Vucic: Russians Close To Wrapping Up Talks with Major Company on Selling Stake in NIS

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/DRAGAN GOJIC/EV)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Dec. 16 that the Russians were close to ending talks on the sale of their stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) with a major company.

He told the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) that after tripartite talks with Serbia would ensue in Belgrade, probably by Dec. 22 or Dec. 23 at the latest.

"My optimism isn't great, but it still exists. Until OFAC approves a transaction we do not know where we stand," Vucic said, adding that "this depends on the Americans" and that "it has nothing to do with interests, law or justice.".

Vucic also said that laws on the structure of prosecutors' offices would be changed very quickly, and that "I don't care what anyone has to say against that" and that in the case of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, there were no mechanisms of control whereby its employees could be called to account if they abused their positions.

He directly accused the leadership of the Office of abusing its official position, adding that any other prosecutor's office, in the event that it received charges against that part of the judiciary, would declare itself incompetent.

"And then [the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime's] employees can reject the charges against them. There are no control mechanisms with regard to the issue of charges. [The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime's employees] are gods devised to topple the governments of independent and sovereign countries, you saw that there was neither justice nor law there, only external pressures," Vucic said, adding that similar judicial reforms were carried out in other neighboring states as well, and in some members of the EU.

Vucic also said he would not attend a EU summit on the Western Balkans called by European Council President Antonio Costa on Dec. 17 and that Serbia would not have a representative attend because "I do not want the Cabinet to suffer any pressure."