Đelić: EU deal signing on Feb. 7

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic is convinced he will be authorized to sign an agreement with the EU next week. Although he hoped Belgrade and Brussels would sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) on Jan. 28,. Djelic, DS, now believes an alternative political deal, widely seen as a phase toward the SAA, will be clinched next Thursday. Djelic: EU deal signing on Feb. 7 "I believe that I will sign this agreement, which is historic, on Feb. 7, since with it, all EU members and the European Commission are guaranteeing EU membership and visa abolishment for our citizens," he told Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. Djelic also backed his argument that the agreement is in Serbia's national interest by quoting a recent public opinion poll which put the number of Serbians in favor of a speedy EU membership at 75 percent. Asked whether the issue of European integrations could put the ruling coalition to a serious test, the deputy prime minister reminded that the government was formed around a platform containing five priorities, and added that the cabinet will continue "for as long as everyone sticks to this program, which brought significant progress in the past nine months." Djelic also expressed his conviction that the current government will continue until the end of its mandate, in 2011. The cabinet, formed in May 2007, is made up of his Democrats as the senior partner, along with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), and Economy Minister Mladjan Dinkic's G17 Plus. As for the deal the EU ministers proposed to Serbia, Djelic said that "in hierarchy" it was "not below the Stabilization and Association Agreement." "As the head of our EU negotiating team, I can testify that we fought with all our might to try and squeeze these two provisions in the SAA – that we will certainly join the EU and that visas will be abolished – but we did not succeed." "The political agreement that is being offered to us now contains this, which means that it is not below the SAA level. On the contrary, it is a great step for Serbia," he explained. Djelic also dismissed accusations from political rivals that the signing of the SAA would be a trade-off for Kosovo's independence. "Serbia will never barter with Kosovo and Metohija, nor will it accept its independence. Just as the energy agreement was not a concession to Russia over Kosmet, so we will not give the EU any concessions over Kosovo for the sake of faster EU integrations. For us, and for the EU, these are two separate processes," Djelic concluded. Bozidar Djelic (FoNet)

Đelić: EU deal signing on Feb. 7

"I believe that I will sign this agreement, which is historic, on Feb. 7, since with it, all EU members and the European Commission are guaranteeing EU membership and visa abolishment for our citizens," he told Belgrade daily Večernje Novosti.

Đelić also backed his argument that the agreement is in Serbia's national interest by quoting a recent public opinion poll which put the number of Serbians in favor of a speedy EU membership at 75 percent.

Asked whether the issue of European integrations could put the ruling coalition to a serious test, the deputy prime minister reminded that the government was formed around a platform containing five priorities, and added that the cabinet will continue "for as long as everyone sticks to this program, which brought significant progress in the past nine months."

Đelić also expressed his conviction that the current government will continue until the end of its mandate, in 2011.

The cabinet, formed in May 2007, is made up of his Democrats as the senior partner, along with Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica's Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), and Economy Minister Mlađan Dinkić's G17 Plus.

As for the deal the EU ministers proposed to Serbia, Đelić said that "in hierarchy" it was "not below the Stabilization and Association Agreement."

"As the head of our EU negotiating team, I can testify that we fought with all our might to try and squeeze these two provisions in the SAA – that we will certainly join the EU and that visas will be abolished – but we did not succeed."

"The political agreement that is being offered to us now contains this, which means that it is not below the SAA level. On the contrary, it is a great step for Serbia," he explained.

Đelić also dismissed accusations from political rivals that the signing of the SAA would be a trade-off for Kosovo's independence.

"Serbia will never barter with Kosovo and Metohija, nor will it accept its independence. Just as the energy agreement was not a concession to Russia over Kosmet, so we will not give the EU any concessions over Kosovo for the sake of faster EU integrations. For us, and for the EU, these are two separate processes," Đelić concluded.