Đelić: Presidential elections in January

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic says that presidential elections will be held in January. “Because it doesn’t look as if we’ll have any unilateral acts, we will have all the conditions in place for Parliamentary Speaker Oliver Dulic to call presidential elections in line with Constitutional Law, and I expect the first round to take place in January,“ said Djelic in an interview with Beta. Djelic: Presidential elections in January Asked whether the uncertainty over Kosovo’s status could have an impact on the economy, the deputy prime minister replied that the state “has all the necessary reserves to maintain macro-economic stability“ and that there was “no basis for any greater fluctuation of the dinar.“ He added that foreign investors, despite the complicated situation linked to the Kosovo status negotiations, recognized Serbia’s enormous potential, and reiterated that a contract had been signed yesterday over the sale of DDOR to Italian company Fondiaria for EUR 264mn. Djelic, a Democratic Party (DS) official, said that it was in the interests of the citizens to show unity and for the ruling coalition to present a united front at the elections by putting forward a single candidate. The deputy prime minister said that the government, in a conference call on Friday, had proposed to parliament the adoption of laws linked to the implementation of Constitutional Law – the Laws on the Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, and the Foundations of the Security Services. Asked what Serbia’s response would be to a potential unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence, he said that the government was preparing action plans for all eventualities, though this was not on the agenda, but rather a negotiated solution. As far as the upcoming final visit of Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to Belgrade was concerned, Djelic expressed the hope that the fact that this would be her last visit “would not, in any way, affect her report to the UN Security Council.“ The deputy prime minister stated that it was very important for Serbia to the sign the Stabililization and Association Agreement (SAA) at the next EU summit on January 28, and thus become a candidate for membership by the end of next year. “I don’t expect the Kosovo question to be resolved before January 28, though these are two separate processes that should not be intertwined,” he said. Djelic added that there were no conditions related to Kosovo’s future status attached to the EU’s EUR 1bn donation, in the same way no conditions had been attached when Ireland had been dealing with the situation in Northern Ireland. “We need to stop this constant paranoia,“ concluded the deputy prime minister. Bozidar Djelic (B92, archive)

Đelić: Presidential elections in January

Asked whether the uncertainty over Kosovo’s status could have an impact on the economy, the deputy prime minister replied that the state “has all the necessary reserves to maintain macro-economic stability“ and that there was “no basis for any greater fluctuation of the dinar.“

He added that foreign investors, despite the complicated situation linked to the Kosovo status negotiations, recognized Serbia’s enormous potential, and reiterated that a contract had been signed yesterday over the sale of DDOR to Italian company Fondiaria for EUR 264mn.

Đelić, a Democratic Party (DS) official, said that it was in the interests of the citizens to show unity and for the ruling coalition to present a united front at the elections by putting forward a single candidate.

The deputy prime minister said that the government, in a conference call on Friday, had proposed to parliament the adoption of laws linked to the implementation of Constitutional Law – the Laws on the Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, and the Foundations of the Security Services.

Asked what Serbia’s response would be to a potential unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence, he said that the government was preparing action plans for all eventualities, though this was not on the agenda, but rather a negotiated solution.

As far as the upcoming final visit of Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to Belgrade was concerned, Đelić expressed the hope that the fact that this would be her last visit “would not, in any way, affect her report to the UN Security Council.“

The deputy prime minister stated that it was very important for Serbia to the sign the Stabililization and Association Agreement (SAA) at the next EU summit on January 28, and thus become a candidate for membership by the end of next year.

“I don’t expect the Kosovo question to be resolved before January 28, though these are two separate processes that should not be intertwined,” he said.

Đelić added that there were no conditions related to Kosovo’s future status attached to the EU’s EUR 1bn donation, in the same way no conditions had been attached when Ireland had been dealing with the situation in Northern Ireland.

“We need to stop this constant paranoia,“ concluded the deputy prime minister.