DSS will early next year present an innovated Serbian Development Program for the years 2012 to 2017 and soon a Vojvodina Development Program, Kostunica announces.
The president of the Democratic Party of Serbia, Vojislav Kostunica says that the main topic in the election campaign of this party will be the economic development of the country, connected to territorial integrity, and consequently, Kosovo and Metohia.
“The main topic will be economic development”, Kostunica remarked in an interview for news agency Beta and added that production, lowering unemployment, raising personal income are a basis for defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.
“If you have this – you can defend Kosovo. Things are interconnected. The EU and Kosovo cannot be separated but the growth of Serbia and defense of territorial integrity of Serbia can be”, Kostunica says.
The DSS will early next year present its innovated Serbian Development Program for 2012-2017 and soon a Development Program for Vojvodina too, Kostunica said.
To the issue of a potential election and post-election coalition, Kostunica remarked that this topic “will be opened when the elections are called, not right now”.
When it comes to post-election coalitions, “the people should be left to show how they feels about the political parties and their programs” Kostunica says and adds that he is certain that DSS will stick with the principles of its policy, when it comes to observing the Constitution, Kosovo, Vojvodina, Serbia’s development, cooperation and the protection of the Republic of Srpska.
Kostunica says that the difference between the DSS and parties of the ruling coalition is immense but that there is also a difference between the DSS and other opposition parties too.
“A true gap between the DSS and the ruling coalition was made when the Agreement on Stabilization and Accession was rushed to be signed and the government pretended that the EU and Kosovo are two completely separate processes” Kostunica says.
The DSS and the Serbian Progressive Party differ when it comes to the Constitution – the Progressives are arguing for changes, while the Constitution is for the DSS a defense of Serbian integrity and also the potential for its development, as well as in issues related to EU’s relations towards Kosovo, and if it’s even in the interest of Serbia to be an EU member, says the president of DSS.
Kostunica states that there were talks between the DSS and SNS but that DSS has never had talks with the ruling coalition.
“The situation in Serbia would be completely different if there was dialog, if we aspired to a consensus like the one that existed in the Serbian assembly until 2008, Kostunica says. Asked about speculations about his involvement in the murder of PM Zoran Djindjic in 2003, Kostunica repeated that this is a witch hunt.
“If the DSS and myself were to personally say that the future of Serbia in Euro-Atlantic integrations was bright, in EU membership, in NATO, that the EU had no alternative and that Kosovo was just a trifle in relation to the EU, this witch hunt would cease”, Kostunica said.
Beta
