"Belgrade mayor wants foreign minister sacked"

Sunday's session of the ruling Democratic Party (DS) main board saw some of its top officials holding high public office ask for resignations of others. Thus it was reported that Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas appraised that the ministries of foreign affairs and Kosovo were "also responsible for Serbia not getting the EU candidature". "Belgrade mayor wants foreign minister sacked" B92 has learned that Djilas addressed the part of the session closed to the public to say that since Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic resigned because of the failure, part of the responsibility was also on the ministries headed by Vuk Jeremic and Goran Bogdanovic. Belgrade-based newspaper Blic writes that Djilas was supported by Dragoljub Micunovic when he said that "Jeremic was the main culprit for Serbia not receiving the candidature". Another Belgrade-based daily, Danas, says that Djilas appraised that the diplomacy did not do its work, while the foreing minister "had no credibility or influence with the most influential EU members". But, according to these reports, party leader and the country's president, Boris Tadic, did not support such a stance. He told the meeting that party officials "must be a team" that "does not work on each other's demise", and spoke against in-party fighting, "especially ahead of elections". This time, writes Danas, Dragan Sutanovac did not declare himself, "but he has been advocating changes at the helm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a long time". According to this newspaper, the Belgrade mayor also offered "strong criticism" of Agriculture Minister and fellow top DS official Dusan Petrovic's "people", described as being "mostly from central Serbia". This, says the report, caused a stormy debate, "even more furious than the one about Jeremic". Meanwhile, the MFA would not comment on these media articles, saying only that the minister was out of the country on Sunday and thus did not attend the DS main board session. A file photo of Djilas and Jeremic (Tanjug)

"Belgrade mayor wants foreign minister sacked"

B92 has learned that Đilas addressed the part of the session closed to the public to say that since Deputy PM Božidar Đelić resigned because of the failure, part of the responsibility was also on the ministries headed by Vuk Jeremić and Goran Bogdanović.

Belgrade-based newspaper Blic writes that Đilas was supported by Dragoljub Mićunović when he said that "Jeremić was the main culprit for Serbia not receiving the candidature".

Another Belgrade-based daily, Danas, says that Đilas appraised that the diplomacy did not do its work, while the foreing minister "had no credibility or influence with the most influential EU members".

But, according to these reports, party leader and the country's president, Boris Tadić, did not support such a stance. He told the meeting that party officials "must be a team" that "does not work on each other's demise", and spoke against in-party fighting, "especially ahead of elections".

This time, writes Danas, Dragan Šutanovac did not declare himself, "but he has been advocating changes at the helm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a long time".

According to this newspaper, the Belgrade mayor also offered "strong criticism" of Agriculture Minister and fellow top DS official Dušan Petrović's "people", described as being "mostly from central Serbia".

This, says the report, caused a stormy debate, "even more furious than the one about Jeremić".

Meanwhile, the MFA would not comment on these media articles, saying only that the minister was out of the country on Sunday and thus did not attend the DS main board session.