Tadić on economy, Kosovo, Srebrenica resolution

President Boris Tadic on Saturday in the town of Stara Pazova addressed a gathering of his ruling Democratic Party (DS) main board. Tadic, who is also DS president, said that the government will soon present a 10-year plan, which should help turn Serbia into a stable and moderately developed European society, and he asked for citizen support on that. Tadic on economy, Kosovo, Srebrenica resolution Tadic noted that there is "both good and bad information" in Serbia today, bad being that the budget is not filling up at the expected rate and that budget revenue in January dropped by 8.5 percent. Unemployment is at 17 percent in Serbia, while it is at 20 in Spain, but that, as Tadic put it, cannot be a comfort to the Serbian citizens or government. Tadic says that the fact a huge growth of unemployment was prevented during the world economic crisis is good news, adding that Serbia will come out of the recession in 2010 according to economic parameters, but that it does not mean the living standard for its people will improve. He also told the party gathering that parliament should adopt a resolution on the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, adding that the point is to make a clear statement and distance itself from the crime committed there. "I believe that the Serbian parliament will soon adopt a resolution on Srebrenica and it would be a great mistake if only the ruling majority were to vote for it," Tadic said. He remarked that all the dilemmas on whether one or two resolutions should be adopted and whether it was a genocide or a crime "have missed the point," which is to say that the people are not to blame. "Serbia must distance itself from that crime, because there were also mass crimes against the Serbs," said Tadic. The president added that the Serbian court system has proven that it can process war crimes and prosecute its own citizens who participated in them, like for example the trial against members of the Scorpions, a paramilitary unit that was involved in the Srebrenica massacre, but that it does not want to take over every trial. Tadic also said that EU membership remains the most important strategic goal for Serbia, but that the country will never agree to be blackmailed on that path with recognizing Kosovo's independence. Serbia wants to create a prospect of joint life within the EU for all its citizens and leave Balkan conflicts behind, he stated. "A solution is possible if there is a consensus within the EU and UN that it should be reached, but the solution cannot involve one side getting everything and the other losing it all," Tadic noted. Serbia is therefore interested for Kosovo Albanian representatives to take part in regional cooperation, but there is a red line that the Serbian government will not cross, and it can neither implicitly nor explicitly recognize Kosovo's independence, Tadic concluded. Tadic speaks in Stara Pazova (Beta)

Tadić on economy, Kosovo, Srebrenica resolution

Tadić noted that there is "both good and bad information" in Serbia today, bad being that the budget is not filling up at the expected rate and that budget revenue in January dropped by 8.5 percent.

Unemployment is at 17 percent in Serbia, while it is at 20 in Spain, but that, as Tadić put it, cannot be a comfort to the Serbian citizens or government.

Tadić says that the fact a huge growth of unemployment was prevented during the world economic crisis is good news, adding that Serbia will come out of the recession in 2010 according to economic parameters, but that it does not mean the living standard for its people will improve.

He also told the party gathering that parliament should adopt a resolution on the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica, adding that the point is to make a clear statement and distance itself from the crime committed there.

"I believe that the Serbian parliament will soon adopt a resolution on Srebrenica and it would be a great mistake if only the ruling majority were to vote for it," Tadić said.

He remarked that all the dilemmas on whether one or two resolutions should be adopted and whether it was a genocide or a crime "have missed the point," which is to say that the people are not to blame.

"Serbia must distance itself from that crime, because there were also mass crimes against the Serbs," said Tadić.

The president added that the Serbian court system has proven that it can process war crimes and prosecute its own citizens who participated in them, like for example the trial against members of the Scorpions, a paramilitary unit that was involved in the Srebrenica massacre, but that it does not want to take over every trial.

Tadić also said that EU membership remains the most important strategic goal for Serbia, but that the country will never agree to be blackmailed on that path with recognizing Kosovo's independence.

Serbia wants to create a prospect of joint life within the EU for all its citizens and leave Balkan conflicts behind, he stated.

"A solution is possible if there is a consensus within the EU and UN that it should be reached, but the solution cannot involve one side getting everything and the other losing it all," Tadić noted.

Serbia is therefore interested for Kosovo Albanian representatives to take part in regional cooperation, but there is a red line that the Serbian government will not cross, and it can neither implicitly nor explicitly recognize Kosovo's independence, Tadić concluded.