06.01.2011.
Minister's interview for Novosti daily
Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac: We have a plan and a vision for development. The government is firm, only the media talk about factions. I have excellent cooperation with Dacic and Dinkic.
Great challenges await the Government and the DS this year, and the main thing will be how to increase the standard of living. Citizens expect this from us and it has to be a priority. We are entering an election year and we will have to have better communication within the Democratic Party and the citizens - says in an interview for "Novosti" defense minister and vice president of the Democratic Party Dragan Sutanovac.
In addition to issues of economics, the main tasks of the ruling coalition in 2011 is strengthening regional initiatives, the EU integrations, continuing with the fight against organized crime ...
It will take a lot of work to restore positive energy among the citizens, for despondency under the influence of salon pessimists and skeptics at the time of apparent crisis is spreading. Often those who only criticize and look forward to failure, because they have anticipated it and worked on it achieving it, are the loudest and the most present in the media. E will have to clearly show the citizen that the Government has a plan and knows what to do.* Some of your colleagues, such as Minister Ljajic are sending warnings citizens are showing great discontent and 'the Government should pull its act together otherwise a debacle in the elections is a sure thing ...
-Such statements are a concern for all of us, but also serve as a motivation to do even more. In the line of work that we indeed did a lot and, most importantly, we fulfill the promises made.
* I fear that citizens will "punish" the party in power at the next election?
- We will talk about this next year at this time, when elections are held. I strongly believe that the government did the best it could and that this year we will confirm this.
* What are current relations in the ruling coalition?
- Very good.
* How do you explain the fact that ministers seem to be criticizing one another Are they already taking better starting positions before the election?
- If you ask me if the election campaign has begun, the answer is - no. It is the media which creates this image that we fight over certain issues, while at the meetings, even though we have good cooperation. It is normal that each party wants to have the best possible pre-election position. What is at issue is only when someone is trying to work to the detriment of other partners, which, hopefully, will not be the case.
* And if you are already generating political blocs in the governing coalition? Who is closer to you Dinkic or Dacic?
- With Dacic I have excellent cooperation in terms of security, and with Dinkic in the economy department. Again, no blocks and conflicts exist in a virtual, media world. The government is very strong.
* Is it too late to reconstruct the government in the last year of its mandate?
- The Prime Minister and the signatories of the coalition agreement have to present a final opinion on this. It is never too late if we get quality time. Changes are always welcome, but the question is how to take energy and time, first within the coalition, and also to the ministries.
* What is in your opinion, the ideal number of departments?
-That is not the issue, the important thing is that the work is done well.
* Is the opposition strong enough to call early elections? SNS announces a meeting for 4 February?
- Citizens do not need Tomislav Nikolic to tell them how tough life in Serbia is, and what problems they have, but he should explain what he would do to make a better Serbia. In other words, the opposition has the power to mobilize the negative energy that exists, but not to initiate changes, because people are looking for solutions, not just criticism, and the SNS has no vision of the possible solution of this problem.
Is the coalition government between the DS and SNS after the next election a possibility?
- I think that Serbia's citizens will not vote for it.
* So, again, will the government be a cumbersome coalition where small parties will sort of blackmail and ask for tradeoffs the big party?
- I do not think that the disadvantages of a cumbersome coalition are greater than the problems caused by merging incompatible options. As part of our coalition of all, at least ideologically, we have a clear vision of where we see Serbia. SNS alone, as a party, can not define whether it is a priority for Europe or not, whether to fulfill obligations towards the Hague or not ...
* After the elections in Kosovo there was a signal that negotiations with Kosovo will start ...
- Pristina is about to face the heaviest and largest trials, and will need to explain what has happened in Kosovo since 1999, why no one has been held accountable for atrocities and obvious crimes and why the starting of a dialogue is procrastinated.
* Maybe this is the first time that Serbia has a head start over the Pristina?
- Whenever there is an opportunity to harm itself, Serbia does so. Today, some politicians do not want a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, and wish for a failure to make them right. This is the moment for us come out and show that they Serbs were not exclusive culprits. On the contrary, such atrocities were also committed by to the other side. It is time for a match. This is the moment to demonstrate the unity of all, of politicians and citizens, it is high time we proved what Dick Marty has initiated in the international community.
* The opposition has criticized the government for not already conducting an investigation and brought up charges ...
- The main objection comes from those who were in power during the times of this violence, and were able to conduct investigation immediately after the crimes were committed. Today, as the investigations carried out, they complain that we have not carried out in their time. This is a sort of a political schizophrenic situation and an absurdity. Do not be surprised if the government is accused of deliberately causing the earthquake in Kraljevo, in order to gather "political points" by restoringKraljevo. But, let's unite in order to investigate, rather than blame each other.
* Is there a VBA file on Thaci and what does it says?
- I never even asked for which file. When it comes to trafficking in organs, VBA is working on this case adhering to all laws and in cooperation with other governmental agencies.
* Should we sit with Thaci at the same table before carrying out investigations into allegations of Martijevog report?
- The same nationalists who glorify the wisdom of Milos Obrenovic, who was kneeling before the Turkish pasha for the sake of the Serbian people, are criticizing Boris Tadic, who says he would talk with Thaci. Such attitude of the President is a characteristic of a responsible politician. Everything else is leading people astray and conducting a blasé policy, where you do what you love and what you do not like you pass down to someone else need someone else to solve.
* Was DS and in what way DS rattled by what happened during the election of a new leadership?
- There are no frictions within the party whatsoever.
* Is there even factions within your party?
- As I said the party is unified
• There are also objections that you have only one candidate for president, and five candidates for the position of vice president
- Let me remind you that the DS has had more candidates for president, for three times while other parties had none! When you have only one candidate, we are criticized for being undemocratic, when there are more then the party is divided. If there had been five candidates for the President,then the public would say thee were five factions. I'm interested to know which party, anywhere in the world, in a situation when it obviously enjoys the largest support from citizens, and its president is the head of state, would change the leadership and the president.
I AM NOT SURPRISED BY DJILAS’S STATEMENT
* Are you surprised by the success of Djilas?
Is he the first among equals, or he has taken the place of another man in the party?
- I'm not surprised by his success, because he, Dusan Petrovic and Bojan Pajtic are linked to the party on a daily basis. A decision is made by the deputy president.
NATO MEMBERSHIP IS NOT ISSUE
* Is it realistic for Serbia to join NATO during your mandate?
- No one from the Ministry of Defence or the Government has initiated any activities that would end up in Serbia's membership in the NATO. The issue was opened by those who do not have a program, plan, vision and ideas and who want to gain sympathy of citizens in Serbia by reading polls and accordingly criticize the Government.
- The main objection comes from those during in power during the violent times, or who were immediately afterwards able to conduct an investigation. Today, as the investigations are carried out, they complain that we did not conduct these investigations in their time. This is a sort of a political schizophrenic situation and an absurdity. Do not be surprised if the government is accused of deliberately causing the earthquake in Kraljevo, in order to gather "political points" by restoringKraljevo. But, let's unite in order to investigate, rather than blame each other.
JOBS FOR 11,000 PEOPLE
* The last class of conscripts was sworn in, does this mark the formal point of completion of military reform?
- This is the final part of one phase, but the reform process never ends. It is important that the system will be improved and that we will with the same budget to hire about 11,000 people, have soldiers who are more willing, more educated and motivated of recruits undergoing basic training in the barracks and spend six months.
