Dačić talks about "missing no more opportunities"

BANJA LUKA Prime Minister Ivica Dacic has said that Serbia "missed two opportunities to redefine its international status" - something that it now "cannot afford to do." "This was after the Dayton agreement and after October 5 (2000). And we missed both. This one we must not miss. Things have to move from the deadlock." Dacic talks about "missing no more opportunities" "Because, the way it is going, Serbia will only be increasingly economically devastated and humiliated. In the end it will not be able to protect its national and state interests," Dacic was quoted as saying by the Banja Luka Nezavisne Novine daily. He stressed that he "absolutely thinks" Serbia could have and must have made "some moves" earlier, that this was "good for the whole region - because it ceases to be the Wild West", while Serbia was given "a completely new image." Dacic also believes that "the time for arguments and stories about who is more to blame is over" and that it is now time "to get everyone in the region to commit to the future, because we all share the same problems and goals." "I really do not want to grant amnesty to anyone who committed a crime, but the past cannot change, however, we can influence the future so that we do not repeat the past. This is my message and logic to which I subscribe," said Dacic. Pointing out that "Serbia's positions have not changed," the prime minister said that Serbia is taking into account the Kosovo Albanians' "right to decide where they want to live," but that Serbs should have "the same right." "That's why agreement is necessary there. We have not changed our decision on Kosovo's status. We continue to believe that this is an illegal independence that we do not recognize, but we want to resolve the daily problems. Simply put, there's been enough hate and violence during these centuries from the Kosovo Battle onwards and it is very hard to come up with a solution that is acceptable to both Serbs and Albanians. Therefore now, when we spoke in Brussels about that, were not governed by solving the status issues now," Dacic was quoted as saying. He stressed that "Kosovo's declaration of independence was unacceptable and cannot be recognized by the international community," but that many countries have nonetheless done so "simply because they had an order to do so." Dacic also told the newspaper that the relations in the region had changed "and are now closer." "It has now become quite normal that our presidents and prime ministers visit each other in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I wish the entire region finally ceased to make the news. Because we are, it seems, only in the bad news," said Dacic. (Beta, file) Nezavisne novine

Dačić talks about "missing no more opportunities"

"Because, the way it is going, Serbia will only be increasingly economically devastated and humiliated. In the end it will not be able to protect its national and state interests," Dačić was quoted as saying by the Banja Luka Nezavisne Novine daily.

He stressed that he "absolutely thinks" Serbia could have and must have made "some moves" earlier, that this was "good for the whole region - because it ceases to be the Wild West", while Serbia was given "a completely new image."

Dačić also believes that "the time for arguments and stories about who is more to blame is over" and that it is now time "to get everyone in the region to commit to the future, because we all share the same problems and goals."

"I really do not want to grant amnesty to anyone who committed a crime, but the past cannot change, however, we can influence the future so that we do not repeat the past. This is my message and logic to which I subscribe," said Dačić.

Pointing out that "Serbia's positions have not changed," the prime minister said that Serbia is taking into account the Kosovo Albanians' "right to decide where they want to live," but that Serbs should have "the same right."

"That's why agreement is necessary there. We have not changed our decision on Kosovo's status. We continue to believe that this is an illegal independence that we do not recognize, but we want to resolve the daily problems. Simply put, there's been enough hate and violence during these centuries from the Kosovo Battle onwards and it is very hard to come up with a solution that is acceptable to both Serbs and Albanians. Therefore now, when we spoke in Brussels about that, were not governed by solving the status issues now," Dačić was quoted as saying.

He stressed that "Kosovo's declaration of independence was unacceptable and cannot be recognized by the international community," but that many countries have nonetheless done so "simply because they had an order to do so."

Dačić also told the newspaper that the relations in the region had changed "and are now closer."

"It has now become quite normal that our presidents and prime ministers visit each other in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I wish the entire region finally ceased to make the news. Because we are, it seems, only in the bad news," said Dačić.