Kokanovic: During his stay in Western Serbia, Vucic Promises to Fulfil Wishes like a Wizard of Oz

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/Amir Hamzagic)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s visits to Loznica, Ljubovija and other towns in the west of Serbia were among his many plays in which he was a Wizard of Oz, waving a magic wand and promising the residents that their wishes would be fulfilled, Zlatko Kokanovic, a vice-president of the We Won't Give Up Jadar association, said on Sept. 9.

In a comment on Vucic’s talks with representatives of the Rio Tinto company and people in Ljubovija regarding the safety of a lithium mine planned to be opened near Loznica, Kokanovic said that "Vucic came to calm down the discontented."

"Vucic's stroll across western Serbia and his promises to everyone’s wishes – build or pave a road, install a water or electricity grid - is just one of his many antics to divert attention from the problems in Kosovo," Kokanovic said for BETA.

The association We Won't Give Up Jadar refused to meet with Vucic in Ljubovija, because the president "is not competent, and is overstepping his constitutional powers as president."

The activist said that no one at the meeting responded to a local woman's question about why water from the mine would need to flow right into the Drina River, nor was there an answer as to how Rio Tinto would buy the rest of the land needed for the mine, or where they will plant 300 new hectares of forest after cutting down 140 hectares.