"European Union is offering rotten carrot to Serbia"

BELGRADE Hillary Clinton and Catherine Ashton will arrive in Serbia "in order to exert additional pressure" on the government to recognize Kosovo, says a DSS official. Slobodan Samardzic, who served as minister for Kosovo and is now vice-president of the opposition party, spoke on Monday to say that the EU was offering Serbia "a rotten carrot" in exchange for "a completion of the process of recognition of Kosovo", which he said had been put in motion by the previous government. "European Union is offering rotten carrot to Serbia" "It needs to be said openly that what they are offering truly is 'a rotten carrot'. You can tell by the manner in which this benefit that we are supposed to obtain is being characterized - that is, as a date for the start of accession talks, while now there's an even more interesting formulation - 'a conditional date," Samardzic told a news conference in Belgrade. According to him, the visit on Tuesday of the U.S. state secretary and the EU foreign policy chief will bring the pressure on the government to "finalize the recognition of Kosovo" to a boiling point. The DSS also accused the EU of "preparing to negotiate with Kosovo as an independent state" when it comes to the SAA agreement. "The arrival of Catherine Ashton is a chance to ask why the EU is opening negotiations with Kosovo as an independent state," he stated, and added that the government "has the maneuvering space" to do that in cooperation with the five EU countries have not recognized Kosovo. Asked about the spending of state funds in the province during his tenure as minister, Samardzic said the money had not been misappropriated: "The funds were spent appropriately and were distributed according to the budget plan. They were spent toward some 300, 400 items. That made it possible for the citizens in Kosovo and Metohija to function." Slobodan Samardzic (Tanjug, file) Beta

"European Union is offering rotten carrot to Serbia"

"It needs to be said openly that what they are offering truly is 'a rotten carrot'. You can tell by the manner in which this benefit that we are supposed to obtain is being characterized - that is, as a date for the start of accession talks, while now there's an even more interesting formulation - 'a conditional date," Samardžić told a news conference in Belgrade.

According to him, the visit on Tuesday of the U.S. state secretary and the EU foreign policy chief will bring the pressure on the government to "finalize the recognition of Kosovo" to a boiling point.

The DSS also accused the EU of "preparing to negotiate with Kosovo as an independent state" when it comes to the SAA agreement.

"The arrival of Catherine Ashton is a chance to ask why the EU is opening negotiations with Kosovo as an independent state," he stated, and added that the government "has the maneuvering space" to do that in cooperation with the five EU countries have not recognized Kosovo.

Asked about the spending of state funds in the province during his tenure as minister, Samardžić said the money had not been misappropriated:

"The funds were spent appropriately and were distributed according to the budget plan. They were spent toward some 300, 400 items. That made it possible for the citizens in Kosovo and Metohija to function."