Kosovo draft resolution prepared by president, gov't

Answering the questions coming from the opposition representatives, Dacic said at the parliament building that the text of the resolution will be jointly written by the president and the government, but that the government will be the one that will propose it formally.
"It is important to find a balance between the decisions which we should make and the consequences they might lead to... No one can get points on the issue of Kosovo, because the situation is bad, and we are on the lost ground," the prime minister pointed out.

He also said that "the next lap time" for Serbia's EU path is in March.
"I would not like us to get back to the 'Kosovo or Europe' issue and I would not like that to be the main topic of our discussion," Dacic said, adding that this requires a balanced policy that would not pose such a dilemma for Serbia.


PM: It would be irresponsible to stop integration

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said Thursday that it would be irresponsible for Serbia to stop its EU integration process and that the thesis, under which by giving up on EU entry Serbia could better defend Kosovo-Metohija, was incorrect.

Answering questions asked by MPs of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) in the Serbian parliament, Dacic said in that he saw no chance for Serbia to pursue a successful foreign policy without having European integration as a major element of the policy.

Nobody is preventing Serbia from defending its national and state interests the way it thinks it should, Dacic said, adding that he does not know of any way it can do that "without participating in the game."

During a debate he had with DSS MP Slobodan Samardzic, Dacic said that the coalition of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), of which the DSS was a member, had won in 2001 thanks to their policy of EU accession.
"Imagine a situation of tomorrow, with our children living in the only country in the region that is not part of the EU," Dacic said.

Samardzic said that the prime minister had failed to respond to his question whether the Serbian parliament would debate on the further course of European integration.
"The fact you swim at full speed towards the EU does not mean that you see your goal clearly. You are fostering an illusion that you are approaching a certain goal, but the one does not exist," said Samardzic.

You are behaving as if you do not know what the current enlargement policy pursued by the EU is, he said. "A lot has changed since 2001," he added.