Democrats accused of “trying to humiliate SPO”

I joined a coalition dubbed “For European Serbia” but this Serbia is farther from Europe than it was in 2008, Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) leader says. Vuk Draskovic told B92 that Serbia’s state strategy on Kosovo was a “losing one” and stressed that he had been warning that it was leading Serbia into a dead end. Democrats accused of “trying to humiliate SPO” “Serbia has for the most part returned to the principles of the foreign policy carried out by Slobodan Milosevic, I don’t know whether that’s Socialist Party of Serbia’s influence,” the SPO leader pointed out. He added that Diaspora Minister Srdjan Sreckovic and State Secretary Sanja Cekovic needed to be relieved of their duties and accused the Democratic Party (DS) of “trying to drag SPO through the mud” because the two parties had their differences regarding key issues, including the Kosovo strategy. “This is an attempt to humiliate SPO,” Draskovic noted. “Those two officials completely alienated themselves from the party in September and it somehow coincided with cooling of relations with DS. No political party, including the SPO, can let its representatives in the government not advocate their party’s interests,” he explained. “Let the DS choose – either these two SPO renegades or adoption of European laws. We go in parliament and vote for all bills, including the budget revision, but we will not allow them to humiliate us worse than in 1990,” the SPO leader told B92. He noted that “Slobodan Milosevic had more honor” in 1990 when he used SPS member Mila Stula to attack him while SPO members were being used today. “This is the greatest moral decline,” Draskovic said. “If nobody wants to learn from past experiences they should not run the state policy. This is the moment for radical changes to the Kosovo policy,” he stressed, adding that it was necessary to call a parliament session and explain the citizens what was written in the Ahtisaari plan. The SPO leader pointed out that the best solution for Kosovo was to accept the non-status part of the Ahtisaari plan as a starting point for the Belgrade-Pristina talks under the EU auspices. The party has stated that its MPs will not take part in the work of the Serbian parliament until Sreckovic and Cekovic are dismissed. Vuk Draskovic (Beta, file) Minister, state secretary “won’t accept blackmails” Sreckovic has stated that his and Cekovic’s mandate were at the prime minister’s disposal but added that they will not allow anyone to blackmail them. “Our mandates have been at the prime minister’s disposal from the start but we will not accept blackmails and personal caprices of those who request our resignations just because we did not agree to topple the state policy and destabilize the Serbian government,” the diaspora and religion minister pointed out. He added that their resignations were “requested by those who left the ruling coalition and joined the opposition U-Turn Movement contrary to the will of the party members”. Sreckovic stated that those who requested their resignations were criticizing the government they were a part of but that they would not renounce their positions, which was “dishonest and immoral”. He added that he and the state secretary would not jeopardize the state policy and national interests and that they would do everything to make SPO a responsible and pro-European party again. B92 Tanjug

Democrats accused of “trying to humiliate SPO”

“Serbia has for the most part returned to the principles of the foreign policy carried out by Slobodan Milošević, I don’t know whether that’s Socialist Party of Serbia’s influence,” the SPO leader pointed out.

He added that Diaspora Minister Srđan Srećković and State Secretary Sanja Čeković needed to be relieved of their duties and accused the Democratic Party (DS) of “trying to drag SPO through the mud” because the two parties had their differences regarding key issues, including the Kosovo strategy.

“This is an attempt to humiliate SPO,” Drašković noted.

“Those two officials completely alienated themselves from the party in September and it somehow coincided with cooling of relations with DS. No political party, including the SPO, can let its representatives in the government not advocate their party’s interests,” he explained.

“Let the DS choose – either these two SPO renegades or adoption of European laws. We go in parliament and vote for all bills, including the budget revision, but we will not allow them to humiliate us worse than in 1990,” the SPO leader told B92.

He noted that “Slobodan Milošević had more honor” in 1990 when he used SPS member Mila Štula to attack him while SPO members were being used today.

“This is the greatest moral decline,” Drašković said.

“If nobody wants to learn from past experiences they should not run the state policy. This is the moment for radical changes to the Kosovo policy,” he stressed, adding that it was necessary to call a parliament session and explain the citizens what was written in the Ahtisaari plan.

The SPO leader pointed out that the best solution for Kosovo was to accept the non-status part of the Ahtisaari plan as a starting point for the Belgrade-Priština talks under the EU auspices.

The party has stated that its MPs will not take part in the work of the Serbian parliament until Srećković and Čeković are dismissed.

Minister, state secretary “won’t accept blackmails”

Srećković has stated that his and Čeković’s mandate were at the prime minister’s disposal but added that they will not allow anyone to blackmail them.

“Our mandates have been at the prime minister’s disposal from the start but we will not accept blackmails and personal caprices of those who request our resignations just because we did not agree to topple the state policy and destabilize the Serbian government,” the diaspora and religion minister pointed out.

He added that their resignations were “requested by those who left the ruling coalition and joined the opposition U-Turn Movement contrary to the will of the party members”.

Srećković stated that those who requested their resignations were criticizing the government they were a part of but that they would not renounce their positions, which was “dishonest and immoral”.

He added that he and the state secretary would not jeopardize the state policy and national interests and that they would do everything to make SPO a responsible and pro-European party again.