President "ready to take responsibility for Kosovo"
Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolić has stated he was "ready to assume responsibility and lead the fight for Kosovo".
Thursday, 19.07.2012.
10:32
BELGRADE Serbia’s President Tomislav Nikolic has stated he was "ready to assume responsibility and lead the fight for Kosovo". “I will gladly take on the historic responsibility. I will gather everybody who means something in Serbia, politicians, intellectuals, businessmen, religious dignitaries, in order to finally come to a platform based on the Constitution and interests of all the Serbian citizens and so all of us can stand by it,” he explained. President "ready to take responsibility for Kosovo" “Only then we can start the negotiations,” the Serbian president told daily Vecernje novosti. Nikolic said he would insist on getting the UN involved in the upcoming political negotiations aside from the EU. He expects that the new government will be promoted in the beginning of next week. He added that he would soon submit concrete evidence of abuse in certain privatizations to the new government. The president is also convinced that the changes, that citizens voted for in the May elections, will be implemented. “I certainly do not think that the Kosovo issue and its ties with the EU is a problem for one person, a party or a government. This is why I keep calling for consensus. I certainly would not go to the negotiations and wait for all the things they will ask from me, I would take the initiative. So far all the agreements look like that Serbia went to Brussels to agree with something without taking anything as its own request. It appears that all the issues had two sides against the Serbian one. This is exactly why we should secure the UN presence in the next round,” Nikolic pointed out. He noted that he had made a final list of the agreements reached with Pristina. “For example, it has been kept secret that the name of Kosovo can be followed just by an asterisk at regional meetings, without the footnote. Another deception is that Serbs in northern Kosovo do not have to take Kosovo license plates. In order to take them, they have to enroll as citizens of Kosovo. There are also doubts about the integrated border management issue. With this seemingly innocuous solutions we are bringing Kosovo's independence to a close,” the president pointed out. Nikolic underlined that the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo would not be allowed to become a UN member, and announced he would propose solutions for Kosovo which had already been implemented, such as the status of Germans in Belgium or the example of South Tyrol. When asked whether Serbia could turn to Russia and other allies if the recognition of Kosovo was made a formal condition of EU accession, Nikolic said Serbia's orientation must always be for the people to live well. "This means we will look for other roads, which we have not buried until now either. The EU is our top choice, but not our only option. It is true there are unconditional cooperations, but I know how much EU membership would mean to us. There is a lot we can swallow and keep silent about for the sake of the EU, but not everything," he added- Commenting on his statement he would never be president in Pristina, Nikolic said: "How would I go there? In a tank? They did not let me enter Kosovo even when I was an opposition leader. Former president (Boris Tadic) was also not able to go there whenever he wanted." Asked what he would do as the commander in chief of the Serbian armed forces if Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci attacked northern Kosovo, Nikolic responded with a question: "If someone attacked northern Kosovo using force, would they not consider that Serbia could use force to win Kosovo back? Who decides when force is justified and when it is not." He noted that the modern world should not idly watch the violence against Serbs in the north. Nikolic also said the new government would be made up of serious people aware of the economic and foreign policy challenges facing the country. "I expect the new ministers to get down to work as early as next week, because Serbia cannot stand in place any longer. It has been sinking for long enough," said the president. Tomislav Nikolic (Beta, file) Tanjug Vecernje novosti
President "ready to take responsibility for Kosovo"
“Only then we can start the negotiations,” the Serbian president told daily Večernje novosti.Nikolić said he would insist on getting the UN involved in the upcoming political negotiations aside from the EU.
He expects that the new government will be promoted in the beginning of next week. He added that he would soon submit concrete evidence of abuse in certain privatizations to the new government.
The president is also convinced that the changes, that citizens voted for in the May elections, will be implemented.
“I certainly do not think that the Kosovo issue and its ties with the EU is a problem for one person, a party or a government. This is why I keep calling for consensus. I certainly would not go to the negotiations and wait for all the things they will ask from me, I would take the initiative. So far all the agreements look like that Serbia went to Brussels to agree with something without taking anything as its own request. It appears that all the issues had two sides against the Serbian one. This is exactly why we should secure the UN presence in the next round,” Nikolić pointed out.
He noted that he had made a final list of the agreements reached with Priština.
“For example, it has been kept secret that the name of Kosovo can be followed just by an asterisk at regional meetings, without the footnote. Another deception is that Serbs in northern Kosovo do not have to take Kosovo license plates. In order to take them, they have to enroll as citizens of Kosovo. There are also doubts about the integrated border management issue. With this seemingly innocuous solutions we are bringing Kosovo's independence to a close,” the president pointed out.
Nikolić underlined that the self-proclaimed state of Kosovo would not be allowed to become a UN member, and announced he would propose solutions for Kosovo which had already been implemented, such as the status of Germans in Belgium or the example of South Tyrol.
When asked whether Serbia could turn to Russia and other allies if the recognition of Kosovo was made a formal condition of EU accession, Nikolić said Serbia's orientation must always be for the people to live well.
"This means we will look for other roads, which we have not buried until now either. The EU is our top choice, but not our only option. It is true there are unconditional cooperations, but I know how much EU membership would mean to us. There is a lot we can swallow and keep silent about for the sake of the EU, but not everything," he added-
Commenting on his statement he would never be president in Priština, Nikolić said: "How would I go there? In a tank? They did not let me enter Kosovo even when I was an opposition leader. Former president (Boris Tadić) was also not able to go there whenever he wanted."
Asked what he would do as the commander in chief of the Serbian armed forces if Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci attacked northern Kosovo, Nikolić responded with a question: "If someone attacked northern Kosovo using force, would they not consider that Serbia could use force to win Kosovo back? Who decides when force is justified and when it is not."
He noted that the modern world should not idly watch the violence against Serbs in the north.
Nikolić also said the new government would be made up of serious people aware of the economic and foreign policy challenges facing the country.
"I expect the new ministers to get down to work as early as next week, because Serbia cannot stand in place any longer. It has been sinking for long enough," said the president.
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