Provincial govt. head responds to criticism

BELGRADE Bojan Pajtic says a declaration on protection of Vojvodina's rights pertains to the obligation of all state institutions to respect the Constitution and laws. The citizens in Vojvodina are "devoted to Serbia and no one and nothing can change that," the head of the provincial government said in an interview published by Belgrade-based daily Blic on Monday. Provincial govt. head responds to criticism He explained that the organization of the Serbian state, and Vojvodina's position within it, is an internal matter, and adds that the draft declaration will be sent to the Vojvodina assembly and state institutions for adoption. According to Pajtic, the main reason to pass the declaration is the fact some state bodies are completely ignoring the law on the transfer of competencies, which bestows certain powers on the citizens of Vojvodina. Pajtic, who is the deputy leader of the Democratic Party, said the province is also not receiving its constitutionally guaranteed financing, and the government has started transferring provincial property to local administrations in places where members of their party are in power. He denied accusations from the ruling coalition that the declaration on the protection of Vojvodina's rights is an expression of secessionist tendencies of the provincial government. The move has also been criticized as being aimed at destabilizing the country. Pajtic was also quoted as saying that it was "ludicrous" to compare the Vojvodina government's move to the Independent State of Croatia just because the assembly will vote on the declaration on April 10. On that day in 1941 the Croatian Ustasha regime declared the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) - a Nazi Germany-allied entity where genocide was committed against Serbs, Jews and Roma. (Beta, file) Parties oppose declaration Officials of the parties in the government coalition, as well as of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), said on Sunday the announcement about adopting a declaration on the protection of the constitutional and legislative rights of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was a public admission of secessionist ambitions by the Vojvodina government led by the Democratic Party (DS). The announced declaration is the first public admission of secessionist ambitions by the current government of Vojvodina and the part of the DS led by Bojan Pajtic, Vice President of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS), which leads the government coalition, Goran Knezevic said. Since the Serbian government does not support further dismantling of the country, but consistently upholds the Constitution and law, the provincial government has decided to pursue its secessionist ambitions by throwing accusations at Serbia and turning the so called Vojvodina issue into an international matter, Knezevic stated. "The declaration on the protection of the constitutional and legislative rights of Vojvodina is at the same time an attempt to avoid responsibility by the provincial government for the terrible results of its years in power and to distract the public from the crimes of its officials, whose unmasking has begun and will soon be presented to the public," he pointed out. Vice President of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), another member of the government coalition, Dusan Bajatovic said the question was who created the declaration at the current political moment in time and why the position of the Serbian government in the talks on Kosovo was being made more difficult. Whenever Serbia is having a difficult time, there is someone there to raise another issue, which does not really exist, head of the Socialist Movement and of the government office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said on Sunday, stressing that Pajtic was actually afraid of the investigation regarding the Vojvodina Development Bank and elections in the province. The DSS, which is part of the opposition, called on DS leader Dragan Djilas to say whether he supported the "shameful political agenda of his deputy" Bojan Pajtic. Spokesperson for the DSS Vojvodina branch Milenko Jovanov wrote in a statement delivered to Tanjug the essence of Pajtic's political agenda could be found in the declaration, which said that Vojvodina was part of Serbia by the will of the people, which was Pajtic's public statement that this will of the people could be for Vojvodina to cease being part of Serbia. "It is the clearest threat of separatism that has ever come from Vojvodina," Jovanov remarked. The DS, on the other hand, said that the SNS claims concerning Pajtic were a way to create false problems and distract the public from the real issues, for which the SNS had no answer. The DS added it would not respond to the accusations from the SNS until a decision concerning the Brussels offer to solve the Kosovo issue was made. The DS thinks the SNS and DSS are coming out with fabrications regarding separatism that are so unfair and inappropriate that the party did not want to discuss them, adding that the only thing the declaration insisted on was that the Constitution and law of Serbia should be followed. Vice President of the Vojvodina Assembly Milivoj Vrebalov said the national government had been attacking Vojvodina and its autonomy since summer 2012, adding that the national government wanted to centralize the country even more and terminate Vojvodina's autonomy. The Vojvodina Assembly will adopt the declaration on Wednesday, because "a large majority of the people see clearly that the rights of Vojvodina are disregarded and violated," Pajtic stated. Blic Tanjug

Provincial govt. head responds to criticism

He explained that the organization of the Serbian state, and Vojvodina's position within it, is an internal matter, and adds that the draft declaration will be sent to the Vojvodina assembly and state institutions for adoption.

According to Pajtić, the main reason to pass the declaration is the fact some state bodies are completely ignoring the law on the transfer of competencies, which bestows certain powers on the citizens of Vojvodina.

Pajtić, who is the deputy leader of the Democratic Party, said the province is also not receiving its constitutionally guaranteed financing, and the government has started transferring provincial property to local administrations in places where members of their party are in power.

He denied accusations from the ruling coalition that the declaration on the protection of Vojvodina's rights is an expression of secessionist tendencies of the provincial government.

The move has also been criticized as being aimed at destabilizing the country.

Pajtić was also quoted as saying that it was "ludicrous" to compare the Vojvodina government's move to the Independent State of Croatia just because the assembly will vote on the declaration on April 10.

On that day in 1941 the Croatian Ustasha regime declared the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) - a Nazi Germany-allied entity where genocide was committed against Serbs, Jews and Roma.

Parties oppose declaration

Officials of the parties in the government coalition, as well as of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), said on Sunday the announcement about adopting a declaration on the protection of the constitutional and legislative rights of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was a public admission of secessionist ambitions by the Vojvodina government led by the Democratic Party (DS).

The announced declaration is the first public admission of secessionist ambitions by the current government of Vojvodina and the part of the DS led by Bojan Pajtić, Vice President of the Serb Progressive Party (SNS), which leads the government coalition, Goran Knežević said.

Since the Serbian government does not support further dismantling of the country, but consistently upholds the Constitution and law, the provincial government has decided to pursue its secessionist ambitions by throwing accusations at Serbia and turning the so called Vojvodina issue into an international matter, Knežević stated.

"The declaration on the protection of the constitutional and legislative rights of Vojvodina is at the same time an attempt to avoid responsibility by the provincial government for the terrible results of its years in power and to distract the public from the crimes of its officials, whose unmasking has begun and will soon be presented to the public," he pointed out.

Vice President of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), another member of the government coalition, Dusan Bajatovic said the question was who created the declaration at the current political moment in time and why the position of the Serbian government in the talks on Kosovo was being made more difficult.

Whenever Serbia is having a difficult time, there is someone there to raise another issue, which does not really exist, head of the Socialist Movement and of the government office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin said on Sunday, stressing that Pajtić was actually afraid of the investigation regarding the Vojvodina Development Bank and elections in the province.

The DSS, which is part of the opposition, called on DS leader Dragan Djilas to say whether he supported the "shameful political agenda of his deputy" Bojan Pajtić.

Spokesperson for the DSS Vojvodina branch Milenko Jovanov wrote in a statement delivered to Tanjug the essence of Pajtić's political agenda could be found in the declaration, which said that Vojvodina was part of Serbia by the will of the people, which was Pajtić's public statement that this will of the people could be for Vojvodina to cease being part of Serbia.

"It is the clearest threat of separatism that has ever come from Vojvodina," Jovanov remarked.

The DS, on the other hand, said that the SNS claims concerning Pajtić were a way to create false problems and distract the public from the real issues, for which the SNS had no answer.

The DS added it would not respond to the accusations from the SNS until a decision concerning the Brussels offer to solve the Kosovo issue was made.

The DS thinks the SNS and DSS are coming out with fabrications regarding separatism that are so unfair and inappropriate that the party did not want to discuss them, adding that the only thing the declaration insisted on was that the Constitution and law of Serbia should be followed.

Vice President of the Vojvodina Assembly Milivoj Vrebalov said the national government had been attacking Vojvodina and its autonomy since summer 2012, adding that the national government wanted to centralize the country even more and terminate Vojvodina's autonomy.

The Vojvodina Assembly will adopt the declaration on Wednesday, because "a large majority of the people see clearly that the rights of Vojvodina are disregarded and violated," Pajtić stated.