"Vucic-Yee meeting had two key points" - sources

"Vucic-Yee meeting had two key points" - sources

According to the newspaper - which referred to sources from Vucic's surroundings - the conversation in the Palace of Serbia yesterday was focused around these two topics - framed by Yee's message sent a day earlier - that Belgrade can no longer sit "on two chairs."

The newspaper's sources said that the guest advised his host "in a well-intentioned manner" that Serbia should "respect the territorial integrity of Kosovo" - and the "static on the line" during the conversation first appeared at that point.

According to this, Vucic responded "without sugarcoating" his answer, to say: "You did not behave like this nine years ago."

The president, the same source continued, explained his view by saying that "the coming generations should not be burdened with a frozen conflict that is an obstacle to a historic reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians," and also "did not miss the opportunity to tell the US official that Pristina has been hindering the implementation of the Brussels agreement persistently, and with impunity."

"Some were clamoring because, due to banal technical reasons, the entry of Serb judges into the judicial system of Kosovo and Metohija was delayed by two days - while Pristina has not fulfilled the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) for 1,625 days, and that's fine," Vucic is quoted as saying.

Regarding the second "stumbling block" - Belgrade's stance towards Moscow - Yee allegedly told the Serbian president "decisively" that his country "can hardly move toward Russia with one foot, and toward the EU with the other."

In addition, he also mentioned that from Washington's point of view Moscow's request to grant the Russian staff of the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center in Nis diplomatic status was "very problematic."

The daily further writes that Vucic argued that Serbia remains strategically determined in favor of EU integration, but that it will continue to develop friendly relations with Russia, "but also with China, India, the United Arab Emirates."

The guest was also interested in "the usual" topics - the progress made in the investigation into the Bytyqi brothers case, and the torching of the US embassy in Belgrade.

The president, according to the newspaper's sources, said that "no one in Serbia will sweep those two events under the carpet." Vucic said that movement was being made towards efficiently solving the court procedure in the embassy case, and that he "sees no problems there."

According to this, Yee was also interested in "the media picture in Serbia," as well as the rule of law. Vucic told him that "the complaint coming from individuals about censorship in our country is nonsense" - and pointed out the exact amount of money that some media have received from foreign donors, including the United States.

The president's press service late on Tuesday, several hours after the meeting, issued a statement, citing the visiting US diplomat's "objections" - and announcing that Vucic's "answers" given during the conversation would be communicated "in the coming days."