Dačić: We'll have government - or new elections

Ivica Dacic says that a parliamentary majority exists, and that parliament speaker will be elected next week, followed by the election of a government. The leader of the Socialists (SPS), who was last week given the mandate to put together his cabinet, made the statement on Tuesday in Belgrade after a meeting with United Regions of Serbia (URS) leader Mladjan Dinkic. Dacic: We'll have government - or new elections Dacic also noted that last week he spoke to the Serb Progressives (SNS). "It is quote clear that the existence of a majority is a political reality that needs to be translated into the formation of a government," he told journalists. Dacic specified that a coalition agreement will be signed next, while parliament will likely meet next week to elect its speaker. A session that will follow will see Serbia's new government voted in, he stated. Dacic also remarked that he will "certainly not return his mandate (to form a government) just because someone regrets that there's no grand coalition": "If I have a majority, then that's what I have. If not, then we'll clarify the whole situation among ourselves and then go to new elections. Then we'll see who people will vote for - those who are supported from abroad, but not in their own country, or the other way around." The grand coalition in question is a term used by the media to describe the possibility of the Serb Progressives (SNS) and the Democrats (DS) forming a ruling majority. Speaking about Kosovo, Dacic said that a future government will implement all agreements reached by the previous one in the Kosovo negotiations, and that it would be a factor of peace and stability - "because a new government is a new chance". He specified that Serbia's next cabinet would be obligated to implement the agreements, and stressed that doubts about this not happening were baseless. "There's no serious country anywhere in the world that will say it won't implement what had been agreed," he asserted, and continued: "Just so there are no misgivings, it is important to talk about those agreements, because there have been different interpretations. All that needs to be defined, but at the same time, state and national interests must be cared for." This stance was supported by Mladjan Dinkic, who addressed the same news conference. But he also warned that "we are learning about what was agreed in Brussels (during the Kosovo dialogue) partially", and promised that the public will learn about the details of all the agreements once a new government receives the documents related to the negotiations. Dinkic did not answer when reporters asked him "how he intends to implement something that others had agreed on, without seeing it first". His URS will on Wednesday hold a meeting with the Progressives, it has been announced, while Dinkic will later today confer with a visiting U.S. State Department official. On June 28, Ivica Dacic received the mandate from President Tomislav Nikolic to form Serbia's new government. It was announced then that his party's pre-election SPS-PUPS-JS coalition had secured a majority in parliament, that includes the SNS and the URS. Ivica Dacic and Mladjan Dinkic are seen ahead of the meeting on Tuesday (Tanjug) "Finalizing agreement" Earlier in the day, URS Presidency member Bosko Nicic told B92 that the meeting today was in fact called to finalize an agreement the two pre-election coalitions led by the SPS and the URS initiated several weeks ago. "I expect that we, as the group that agreed to act together, will sign an agreement, while a meeting will follow in a day or two. By the end of the week, or by mid-next week, the negotiations will be finished, so that a session of the Serbian parliament can be called, speaker and work groups elected, and then parliament will elect a new government by July 25 at the latest, if everything goes as the talks have gone thus far," Nicic explained. Meanwhile, the URS told Beta news agency that all three sides in the talks wish to reach a clear and concrete deal, and to put it "in writing", in the form of an agreement. It should define goals and measures to be taken in the realms of national, economic, and social policies, EU integration, foreign policy, fight against monopolies, corruption and crime, justice reforms, and dismantling of the partisan system. This, a URS source told the agency, "will not be a reconciliation agreement, but one about the job that needs to be done by a team, so that Serbia can pull out of the mud and move forward, because the situation - particularly when it comes to public finances - is very difficult". "For that reason, the first step will be to determine the dubiousness of the budget that the Democratic Party (DS) has left behind," said the source, noting that the party was in control of the Ministry of Finance in the now outgoing government, as well as of the Treasury, the Tax Administration and the National Bank of Serbia. Ivica Dacic said earlier that after his meeting with the United Regions of Serbia he would talk to other parties and coalitions as well, regardless of whether they expressed a desire to join a parliamentary majority - "in order for everyone to be clear on what goals and programs Serbia's new government will stand for". "Personnel solutions not most important" Late on Monday, leader of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) Aleksandar Vucic state that he believed that "one's participation in the government is not crucial", stressing that results and goals the government should achieve were "what counts". Vucic told the public broadcaster RTS that the results the government should obtain should be verifiable every six months, leaving open the question whether he himself will be a member of the government and adding that he would not avoid this responsibility. The SNS leader also said that, "if in this composition" (the SPS, the SNS, and the URS), a government should be formed on July 24, or a day or two before or after that date. The SNS will talk to the URS on Wednesday or Thursday, and talks with the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition have already been held, above all on the economic situation and creating conditions for obtaining investments and the country's economic development, Vucic stated. B92 Beta Tanjug

Dačić: We'll have government - or new elections

Dačić also noted that last week he spoke to the Serb Progressives (SNS).

"It is quote clear that the existence of a majority is a political reality that needs to be translated into the formation of a government," he told journalists.

Dačić specified that a coalition agreement will be signed next, while parliament will likely meet next week to elect its speaker. A session that will follow will see Serbia's new government voted in, he stated.

Dačić also remarked that he will "certainly not return his mandate (to form a government) just because someone regrets that there's no grand coalition":

"If I have a majority, then that's what I have. If not, then we'll clarify the whole situation among ourselves and then go to new elections. Then we'll see who people will vote for - those who are supported from abroad, but not in their own country, or the other way around."

The grand coalition in question is a term used by the media to describe the possibility of the Serb Progressives (SNS) and the Democrats (DS) forming a ruling majority.

Speaking about Kosovo, Dačić said that a future government will implement all agreements reached by the previous one in the Kosovo negotiations, and that it would be a factor of peace and stability - "because a new government is a new chance".

He specified that Serbia's next cabinet would be obligated to implement the agreements, and stressed that doubts about this not happening were baseless.

"There's no serious country anywhere in the world that will say it won't implement what had been agreed," he asserted, and continued:

"Just so there are no misgivings, it is important to talk about those agreements, because there have been different interpretations. All that needs to be defined, but at the same time, state and national interests must be cared for."

This stance was supported by Mlađan Dinkić, who addressed the same news conference. But he also warned that "we are learning about what was agreed in Brussels (during the Kosovo dialogue) partially", and promised that the public will learn about the details of all the agreements once a new government receives the documents related to the negotiations.

Dinkić did not answer when reporters asked him "how he intends to implement something that others had agreed on, without seeing it first".

His URS will on Wednesday hold a meeting with the Progressives, it has been announced, while Dinkić will later today confer with a visiting U.S. State Department official.

On June 28, Ivica Dačić received the mandate from President Tomislav Nikolić to form Serbia's new government. It was announced then that his party's pre-election SPS-PUPS-JS coalition had secured a majority in parliament, that includes the SNS and the URS.

"Finalizing agreement"

Earlier in the day, URS Presidency member Boško Ničić told B92 that the meeting today was in fact called to finalize an agreement the two pre-election coalitions led by the SPS and the URS initiated several weeks ago.

"I expect that we, as the group that agreed to act together, will sign an agreement, while a meeting will follow in a day or two. By the end of the week, or by mid-next week, the negotiations will be finished, so that a session of the Serbian parliament can be called, speaker and work groups elected, and then parliament will elect a new government by July 25 at the latest, if everything goes as the talks have gone thus far," Ničić explained.

Meanwhile, the URS told Beta news agency that all three sides in the talks wish to reach a clear and concrete deal, and to put it "in writing", in the form of an agreement.

It should define goals and measures to be taken in the realms of national, economic, and social policies, EU integration, foreign policy, fight against monopolies, corruption and crime, justice reforms, and dismantling of the partisan system.

This, a URS source told the agency, "will not be a reconciliation agreement, but one about the job that needs to be done by a team, so that Serbia can pull out of the mud and move forward, because the situation - particularly when it comes to public finances - is very difficult".

"For that reason, the first step will be to determine the dubiousness of the budget that the Democratic Party (DS) has left behind," said the source, noting that the party was in control of the Ministry of Finance in the now outgoing government, as well as of the Treasury, the Tax Administration and the National Bank of Serbia.

Ivica Dačić said earlier that after his meeting with the United Regions of Serbia he would talk to other parties and coalitions as well, regardless of whether they expressed a desire to join a parliamentary majority - "in order for everyone to be clear on what goals and programs Serbia's new government will stand for".

"Personnel solutions not most important"

Late on Monday, leader of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) Aleksandar Vučić state that he believed that "one's participation in the government is not crucial", stressing that results and goals the government should achieve were "what counts".

Vučić told the public broadcaster RTS that the results the government should obtain should be verifiable every six months, leaving open the question whether he himself will be a member of the government and adding that he would not avoid this responsibility.

The SNS leader also said that, "if in this composition" (the SPS, the SNS, and the URS), a government should be formed on July 24, or a day or two before or after that date.

The SNS will talk to the URS on Wednesday or Thursday, and talks with the SPS-PUPS-JS coalition have already been held, above all on the economic situation and creating conditions for obtaining investments and the country's economic development, Vučić stated.