Parliament committee session postponed

A meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Security and Defense, scheduled for Monday in Belgrade, has been postponed. This came as MPs from the ruling coalition left the session, reports said. Parliament committee session postponed They opted for the move after the committee was "unable to formulate the agenda". The committee was expected to discuss allegations made last week by Stanko Subotic aka Cane, described as "a controversial businessman". He accused businessmen Milan Beko and Miroslav Miskovic of using his money to buy the Port of Belgrade company and Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti. Stankovic is wanted in Serbia on cigarette smuggling charges. Committee Chairman Dragan Todorovic (SRS) accused the ruling coalition today of blocking the discuss on the privatization of Port of Belgrade and the newspaper, stating that this shows that the government does not want to talk about crime, tycoons and how they relate to politics. Todorovic said that the sale of the port was “the most obvious examples of robbing the state” because the new owners paid EUR 40mn for a 40 percent stake, at a time when there was EUR 42.9mn on the port’s account. The opposition SRS official also said that President Boris Tadic is trying to trick the people with statements that the state is fighting organized crime, "because at the first opportunity, the ruling coalition avoided such discussions". “One state institution, and that’s parliament, failed the test to begin fighting organized crime,” Todorovic said. Ruling DS MP Jelena Trivan, however, said that the goal of calling the committee meeting was political marketing, and not an honest intention of Todorovic to contribute to the fight against organized crime. Explaining the ruling coalition rejection to discuss the claims of Subotic, Trivan said that the government could not allow “one serious topic to be made relative and used for various political parties and those accused of organized crime.” She said that officials of state institutions that could deal with these questions officials of the police, prosecution and justice ministry, were not in attendance at the meeting. “It was an ‘ad hoc’ action of the committee president, not an agreed action of all members and state institutions. Had the interest been to find out the truth, it would have been well prepared and attendance would have been confirmed for all those who need to give us the real answers,” she said. Opposition Democratic Party of Serbia official Dragan Sormaz said that the committee meeting was not prepared in the right way and that this was why he did not vote for any of the proposals for the daily agenda. “If we are citing someone’s statements, then we could hold a meeting of the committee every day on anyone’s statements. Personally, I am not content with the work of the committee, but those who lead it and those who make up the majority are to blame for that,” he said. The committee meets in parliament today (Beta)

Parliament committee session postponed

They opted for the move after the committee was "unable to formulate the agenda".

The committee was expected to discuss allegations made last week by Stanko Subotić aka Cane, described as "a controversial businessman".

He accused businessmen Milan Beko and Miroslav Mišković of using his money to buy the Port of Belgrade company and Belgrade-based daily Večernje Novosti.

Stanković is wanted in Serbia on cigarette smuggling charges.

Committee Chairman Dragan Todorović (SRS) accused the ruling coalition today of blocking the discuss on the privatization of Port of Belgrade and the newspaper, stating that this shows that the government does not want to talk about crime, tycoons and how they relate to politics.

Todorović said that the sale of the port was “the most obvious examples of robbing the state” because the new owners paid EUR 40mn for a 40 percent stake, at a time when there was EUR 42.9mn on the port’s account.

The opposition SRS official also said that President Boris Tadic is trying to trick the people with statements that the state is fighting organized crime, "because at the first opportunity, the ruling coalition avoided such discussions".

“One state institution, and that’s parliament, failed the test to begin fighting organized crime,” Todorović said.

Ruling DS MP Jelena Trivan, however, said that the goal of calling the committee meeting was political marketing, and not an honest intention of Todorović to contribute to the fight against organized crime.

Explaining the ruling coalition rejection to discuss the claims of Subotić, Trivan said that the government could not allow “one serious topic to be made relative and used for various political parties and those accused of organized crime.”

She said that officials of state institutions that could deal with these questions officials of the police, prosecution and justice ministry, were not in attendance at the meeting.

“It was an ‘ad hoc’ action of the committee president, not an agreed action of all members and state institutions. Had the interest been to find out the truth, it would have been well prepared and attendance would have been confirmed for all those who need to give us the real answers,” she said.

Opposition Democratic Party of Serbia official Dragan Šormaz said that the committee meeting was not prepared in the right way and that this was why he did not vote for any of the proposals for the daily agenda.

“If we are citing someone’s statements, then we could hold a meeting of the committee every day on anyone’s statements. Personally, I am not content with the work of the committee, but those who lead it and those who make up the majority are to blame for that,” he said.