08 September 2008 Belgrade _ Serbia's President Boris Tadic has pledged for national consensus over the country's European
Union integration.
He added that such consensus would send a powerful message to the public in Serbia and Europe, that Serbia had chosen the path of European integration.
His comments came after the opposition hardline nationalist Radical Party changed its mind over supporting the ratification of a key EU pre-membership deal known as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement which Brussels signed with Belgrade in April.
This sudden about-turn in policy led to the resignation of the Radical Deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic who had earlier pledged support for the deal. Read more: http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/12926
Tadic said that despite the fact the EU deal could be ratified by a pro-European majority in the parliament, that kind of decision "doesn't involve a new consensus, but new debates in future."
Serbia's parliament will resume session on Monday to discuss around a dozen financial agreements enabling the country to use some € 400 million in foreign credit, as well as a draft resolution on Kosovo, confirming Belgrade's stand that the province, which declared independence in February, remains a part of Serbia's territory.
Last week, the parliament ended debate on the EU agreement and on an energy deal with Russia.
The deputies are to set the date for when all the issues will be voted on after the end of the whole debate.
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"If we reach a national consensus important for integrating Serbia into the EU, we'll be making a break with traditional policy in Serbia. We would overcome traditional divisions and establish unity over strategic goals despite our differences that are more than evident in ideological and other aspects," Boris Tadic told his Democratic Party's main board over the weekend.
He added that such consensus would send a powerful message to the public in Serbia and Europe, that Serbia had chosen the path of European integration.
His comments came after the opposition hardline nationalist Radical Party changed its mind over supporting the ratification of a key EU pre-membership deal known as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement which Brussels signed with Belgrade in April.
This sudden about-turn in policy led to the resignation of the Radical Deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic who had earlier pledged support for the deal. Read more: http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/12926
Tadic said that despite the fact the EU deal could be ratified by a pro-European majority in the parliament, that kind of decision "doesn't involve a new consensus, but new debates in future."
Serbia's parliament will resume session on Monday to discuss around a dozen financial agreements enabling the country to use some € 400 million in foreign credit, as well as a draft resolution on Kosovo, confirming Belgrade's stand that the province, which declared independence in February, remains a part of Serbia's territory.
Last week, the parliament ended debate on the EU agreement and on an energy deal with Russia.
The deputies are to set the date for when all the issues will be voted on after the end of the whole debate.
Main News Page
