DS-SPS reconciliation on backburner

The signing of the DS-SPS declaration of reconciliation has been postponed indefinitely for hitherto unknown reasons. While the Democratic Party (DS) says that the declaration will definitely be signed, the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) states that the signing will take place as and when there is room to present the essence of the declaration in the right way. DS-SPS reconciliation on backburner Both sides deny that the signing has been postponed because they could not agree on the division of the public companies. The signing of the declaration, which has been in the pipeline since the summer and is intended to formally reconcile the two fiercest political opponents of the 1990s, has been put back yet again. DS official Nada Kolundzija said that she expected the declaration to be signed and that it was very important for the signing to happen. “I don’t know why it has not been signed. I really don’t know. The issue of the declaration is turning out, in this case, to be the end of a process, instead of the start. We have strayed so far from that process that the declaration is now the final phase. I believe that it will be signed. When it is signed isn’t important, as it has no special, specific weight to it,” Kolundzija said. SPS official Dusan Bajatovic said that the signing had been postponed by unexpected events that had come to the fore. These, he said, were the Serbian initiative before the UN General Assembly and the signing of the cooperation agreement with Fiat. Bajatovic does not know exactly when the declaration will be signed either. “When we see that there is enough political room to adequately present the declaration which represents the beginning of political reconciliation, and which already exists in practice within the government, that’s when we’ll sign it,” Bajatovic said. He said that the postponement had nothing to do with the failure to reach a consensus over the division of the public companies between the ruling coalition parties. “Something that is supposed to be a long-term political goal on the political scene in Serbia cannot be conditioned by a division of companies. Of course, when anything is divided within the government, there are always those who want to grab as big a slice of the cake as possible, whether it is with departments or various programs. I can guarantee that these things are not linked,” Bajatovic said. Political analyst Milan Nikolic said that the DS-SPS declaration had all but lost its meaning. He said that it would be more pertinent if the document was signed by the SRS or Tomislav Nikolic’s new party. “It seems that there is less and less meaning to the declaration because it seems that the DS and SPS are cooperating well within the government. Maybe it had more importance when it was big news that the SPS would support the ruling coalition and enter it. It seems that it now has much less meaning. In practice these two parties are cooperating fairly well within the government,” he said. Talk of the reconciliation declaration was first mentioned during the talks on forming the new government, and was officially confirmed when the DS and SPS signed the coalition agreement. The goal of the declaration is to overcome the deep divisions and animosity from the past, and to work on future goals from a united platform. Ivica Dacic and Boris Tadic (FoNet)

DS-SPS reconciliation on backburner

Both sides deny that the signing has been postponed because they could not agree on the division of the public companies.

The signing of the declaration, which has been in the pipeline since the summer and is intended to formally reconcile the two fiercest political opponents of the 1990s, has been put back yet again.

DS official Nada Kolundžija said that she expected the declaration to be signed and that it was very important for the signing to happen.

“I don’t know why it has not been signed. I really don’t know. The issue of the declaration is turning out, in this case, to be the end of a process, instead of the start. We have strayed so far from that process that the declaration is now the final phase. I believe that it will be signed. When it is signed isn’t important, as it has no special, specific weight to it,” Kolundžija said.

SPS official Dušan Bajatović said that the signing had been postponed by unexpected events that had come to the fore.

These, he said, were the Serbian initiative before the UN General Assembly and the signing of the cooperation agreement with Fiat.

Bajatović does not know exactly when the declaration will be signed either.

“When we see that there is enough political room to adequately present the declaration which represents the beginning of political reconciliation, and which already exists in practice within the government, that’s when we’ll sign it,” Bajatović said.

He said that the postponement had nothing to do with the failure to reach a consensus over the division of the public companies between the ruling coalition parties.

“Something that is supposed to be a long-term political goal on the political scene in Serbia cannot be conditioned by a division of companies. Of course, when anything is divided within the government, there are always those who want to grab as big a slice of the cake as possible, whether it is with departments or various programs. I can guarantee that these things are not linked,” Bajatović said.

Political analyst Milan Nikolić said that the DS-SPS declaration had all but lost its meaning.

He said that it would be more pertinent if the document was signed by the SRS or Tomislav Nikolić’s new party.

“It seems that there is less and less meaning to the declaration because it seems that the DS and SPS are cooperating well within the government. Maybe it had more importance when it was big news that the SPS would support the ruling coalition and enter it. It seems that it now has much less meaning. In practice these two parties are cooperating fairly well within the government,” he said.

Talk of the reconciliation declaration was first mentioned during the talks on forming the new government, and was officially confirmed when the DS and SPS signed the coalition agreement.

The goal of the declaration is to overcome the deep divisions and animosity from the past, and to work on future goals from a united platform.