences," the prime minister said, indirectly announcing that he will no longer be at the helm of the Bureau for Coordination of Security Services.

He did not answer when asked whether there would be changes in the military security services or in the Security Information Agency (BIA).

Vucic also announced a crackdown on narco-mafia, saying that "things that have not been seen before will be seen."

"Many holding various offices have worked for the drug mafia," he said.

Speaking about the case of the arrest of Serbian citizens in Montenegro, Vucic said that when he addressed the issue before, he "spoke the truth that Serbs do not want to hear, if it does not agree with them."

"I had all the evidence about Montenegro, and we kept quiet about many things so as not to destroy the dreams of many in this country," Vucic said.

He said that he referred to "the mechanism, the people, and much more."

Vucic also said that he will not run for president next year, and that he "greatly respects the work of President Tomislav Nikolic."

Asked "whether foreigners have their agents in Serbia," Vucic replied: "Both in politics and in the police."

He then said he "knows the name of the agent who gave secrets to foreign intelligence services," and of the agent of the foreign service who was taking the data - "but will not talk about it."

The prime minister was asked whether one of his cabinet ministers, Aleksandar Vulin, was "saying what he thinks, but does not want to say publicly."

"What do you want from me, to constantly distance myself from the newspapers and to comment on every statement?," he asked, and then pointed out that "everything Vulin said is true - the photo with Lidija Udovicki, the taking of operational data, and the 'Savamala demolition team' at the U.S. embassy."

Speaking about Serbia's EU accession talks, Vucic said it would not be a disaster if new chapters were not opened by the end of the year.

As for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, he said that when it comes to telecommunications, "Albanians in Kosovo have their dialing code that they took from Monaco," while Belgrade "continues to hold Telekom's network for our people in the north of the province."

He recalled that Serbia lost its military presence in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999 and that Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, "and we are now moving within this framework."

"For us, the most important thing is what the Serbs will have. We asked that a new dialing code is not introduced for them, and that in the next three years, before there is further privatization of telecommunications, we are entitled to our mobile network. We have transmitters in the north, but they won't let us when it comes to central Kosovo," explained Vucic.

As for Trepca and Gazivode, he stressed these were property issues, and ones that have not been the subject of negotiations.

"These are things that are not easy, but if there is understanding from the EU we can achieve good results," he is convinced.

Vucic also announced he would soon travel to Brussels and meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as with officials from NATO member states.

According to him, Serbia's cooperation with NATO is important also for the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

Vucic reiterated that Serbia is militarily neutral country that has good relations with both NATO and Russia, and is willing to develop military and technical cooperation with everyone.

Asked about the NATO exercise in Montenegro and the Slavic Brotherhood drill in Serbia staged by Serbian, Russian and Belarus soldiers, Vucic said this "speaks about the complex relations in the region."

"Our policy is that we have good relations with both the U.S. and Russia, and to be on the European path," he said, adding that Serbia "must protect itself."