"Dačić would have support for war over Kosovo"

"Ivica Dacic’s stance (on Kosovo) feels good to everyone but I'm afraid that he is using Kosovo for daily political purposes," says Goran Bogdanovic. The interior minister's position that Serbia must not say that it would not go to war over Kosovo so it would not break the “balance of fear” has been supported by opposition Serb Progressives (SNS) and Serb Radicals (SRS). "Dacic would have support for war over Kosovo" Bogdanovic, who serves as minister for Kosovo, pointed out that he supports the idea of defending people in Kosovo by all means. “However, it is obvious that the (election) campaign has started and that this is what I have always been warning about and what I have been afraid of, and that’s use of Kosovo for daily political purposes,” he explained. Faculty of Political Science Professor Predrag Simic says that Dacic’s message is primarily meant for potential voters and not for foreign factors who decide about Kosovo's fate. “Dacic’s message is sent to the electorate that has negatively reacted to President (Boris) Tadic and (Defense) Minister (Dragan) Sutanovac’s statements that Serbia will not fight wars anymore. The formulation, however, has not been convincing enough at a moment when Serbia is dreading the December 9 and the European Council’s decision on its candidacy precisely because of the Kosovo issues,” he stressed. SNS Presidency member Borislav Prelevic says that Dacic’s positions are completely in accordance with Serbia’s interests. “This is the way a true state official acts. It should be decisively said that Serbia does not want a war but that it wants to protect its citizens in the entire state territory. This way we would send a message to all Serbs from the north and other parts of Kosovo and Metohija, but we would also show our will to defend our people, both to the international community and (Kosovo Prime Minister) Hashim Thaci. I am glad that Dacic has taken to the idea that (SNS leader) Tomislav Nikolic and I presented during voting on the government’s last declaration on Kosovo,” he said. SRS deputy leader Dragan Todorovic says there is not a single state that would say that it cannot defend its borders and its people. However, he points out that Serbia cannot go to war at this point and that it needs to do everything it can to maintain the framework from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 instead. “Ivica does not have to go to war but he should not make agreements with UNMIK that are giving Kosovo statehood prerogatives such as license plates, customs and so-called administrative issues either. It is obvious that Dacic has a very large scale of positions, ranging from one extreme to another, from Kosovo partition to war,” Todorovic pointed out. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug)

"Dačić would have support for war over Kosovo"

Bogdanović, who serves as minister for Kosovo, pointed out that he supports the idea of defending people in Kosovo by all means.

“However, it is obvious that the (election) campaign has started and that this is what I have always been warning about and what I have been afraid of, and that’s use of Kosovo for daily political purposes,” he explained.

Faculty of Political Science Professor Predrag Simić says that Dačić’s message is primarily meant for potential voters and not for foreign factors who decide about Kosovo's fate.

“Dačić’s message is sent to the electorate that has negatively reacted to President (Boris) Tadić and (Defense) Minister (Dragan) Šutanovac’s statements that Serbia will not fight wars anymore. The formulation, however, has not been convincing enough at a moment when Serbia is dreading the December 9 and the European Council’s decision on its candidacy precisely because of the Kosovo issues,” he stressed.

SNS Presidency member Borislav Prelević says that Dačić’s positions are completely in accordance with Serbia’s interests.

“This is the way a true state official acts. It should be decisively said that Serbia does not want a war but that it wants to protect its citizens in the entire state territory. This way we would send a message to all Serbs from the north and other parts of Kosovo and Metohija, but we would also show our will to defend our people, both to the international community and (Kosovo Prime Minister) Hashim Thaci. I am glad that Dačić has taken to the idea that (SNS leader) Tomislav Nikolić and I presented during voting on the government’s last declaration on Kosovo,” he said.

SRS deputy leader Dragan Todorović says there is not a single state that would say that it cannot defend its borders and its people. However, he points out that Serbia cannot go to war at this point and that it needs to do everything it can to maintain the framework from UN Security Council Resolution 1244 instead.

“Ivica does not have to go to war but he should not make agreements with UNMIK that are giving Kosovo statehood prerogatives such as license plates, customs and so-called administrative issues either. It is obvious that Dačić has a very large scale of positions, ranging from one extreme to another, from Kosovo partition to war,” Todorović pointed out.