The President of the National Assembly, Ivica Dačić, said that he inherited the role of the inter-party dialogue agreed upon by Maja Gojković and David McAllister, and that, according to that agreement, the dialogue was supported by the mediation of members of the European Parliament.
During his guest appearance on the RTS Questionnaire show, Dacic stated that he had recently talked with OSCE representatives, where each side presented its views and proposals, and added that they would talk to the Government of Serbia and the Working Group by the end of May. for co-operation with the OSCE, as well as with representatives of civil society and representatives of EU member states.
He also reminded of the meeting attended by representatives of 26 parties that do not want the mediation of MEPs and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and pointed out that the meeting was very constructive.
“We agreed to talk very openly and constructively within a narrower format, and I will schedule this week, the continuation of those talks,” said Dacic, adding that it was agreed not to hold plenary meetings until there is a specific topic, and that voter lists will be the topic of the next meeting.
The president of the Democratic Party, Zoran Lutovac, pointed out that there is no “part of the dialogue” and that it is “a delusion and a story to make real talks meaningless”.
“We have only one real conversation. These are talks mediated by MEPs. This story was made only to dilute and show that there is supposedly some continuity with the dialogue from two years ago. If they look at it that way, then it has nothing to do with what needs to be done “, Lutovac pointed out.
He emphasized that “the real dialogue is directed towards the essence”, and that the voter lists are technical matters.
“We are talking here about election conditions. We are talking here about how to respect what is written in the Constitution and laws. We do not want to negotiate whether and to what extent the Constitution and laws will be implemented, but we are talking about that it is as if what has not been implemented so far is being implemented. That was the key topic, “Lutovac emphasized, adding that the essence of the conversation was free and fair elections.
Fair elections – the national interest
The president of the Enough is Enough movement, Sasa Radulovic, said that the movement said that it was up to the authorities to decide how many tracks the dialogue would take and that they believe that foreigners should not attend for reasons, but “Enough is enough” will attend all talks. which will be attended by SNS and SPS.
“The goal of all the talks we have should be that at the end of every election process, no one can say that the elections were not fair, that they were not fair, that they were stolen, falsified or whatever, and that this is in the state and national interest.” that is, by having a strong democracy, with a strong opposition, we are actually strengthening Serbia. We are strengthening our position in all talks, that is, we are resisting all pressures and in that way we should position ourselves in everything we do, “Radulovic stressed.
He added that Serbia needs a strong opposition and a strong parliament, and that it is easier to resist the pressure on Serbia that exists.
“I don’t mind that there is another track. I think there should be one, without the European Union. However, that other track is fine. I will not attack those who are in those talks. We said we want to be on those talks as well. However, we are not invited by EU parliamentarians. This is an example of someone from the outside arranging the political scene in Serbia, where they have some parties that they like, some that they do not like, “said Radulovic, adding that “Enough is enough” is a member of the ICR group in the European Parliament, which is an opposition group there.
The member of the Presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party, Vladimir Orlić, stated that there is a significant number of political parties and movements that the election conditions and everything important should be discussed “among us” and that they gathered at a meeting in the National Assembly hosting the dialogue.
“If we talk about the composition and what and how it went, absolutely none of the people who participated in that meeting, and in which the President of the Republic Aleksandar Vučić personally participated, and I think I told everyone who watches us about the importance of that meeting, the fact that it is a meeting that was held at the highest possible level and everyone knows and understands what it means, “said Orlić.
Everyone is satisfied with the seriousness of the meeting in the Assembly
Orlic added that everyone was very satisfied with the seriousness shown at the meeting, as well as the organization and attitude of the parliamentary majority to give space to those who are not in the National Assembly for various reasons to present their thoughts and proposals.
“We have absolutely no problem talking to anyone in this country. We really believe that we can have a dialogue as serious people in a serious society, but with those who care about the dialogue. Let me remind you, the former regime, this tycoon of his “part of it, it completely boycotted any dialogue in 2019. They boycotted the National Assembly, which they don’t like now, and they loved it when they were paid, but also the European Parliament,” said Orlić.
The member of the Presidency of the SNS accused some opposition parties of elitism and that they believe that dialogue is only where they are, as well as that for them, the request of all demands is business interests, and not election conditions.
He pointed out that otherwise the street will be questioned and that there will be no elections at all, as well as that the essence is that dialogue is not important to them, but their business ideas.
Zoran Lutovac stated that those who will participate in the elections participate in the dialogue in the National Assembly, regardless of the election conditions, and that their goal is not to regulate RTS, but to talk about all important social topics on the public service. and that parallel editing was just one of the suggestions on how to reach that goal.
He said that this is not required for the opposition, but for the citizens, in order to have the conditions for voting and that they must be informed.
Concrete proposals, not political performances
Ivica Dačić pointed out that they only got the platform of the group gathered around Boris Tadić, and that everything that is known about the talks with the MEPs is through their statements after those meetings.
Dacic added that all topics are open and that this is not a problem, but that the problem is that it is not possible to talk at the level of political performances, but about concrete proposals.
He also mentioned that the agenda must be divided by topics and reminded that President Vučić also agreed that the talks should be completed at least six months before the elections.
Sasa Radulovic stated that Serbia is under great pressure in connection with several issues, including Kosovo and Metohija and the Republika Srpska, and that the pressure is now significantly increasing, and that the elections in the United States have shown that democracy is squeaking everywhere.
He assessed that in the past, the government in Serbia relied little on the opposition as allies in the protection of national interests.
“Everything else should be discussed. I hope that there will be more opportunities for an open and constructive dialogue on important issues,” Radulovic said, reiterating that a strong assembly and a strong opposition are in Serbia’s state interest.
What an outcome of the dialogue would be favorable for all
Lutovac stated that the success of the talks will be if an agreement is reached that can be implemented for at least six months, primarily in the area of media freedom, and added that the second condition is to find mechanisms and procedures for citizens to vote without pressure and blackmail.
He stated that they have the right to civil resistance and civil rebellion if that does not happen.
Ivica Dačić reminded that the presidential and city elections will be held at the same time, and that Vučić stated that he thinks that there should be extraordinary parliamentary elections at the same time, but that there will be an opportunity to discuss that.
He added that the National Assembly would discuss the proposal to change the Constitution on June 8, as well as that a referendum on constitutional changes could not be held at the same time unless an agreement on changes to the Constitution was reached. Dacic emphasized that the EU is pressuring Serbia to implement changes, and that some parties are against that.
Radulović assessed that the interests of the European Union are not the interests of the citizens of Serbia, and he emphasized that the government should gather, not attack.
Vladimir Orlić estimated that the opposition would like Aleksandar Vučić not to participate in the elections at all, since there are no conditions under which they can defeat him.
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