Belgrade, Feb. 04, 2010 (Source: Tanjug) - Opposition SNS leader Tomislav Nikolić and his deputy Aleksandar Vučić signed the party’s petition calling for early parliamentary elections.
“Serbia is at a historical crossroads and can choose between the current, or a new, democratic government,” Nikolić said after signing the petition in Belgrade on Tuesday. “SNS has begun this campaign wishing to ask the citizens of Serbia whether they are content with the current government, whether it is true when they tell us that we are living well, that the standard (of living) is growing in Serbia, that Serbia is a peaceful and safe country, that the rule of law exists, that the protection of our interest in Kosovo and the protection of our citizens outside of Serbia is completely secured,” Nikolić stated. He added that Serbia “will have no more referendums” deciding on parties that want to join the EU, that want democracy and the rule of law, “or those who do not”. The SNS leader said that his party is trying to gather a new bloc of “progressive-national parties” that are oriented towards the EU and cooperation with the entire world, and dedicated to routing out corruption, bribery and crime. Nikolić called on all opposition parties to participate in this, and for all citizens who voted for parties in the ruling coalition in the last election to “think hard whether this is the life they fought for and voted for”. He added that SNS is not seeking to gain power, but rather wants new elections, and “for someone to ask the citizens what they think about everything that is happening in Serbia”. SNS announced that it will be opening up a thousand locations country-wide the next week at which the petition can be signed.
Friday, February 5, 2010
NATO backs peace, security, integrations in Kosovo
Brussels, Feb. 03, 2010 (Serbia Today) – As Serbian news Agency Beta reports NATO will support all steps that strengthen peace and security in Kosovo, the alliance’s secretary general has been quoted as saying today. These steps, according to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, include integration of all communities into the Kosovo society,
The news agency specified that this was Rassmusen’s answer to a reporter’s question on whether NATO supported the International Civilian Office (ICO) in Priština in its plan to spread the authority of the Priština (Kosovo Albanian) government to the Serb, northern parts of the province. Rasmussen also confirmed that on Friday in Brussels, he met with ICO and EULEX chiefs Pieter Feith and Yves de Kermabon to discuss this issue. NATO officials at the alliance’s headquarters told Beta that “Atlantic partners have not yet discussed Feith’s plan in the NATO Council”. Meanwhile, EU officials have said that they did not produce the plan. Rasmussen was also quoted as saying that KFOR will consider a further scaling down of its troops from the present 10,200, if the security situation in Kosovo permits for such a move.
The news agency specified that this was Rassmusen’s answer to a reporter’s question on whether NATO supported the International Civilian Office (ICO) in Priština in its plan to spread the authority of the Priština (Kosovo Albanian) government to the Serb, northern parts of the province. Rasmussen also confirmed that on Friday in Brussels, he met with ICO and EULEX chiefs Pieter Feith and Yves de Kermabon to discuss this issue. NATO officials at the alliance’s headquarters told Beta that “Atlantic partners have not yet discussed Feith’s plan in the NATO Council”. Meanwhile, EU officials have said that they did not produce the plan. Rasmussen was also quoted as saying that KFOR will consider a further scaling down of its troops from the present 10,200, if the security situation in Kosovo permits for such a move.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Dacic talks with US Justice Department representatives
Belgrade/Washington, Feb 03, 2010 (Serbia Today) - – Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic met with representatives of the US Department of Justice to discuss security and police cooperation, on the third day of his visit to the US.
After talks, Dacic said that at the meeting he spoke with US Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny Breuer and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz. The US Justice Department is one of the most valuable partners of the Serbian Interior Ministry due to the differences in the political systems of the two countries and because the FBI and other security services are part of it. The Interior Ministry cooperates with the Justice Department on a large number of activities, such as the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and the witness protection program, said Dacic. He said that cooperation to date has been extremely good and that there are many areas in which cooperation needs to be progressed, adding that a number of capacity building programs are being carried out in the Interior Ministry and the police force and there is huge potential for other joint projects.
One of the future projects is joint assessment of threats posed by organized crime and terrorism in our region, said Dacic.
He said that talks with the US Justice Department will be continued over the next couple of days and meetings will be held with the Director of the FBI and representatives of other agencies, as well as the US Department of Homeland Security. Dacic said that the US Justice Department officials found their cooperation with the Serbian Interior Ministry to be beneficial. The Justice Department has assessed that their cooperation with the Serbian interior and justice ministries is excellent. Major progress was made recently regarding the fight against organized crime, corruption and drug trafficking; several important arrests were made in connection with drug trafficking and large quantities of narcotics were confiscated, said Dacic. Dacic said that Serbia’s progress concerning the implementation of the law on the confiscation of illegally obtained assets was also assessed positively and accordingly it was agreed that cooperation should be continued with the US Marshals Service, which provides witness protection and deals with the confiscation of illegally obtained assets in the US. The assessment by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Serbia had done a great deal in the previous year to combat human trafficking was also conveyed, said Dacic.
After talks, Dacic said that at the meeting he spoke with US Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Lanny Breuer and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Bruce Swartz. The US Justice Department is one of the most valuable partners of the Serbian Interior Ministry due to the differences in the political systems of the two countries and because the FBI and other security services are part of it. The Interior Ministry cooperates with the Justice Department on a large number of activities, such as the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program and the witness protection program, said Dacic. He said that cooperation to date has been extremely good and that there are many areas in which cooperation needs to be progressed, adding that a number of capacity building programs are being carried out in the Interior Ministry and the police force and there is huge potential for other joint projects.
One of the future projects is joint assessment of threats posed by organized crime and terrorism in our region, said Dacic.
He said that talks with the US Justice Department will be continued over the next couple of days and meetings will be held with the Director of the FBI and representatives of other agencies, as well as the US Department of Homeland Security. Dacic said that the US Justice Department officials found their cooperation with the Serbian Interior Ministry to be beneficial. The Justice Department has assessed that their cooperation with the Serbian interior and justice ministries is excellent. Major progress was made recently regarding the fight against organized crime, corruption and drug trafficking; several important arrests were made in connection with drug trafficking and large quantities of narcotics were confiscated, said Dacic. Dacic said that Serbia’s progress concerning the implementation of the law on the confiscation of illegally obtained assets was also assessed positively and accordingly it was agreed that cooperation should be continued with the US Marshals Service, which provides witness protection and deals with the confiscation of illegally obtained assets in the US. The assessment by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Serbia had done a great deal in the previous year to combat human trafficking was also conveyed, said Dacic.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New Serbia Party criticizes Belgrade administration
Belgrade, Feb. 01 2010 (Serbia Today) - New Serbia Party (NS) has begun an action for getting a petition signed for holding emergency local elections in Belgrade as Beta News Agency reports.
“The departure of the current government is the only way to end the destruction of the city, stop the financial collapse and protect the citizens of Belgrade,” NS City Council President Borislav Borović said. He said that the government is “incapable and damaging,” but also “dangerous to the physical security of the citizens,” stating that Mayor Dragan Đilas claims that the Gazela Bridge is safe, despite the fact that the main architects of the project said that the bridge could collapse if it is not reconstructed.
Borović said that the municipal councils of his party will be implementing this action every weekend. He said that NS will ask for the support of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), adding that he expects that enough signatures will be gathered by March to “force the government to back down.” NS Vice-President Dubravka Filipovski said that NS will help SNS on the state level, and that the party expects SNS’s support on the local level because of this.
“The departure of the current government is the only way to end the destruction of the city, stop the financial collapse and protect the citizens of Belgrade,” NS City Council President Borislav Borović said. He said that the government is “incapable and damaging,” but also “dangerous to the physical security of the citizens,” stating that Mayor Dragan Đilas claims that the Gazela Bridge is safe, despite the fact that the main architects of the project said that the bridge could collapse if it is not reconstructed.
Borović said that the municipal councils of his party will be implementing this action every weekend. He said that NS will ask for the support of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), adding that he expects that enough signatures will be gathered by March to “force the government to back down.” NS Vice-President Dubravka Filipovski said that NS will help SNS on the state level, and that the party expects SNS’s support on the local level because of this.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
President Boris Tadić says: “Intolerance of differences unacceptable”
Belgrade, Jan. 29, 2010 (Source: Beta) - President Boris Tadić yesterday took part in Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies in Belgrade,Beta reports.
He joined representatives of Serbia, Belgrade, the Jewish community and foreign diplomats in placing flowers at the Monument to the Victims of Genocide in World War II at Staro Sajmište, which was a Nazi concentration camp during the war. Speaking about the mass persecution and extermination of Jews in WWII, Tadić said Serbia will never accept the destruction of others who are different or because they belong to other ethnic, national, religious or political group. "No prejudice or odium, which tend to justify and inspire intolerance, can jeopardize our belief that our human identity is above all that and that in others we recognize ourselves and the possibility to expand our human aspect," Tadić said.
“We are witnessing attempts to make us forget those tragic temptations of the Holocaust, revision of the history of the Nazi crimes, and revival of the ideology of intolerance, racism and chauvinism, ethnic, religious and other forms of fascism," the president said, stressing that "this cannot and must not happen in Serbia." Israeli Ambassador Arthur Koll said the Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to think and realize what can happen unless racism, prejudice and hate are stopped.
Belgrade City Assembly speaker Aleksandar Antić pledged the city will do everything it can to maintain memorial centers and build new ones to keep the memory of the greatest evil in human history alive. He went on to say that everything will be done to make Belgrade a safe city, free of racial and religious intolerance. The possibility of turning Staro Sajmište into a big memorial complex is being debated, according to Antić.
He joined representatives of Serbia, Belgrade, the Jewish community and foreign diplomats in placing flowers at the Monument to the Victims of Genocide in World War II at Staro Sajmište, which was a Nazi concentration camp during the war. Speaking about the mass persecution and extermination of Jews in WWII, Tadić said Serbia will never accept the destruction of others who are different or because they belong to other ethnic, national, religious or political group. "No prejudice or odium, which tend to justify and inspire intolerance, can jeopardize our belief that our human identity is above all that and that in others we recognize ourselves and the possibility to expand our human aspect," Tadić said.
“We are witnessing attempts to make us forget those tragic temptations of the Holocaust, revision of the history of the Nazi crimes, and revival of the ideology of intolerance, racism and chauvinism, ethnic, religious and other forms of fascism," the president said, stressing that "this cannot and must not happen in Serbia." Israeli Ambassador Arthur Koll said the Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to think and realize what can happen unless racism, prejudice and hate are stopped.
Belgrade City Assembly speaker Aleksandar Antić pledged the city will do everything it can to maintain memorial centers and build new ones to keep the memory of the greatest evil in human history alive. He went on to say that everything will be done to make Belgrade a safe city, free of racial and religious intolerance. The possibility of turning Staro Sajmište into a big memorial complex is being debated, according to Antić.
Financing for 10,000 low-cost apartments approved
Belgrade, Jan. 26, 2010, (Serbia Today) -The Government of Serbia has adopted decrees for subsidized financing for the construction of 10,000 apartments. The apartments would range in price from EUR 695 to EUR 1,595 per square meter depending upon location, according to Oliver Dulić, the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, as reported on the Government website on Jan. 21, 2010.
The Minister reported that the price per square meter would be 1,595 EUR in Belgrade‘s second zone, EUR 1,290 in its third zone, EUR 945 in its fourth zone, and EUR 895 in other zones. Low -cost apartments would not be built in Belgrade's first zone and extra zone. The price per square meter in Novi Sad's first zone will be 1,100 EUR, while the price in the second zone will be 895 EUR. For Niš and Kragujevac first zone, prices will be EUR 900,and EUR 695 for second zone. The price in other cities and municipalities in Serbia would be EUR 695. Construction of apartments in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac should start soon, while construction in other towns of Serbia will depend on the level of interest of citizens.
Dulić said that the Government has secured 2 billion RSD for subsidizing interest on the apartment financing at an annual rate of 7%, as opposed to a normal interest rate of 9% to 10% annually.
The Minister reported that the price per square meter would be 1,595 EUR in Belgrade‘s second zone, EUR 1,290 in its third zone, EUR 945 in its fourth zone, and EUR 895 in other zones. Low -cost apartments would not be built in Belgrade's first zone and extra zone. The price per square meter in Novi Sad's first zone will be 1,100 EUR, while the price in the second zone will be 895 EUR. For Niš and Kragujevac first zone, prices will be EUR 900,and EUR 695 for second zone. The price in other cities and municipalities in Serbia would be EUR 695. Construction of apartments in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac should start soon, while construction in other towns of Serbia will depend on the level of interest of citizens.
Dulić said that the Government has secured 2 billion RSD for subsidizing interest on the apartment financing at an annual rate of 7%, as opposed to a normal interest rate of 9% to 10% annually.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Opposition on Srebrenica resolution
Belgrade, Jan. 25, 2010, (Source: B92) - There are still discussions that are ongoing among politicians from various parties in Serbia regarding the resolutions for condemning war crimes of the 1990s.
Even though it is still not known when the drafts for condemning the crimes in Srebrenica and for condemning crimes committed against Serbs will be finished, it is still a very active topic on the political scene.
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Tomislav Nikolić claims that his party is ready to participate in drafting the Srebrenica resolution, if the government makes its stance clear on the issue.
“I am ready for SNS to participate in that, even if it means that someone will accuse us of cooperating with the government. I think that a normal person would not think that, only someone who has a completely twisted stance on what reality is,” Nikolić said.
“I am ready to immediately accept to begin working on it, to present our own arguments, to back down a little, and have others back down a little and for Serbia to come out with a united stance. In any other circumstances, it is 127 votes for and 123 against, which is not the stance of Serbia,” he said.
The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) said that Serbia should only adopt one resolution in which it will pay respect to all innocent victims and condemn the perpetrators of all crimes.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) accused SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić on Saturday of having a hypocritical stance towards the adoption of the Srebrenica resolution.
Even though it is still not known when the drafts for condemning the crimes in Srebrenica and for condemning crimes committed against Serbs will be finished, it is still a very active topic on the political scene.
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Tomislav Nikolić claims that his party is ready to participate in drafting the Srebrenica resolution, if the government makes its stance clear on the issue.
“I am ready for SNS to participate in that, even if it means that someone will accuse us of cooperating with the government. I think that a normal person would not think that, only someone who has a completely twisted stance on what reality is,” Nikolić said.
“I am ready to immediately accept to begin working on it, to present our own arguments, to back down a little, and have others back down a little and for Serbia to come out with a united stance. In any other circumstances, it is 127 votes for and 123 against, which is not the stance of Serbia,” he said.
The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) said that Serbia should only adopt one resolution in which it will pay respect to all innocent victims and condemn the perpetrators of all crimes.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) accused SNS deputy leader Aleksandar Vučić on Saturday of having a hypocritical stance towards the adoption of the Srebrenica resolution.
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