Minister announces defense deal with EU

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac stated late on Sunday that Serbia will soon sign a security agreement with the EU. It wold allow the country's officers will be recruited into the EU peacekeeping missions for the first time in history, he told B92 in Belgrade. Minister announces defense deal with EU “We will soon sign a security agreement with Brussels, that is the EU, and our officers will be able join the EU peacekeeping missions for the first time in history,” Sutanovac stated. He said that the Serbian officers will first symbolically join peacekeeping activities, and added that they will later be expected to step up their participation as well as be joined by police officers from Serbia. Sutanovac recalled that the members of the Serbian defense system are at the moment deployed in five UN peacekeeping missions, adding that Serbia wants to participate in similar activities of the EU. “We have contacted the EU countries because we want to have our representatives in the EU missions,” the minister said. Sutanovac also spoke about Serbia's defense industry exports to say their value reached USD 1.2bn, noting that the main article was ammunition "produced to the western and eastern standards". Talks were also underway with some countries, he revealed, to employ Serbia's construction industry sector. "We hope to win the contract to build a military hospital in Tripoli, Libya, as well as jobs in Kuwait and Angola," he explained. The minister, who is also one of the vice-presidents of the ruling Democratic Party (DS), also touched on the issue of a possible cabinet reshuffle, to say it was a matter for the signatories to the coalition agreement and the country's president and prime minister, "rather than for ministers". Sutanovac said that he expected the ruling coalition party leaders to meet and discuss the issue. "There are considerations about a reshuffle, but not as a proposal. This practice has not been recognized in Serbia yet," asserted the minister, and added that a reshuffle "would not amount to something horrible taking place". "I do not think this is an empty story," he concluded. As for the possible changes to the country's Constitution, Sutanovac said a debate should be opened in order to allow Serbia to have a "more modern" highest legal act. While he explained that his Democrats conducted serious debates about changing the Constitution within the party, Sutanovac said that changes could not come for the sake of a single item, as demanded by the opposition SNS. Still, said he, a referendum to change the Constitution "could take place on the same day as parliamentary elections", which he sees happening in the spring of 2012. Sutanovac said his party and the Serb Progressives (SNS) could not engage in any kind of cooperation. The two parties are consistently topping popularity polls and are considered the country's largest, although SNS, an offshoot of the Serb Radicals (SRS), is yet to take part in a parliamentary election. "I cannot see how we could bring together that which cannot be brought together. I see no political, mathematical, or logical reason for that to happen," said Sutanovac, and added he was convinced "there was no political communication" between the two parties. Dragan Sutanovac (Tanjug, file)

Minister announces defense deal with EU

“We will soon sign a security agreement with Brussels, that is the EU, and our officers will be able join the EU peacekeeping missions for the first time in history,” Šutanovac stated.

He said that the Serbian officers will first symbolically join peacekeeping activities, and added that they will later be expected to step up their participation as well as be joined by police officers from Serbia.

Šutanovac recalled that the members of the Serbian defense system are at the moment deployed in five UN peacekeeping missions, adding that Serbia wants to participate in similar activities of the EU.

“We have contacted the EU countries because we want to have our representatives in the EU missions,” the minister said.

Šutanovac also spoke about Serbia's defense industry exports to say their value reached USD 1.2bn, noting that the main article was ammunition "produced to the western and eastern standards".

Talks were also underway with some countries, he revealed, to employ Serbia's construction industry sector.

"We hope to win the contract to build a military hospital in Tripoli, Libya, as well as jobs in Kuwait and Angola," he explained.

The minister, who is also one of the vice-presidents of the ruling Democratic Party (DS), also touched on the issue of a possible cabinet reshuffle, to say it was a matter for the signatories to the coalition agreement and the country's president and prime minister, "rather than for ministers".

Šutanovac said that he expected the ruling coalition party leaders to meet and discuss the issue.

"There are considerations about a reshuffle, but not as a proposal. This practice has not been recognized in Serbia yet," asserted the minister, and added that a reshuffle "would not amount to something horrible taking place".

"I do not think this is an empty story," he concluded.

As for the possible changes to the country's Constitution, Šutanovac said a debate should be opened in order to allow Serbia to have a "more modern" highest legal act.

While he explained that his Democrats conducted serious debates about changing the Constitution within the party, Šutanovac said that changes could not come for the sake of a single item, as demanded by the opposition SNS.

Still, said he, a referendum to change the Constitution "could take place on the same day as parliamentary elections", which he sees happening in the spring of 2012.

Šutanovac said his party and the Serb Progressives (SNS) could not engage in any kind of cooperation.

The two parties are consistently topping popularity polls and are considered the country's largest, although SNS, an offshoot of the Serb Radicals (SRS), is yet to take part in a parliamentary election.

"I cannot see how we could bring together that which cannot be brought together. I see no political, mathematical, or logical reason for that to happen," said Šutanovac, and added he was convinced "there was no political communication" between the two parties.