Coalition crisis deepens with committee clash

The cabinet's Foreign Policy Committee session today was the scene of a clash between the DS and the DSS. The coalition partners could not see eye to eye on the issue of an EU agreement Brussels has offered to Serbia. The deal is scheduled to be signed on Feb. 7. Coalition crisis deepens with committee clash B92 has learned that Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, DS, today in Belgrade asked the Committee's chairman, Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic, DSS, to include a discussion on the EU deal in today's agenda. Samardzic refused, and moved to end the session, but after ministers from the DS and G17 Plus insisted that he put their proposal up for a vote, he agreed. The ministers from Boris Tadic's and Mladjan Dinkic's parties then outvoted Vojislav Kostunica's representatives. After this, Samardzic declared that the Committee meeting was over, but Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic took over as chair, and announced that the session will continue this evening. The brewing crisis, which some experts believe could either spell early parliamentary elections, or Kostunica's attempt to form a new cabinet with the Serb Radical Party (SRS), became apparent during the presidential campaign, when the prime minister failed to offer President Boris Tadic support in his re-election bid, citing differences over the country's European integrations. Kostunica, who has in the meantime requested an urgent parliament session on the issue, believes that if the EU decides to send its mission to Kosovo against Belgrade's will, Serbia should not sign a political agreement with Brussels. After weeks of tension, the coalition crisis seems to be spinning out of control today. Tadic was re-elected Sunday, only to find that the text of the deal Brussels is offering Belgrade instead of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) arrived on Monday. However, at the same time, the EU member states voted to approve a plan to send an EU mission to Kosovo, something the Democrats' coalition parters in the government, Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), say is incompatibile with Serbia's further European integration. Beta news agency reported that the European Union through "written procedure" and with Cyprus "abstaining," adopted legal guidelines, modalities and a concept of the operation and envisaged funds for a possible EU mission in Kosovo. The EU Council of Ministers is to give the green light for the mission. Ambassadors of the EU member countries agreed that the EU envoy to the possible mission in Kosovo would be Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith. Legal guidelines and modalities, contained in what is being dubbed the Joint Action, are mainly based on the interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo, Article 10 of which speaks about an "international presence" in the province. A number of EU countries have lodged major objections to such an interpretation of Resolution 1244 as a legal foundation for the possible deployment of an EU mission to Kosovo. The EU mission in Kosovo would be called EULEX and would number around 2,000 police officers, judges and prosecutors. The mission would cost some EUR 205mn for the first 16 months. But EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach sought to downplay the importance of the move to approve mission plans yesterday, and told B92 that the document was "very procedural", that it represents no formal decision to in fact send the mission, and that it was "just one step in a long process that will in the end result in deploying the Union's staff in Kosovo." The EU announcements were met with strong criticism from the DSS-NS coalition ministers last night. Velimir Ilic, NS, and Zoran Loncar, DSS, told reporters in their first reactions that the signing of the political agreement with the EU, likely to take place on Feb. 7, would be tantamount to Serbia recognizing Kosovo's independence, and insists that parliament must convene as soon as possible. Democrat Bozidar Djelic, who is deputy prime minister in the Kostunica cabinet set up in May last year, says that the deal the EU is offering to Serbia is in line with the resolution on Kosovo adopted by the parliament, and that "no one will stop the signing of the agreement." The rift in the ruling coalition widened after Kostunica and Ilic failed to support Tadic's bid to be re-elected. Last week, for the first time since the cabinet was sworn in, the DS and G17 Plus outvoted DSS-NS, to reject a proposal the so-called popular coalition put forward during a cabinet session, reminding that they have the majority, which could now also serve to pass the decision on the EU deal. Now daily Blic says that Kostunica, finding himself in a difficult position, is "refusing to schedule a cabinet session", seeking instead to find a legal loophole that would say the government must send any EU agreement decision to parliament for ratification. If the law requires no such thing, he will have to agree to the Feb. 7 signing of the political agreement, irrelevant of Brussels's decision to send its mission to Kosovo, the paper's source from the government said. The DS and G17 Plus, who cannot count on a majority in parliament, believe that the document in question is of an "interim and general character", and therefore does not require the lawmakers' approval.

Coalition crisis deepens with committee clash

B92 has learned that Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić, DS, today in Belgrade asked the Committee's chairman, Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić, DSS, to include a discussion on the EU deal in today's agenda.

Samardžić refused, and moved to end the session, but after ministers from the DS and G17 Plus insisted that he put their proposal up for a vote, he agreed.

The ministers from Boris Tadić's and Mlađan Dinkić's parties then outvoted Vojislav Koštunica's representatives.

After this, Samardžić declared that the Committee meeting was over, but Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić took over as chair, and announced that the session will continue this evening.

The brewing crisis, which some experts believe could either spell early parliamentary elections, or Koštunica's attempt to form a new cabinet with the Serb Radical Party (SRS), became apparent during the presidential campaign, when the prime minister failed to offer President Boris Tadić support in his re-election bid, citing differences over the country's European integrations.

Koštunica, who has in the meantime requested an urgent parliament session on the issue, believes that if the EU decides to send its mission to Kosovo against Belgrade's will, Serbia should not sign a political agreement with Brussels.

After weeks of tension, the coalition crisis seems to be spinning out of control today. Tadić was re-elected Sunday, only to find that the text of the deal Brussels is offering Belgrade instead of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) arrived on Monday.

However, at the same time, the EU member states voted to approve a plan to send an EU mission to Kosovo, something the Democrats' coalition parters in the government, Koštunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), say is incompatibile with Serbia's further European integration.

Beta news agency reported that the European Union through "written procedure" and with Cyprus "abstaining," adopted legal guidelines, modalities and a concept of the operation and envisaged funds for a possible EU mission in Kosovo.

The EU Council of Ministers is to give the green light for the mission.

Ambassadors of the EU member countries agreed that the EU envoy to the possible mission in Kosovo would be Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith.

Legal guidelines and modalities, contained in what is being dubbed the Joint Action, are mainly based on the interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on Kosovo, Article 10 of which speaks about an "international presence" in the province.

A number of EU countries have lodged major objections to such an interpretation of Resolution 1244 as a legal foundation for the possible deployment of an EU mission to Kosovo.

The EU mission in Kosovo would be called EULEX and would number around 2,000 police officers, judges and prosecutors. The mission would cost some EUR 205mn for the first 16 months.

But EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana's spokeswoman Christina Gallach sought to downplay the importance of the move to approve mission plans yesterday, and told B92 that the document was "very procedural", that it represents no formal decision to in fact send the mission, and that it was "just one step in a long process that will in the end result in deploying the Union's staff in Kosovo."

The EU announcements were met with strong criticism from the DSS-NS coalition ministers last night.

Velimir Ilić, NS, and Zoran Lončar, DSS, told reporters in their first reactions that the signing of the political agreement with the EU, likely to take place on Feb. 7, would be tantamount to Serbia recognizing Kosovo's independence, and insists that parliament must convene as soon as possible.

Democrat Božidar Đelić, who is deputy prime minister in the Koštunica cabinet set up in May last year, says that the deal the EU is offering to Serbia is in line with the resolution on Kosovo adopted by the parliament, and that "no one will stop the signing of the agreement."

The rift in the ruling coalition widened after Koštunica and Ilić failed to support Tadić's bid to be re-elected.

Last week, for the first time since the cabinet was sworn in, the DS and G17 Plus outvoted DSS-NS, to reject a proposal the so-called popular coalition put forward during a cabinet session, reminding that they have the majority, which could now also serve to pass the decision on the EU deal.

Now daily Blic says that Koštunica, finding himself in a difficult position, is "refusing to schedule a cabinet session", seeking instead to find a legal loophole that would say the government must send any EU agreement decision to parliament for ratification.

If the law requires no such thing, he will have to agree to the Feb. 7 signing of the political agreement, irrelevant of Brussels's decision to send its mission to Kosovo, the paper's source from the government said.

The DS and G17 Plus, who cannot count on a majority in parliament, believe that the document in question is of an "interim and general character", and therefore does not require the lawmakers' approval.