"Region needs stability, Serbia can be leader"

BELGRADE The incumbent Belgrade government aims to ensure a better life for citizens and modern Serbia which would be a leader in the region, Tomislav Nikolic says. In an interview for the latest edition of the Belgrade-based daily Nedeljnik, the Serbian president stated that the region needs stability and underscored that this is the reason why 'the past should stay in the past' and why everyone should focus on the creation of a better future for all. "Region needs stability, Serbia can be leader" Asked whether his statement that Serbia will not rush toward the EU implies that Belgrade is abandoning the policy according to which Brussels is the most important goal, Nikolic said that Serbia is on its EU path and that there is no reason for hasty moves. "We should strive to achieve our goal wisely and patiently," the president stated. Speaking about the solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue, Nikolic said that his statement that a lasting peace needs to be ensured implies that a solution needs to be reached through talks and compromises. "We all need a new quality, a new way of thinking and a new way to solve problems which would not entail that one side gets all and the other nothing," he said. Asked about Serbia's attitude toward Russia and the West, Nikolic said that Russia is Serbia long-time friend and that Serbia's welfare is the only criterion in defining its partner which is why Serbia will cooperate with everyone. He said that he first established contacts with the countries with which Serbia did not have harmonious relations because wherever relations are weak, they should be improved. Serbia has to seek good practice and positive encouragement for development not just in the region but also in Europe, Asia or the U.S., and historical relations should be viewed in the light of the modern day and the needs which it imposes, the president said. Nikolic noted that he is aware that the times are hard and that his decisions will not be agreeable to everyone. The global crisis has the tendency to continue and leave more lasting consequences than we expected, Nikolic said and added that Serbia's biggest chance lies in its ability to make full use of its development potentials. At the same time, Serbia needs to create a society without crime and corruption so as to be recognized as a desirable investment destination. As for the political life in the country, Nikolic said that Serbia needs the Democratic Party (DS) which was the cornerstone of the previous government coalition and is not the biggest opposition party in the country, but it needs to be reformed first. According to him, this implies that DS has to distance itself from some of its officials who in the previous period viewed the government as a means for amassing wealth and not as a chance to do something for citizens. He said that the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and its leader Vojislav Kostunica "backed him when he was going through rough times". By this move, Kostunica gave a significant contribution for initiation of changes in Serbia which the citizens need and which can turn Serbia into a modern and successful country. Nikolic said that Serbia has all the conditions for prosperity. "We have many advantages and it is up to us to make use of them," the president said and added that the country has greatest opportunities in agriculture and energy and the completion of Corridor 10 will assert the role of Serbia as a big transit zone between the east and the west. Tomislav Nikolic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug Nedeljnik

"Region needs stability, Serbia can be leader"

Asked whether his statement that Serbia will not rush toward the EU implies that Belgrade is abandoning the policy according to which Brussels is the most important goal, Nikolić said that Serbia is on its EU path and that there is no reason for hasty moves.

"We should strive to achieve our goal wisely and patiently," the president stated.

Speaking about the solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue, Nikolić said that his statement that a lasting peace needs to be ensured implies that a solution needs to be reached through talks and compromises.

"We all need a new quality, a new way of thinking and a new way to solve problems which would not entail that one side gets all and the other nothing," he said.

Asked about Serbia's attitude toward Russia and the West, Nikolić said that Russia is Serbia long-time friend and that Serbia's welfare is the only criterion in defining its partner which is why Serbia will cooperate with everyone.

He said that he first established contacts with the countries with which Serbia did not have harmonious relations because wherever relations are weak, they should be improved.

Serbia has to seek good practice and positive encouragement for development not just in the region but also in Europe, Asia or the U.S., and historical relations should be viewed in the light of the modern day and the needs which it imposes, the president said.

Nikolić noted that he is aware that the times are hard and that his decisions will not be agreeable to everyone.

The global crisis has the tendency to continue and leave more lasting consequences than we expected, Nikolić said and added that Serbia's biggest chance lies in its ability to make full use of its development potentials.

At the same time, Serbia needs to create a society without crime and corruption so as to be recognized as a desirable investment destination.

As for the political life in the country, Nikolić said that Serbia needs the Democratic Party (DS) which was the cornerstone of the previous government coalition and is not the biggest opposition party in the country, but it needs to be reformed first.

According to him, this implies that DS has to distance itself from some of its officials who in the previous period viewed the government as a means for amassing wealth and not as a chance to do something for citizens.

He said that the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and its leader Vojislav Koštunica "backed him when he was going through rough times".

By this move, Koštunica gave a significant contribution for initiation of changes in Serbia which the citizens need and which can turn Serbia into a modern and successful country.

Nikolić said that Serbia has all the conditions for prosperity.

"We have many advantages and it is up to us to make use of them," the president said and added that the country has greatest opportunities in agriculture and energy and the completion of Corridor 10 will assert the role of Serbia as a big transit zone between the east and the west.