16.04.2010.
Interview with Minister Sutanovac in "Vecernje novosti"
NATO NOT ON AGENDA NOW
SERBIA will finally have a professional army by the end of the year! In the coming months about 4,500 professional soldiers will be admitted what will put a point on one of the largest social reforms in the country – Dragan Sutanovac, the Defence Minister, said in his interview for “Novosti”, expecting the last call for military service to be sent to recruits in December.
What is the interest in entering the professional forces given the salaries of 300 euros? - The interest is high, and not for the professionals only, but there is a record number of those who applied for military schools. It is true that the initial salary in the military is about 300 euros, but it is possible to earn even double that amount, where I do not count engagements in peacekeeping missions.
Does that mean regaining the trust of the citizens in the military?
- Yes, and it was one of the priorities – to “clean” the military of scandals and restore the reputation it deserves. Unfortunately, there are still parts of the defence system that are not immune to crime and corruption.
What measures are you taking to prevent corruption?
- I gave the order for intensifying the work of the Military Security Agency (VBA), Military Police and the Inspectorate, and the public has been informed about the results of some recent investigations.
Is the opening of our military mission to NATO a sign of factual approach to the membership of this military alliance?
- Sweden, Ireland, Austria and Russia are all militarily neutral, and they all have their offices in NATO within the Partnership for Peace. It is a great pity that we did not open the office as early as in 2006, when we joined the Partnership, because, with their assistance, we could have executed more projects in various fields – health, science, telecommunications, and also our foreign policy position would be much better.
Do you think that joining NATO should be decided by citizens on a referendum?
- First, that issue is not on the agenda and it certainly will not be in the coming years. Second, nobody imposes NATO membership as a condition for entry into the EU, although all the countries that have become part of the European family in recent years first became members of this politico-military alliance. There is time for a referendum.
What would be better for Serbia – to remain neutral or to join a military alliance?
- Neutrality requires higher budget, greater number of troops, more weapons and modern military equipment. Switzerland, which has always been taken as an example of a neutral country, has a respectable amount of the most modern weapons, and they still have conscription. The question is whether Serbia should be in a group of the most developed countries in the world or remain an isolated island. Every decision must be made on the basis of a serious analysis and with a cool head, and there are still no conditions for that!
At the Ambassadors’ Conference in January you assessed that the military cooperation with Russia is not satisfactory ...
- My wish is to enhance this cooperation and I expect the visit by the Russian Chief of General Staff to Serbia by the end of the year to agree on the exchange of visits at the ministerial level.
What income from the defence industry exports can the country expect this year?
- By the summer we are to conclude another great business by which the value of contracts signed during the mandate of this government would reach a billion dollars. It certainly means an improvement for the economy, defence industry, factories, but also for those who live in those towns where the factories are located, because it means the employment of the new workers.
Where do we export our weapons?
- From Indonesia to America, and mostly in the traditionally friendly countries in the Middle East and North Africa. I expect that by the end of the year some of our products, especially ammunition, which are made according to NATO standards, obtain another certificate of quality – to be entered in the NATO catalogue and to be competitive even in the most demanding markets.
To what peacekeeping operations will Serbian soldiers go?
- Peacekeeping operations are very important for the military because it is the best exercise to accomplish the mission in real circumstances. The benefits for the foreign policy of the state are exceptional. We are currently present in four peacekeeping operations, and there are talks about participation in another three, including in Lebanon and Uganda.
Afghanistan has also been mentioned?
- At the moment the Ministry is not thinking about sending our troops to Afghanistan or to Iraq.
How many of 5,000 apartments that are being built in the area of the barracks “4 July” will the members of SAF receive?
- Ministry of Defence will receive about 52,500 square meters, which is about 1,000 apartments worth 70 million euros.
Are there any more barracks and military facilities that could be used to build low-cost housing?
- We will soon talk about that with representatives of Novi Sad, and similar projects may be implemented in Niš, ?a?ak, Valjevo ...
When will the fate of the General Staff building be known?
- We called a tender for a construction project for the building that would be built in Banjica; the idea is to replace the damaged building with a new one, without any additional budget funds. Events in the housing market so far have not been favourable for us, but I expect that now that the crisis fades away, there will be more of those interested in building.
How do you assess the security of the municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija, such as Štrpce for example, from which KFOR is withdrawing and Kosovo police is to assume jurisdiction?
- There are no indications that security is jeopardised and that there are threats of a wider conflict. In the south of Serbia also the situation is regular, but it does not exclude the possibility of individual incidents. However, there is no longer any place in the world that could be said to be completely safe.
The opposition has submitted signatures of citizens as a request to call the elections. Do you share the belief of your fellow ministers that the Government will stay the entire term of office?
- Absolutely. It is true that a million signatures is an imposing figure, but it is still less than half the votes Tomislav Nikoli? won alone in the presidential elections. The opposition is aware of this and therefore they resort to anti-civilization methods in their performances, and the curses and threats are indicators of their weakness!
I FEEL SAFE
Do you also receive information from the security services that your life is in danger?
- I have absolute confidence in all those dealing with my security. I believe that the safety of all officials for which the members of the Serbian Armed Forces are responsible is at the highest level.
I DO NOT SEE TADI?'S OPPONENT
THIS is an election year for the Democratic Party (DS); to what direction the party is to be reformed and what are your personal ambitions?
There are speculations about increasing the number of vice presidents ...
- It is still early to speak about the reforms within the party and a possible increase in the number of vice president positions. These things will be specified before the election convention. As far as I am concerned, if the committees nominate me again for a vice president, I will accept the candidacy, first of all to see if I have justified the trust I gained at the last assembly and how much the party is satisfied with my previous work.
Can you expect more candidates for a president of the party?
- I really do not see who could be Tadi?'s opponent, not only for the president of the party, but also for the function of a head of state.
