Dacic: Demands by Portion of Opposition Not Related to Electoral Process, Are Actually Good Business

Ivica Dacic (BETAPHOTO/Foreign Ministry/Ognjen Stevanovic)

The Serbian parliament speaker, Ivica Dacic, said on May 7 that the demands a portion of the opposition had presented at the first meeting with the European Parliament representatives in the inter-party dialogue on election conditions did not pertain to the electoral process, but were actually "good business."

Party of Freedom and Justice leader Dragan Djilas stated on May 6 that during consultations with the MEPs the opposition parties in attendance had asked for the one remaining national broadcasting frequency to be awarded, for journalists' associations to nominate editors of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation, and for changes to be made to the electoral system.

"Well if it (the dialogue) can be used for someone to get a national broadcasting frequency, which is good business, that has nothing to do with the electoral process," Dacic told the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation.

Regarding a meeting of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and himself as representatives of the authorities with the portion of the opposition that has rejected the EP's involvement in the dialogue, Dacic said that the meeting had been very successful.

He also quoted Vucic as saying that he would continue to participate in the dialogue if invited and that an agreement had already been made to concretize demands in the dialogue with that part of the opposition within a working group next week.