LDP to protest against Russian energy deal

The LDP will hold a protest in front of govt. HQ on Friday after news that the Russian energy deal would be passed on to parliament for ratification. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic said he felt the privatization of the Serbian Oil Industry was completely unacceptable. LDP to protest against Russian energy deal He added that the LDP particularly condemned the idea that a line be drawn right in the midst of election silence on a job that was bad and detrimental to Serbia and that went against the interests of its citizens, but in the personal campaign interests of a small set of politicians. Jovanovic said that the cabinet meeting would be held during electoral silence on Friday, a day when normally no meetings are held, with “the sole purpose of concealing from society what’s been written, and present parliament with a fait accompli.“ Asked whether the protest meant that the LDP was ruling out any possibility of talks on coalitions, given that the energy agreement with Russia was supported by both the Democratic Party (DS) and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), he replied that if DS leader Boris Tadic and his DSS counterpart Vojislav Kostunica had the same views on Kosovo and Serbia’s economic future, the LDP saw the possibility of the DS making concessions to Kostunica once again. Jovanovic said that talks with the DS should have been held at the start of the campaign since, he said, they could not lead three European policies. “We’ve criticized Tadic at every turn when we’ve felt that he was ignoring his citizens. We support him when he acts like a true statesman as he did in Luxembourg,“ said the LDP leader. He said that his party’s position in a future government depended on the support of the electorate, that it had sought support to form a reformist government, but that no-one had the right “to expect the LDP to countenance a partnership with those who are destroying the future, regardless of their names.“ Jovanovic said that the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU was not a document in which Tadic and Kostunica could find refuge for their views. “Neither has Tadic recognized Kosovo’s independence by signing that agreement, nor has he retained Kosovo within Serbia. What Tadic has done is help us come closer to Europe," said the LDP leader, adding that Kostunica was misusing the agreement. Cedomir Jovanovic (FoNet, archive)

LDP to protest against Russian energy deal

He added that the LDP particularly condemned the idea that a line be drawn right in the midst of election silence on a job that was bad and detrimental to Serbia and that went against the interests of its citizens, but in the personal campaign interests of a small set of politicians.

Jovanović said that the cabinet meeting would be held during electoral silence on Friday, a day when normally no meetings are held, with “the sole purpose of concealing from society what’s been written, and present parliament with a fait accompli.“

Asked whether the protest meant that the LDP was ruling out any possibility of talks on coalitions, given that the energy agreement with Russia was supported by both the Democratic Party (DS) and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), he replied that if DS leader Boris Tadić and his DSS counterpart Vojislav Koštunica had the same views on Kosovo and Serbia’s economic future, the LDP saw the possibility of the DS making concessions to Koštunica once again.

Jovanović said that talks with the DS should have been held at the start of the campaign since, he said, they could not lead three European policies.

“We’ve criticized Tadić at every turn when we’ve felt that he was ignoring his citizens. We support him when he acts like a true statesman as he did in Luxembourg,“ said the LDP leader.

He said that his party’s position in a future government depended on the support of the electorate, that it had sought support to form a reformist government, but that no-one had the right “to expect the LDP to countenance a partnership with those who are destroying the future, regardless of their names.“

Jovanović said that the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU was not a document in which Tadić and Koštunica could find refuge for their views.

“Neither has Tadić recognized Kosovo’s independence by signing that agreement, nor has he retained Kosovo within Serbia. What Tadić has done is help us come closer to Europe," said the LDP leader, adding that Koštunica was misusing the agreement.