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| “SRS government would be unsustainable” |
| 12 May 2008 | 12:01
| Source:
B92, Beta |
BELGRADE --
Former Foreign Minister Goran Svilanović says that any government formed by the Serb Radical Party (SRS) would be unsustainable, given the election outcome.
 | Goran Svilanović (FoNet, archive)
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At the Media Center, Svilanović said that only the Democratic Party (DS) was now in a position to form a politically sustainable government, but added that other combinations were technically possible.
“Such a convincing victory for the DS against the Radicals opens the possibility for speeding up negotiations over a new government. The quick formation of a new government would stabilize the country, and, in the second half of the year, enable it to make up for what’s been missing economically, because investors have just been standing around, looking at what’s happening in the country for several months now,“ the former foreign minister explained.
He said that the election results were reassuring for investors.
“The sentence Koštunica used when he dissolved the government was that the mandate was being returned to the people and that the people would decide. I think that this sentence has been thrown back in his face now, and everyone can say that, ’the people have decided,’“ Svilanović surmised.
He said that DS leader Boris Tadić had beaten Radical candidate Tomislav Nikolić “one on one“ at the presidential ballot recently, adding that he had now deepened and increased this lead.
Svilanović said that the minority parties would be in the new government “without a doubt,“ because a democratic government could not be formed without them.
The former minister said that the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and the memorandum with Fiat had had “a great bearing“ on the people’s decision to invest their trust in the DS, and that EU integration would mean improvements in their lives.
"This dramatically weakened the Radicals because they were left without economic support,“ he pointed out.
“Majority favor EU“
Tim Judah, a renowned British expert on the Balkans, has been following the elections in Belgrade, and has told B92 that the election results clearly show that the majority of Serbian citizens support EU integration. In his opinion, Serbia can justifiably expect a lot from the EU now.
“Serbia can expect a lot now, as opinions have been divided in the EU in recent months. Some have said a lot should be offered to encourage them, others have said nothing should be given, as it would mean giving into blackmail. The fact that the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) was signed at the last moment, and that the visa regime was further relaxed shows that the forces favoring the first approach won,“ said Judah.
“Now they’ll say, we were right and that’s why we have to accelerate Serbia’s path to the EU as much as possible, as Serbia is a key country in the region, and if she’s on the right track, Bosnia, Macedonia, and the rest of the region can do it too. I don’t know about Kosovo, but the majority of the region will be on the right track,“ he added.
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Archive: Monday, 12 May 2008 |
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