Koštunica: Dinkić views clash with state policy

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has hit back at comments by Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic about Kosovo. Kostunica said today that Dinkic’s remarks about “turning the battle for Serbia’s sovereignty into widespread collective hysteria” were completely at odds with Kosovo state policy enshrined within the Constitution. Kostunica: Dinkic views clash with state policy “I must say that the comments weren’t surprising and that they have been long awaited in Serbia, and maybe this is an opportunity to show the extent and ramifications of such a policy,” he told journalists in central Belgrade. Yesterday, during his initiative for Serbia to stop paying off Kosovo’s debt, Dinkic said that he could not “tolerate the battle for preserving the country’s sovereignty being turned into widespread collective hysteria.” Following the initiative, the prime minister said that Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia, and that this applied to obligations concerning Kosovo’s debt, and that this was the position formulated by the Serbian negotiating team. “It’s important that Serbia has its own Constitution and state policy on Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia that was drawn up by the state negotiating team, and the policy of all Serbia’s institutions - the negotiating team, the parliament, the government and the president - is clearly enshrined within the Constitution, and is clearly at odds with Dinkic’s views,” he explained. The prime minister (FoNet, archive) DSS official: Dinkic initiatives “meaningless” Andreja Mladenovic says that Mladjan Dinkic’s Kosovo initiatives are “meaningless, useless and unconstitutional.” “For those reasons alone, they will never be implemented. Dinkic does not understand and has never understood Kosovo, and that is why he should not waste time and energy on it,” the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman said of the economy and regional development minister. Mladenovic said that Dinkic was an unnecessary figure today in the battle to save Kosovo. He added that “time will show what his real relations are towards Serbia, and what his relations are to those who have created a false state on Serbian territory.” Dinkic said that the government would submit an official proposal in two weeks time for Serbia to stop paying Kosovo’s debt, which was the government’s main topic of discussion yesterday, according to unofficial reports.

Koštunica: Dinkić views clash with state policy

“I must say that the comments weren’t surprising and that they have been long awaited in Serbia, and maybe this is an opportunity to show the extent and ramifications of such a policy,” he told journalists in central Belgrade.

Yesterday, during his initiative for Serbia to stop paying off Kosovo’s debt, Dinkić said that he could not “tolerate the battle for preserving the country’s sovereignty being turned into widespread collective hysteria.”

Following the initiative, the prime minister said that Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia, and that this applied to obligations concerning Kosovo’s debt, and that this was the position formulated by the Serbian negotiating team.

“It’s important that Serbia has its own Constitution and state policy on Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia that was drawn up by the state negotiating team, and the policy of all Serbia’s institutions - the negotiating team, the parliament, the government and the president - is clearly enshrined within the Constitution, and is clearly at odds with Dinkić’s views,” he explained.

DSS official: Dinkić initiatives “meaningless”

Andreja Mladenović says that Mlađan Dinkić’s Kosovo initiatives are “meaningless, useless and unconstitutional.”

“For those reasons alone, they will never be implemented. Dinkić does not understand and has never understood Kosovo, and that is why he should not waste time and energy on it,” the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) spokesman said of the economy and regional development minister.

Mladenović said that Dinkić was an unnecessary figure today in the battle to save Kosovo.

He added that “time will show what his real relations are towards Serbia, and what his relations are to those who have created a false state on Serbian territory.”

Dinkić said that the government would submit an official proposal in two weeks time for Serbia to stop paying Kosovo’s debt, which was the government’s main topic of discussion yesterday, according to unofficial reports.