Tadić says SAA is no forgery

Boris Tadic has denied the claims that the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) is a forgery and represents a recognition of Kosovo’s unilateral independence. The Democratic Party (DS) leader told B92 that not a single part of the SAA, the initialing of which last year was supported by officials of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, had been subsequently altered, adding that the agreement confirmed the validity of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Tadic says SAA is no forgery Tadic called on Kostunica to publicly state which parts of the SAA had been changed or forged, as well as how the signing of this agreement represented a betrayal of Kosovo. He denied claims that the same agreement would be offered to Kosovo for signing in three months, because this document could only be signed with internationally recognized countries. Tadic said that regulations for implementing good neighborly relations with regional countries referred only to internationally recognized UN member states, which Kosovo was not. The DS leader and president repeated that he would never accept anyone blackmailing Serbia into recognizing Kosovo in exchange for EU integration, but insisted that the two processes were separate, and that the resumption of European integration would help Serbia continue its fight to preserve Kosovo. Lauding the signing of the SAA, Tadic reiterated that Serbia had already been visited by the Fiat president, who had stated that his company wished to invest in the automotive factory in Kragujevac and create new jobs. He said that after the elections, there would be no negotiations with the Serb Radical Party (SRS) regarding a coalition, and that coalitions would be possible with the DSS only if it changed its position towards EU integration, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) only if it changed its stance on Kosovo. Tadic said that Kostunica would not be prime minister after the May 11 elections, and that he would decide the identity of the next prime minister once it became clear which parties would form the new government. “I have several candidates for prime minister—three, to be exact. One is not from within my party and two are. But, we will see what the opposition is like, and everything depends on the make-up of the next parliament,” the president explained. Boris Tadic (FoNet, archive)

Tadić says SAA is no forgery

Tadić called on Koštunica to publicly state which parts of the SAA had been changed or forged, as well as how the signing of this agreement represented a betrayal of Kosovo.

He denied claims that the same agreement would be offered to Kosovo for signing in three months, because this document could only be signed with internationally recognized countries.

Tadić said that regulations for implementing good neighborly relations with regional countries referred only to internationally recognized UN member states, which Kosovo was not.

The DS leader and president repeated that he would never accept anyone blackmailing Serbia into recognizing Kosovo in exchange for EU integration, but insisted that the two processes were separate, and that the resumption of European integration would help Serbia continue its fight to preserve Kosovo.

Lauding the signing of the SAA, Tadić reiterated that Serbia had already been visited by the Fiat president, who had stated that his company wished to invest in the automotive factory in Kragujevac and create new jobs.

He said that after the elections, there would be no negotiations with the Serb Radical Party (SRS) regarding a coalition, and that coalitions would be possible with the DSS only if it changed its position towards EU integration, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) only if it changed its stance on Kosovo.

Tadić said that Koštunica would not be prime minister after the May 11 elections, and that he would decide the identity of the next prime minister once it became clear which parties would form the new government.

“I have several candidates for prime minister—three, to be exact. One is not from within my party and two are. But, we will see what the opposition is like, and everything depends on the make-up of the next parliament,” the president explained.