Some satisfied, others irked by Biden visit

While the ruling coalition believes U.S. VP Joseph Biden's visit would open opportunities for improving relations with Washington, the opposition doesn't agree. Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic said that when it comes to the province he is in charge of in the Serbian government, "there can hardly be any agreement between the positions of Serbia and the United States". Some satisfied, others irked by Biden visit At the same time he stressed that it is important to consider all other aspects of the two countries' relations where "eventual progress" is possible. Bogdanovic said that there should be "wisdom" as Biden arrives in Belgrade on Wednesday, "since this is the first time in the past couple of decades that such a high ranking American official is visiting Serbia". "In any case, the message that Vice President Biden will relay should be listened to carefully," said the minister, adding that Serbia's position on many issues, especially concerning Kosovo and the overall situation in the country and the whole region "will depend on this". Ruling G17 Plus official Vlajko Senic said that the Biden visit is the "most significant foreign policy event in Serbia of the past several years". “It is a great thing that restores faith that Serbia can return to full capacity in terms of its road towards European integration, which was the goal of the country in 2000. The visit will be used to completely normalize relations between Serbia and the U.S. and that is in the best national interest of Serbia,” Senic said. Ruling Socialist Party of Serbia-United Serbia MP group chief Branko Ruzic said that Biden’s visit will show that "despite the completely opposite opinions and foreign policy, state and national interests", the process of "warmer" relations with one of the most powerful countries in the world "can begin". He said that a new period of cooperation could start, "at least in segments where it is possible, such as industry and economy". Ruzic also stated that Serbia must stick to the adopted platform and proclaimed policies towards Kosovo, preserving the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that this stance "must be made clear to Biden". The forthcoming visit of U.S. VP Joseph Biden to Serbia is an "ideal opportunity" for opening a new era in Serbia-U.S. relations, Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) Vice President and cabinet minister Srdjan Sreckovic told Tanjug on Sunday. Serbia's goal is to be a political and economic leader in the region and it needs the U.S. administration's support to that end, he said. The building of closest partnership with the greatest world power is therefore in Serbia's interest, Sreckovic added. The visit will also be a good opportunity for opening a public debate on fostering cooperation with NATO, starting with Partnership for Peace, he said. No country of the former communist bloc has become an EU member before it joined NATO, he noted. Opposition Liberal Democratic Party leader Cedomir Jovanovic said that the reason for the U.S. vice president's visit "is clear", but he said that the government should have made a "plan and concept with which Serbia will greet him with". “The goal of Biden’s visit is to stabilize the situation in the region and define a program that would enable better relations between Serbia, Pristina and Sarajevo, but the problem of the visit is not the agenda or concept of Biden, but the lack of clear policies from our country. We have not heard anything about what the government will meet him with,” Jovanovic said. He said that the main issues of talks with Biden must be EU integration, defining platforms for Serbia to join NATO, adding that "if these are the topics, the talks could be useful, but that the visit will be a missed opportunity of a very rare chance if these topics are not discussed". But opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) official Andreja Mladenovic called on Biden to apologize to the Serb people and to Serbia. "Because he advocated the bombing of Serbia in 1999, due to his persistent urging of the independence of Kosovo and his influence that this independence is realized in February 2008, it is our opinion that the least the U.S. vice president can do is to apologize to the Serb people and to Serbia," Mladenovic told reporters in Belgrade on Monday. According to him, this apology should be the "main demand of the Serbian government to the U.S. administration". "This is the least that the Serbian government should do," Mladenovic added, pointing out that, during the talks with Biden, the government should focus on Serbia's military neutrality, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia and the respect of the Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Opposition Serb Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolic told B92 in Belgrade on Monday that Biden "is not arriving here by chance". Nikolic said that America has been a promoter of Kosovo's independence and that this is the main reason for the visit, "in order to exert additional pressure on authorities in Belgrade". The SNS leader expects the Serbian president tell Biden that Kosovo will remain an integral part of Serbia. "If this meeting is just another photo opportunity that Tadic will use in a future campaign, then this is not a good visit," concluded Nikolic. Opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) MP Aleksandar Martinovic today described Biden as a "criminal returning to the scene of the crime", and emphasized that the high ranking American official was the most vocal advocate of NATO's attack on Serbia ten years ago. The visit, Martinovic said, can bring nothing good, while Biden would "try to persuade Serbian President Boris Tadic to recognize Kosovo and weaken ties with the Republic of Srpska". The SRS MP continued to tell reporters that the United States is leading a hostile policy toward Serbia, but would not reveal whether his party planned any protests for Wednesday. Meanwhile Arandjelovac, in central Serbia, is today covered with posters expressing dissatisfaction with the visit. NGO Nasi (Ours) printed the posters which describe Biden as a "war criminal, proponent of Kosovo's independence, protector of Albanian terrorists and a Nazi ideologist who considers Serbs to be a lower race". The NGO blasts the government and the president for bringing "another good doer" to the country. Biden will arrive here on Wednesday, "as part of his Balkan tour which also includes Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo", the White House announced last week.

Some satisfied, others irked by Biden visit

At the same time he stressed that it is important to consider all other aspects of the two countries' relations where "eventual progress" is possible.

Bogdanović said that there should be "wisdom" as Biden arrives in Belgrade on Wednesday, "since this is the first time in the past couple of decades that such a high ranking American official is visiting Serbia".

"In any case, the message that Vice President Biden will relay should be listened to carefully," said the minister, adding that Serbia's position on many issues, especially concerning Kosovo and the overall situation in the country and the whole region "will depend on this".

Ruling G17 Plus official Vlajko Senić said that the Biden visit is the "most significant foreign policy event in Serbia of the past several years".

“It is a great thing that restores faith that Serbia can return to full capacity in terms of its road towards European integration, which was the goal of the country in 2000. The visit will be used to completely normalize relations between Serbia and the U.S. and that is in the best national interest of Serbia,” Senić said.

Ruling Socialist Party of Serbia-United Serbia MP group chief Branko Ružić said that Biden’s visit will show that "despite the completely opposite opinions and foreign policy, state and national interests", the process of "warmer" relations with one of the most powerful countries in the world "can begin".

He said that a new period of cooperation could start, "at least in segments where it is possible, such as industry and economy".

Ružić also stated that Serbia must stick to the adopted platform and proclaimed policies towards Kosovo, preserving the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that this stance "must be made clear to Biden".

The forthcoming visit of U.S. VP Joseph Biden to Serbia is an "ideal opportunity" for opening a new era in Serbia-U.S. relations, Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) Vice President and cabinet minister Srđan Srećković told Tanjug on Sunday.

Serbia's goal is to be a political and economic leader in the region and it needs the U.S. administration's support to that end, he said.

The building of closest partnership with the greatest world power is therefore in Serbia's interest, Srećković added.

The visit will also be a good opportunity for opening a public debate on fostering cooperation with NATO, starting with Partnership for Peace, he said.

No country of the former communist bloc has become an EU member before it joined NATO, he noted.

Opposition Liberal Democratic Party leader Čedomir Jovanović said that the reason for the U.S. vice president's visit "is clear", but he said that the government should have made a "plan and concept with which Serbia will greet him with".

“The goal of Biden’s visit is to stabilize the situation in the region and define a program that would enable better relations between Serbia, Priština and Sarajevo, but the problem of the visit is not the agenda or concept of Biden, but the lack of clear policies from our country. We have not heard anything about what the government will meet him with,” Jovanović said.

He said that the main issues of talks with Biden must be EU integration, defining platforms for Serbia to join NATO, adding that "if these are the topics, the talks could be useful, but that the visit will be a missed opportunity of a very rare chance if these topics are not discussed".

But opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) official Andreja Mladenović called on Biden to apologize to the Serb people and to Serbia.

"Because he advocated the bombing of Serbia in 1999, due to his persistent urging of the independence of Kosovo and his influence that this independence is realized in February 2008, it is our opinion that the least the U.S. vice president can do is to apologize to the Serb people and to Serbia," Mladenović told reporters in Belgrade on Monday.

According to him, this apology should be the "main demand of the Serbian government to the U.S. administration".

"This is the least that the Serbian government should do," Mladenović added, pointing out that, during the talks with Biden, the government should focus on Serbia's military neutrality, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia and the respect of the Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Opposition Serb Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolić told B92 in Belgrade on Monday that Biden "is not arriving here by chance".

Nikolić said that America has been a promoter of Kosovo's independence and that this is the main reason for the visit, "in order to exert additional pressure on authorities in Belgrade".

The SNS leader expects the Serbian president tell Biden that Kosovo will remain an integral part of Serbia.

"If this meeting is just another photo opportunity that Tadić will use in a future campaign, then this is not a good visit," concluded Nikolić.

Opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) MP Aleksandar Martinović today described Biden as a "criminal returning to the scene of the crime", and emphasized that the high ranking American official was the most vocal advocate of NATO's attack on Serbia ten years ago.

The visit, Martinović said, can bring nothing good, while Biden would "try to persuade Serbian President Boris Tadić to recognize Kosovo and weaken ties with the Republic of Srpska".

The SRS MP continued to tell reporters that the United States is leading a hostile policy toward Serbia, but would not reveal whether his party planned any protests for Wednesday.

Meanwhile Aranđelovac, in central Serbia, is today covered with posters expressing dissatisfaction with the visit. NGO Naši (Ours) printed the posters which describe Biden as a "war criminal, proponent of Kosovo's independence, protector of Albanian terrorists and a Nazi ideologist who considers Serbs to be a lower race".

The NGO blasts the government and the president for bringing "another good doer" to the country.

Biden will arrive here on Wednesday, "as part of his Balkan tour which also includes Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo", the White House announced last week.