President wants government to seek Russian veto - report

President wants government to seek Russian veto - report

"We do not think anything good about the resolution on Srebrenica, which is being prepared for adoption in the UN, starting with its motives, content and messages to us, all the way to clear warnings, once again to us, and not to those who have throughout their history committed genocide in other's territories - for example, Belgium - and even in their own, for example, Germany and Turkey," the newspaper quoted unnamed sources from Tomislav Nikolic's cabinet, who added:

"This terrible phenomenon, the horror that took place in Srebrenica is so politicized that that causes nausea."

They further noted that "Srebrenica was not an isolated phenomenon, it occurred during the civil war, after numerous massacres of Serb civilians in the vicinity of that same Srebrenica."

"Serbia should seek the support of Russia in the UN Security Council to block the adoption of the resolution. And not only of Russia, everyone in the UN Security Council should be explained that crimes of this type are not our invention, if they at least mentioned the Nazis and the Ustashas, the first genocide in history, the Armenians, on which some twenty western European parliaments took vote, and nothing - only Srebrenica and one verdict against Krstic," this daily quoted its sources as saying, when asked to comment on the president's position regarding the British draft.

The newspaper also asked Foreign Minister Ivic Dacic "whether Russia would decide not to veto in case of Serbia supported the text, or if it would veto if Serbia does not back the resolution," to which he replied: "Russia could support us in our decision, but does not have to."

When asked "what decision he was closer to making - to support the text or reject it," Dacici said that "all does not depend only on him."

"When Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic returns from Oslo, he will say what he had decided and what we will do," explained Dacic.

He reiterated that "nobody asked Serbia anything in connection with the resolution," and that "only members of the UN Security Council have a say."

The paper said it spoke to other officials from the government who said that Vucic will make his final decision regarding the resolution on Srebrenica by the end of this week.

He spent yesterday in Switzerland, the country where Naser Oric was arrested on a Serbian warrant.

Asked whether "Naser Oric would be a topic during the visit to Switzerland, considering that his arrest was sharply criticized in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which resulted in the cancellation of the visit of President Tomislav Nikolic to Sarajevo, but also in the words unwelcoming Vucic to the commemoration in Potocari on July 11" - the daily was told that Oric would not be a topic.

The article adds that "the decision of Serbia on the resolution will be not announced at the same time as the decision on whether Vucic will be present at the marking of the 20the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica."

"This decision will certainly be made by the time German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits (Serbia) on July 7," added the government sources.

The newspaper further writes that there is no decision yet at the UN headquarters in New York on whether to send the draft to the Security Council, or to the General Assembly.

"Security Council permanent members (Russia, China, the United States, Britain and France) have veto power and can block the adoption of any decision, while a majority decides in the General Assembly. Only decisions of the Security Council are binding to all member states," UN sources have been quoted as saying.

On the other hand, continued the article, "signals of clear opposition to the text of the resolution are coming from Russia, although Serbia's position has not been announced yet."

With this resolution, the West "wants to signal that it can trigger mechanisms that might deal a blow to Serbia's authority and image because it did not join sanctions against Russia," chair of the Russia Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, Alexei Pushkov, said while visiting Belgrade this week.