Byzantine Blog

Serbian Radicals in Gracanica and Kosovska Mitrovica

Some ten thousand Serbs gathered to greet Tomislav Nikolic, whose Radical Party started the election campaign in the southern Serbian province's town of Gracanica on Satuday, April 5.

Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Deputy President told Gracanica residents that Serbia will never give Kosovo and Metohija away, and invited all the remaining Serbs to stay in Kosovo province.

"I'm asking you, please do not sell your properties and do not move out. Instead, invite us over to move in with you," Nikolic said.

He stressed that life in Serbia cannot improve if Kosovo province is not within its bounds and added that the majority of Serbian citizens today vow not to give Kosovo province away, and that most people will vote for that message.

Nikolic said that Serbian Radical Party wants to enable Serbs remaining in Kosovo to have a normal life, and that every one of their actions in the next four years will be aimed at improving the life of those who remain in the Kosovo-Metohija province.

Serbia Must Reward Those Who are Safeguarding its Kosovo Province

According to Nikolic, his party will work to ensure that every adult in the province receives a monthly salary, and every child gets free clothing, textbooks and everything they need.

"Since you are safeguarding Kosovo for Serbia, Serbia must reward you," Nikolic said, promising that Radicals will wipe out poverty in Serbia.

Nikolic also said that he does not want to talk to the European Union representatives until they renounce Kosovo-Metohija amputation, pointing that Radicals do not wish to confront Serbia with any other state, but to turn it to friends.

"We are not hassling or provoking anyone, we extend our hand of friendship to all. We need a lot of friends. Serbia ties Russia with the EU and that is why we say: Russia immediately, and the EU only if it recognizes us in the existing borders", Tomislav Nikolic said.

Kosovo Serbs who gathered at the Radical Party rally, greeted Tomislav Nikolic and the SRS officials with brass bands, patriotic songs and chants "Kosovo is Serbia" and "Toma, the Serb!". They escorted Nikolic and Radical party functionaries to Gracanica Monastery, where Raska-Prizren Diocese Bishop Artemije welcomed them. In his talks with Bishop Artemije, Tomislav Nikolic said that it is necessary to legislate the municipal elections in Kosovo-Metohija province, which would enable the locals to elect their representatives, rather than to have them appointed.

During Nikolic's visit to Gracanica the traffic was blocked and the security was brought up to the highest level.

After Gracanica, Tomislav Nikolic and the Radical party functionaries visited Kosovska Mitrovica, where they held a massive rally on Sumadija city square.

Possible Post-Election Coalition with Kostunica's Democrats and National Minority Parties

In the interview given to Tanjug news agency ahead of the start of the election campaign, Tomislav Nikolic outlined the goals and the principles Radical Party intends to focus upon during their campaign and after May 11, when they would most probably form the new Serbian government, being the political party which enjoys the highest popularity and support in Serbia.

Nikolic said that he expects Radicals to win in the parliamentary elections, but assessed they may not succeed in securing the absolute majority, which would enable them to form the government on their own.

"Serbian Radical Party is therefore open to the possibility of creating the post-elections' coalition with [Kostunica's] national democrats, but also with the national minority parties, especially with those of the Hungarian minority," Nikolic told Tanjug.

At the same time, he excluded any possibility of cooperation with Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) and Ceda Jovanovic's LDP, because the first one recognizes Kosovo-Metohija fake independence covertly and the second one does so overtly, according to Nikolic.

Nikolic sees the future government as ideologically stable and principled, headed by a premier who will be respected, and a government consisting of partners, instead of mutually confronted ministers.

He said he expects Serbia will have the new government before the end of May, because "it will no longer be possible to form the government which is internally confronted and divided."

Nikolic also said that the Radicals will not condition the potential post-election coalition partners with the requests that the future premier has to belong to the party which had won most votes in the elections.

"I believe there is no reason to reject those who are willing to form the coalition by setting such conditions in advance," said Nikolic.

Turning to Social Issues

Nikolic said that the Serbian Radical Party will not base its election campaign only on Kosovo-Metohija and the European Union issues because, as he explained, everyone is well aware of the Radicals' stand regarding those issues: that they will never accept severing of the southern province of Kosovo and that Serbia should not enter the EU as long as that organization recognizes the amputated Serbian province as an independent state.

This is why the Radicals intend to pay more attention to the social issues and the concrete problems the citizens are facing — the employment, housing issues, education, health and medical issues, building factories, the standards of living in the rural regions, building roads...

Speaking about the municipal elections in Kosovo and Metohija, Nikolic said that Radicals never have and never will take part in "the elections organized by the occupyers' administration".

Nikolic reminded that the previous ruling coalition voted in the Serbian Parliament against his amendment to the Law on the Election of the MPs, which would enable every citizen of Serbia to vote outside of his polling station, in writing and with the proper identification.

"I would be happy if Serbian leaders manage to organize municipal elections in Kosovo-Metohija, so that we can have the Serbian administration there. We would take part in those elections," Nikolic said.

Tadic/G17 Plus Main "Strategy": Spreading Fears and Keeping Radicals Out of the Investment Debate

Commenting the split within Serbian Government regarding the concessions on the building of the Horgos-Pozega highway and the ratification of the energy agreement with Russia, Nikolic stressed that Serbia has to build that highway and ratify the agreement, because these are "connected deals, both of which pertain to development of Serbia".

He pointed that it is outright hypocritical to claim that the government is capable of deciding about one thing, but can't decide on the other, on the pretext of being merely a 'technical' government. According to Nikolic, this sort of basest manipulation is used to justify the personal whims and caprices of certain officials who are undermining Serbia's national interests.

"Things should be completely clear. Instead, we have the situation in which whatever Dinkic [G17 Plus member, Minister of Economy] wants done, can be done, and what he does not want, can't be done; and whatever Tadic wants can be done, but what he doesn't want—can't be done," Nikolic said.

He added that, if those business deals would start to be realized today, "the stories of 'self-isolation' and the fears [Tadic's] DS spreads to prevent the SRS victory would be instantly dismantled".

Serbian Radical Party deputy president reminded that he invited Tadic and Kostunica last week to clearly and unequivocally confirm the guarantees for the safety of foreign investments and assets, but while Kostunica's party backed the proposal, Tadic's rejected it.

"So, what is the problem? Is it the fact we made the proposal? Then let them offer those guarantees, and we shall sign on the dotted line. But no, it is simply that we [Serbian Radical Party] have to be excluded from the investments issue," Nikolic said.

Due to such manipulations and due to the political situation in the country, the foreign investors are cautious and that is why there is too few of them in Serbia, according to Nikolic, who claims Serbia has failed to attract investors the way it should have. He added that the investors are also scarce because they have been persuaded that "the sky will fall on May 12", with the Radicals' victory.

In case Radicals win the elections, one of their main goals will be the fight against corruption, crime and bribes, Nikolic said, adding that the biggest magnifying glass within that struggle will be placed precisely over the members of the Radical Party, because they wish to lead by the example, showing they are willing to go beyond mere words and slogans.

NATO Behaves Like Chicago Mafia Goons

Commenting Serbia's relations with the EU and NATO, Nikolic said he is convinced Serbia will never join NATO and will not enter the EU either, as long as that organization keeps conditioning Serbia to renounce part of its territory.

"NATO's request for Serbia to join the alliance in order to be protected reminds me of the blackmails by the Chicago mafia goons, who were going to the owners of small shops demanding to be paid so that they don't raze their stores down," Nikolic said.

He repeated that the Serbian Radical Party promotes cooperation with all the states and organizations which respect Serbia within the existing, internationally recognized borders.

If Tadic was Unable to Find General Mladic, Radicals will Most Certainly Fail Too

Speaking about the cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Nikolic said that the Radicals will search for General Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic who were indicted by the Hague "with far lesser fervor" than Tadic's followers.

"I know that Tadic, but also Kostunica—only in a different way—would be the happiest if those men are sent to Hague, so they'd get rid of that 'nuisance'. Tadic would chase them through the streets to arrest them, while Kostunica would find a way to have them surrender voluntarily, or to make it appear as if they were transferred to the Hague from the Republic of Srpska. But they are not doing it, so that means that the two men are nowhere to be found. If they are nowhere to be found with Tadic and Kostunica in power, they won't be tracked down by the Serbian Radicals either," he said.

Asked whether he would meet with the Hague's new chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz as a Serbian premier, Nikolic said he would not talk to the Hague prosecutors and that the highest level of officials that would meet with chief prosecutor would be the ministerial one.