Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Institutions in Serbia function without mutual disputes

Belgrade, 30 April 2004

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said in an interview to the Beta news agency that the major achievements of the present government are the adoption of several important laws, functioning of all state institutions without mutual disputes, preparation of the Kosovo plan, and arrangements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the European Union. The official web site of the Serbian government brings excerpts from the interview.

Vojislav Kostunica

Functioning of state institutions in Serbia:

The key state institutions in Serbia began functioning in the past two months, and Serbia will soon get the third institution that does not exist at the moment, and that is the president of the republic. The division of power is being applied and all institutions know what their jurisdictions are, and the parliament does not question decisions of the Constitutional Court. That means that the situation in that field has been normalised. The parliament passed several important economic laws. The next very important step is to regulate the work of the judiciary in line with European democratic standards, because courts must be independent and not subject to dictatorship of the executive power.

Influence of the reduction of budgetary deficit, required by the IMF, to budgetary users:

There is always a possibility to activate additional economic resources or investments. The reduction of the deficit will automatically lead to the reduction of government spending, but the government will try to alleviate its negative impact.

Legislative reforms:

Serbia is yet to complete its legislation, which is a precondition for investments, legal safety, better living and the uprooting of corruption. It is impossible to implement reforms without a legal framework. We will have a lot of work there, including the adoption of the new constitution. I would be satisfied if the three-month deadline set for its preparation is not exceeded too much, but that work can be slowed down by the presidential election campaign.

Kosovo-Metohija in the new Serbian constitution:

Things are clear when we talk about the status of Kosovo-Metohija in the new Serbian constitution. That is a territory which is currently under the international administration, in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. We can do nothing else, but keep that fact in mind.

Work of the government:

This government would work the same even if it were not supported by the Socialists. None of its policies and results are conditioned by the Socialists' support.

Foreign policy priorities:

The foreign policy priorities are the same ones that were set after October 5, 2000 - European integration, Partnership for Peace membership, cooperation with the Hague tribunal that will not lead to instability. I oppose possible sending of troops to Iraq or Afghanistan, because Serbia-Montenegro has too many interior problems and is not capable of taking care of safety in other parts of the world.

On public appearances by former JSO members:

The interview with an alleged former member of the Special Operations Unit (JSO) is terrorist propaganda and the instigation of terrorism. Every state combats that. Terrorism was linked to the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, and something that is an obvious propaganda of terrorism must be a target of the state prosecutor. The interview published in the daily newspaper Kurir justifies murders and crimes, while some media are sensationalist. After the March 17 violence in Kosovo, some media acted as if they wished for more violence, so as to boost the circulation of their newspapers. Some people from the JSO were linked to the darkest events in our recent history and also to political murders, but that does not apply to the entire unit. Most of them are now members of the Gendarmerie and are not in question.

On the trial for the murder of Prime Minister Djindjic:

The trial gives an impression of moving away from what is the most important – the truth. In a way, the truth was moved away from us in the first months of the state of emergency, when some important evidence was destroyed. The demolishing of the house on Silerova Street serves as an example of this, along with that fact that it would be much better if certain people were alive today, to testify.

On the Hague tribunal’s indictments against generals:

Nobody from the government has negotiated with the generals indicted before the Hague tribunal on their surrender. Indictments were issued during the election campaign and the term of the previous government, which mentioned trials before domestic courts as an acceptable solution. I must recall that the forming of this government coincided with the pogrom of Serbs in Kosovo and also that the government’s attention has been focused on the establishing of institutions. In any case, it is obvious that the government will find the right way to meet international obligations.