Serbia facing "three dilemmas," says president

BELGRADE President Tomislav Nikolic told B92 in an interview that Serbia is now facing "a number of dilemmas" that it needs to resolve. The first two, he said, concerned its relations with the EU and the Pristina administration, "where it should be determined how far Serbia is ready to go. Serbia facing "three dilemmas," says president "We are not required to recognize the independence of Kosovo, but the diplomats are saying that it will be a necessary condition. I am a little offended by this status neutrality of the EU, because Serbia as a founder of the UN and unilaterally declared independent Kosovo cannot be in the same position," Nikolic noted. Relations with Russia are the third dilemma for Nikolic. EU integration does not exclude cooperation with Russia, he said. "Our desire to join the EU is sincere and it is obvious for the first time that we are all working on it. Whose who think they can neglect the relations with the Russian Federation are hugely mistaken. The EU does not want to neglect its relations with RUssia either," he said. Nikolic thinks a good balance was made between him and the government, that everyone worked together on the relations with the EU and Russia and that the government has worked the way it was agreed when he gave Ivica Dacic the mandate to form the government. The president pointed out he had suggested to Dacic that he should be in charge of the talks and proposed a platform for them, adding that it was now time to propose how much authority should be given to Pristina. Nikolic also spoke about the case of Delta Holding owner Miroslav Miskovic to say that he "does not have too many ties with businessmen," but that he was "hurt by a newspaper article that said Miskovic called him from Cyprus ahead of being arrested," and that he allegedly told the businessman not to fear coming back. "I never spoke to him. There was another meeting, when he was supposed to be arrested, when the prime minister, the deputy premier and members of the UKP called me and said they had information and had to arrest Miskovic. I asked if they were certain that the case was completely closed, because were are aware how much money will be invested in the defense, how the foreign media would follow it… they said - the case is clean. I said, then why are you calling me." Nikolic also stated that, within the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), "there are parts that are not doing a good job, not only concerning his security, which, as he put it, individuals at the MUP are sabotaging." He also said that "the wiretapping scandal is not over" as he is still being eavesdropped. But Nikolic did not want to say who is exactly to be blamed, but underscored that he is dissatisfied with work of one part of the police. "I told (Interior Minister Ivica) Dacic that there are several people who are sabotaging my security," the Serbian president said. Asked about businessman Milan Beko, who was "the only one to visit him during his hunger strike in 2011," and about a possible different treatment he is now receiving, Nikolic said: "No, I do not know what kind of treatment he is receiving. It seems to be that Beko and I have neither seen each other after that, nor spoken to one another. If you are referring to whether he had committed a crime, you must ask those in charge of that, I do not deal with that. I am neither avoiding him, nor calling him, but he never contacted me afterwards." Asked about his relationship with SNS leader and Deputy PM Aleksandar Vuci, Nikolic said it was "still a sincere relationship." "Vucic and I did not fight over who would be party president, 'his' and 'my' people are our people, our policy," Nikolic, who stepped down as SNS leader when he was elected the country's president, said in response to media speculation that there were divisions within the party. Asked to comment the decision of his adviser Oliver Antic to resign as member of the SNS Presidency, Nikolic said: "It seems to somebody that there is some conflict, there are people in the party itself who think so. A member of the SNS cannot say who deserves to work in the presidency. I have not declared myself on that." Asked whether Antic would continue as his adviser, he said, "I have no dilemma within me that he will remain there." The president also said that "there is no dilemma now that the intergovernmental conference and the start of preaccession negotiations with the EU" would take place on January. He said this was a great success of the state, that the EU is our future, that all the countries in the surroundings will be in the EU, and that in that sense a great step had been made. Speaking about the possible early elections, he said, "I respect all partners in this government and all in the opposition, but the general impression of the people is that the SNS decides what will be done." Asked if there would be pressures from the side to not hold the elections, he said that such situations happened before, "and now the situation is different, neither the East nor the West can be exerting influence here." Nikolic is three and a half years away from the end of his presidential mandate, and was asked about the plans he had after that period. "I am crowning my career, I have not finished it to the end… I have a party that I will go back to sooner or later, as a member, I can do a lot… I think I can still offer and give, this will not be my end," he concluded. (B92) B92 Tanjug

Serbia facing "three dilemmas," says president

"We are not required to recognize the independence of Kosovo, but the diplomats are saying that it will be a necessary condition. I am a little offended by this status neutrality of the EU, because Serbia as a founder of the UN and unilaterally declared independent Kosovo cannot be in the same position," Nikolić noted.

Relations with Russia are the third dilemma for Nikolić. EU integration does not exclude cooperation with Russia, he said.

"Our desire to join the EU is sincere and it is obvious for the first time that we are all working on it. Whose who think they can neglect the relations with the Russian Federation are hugely mistaken. The EU does not want to neglect its relations with RUssia either," he said.

Nikolić thinks a good balance was made between him and the government, that everyone worked together on the relations with the EU and Russia and that the government has worked the way it was agreed when he gave Ivica Dačić the mandate to form the government.

The president pointed out he had suggested to Dačić that he should be in charge of the talks and proposed a platform for them, adding that it was now time to propose how much authority should be given to Priština.

Nikolić also spoke about the case of Delta Holding owner Miroslav Mišković to say that he "does not have too many ties with businessmen," but that he was "hurt by a newspaper article that said Mišković called him from Cyprus ahead of being arrested," and that he allegedly told the businessman not to fear coming back.

"I never spoke to him. There was another meeting, when he was supposed to be arrested, when the prime minister, the deputy premier and members of the UKP called me and said they had information and had to arrest Mišković. I asked if they were certain that the case was completely closed, because were are aware how much money will be invested in the defense, how the foreign media would follow it… they said - the case is clean. I said, then why are you calling me."

Nikolić also stated that, within the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), "there are parts that are not doing a good job, not only concerning his security, which, as he put it, individuals at the MUP are sabotaging."

He also said that "the wiretapping scandal is not over" as he is still being eavesdropped.

But Nikolić did not want to say who is exactly to be blamed, but underscored that he is dissatisfied with work of one part of the police.

"I told (Interior Minister Ivica) Dačić that there are several people who are sabotaging my security," the Serbian president said.

Asked about businessman Milan Beko, who was "the only one to visit him during his hunger strike in 2011," and about a possible different treatment he is now receiving, Nikolić said:

"No, I do not know what kind of treatment he is receiving. It seems to be that Beko and I have neither seen each other after that, nor spoken to one another. If you are referring to whether he had committed a crime, you must ask those in charge of that, I do not deal with that. I am neither avoiding him, nor calling him, but he never contacted me afterwards."

Asked about his relationship with SNS leader and Deputy PM Aleksandar Vuči, Nikolić said it was "still a sincere relationship."

"Vučić and I did not fight over who would be party president, 'his' and 'my' people are our people, our policy," Nikolić, who stepped down as SNS leader when he was elected the country's president, said in response to media speculation that there were divisions within the party.

Asked to comment the decision of his adviser Oliver Antić to resign as member of the SNS Presidency, Nikolić said:

"It seems to somebody that there is some conflict, there are people in the party itself who think so. A member of the SNS cannot say who deserves to work in the presidency. I have not declared myself on that."

Asked whether Antić would continue as his adviser, he said, "I have no dilemma within me that he will remain there."

The president also said that "there is no dilemma now that the intergovernmental conference and the start of preaccession negotiations with the EU" would take place on January.

He said this was a great success of the state, that the EU is our future, that all the countries in the surroundings will be in the EU, and that in that sense a great step had been made.

Speaking about the possible early elections, he said, "I respect all partners in this government and all in the opposition, but the general impression of the people is that the SNS decides what will be done."

Asked if there would be pressures from the side to not hold the elections, he said that such situations happened before, "and now the situation is different, neither the East nor the West can be exerting influence here."

Nikolić is three and a half years away from the end of his presidential mandate, and was asked about the plans he had after that period.

"I am crowning my career, I have not finished it to the end… I have a party that I will go back to sooner or later, as a member, I can do a lot… I think I can still offer and give, this will not be my end," he concluded.