“DSS, SRS paying for anti-EU stance”

Senior DS official Oliver Dulic says the DSS and SRS don’t have a majority due to their “anti-EU stance” and that a socially responsible govt. will be formed soon. Dulic added that the new government would take care of national interests and lead the country into the EU. “DSS, SRS paying for anti-EU stance” In an interview with Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti, Dulic said that the future government, whose most prominent members would be “For a European Serbia” and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)-Associated Pensioners Party (PUPS)-United Serbia (JS) coalition, had to be based on objectives, but also on division of responsibility. "Everybody will have an important role in the government, and there mustn’t be any dissatisfied individuals prepared to shirk their responsibilities. I’m sure that that government will feature the leaders or most prominent members of those parties, including Ivica Dacic and Milutin Mrkonjic,” said the parliamentary speaker. He added that he believed that “the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition understood its historic responsibility and the message citizens sent at the elections—that they want to see a strong and stable Serbia, moving towards the EU.” Dulic also denied that Hague cooperation or the SPS’ terms, such as the release of former RTS boss Dragoljub Milanovic and the rehabilitation of Slobodan Milosevic’s family, could be an obstacle to the work of such a government. "If we agree on the main objectives— Serbia in the EU, preserving the country’s integrity and national dignity, to become a prosperous and strong country with a socially responsible government concerned with people’s lives--all those obstacles can be overcome, and a compromise can be reached. Besides which, those so-called conditions of the SPS only exist in the media, and not behind the negotiating table,” the speaker pointed out. He added that there “is not the slightest chance that the Democratic Party (DS) will cooperate with the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), as long as Vojislav Kostunica is its leader”. Meanwhile, New Serbia (NS) leader Velimir Ilic has said that he expects Serbia to have a new government in the next 15 to 20 days, even though negotiations seem to be progressing slowly. "Things went rather quiet because of the negotiations over the Belgrade government. Our position is the same—there are no obstacles to forming a new cabinet with Dacic’s coalition and the SRS. The Belgrade coalition is a good starting point for continuing negotiations”, Ilic told Novosti. He said he hoped that the issue of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) would be resolved soon. "We have a lot of possibilities. We’ll find some sort of compromise. The best thing would be if Prime Minister [Vojislav] Kostunica went to Brussels and resolved this question mark concerning the SAA with EU officials—does it only apply to a crippled Serbia, or to the entire country, with Kosovo included,” Ilic said. Asked whether Kostunica would ask to be received in Brussels, Ilic answered: “We’ll see, but it’s about time the prime minister and the EU established whether the SAA guarantees respect for Security Council Resolution 1244, and whether it defines Serbia’s borders with Kosovo or without.” Oliver Dulic (FoNet, archive)

“DSS, SRS paying for anti-EU stance”

In an interview with Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti, Dulić said that the future government, whose most prominent members would be “For a European Serbia” and the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)-Associated Pensioners Party (PUPS)-United Serbia (JS) coalition, had to be based on objectives, but also on division of responsibility.

"Everybody will have an important role in the government, and there mustn’t be any dissatisfied individuals prepared to shirk their responsibilities. I’m sure that that government will feature the leaders or most prominent members of those parties, including Ivica Dačić and Milutin Mrkonjić,” said the parliamentary speaker.

He added that he believed that “the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition understood its historic responsibility and the message citizens sent at the elections—that they want to see a strong and stable Serbia, moving towards the EU.”

Dulić also denied that Hague cooperation or the SPS’ terms, such as the release of former RTS boss Dragoljub Milanović and the rehabilitation of Slobodan Milošević’s family, could be an obstacle to the work of such a government.

"If we agree on the main objectives— Serbia in the EU, preserving the country’s integrity and national dignity, to become a prosperous and strong country with a socially responsible government concerned with people’s lives--all those obstacles can be overcome, and a compromise can be reached. Besides which, those so-called conditions of the SPS only exist in the media, and not behind the negotiating table,” the speaker pointed out.

He added that there “is not the slightest chance that the Democratic Party (DS) will cooperate with the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), as long as Vojislav Koštunica is its leader”.

Meanwhile, New Serbia (NS) leader Velimir Ilić has said that he expects Serbia to have a new government in the next 15 to 20 days, even though negotiations seem to be progressing slowly.

"Things went rather quiet because of the negotiations over the Belgrade government. Our position is the same—there are no obstacles to forming a new cabinet with Dačić’s coalition and the SRS. The Belgrade coalition is a good starting point for continuing negotiations”, Ilić told Novosti.

He said he hoped that the issue of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) would be resolved soon.

"We have a lot of possibilities. We’ll find some sort of compromise. The best thing would be if Prime Minister [Vojislav] Koštunica went to Brussels and resolved this question mark concerning the SAA with EU officials—does it only apply to a crippled Serbia, or to the entire country, with Kosovo included,” Ilić said.

Asked whether Koštunica would ask to be received in Brussels, Ilić answered: “We’ll see, but it’s about time the prime minister and the EU established whether the SAA guarantees respect for Security Council Resolution 1244, and whether it defines Serbia’s borders with Kosovo or without.”