Minister Mrkonjić denies rift within government

BELGRADE Transportation Minister Milutin Mrkonjic (SPS) has told B92 that he "did not think First Deputy PM Aleksandar Vucic was working against" the Socialists (SPS). Asked to comment on "reexaminations" of the privatizations of Srbijagas, EPS and Galenika, which are not on the EU list but in which SPS officials were involved, he said that he "did not believe that Vucic was doing that on purpose" and added: Minister Mrkonjic denies rift within government "However, I am under the impression that SPS personnel is being put in focus. I think it turned out that way by accident. Still, those are our personnel, and I'm sure there were no wrongdoings." Mrkonjic also revealed that this topic was not discussed with Vucic. "Vucic and I are long-time comrades and there's no problem there. I see that he and Ivica (Dacic, SPS leader and PM) are cooperating well and I felt no need to talk to him," the minister explained. He also noted that the fight against corruption would amount to intensive but short-lived effort "if it hit only the Socialists". "You cannot expect the government to solve all problems in two months," he added. Asked whom he had in mind when he recently said that "the government will not bring better lives to the citizens through arrests", the minister said he "had nobody in mind": "I've never been afraid of anything in my life. Corruption is a dangerous thing and we're all aware of it. The previous government was successful in that. I'm ready to go to jail for everything I say." He also denied media reports that the chief of his cabinet was involved in an international transport permits scheme, and that there was pressure to halt the process. "International permits have finally been sorted out. That was fertile ground for corruption. Now that's gone, because we produced a sufficient number of permits. There was a commission at the ministry to investigate the case and there have been no complaints filed thus far," Mrkonjic stated, and added that he was "responsible for everything that happened in his ministry". Mrkonjic accused the parties of the ruling coalition of not being sufficiently willing to carry out "departization" in public enterprises, saying that the process was "only formal", while he would stand for it being carried out in its entirety. However, he was hopeful that his fellow ministers would "reach agreement and fulfill election campaign promises". Mrkonjic once again asserted that the government was "working as a good team", and that this will "become obvious very soon". Addressing the issue of the family of SPS party founder and lifelong leader Slobodan Milosevic, he said that he hoped that his widow Mirjana Markovic and son Marko Milosevic would return, "and define everything through a court process". Both now live in Russia, and are wanted in Serbia on charges of involvement in cigarette smuggling in the 1990s. "I'm in contact with Mira (Mirjana). I hope we will now finish that job, there are difficulties, they have a different vision of that problem so we cannot really reach a precise agreement. They believe that they are not responsible for what they are being accused of in Serbia, and do not wish to deal with it," said Mrkonjic. The minister also commented to say that former head of the public broadcaster RTS Dragoljub Milanovic - who was recently released after serving ten years in prison for committing a grave act against public safety, when 16 RTS workers were killed in a NATO airstrike in 1999 - "did not deserve to go to jail". Milutin Mrkonjic (Tanjug, file) B92

Minister Mrkonjić denies rift within government

"However, I am under the impression that SPS personnel is being put in focus. I think it turned out that way by accident. Still, those are our personnel, and I'm sure there were no wrongdoings."

Mrkonjić also revealed that this topic was not discussed with Vučić.

"Vučić and I are long-time comrades and there's no problem there. I see that he and Ivica (Dačić, SPS leader and PM) are cooperating well and I felt no need to talk to him," the minister explained.

He also noted that the fight against corruption would amount to intensive but short-lived effort "if it hit only the Socialists".

"You cannot expect the government to solve all problems in two months," he added.

Asked whom he had in mind when he recently said that "the government will not bring better lives to the citizens through arrests", the minister said he "had nobody in mind":

"I've never been afraid of anything in my life. Corruption is a dangerous thing and we're all aware of it. The previous government was successful in that. I'm ready to go to jail for everything I say."

He also denied media reports that the chief of his cabinet was involved in an international transport permits scheme, and that there was pressure to halt the process.

"International permits have finally been sorted out. That was fertile ground for corruption. Now that's gone, because we produced a sufficient number of permits. There was a commission at the ministry to investigate the case and there have been no complaints filed thus far," Mrkonjić stated, and added that he was "responsible for everything that happened in his ministry".

Mrkonjić accused the parties of the ruling coalition of not being sufficiently willing to carry out "departization" in public enterprises, saying that the process was "only formal", while he would stand for it being carried out in its entirety.

However, he was hopeful that his fellow ministers would "reach agreement and fulfill election campaign promises".

Mrkonjić once again asserted that the government was "working as a good team", and that this will "become obvious very soon".

Addressing the issue of the family of SPS party founder and lifelong leader Slobodan Milošević, he said that he hoped that his widow Mirjana Marković and son Marko Milošević would return, "and define everything through a court process". Both now live in Russia, and are wanted in Serbia on charges of involvement in cigarette smuggling in the 1990s.

"I'm in contact with Mira (Mirjana). I hope we will now finish that job, there are difficulties, they have a different vision of that problem so we cannot really reach a precise agreement. They believe that they are not responsible for what they are being accused of in Serbia, and do not wish to deal with it," said Mrkonjić.

The minister also commented to say that former head of the public broadcaster RTS Dragoljub Milanović - who was recently released after serving ten years in prison for committing a grave act against public safety, when 16 RTS workers were killed in a NATO airstrike in 1999 - "did not deserve to go to jail".