Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he was 99 per cent sure that the Paris meeting of the Western Balkans leaders with Kosovo on its agenda planned for July 1st, would not be held because the Albanians “are not ready to talk about anything important,” the Beta news agency reported.
Speaking for the Pink TV, which is considered close to the authorities, Vucic added that he was under the impression that the Albanians wanted to send a message to the Germans and French that the European countries should not take part in solving the Kosovo issue.
“I’m 99 per cent sure that Paris (meeting) won’t happen,” he said ten days ahead of the meeting, adding that both Berlin and Paris understood Pristina’s message well.
He also said that Serbia acted constructively and seriously, that it wanted a dialogue and a solution, but could not continue talks which were conditioned by Serbia accepting Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
On Wednesday, Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabicsaid she saw no reason for the meeting to take place if Pristina did not revoke the decision on 100 per cent import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia, introduced last November. Vucic said that chances of the Kosovo government talking about retracting the tariffs were less than 1%.
Kosovo’s Government rejected the move despite being pressured by both the US and EU. Brussels agreed with Belgrade that the taxes had to be removed for the dialogue on normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo to resume.
“There will be many changes in the SNS”
Vucic also said that many changes will be made in the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of which he is the president. “A great rejuvenation will take place in late summer or early autumn,” said Vucic.
He also referred to him criticizing certain SNS officials at a recent session of the party’s Main Committee by saying that the SNS “will not turn into DOS (opposition bloc) parties”.
“Historically speaking, the SNS has done a lot for the people in Serbia. I want to be part of the people, to hear what people think, what they are pleased with and what they are not. I will not distance myself from the people,” Vucic went on to say.
Commenting on the statements that certain opposition politicians made that he would not leave calmly, Vucic said he would leave when he wanted to.
“In order to surrender to some power, one has to win in the elections. They want to create an atmosphere where there are two Serbias. They are wondering if Vucic will peacefully leave. Let me remind you that when I lost in the local elections in Belgrade, I congratulated the winner and participated in the next election again,” he said.
Vucic added that the democratic will of the people “will always be respecting”, but that the opposition will not win. “I will leave, they won’t beat me,” he added.
(Insajder, 20.06.2019)
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