Ilić: Talks with SPS not dead

Despite telling B92 earlier that "it was obvious that the SPS and the DS had reached an agreement", Velimir Ilic now says that “nothing has been decided yet.” "The real truth is that negotiations are still ongoing, that nothing has been decided yet," the leader of New Serbia (NS) said in Belgrade today. Ilic: Talks with SPS not dead "We are hoping that the talks will end in the near future, because we want them to end as soon as possible. The important thing is that Serbia should get a good government, and whoever decides to assume the responsibility for forming the new government needs to keep all the promises they made. There have been plenty of promises, and that’s why a huge responsibility lies in the hands of those who want to form the government,” Ilic explained. Senior Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) official Milutin Mrkonjic told Serbia’s state broadcaster, RTS, that he would not be a minister in the future government, adding that what was important to him were the implementation of projects, particularly those negotiated with Spanish partners. “I am not interested in having a ministry in the future government. But, I will be certainly be a grey presence, so to speak," Mrkonjic said. G17 Plus Vice-President Tomica Milosavljevic said that the SPS had “a historical chance” to establish itself among the parties with a social-democratic and European orientation, provided that it supported the pro-EU government. He told B92 that if the SPS did not give up on its coalition agreement for Belgrade with the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the Serb Radical Party (SRS), his party would not provide support to a minority government at state level made up of the Democratic Party (DS) and the SPS. "Belgrade is the engine of Serbia’s growth, and it’s clearly unacceptable for us to have a government at state level that would be pro-European and support fast economic development and the social welfare of Serbian citizens, while at the same time having an opposition in the capital,” Milosavljevic said. Even though a government might be formed by the end of this week according to some DS officials, the Democrats say that they are patiently waiting for the coalition gathered around the SPS to officially declare an end of talks with the DSS and the SRS.

Ilić: Talks with SPS not dead

"We are hoping that the talks will end in the near future, because we want them to end as soon as possible. The important thing is that Serbia should get a good government, and whoever decides to assume the responsibility for forming the new government needs to keep all the promises they made. There have been plenty of promises, and that’s why a huge responsibility lies in the hands of those who want to form the government,” Ilić explained.

Senior Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) official Milutin Mrkonjić told Serbia’s state broadcaster, RTS, that he would not be a minister in the future government, adding that what was important to him were the implementation of projects, particularly those negotiated with Spanish partners.

“I am not interested in having a ministry in the future government. But, I will be certainly be a grey presence, so to speak," Mrkonjić said.

G17 Plus Vice-President Tomica Milosavljević said that the SPS had “a historical chance” to establish itself among the parties with a social-democratic and European orientation, provided that it supported the pro-EU government.

He told B92 that if the SPS did not give up on its coalition agreement for Belgrade with the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the Serb Radical Party (SRS), his party would not provide support to a minority government at state level made up of the Democratic Party (DS) and the SPS.

"Belgrade is the engine of Serbia’s growth, and it’s clearly unacceptable for us to have a government at state level that would be pro-European and support fast economic development and the social welfare of Serbian citizens, while at the same time having an opposition in the capital,” Milosavljević said.

Even though a government might be formed by the end of this week according to some DS officials, the Democrats say that they are patiently waiting for the coalition gathered around the SPS to officially declare an end of talks with the DSS and the SRS.