Đilas outlines ambitious plans for Belgrade

The For a European Belgrade coalition candidate for mayor Dragan Djilas has outlined the basic points of his platform. The minister without portfolio responsible for the National Investment Plan (NIP) told B92’s Poligraf that the main campaign theme of the coalition grouped around the Democratic Party (DP) and Boris Tadic, would be a better life for its citizens and a higher standard of living, and not Kosovo. Djilas outlines ambitious plans for Belgrade “The defense of Kosovo isn’t a political, but a diplomatic and economic battle and means a battle for those people who live in Kosovo,” said Djilas. “It is easy to beat your chest, to talk, promise, invite people and afterwards forget everything and dissolve the government because you were outvoted at one meeting. Because of that, the budget rebalance doesn’t get adopted and there’s no money for all those activities. Now we have to find a solution to help those people in Kosovo,” said the minister. He said that the most logical option would be to move the Kosovo Ministry to the region, and for Minister Slobodan Samardzic to come to Belgrade to inform the government about the situation on the field. “I would like to see Kosovo Serb leaders from the North visit enclaves throughout Kosovo, and not just speak out from northern Mitrovica where it’s safest,” Djilas suggested. The DS and G17 Plus candidate for mayor of Belgrade said the future government would build the bridge that Belgrade so badly needed, would reconstruct the Gazela Bridge, and would move the railway station and complete the bypass. “Belgrade will spread out further towards Krnjaca, Ovca, Borca, Rakovica. Belgrade already has Beovoz, which is a sort of metro, and we will complete the first metro line, from the center to New Belgrade within four years,” he promised. Djilas, however, said that Belgrade would not become a metropolis as long as 40 percent of its citizens had no drainage and had to walk through the mud to get to their homes, and promised exactly those sorts of problems would be the Belgrade authorities’ priority. Dragan Djilas (B92, archive)

Đilas outlines ambitious plans for Belgrade

“The defense of Kosovo isn’t a political, but a diplomatic and economic battle and means a battle for those people who live in Kosovo,” said Đilas.

“It is easy to beat your chest, to talk, promise, invite people and afterwards forget everything and dissolve the government because you were outvoted at one meeting. Because of that, the budget rebalance doesn’t get adopted and there’s no money for all those activities. Now we have to find a solution to help those people in Kosovo,” said the minister.

He said that the most logical option would be to move the Kosovo Ministry to the region, and for Minister Slobodan Samardžić to come to Belgrade to inform the government about the situation on the field.

“I would like to see Kosovo Serb leaders from the North visit enclaves throughout Kosovo, and not just speak out from northern Mitrovica where it’s safest,” Đilas suggested.

The DS and G17 Plus candidate for mayor of Belgrade said the future government would build the bridge that Belgrade so badly needed, would reconstruct the Gazela Bridge, and would move the railway station and complete the bypass.

“Belgrade will spread out further towards Krnjača, Ovča, Borča, Rakovica. Belgrade already has Beovoz, which is a sort of metro, and we will complete the first metro line, from the center to New Belgrade within four years,” he promised.

Đilas, however, said that Belgrade would not become a metropolis as long as 40 percent of its citizens had no drainage and had to walk through the mud to get to their homes, and promised exactly those sorts of problems would be the Belgrade authorities’ priority.