Socialists to continue talks with Radicals, DSS

The SPS main board has determined this party's list of future lawmakers, and decided to continue cabinet talks with the Radicals (DSS) and the DSS-NS. But the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) meeting today in Belgrade did not discuss possible ruling coalitions, reports said. Socialists to continue talks with Radicals, DSS The board met for two and a half hours, after which its members emerged awaited by a large number of reporters in front of the party headquarters. But when leader Ivica Dacic addressed them, he said Serbia's future ruling coalition was not discussed, while talks within the SPS-PUPS-JS pre-election coalition on joint position regarding social justice, pensioners and the SAA were set to continue. The board's members only heard about the talks with the SRS-DSS so far, and future moves in this respect, he said, and added the coalition led by his party will "in the coming days" confirm its united stance on all the issues important for the negotiations. "Unless there is one united opinion, it becomes obvious that a parliamentary majority cannot be formed on that side," Dacic said. He denied contacts with the Democrats (DS) while talks with the SRS-DSS are ongoing, and said the Socialists will not make their decision guided by "who offers more". "We are not political tradesmen, to make our decisions based on who offered us more," Dacic said. The SPS leader also said the decision on which side of the political divide to join will not be made "under any kind of pressure", but "only based on with whom the party policy can be implemented". He added that a new government "will certainly be formed three times faster than the previous one". The now outgoing cabinet was put together last May after four months of haggling. "We are under an enormous amount of pressure from the public," he acknowledged, and added that this was because the issue was important not only for the SPS, but for the whole of Serbia. "We are aware of this responsibility," said the leader of the Socialists. As for the list of the SPS MPs, 12 of them in all, it is headed by Dacic himself, and also includes other top party officials, such as Zarko Obradovic, Milutin Mrkonjic, Dusan Bajatovic, Milisav Petronijevic and Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug)

Socialists to continue talks with Radicals, DSS

The board met for two and a half hours, after which its members emerged awaited by a large number of reporters in front of the party headquarters.

But when leader Ivica Dačić addressed them, he said Serbia's future ruling coalition was not discussed, while talks within the SPS-PUPS-JS pre-election coalition on joint position regarding social justice, pensioners and the SAA were set to continue.

The board's members only heard about the talks with the SRS-DSS so far, and future moves in this respect, he said, and added the coalition led by his party will "in the coming days" confirm its united stance on all the issues important for the negotiations.

"Unless there is one united opinion, it becomes obvious that a parliamentary majority cannot be formed on that side," Dačić said.

He denied contacts with the Democrats (DS) while talks with the SRS-DSS are ongoing, and said the Socialists will not make their decision guided by "who offers more".

"We are not political tradesmen, to make our decisions based on who offered us more," Dačić said.

The SPS leader also said the decision on which side of the political divide to join will not be made "under any kind of pressure", but "only based on with whom the party policy can be implemented".

He added that a new government "will certainly be formed three times faster than the previous one".

The now outgoing cabinet was put together last May after four months of haggling.

"We are under an enormous amount of pressure from the public," he acknowledged, and added that this was because the issue was important not only for the SPS, but for the whole of Serbia.

"We are aware of this responsibility," said the leader of the Socialists.

As for the list of the SPS MPs, 12 of them in all, it is headed by Dačić himself, and also includes other top party officials, such as Žarko Obradović, Milutin Mrkonjić, Dušan Bajatović, Milisav Petronijević and Slavica Đukić-Dejanović.