“Serbia should insist on talks with EU in regard to Kosovo”

Belgrade, March, 02, 2010 ( Source: Tanjug) – DSS President Vojislav Koštunica said that Serbia should insist on talks with the EU in which there will be clear discussions of Kosovo. “European officials are stating every day that the time has come for conditions to be set before Serbia publicly to begin cooperating with Kosovo as a neighboring country,” the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader said. He said that it is “pointless for the government to continue to hide the truth from the people, because the time for fraudulence has passed.” “The government should not be allowed, without the approval of the parliament, to enter negotiations on new agreements, especially not on implementing good neighborly relations with Kosovo,” Koštunica said. He repeated that “the current government accepted EULEX without the approval of the parliamentary and signed an agreement on the recognition of borders with Kosovo,” and stressed that it is “unacceptable for the state parliament to never discuss the southern province.”

“Strategic partnership agreement between Serbia and France is ready”

Belgrade, Feb. 26, 2010 (Serbia Today) - French Ambassador to Serbia Jean-Francois Terral has said that the text of a strategic partnership agreement between Serbia and France is ready, and that the negotiations should be completed by initialing the agreement during a future visit by France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner
French Ambassador to Serbia Jean-Francois Terral has said that the text of a strategic partnership agreement between Serbia and France is ready, and that the negotiations should be completed by initialing the agreement during a future visit by France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Terral told Vecernje novosti, a Serbian daily, that the agreement was announced in May 2009, during Serbian President Boris Tadic's visit to Paris, adding that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is going visit Serbia in 2010. According to Terral, the agreement tries to give a formal shape to the political obligation to cooperate in Serbia's European integration when it comes to economy, energy, defense, security, environment protection, science, culture and university issues. Terral pointed out that France feels that Serbia belongs in the EU, which was stated very clearly by Sarkozy during his meeting with Tadic in Paris. France will back Serbia's EU bid, Terral noted, adding that the bid being sent to the European Commission is a technical matter with the aim of getting an opinion. It could be sent immediately, according to Terral, who remarked that France hopes a consensus will be reached soon.

Serbian Police searched Ratko Mladic’s house in Belgrade

Belgrade, Feb. 25, 2010 (Serbia Today) -  According to news reports by the Serbian  media, Serbian police (MUP) ended an operation that started on Tuesday morning, where they searched the home of Ratko Mladić in the Belgrade municipality of Banovo Brdo. The search for the former military leader of Bosnia's Serbs and Hague Tribunal began early on Tuesday with about ten officers from MUP's special units seen in front of the house. Police said that they confiscated "a number of movable objects and a small sum of money". Neighbors reported that Ratko Mladić‘s son Darko Mladić was present in the building. The last publicized operation, launched as part of the search for Mladić, took place in October of last year, near Novi Sad, with the President of the National Council for Hague Cooperation Rasim Ljajić stating at the time that a “widespread search was implemented.” In Bosnia, EUFOR conducted its own search on request from the Hague Tribunal in Bjeljina in May 2009. The last time Mladić’s home in Banovo Brdo was searched was in December 2008, when police spent eight hours there. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said on Tuesday that the search of the location was part of the regular activities of the Action Team for the location and arrest of remaining Hague indictees. “Search is underway in certain buildings and the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor will inform the public about that. The search is part of the regular activities which have been carried out at different locations with the aim to find evidence that might help locate the ones that have been charged with the Hague Tribunal,” Dačić told journalists during his visit to the Police Academy. Asked if state bodies were now closer to locating Mladić, Dačić answered that he would be able to answer that question "only once the search had been proved as fruitful," according to Tanjug. It was reported on Wednesday that "EUR 70,000 was found in the apartment of J. Hadži Đokića, a urologist and SANU member, former director of the Clinical Center of Serbia and JUL member". The JUL was a party founded and led by Slobodan Milošević's wife Mirjana Marković. Vujačić also said that the search was ordered by the investigating magistrate of the Belgrade Higher Court War Crimes Department, adding that it is the fourth time in the past year that Mladić's house, where his wife and son live, is being searched. Vujačić explained that he was present at the search as a "family friend" and not as a legal counsel, since Mladić's family are not suspects.

Serbian Progressive Party push for early elections

Belgrade, Feb. 24, 2010 ( Serbia Today) – The leader of the opposition Serbian Progressive Party  campaigned in Belgrade on Monday for early elections.  He was joined by Velimir Ilic of the NS Party and Nenad Popovic of the DSS Party. As Serbian news agency Tanjug reports, they were united in their request for early parliamentary elections.
At a meeting to show support the campaign of signature-collection urging new elections in Serbia, Nikolić declared that SNS, NS and DSS are united, adding that he believed that other parties in Serbia will soon join them. He noted that around one million signatures have been collected so far. When asked about the formation of a pre-election coalition, Ilić answered that this issue will be discussed and that the parties are now firmly united. He believes that the most important matter is that the people are also united in their bid to hold elections. Popović stated that he was designated by DSS leader Vojislav Koštunica to attend the meeting. He added that the elections were the only solution for overcoming the "deep political and economic crisis" in the country.

American Congressman Earl Pomeroy visits Serbia

Belgrade, Feb. 22, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic met last Thursday with a delegation of US Congress, led by Congressman Earl Pomeroy, after which he stated that Serbia has full support of the United States for its membership in the EU. Djelic pointed out that there are differences in the attitudes of Serbia and the United States on Kosovo- Metohija and added that Serbian arguments were presented to Pomeroy. According to Djelic, Serbia believes that after the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will create conditions for solving the status of Kosovo-Metohija. The Deputy Prime Minister announced that he will visit the United States in April, when he will sign the first agreement on scientific and technical cooperation of Serbia and the United States. Pomeroy said he will spend one day visit Kraljevo, where he as high school students spent one summer in a Serbian family. Pomeroy said he is pleased that the citizens of Serbia are granted visa liberalization and also with the fact that Serbia applied to obtain candidate status for EU membership. The Serbian government is working hard, Pomeroy said, adding that he believes that there is room for improvement of cooperation between Serbia and the United States in the field of science, agriculture and energy.

Ministers charged with misdemeanor

Belgrade, Feb. 22, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic talked last Friday with all the government ministers against whom charges have been filed by the State Audit Institution.

In a written statement, the Prime Minister said that he is informed about the preparation of documentation in various ministries concerning the irregularities and that this material will be presented in court. He said that after conducting an audit control procedure for the 2008 budget the State Audit Institution filed misdemeanor charges against those suspected of irregularities and it is up to the courts as independent bodies to determine the validity of these allegations. The government will take all necessary steps in the future to prevent such irregularities. I would like to state once more that it is extremely important for Serbia that the State Audit Institution has presented its first report and that state spending transparency has been established, said Cvetkovic.
Nevertheless, it is expected that most of the ministers will be punished only with the monetary fines which could be as low as 8 US Dollars and no higher than 700 US Dollars. It also not expected that any of them will be called to answer for their wrongdoings in front of their party members. Ministers that were charged are Slobodan Milosavljević, Goran Bogdanović, Žarko Obradovića, Tomica Milosavljević,, Nebojša Bradić, Saša Dragin, and Oliver Dulić.

The Financing of the Political Parties in Serbia

Belgrade, Feb. 20, 2010 (Serbia Today) – The annual financial reports by the political parties in Serbia revealing all of the sources of the financial support and of the ways funds were spent, will probably never be completed, according to an article published in Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti on Thursday. One of the crucial questions is if all of those who gave donations to the political parties have their incomes from the legit sources and how the parties could protect themselves from being sucked into receiving support from questionable sources often connected to organized crime. That there is a certain amount of the lack of control shows a fact that since 2004 there were 268 cases open before Serbian Courts against parties that didn’t give full documentation about their expenditures and none of them have ever been resolved. Furthermore, until the beginning of last year, all of the financial transactions by the parties were controlled by the Finance Committee of the Parliament, and it was not to expect that MP’s will objects their own parties reports. New Law that is in preparation by the Ministry of Justice will try to solve all of the financing issues with much tougher punishments for those parties and individuals that break the law. It is expected this Law to come before Parliament in June. However, this law will be implemented only on reports starting with the end of 2009 and after. The Government Agency for the Fight against corruption prepares a form of a questioner for the parties that will require parties to declare all expenditures and income. This questioner will be ready by March 7th and it is expected to be used for the local elections in the Municipality of Negotin for the very first time.