Serbian premier presents programme, cabinet
BBC Monitoring Original Source: RTS TV, Belgrade
Text of address by Serbian Prime Minister Designate Vojislav Kostunica to
Serbian Assembly, broadcast live by Serbian TV satellite service on 2 March;
subheadings inserted editorially.
Ladies and gentlemen deputies, we are celebrating the 200th anniversary since
the time Serbia rebuilt its statehood. Today, we are faced with the question of
what Serbia requires of us today. What does Serbia expect of us today, 200 years
on, at the start of the new century? Not only of the government, but of all the
authorities in the most diverse posts, what does it expect of us as its
citizens?
Let us recall, 200 years ago Serbia was establishing its state status, winning
its freedom step by step, that is, the status of an internationally recognized
state. At the time, Serbia started to reorganize itself economically,
politically and culturally, thus following the norms and standards of
civilization and democracy which had prevailed in the more developed parts of
Europe. In the second part of the 19th century, Serbia, as an independent state,
together with Montenegro of course, became an inherent part of the European
community of states at the time.
Today, at the beginning of the new century, Serbia faces - not entirely and not
in the same way, of course - some of the tasks that it faced for 200 years. That
is why those who warn of our demographic and material loss, wasted time,
historic blunders and failures are right, but those who maintain that, in spite
of everything, and particularly given the circumstances, Serbia nevertheless
moved forward, are also right. We need to stress several issues that are of
particular importance for Serbia to continue moving forward, now, at the
beginning of the new century. What are the problems that we face today?
Serbia must first of all resolve its state status that has been brought into
question if we know that Serbian authority is not present in a part of its
territory, in Kosovo -Metohija. Instead, the highest authority there is that of
the international community. Second, Serbia must establish its status within the
state union with Montenegro, establishing and strengthening in this way the
state union in line with, rather than in violation of the Constitutional
Charter, making the state union a functional, rather than a non-functional one,
which is largely the case today. Third, or the third task when it comes to the
revival of state institutions, is that Serbia must organize itself internally by
establishing strong democratic institutions and by putting in place a
law-governed state. A law-governed state means breaking away from the vestiges
of the state of mind and the practices of a party-governed state. A law-governed
state means decisively doing away with voluntarism and wilfulness in the legal
sector. Finally, the law-governed state requires doing away with corruption,
large-scale corruption in particular, and all attempts to suppress and render
senseless - in an essentially unnatural and formally illegal manner, by means of
acquired privilege and wealth - the will and the interests of the people and the
institutions through which the people's will and its interests are demonstrated.
Fourth, Serbia, with Montenegro, must also resolve its status in the European
Union. All the legitimate disagreements and conflicts between relevant political
parties, in this assembly and in the Serbian public notwithstanding, there is no
question about Serbia's inherent position in Europe and its need for the formal
recognition of its position through membership in European structures. The
membership is not only desired, it is a necessity that cannot be avoided at this
point. As a rule, when you want something you usually profit from it. The same
is not necessarily true for the things we must do, but there is no alternative
at this point to Serbia and Montenegro's European path. That is why it is our
highest duty and obligation, not only to put a stop to the decades-long
deterioration of the institutions, but to establish an institutional, primarily
constitutional, framework which will finally ensure Serbia's stable progress. Of
course, institutions, laws, the integration of society, are not simply a goal
unto themselves, but a means of ensuring a more peaceful, more secure, and
generally better existence for the citizens in every society, particularly in
societies that suffered under comprehensive violence from within and without.
Status of Kosovo
But first things first. I will briefly outline [pauses] and you will receive a
comprehensive text after the recess, how the government envisages changes in the
state, the economy, and in all of society's main activities. I will, of course,
first address what I mentioned at the beginning of this presentation - the
state, how to organize it, how to strengthen its institutions, and, of course, I
will first speak about the part of the state where our authority is the most
controversial, and where the international community's authority is above ours.
I will start with Kosovo -Metohija as the most important issue for this state,
this government, and this parliament. Keeping in mind this fundamental position,
I wish to say that the government will conduct a policy of realistic state
interests. Let me first explain what this means in concrete terms. It means that
the issue of Kosovo -Metohija's status will not be resolved without Serbia and
the state union of Serbia-Montenegro. Anyone who wishes to put this issue on the
agenda must be aware that without Serbia and the state union this will not be a
realistic option, and that, as far as Serbia is concerned, the term "status" -
so frequently mentioned these days in relation to Kosovo -Metohija - can have
many different definitions, but never independence.
The first and the most serious problem in Kosovo -Metohija was and still is the
return of Serb refugees to their homes and hearths. Naturally, we cannot resolve
this problem without UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ], but
we can propose a feasible plan in phases which would progress according to the
schedule of guaranteed security for the returnees. [sentence as heard] The same
phased principle should be applied in returning property to its legitimate
owners, private persons, and the state, and to the protection and restoration of
Serbian and European cultural heritage in the province. However - and I wish to
stress this in particular - in spite of all the dramatic changes, there is an
urgent issue when it comes to the Serbian population's lack of rights in Kosovo
-Metohija, and that is the issue of establishing new mechanisms for the
protection of the Serbian population, property, and the cultural heritage in the
province. In cooperation with the relevant authorities, the government will, of
course, insist with UNMIK and the international factor on a different and new
definition of the institutional framework for the protection of the interests of
the Serbian community in Kosovo -Metohija.
If essential autonomy is the formula set out in Resolution 1244 that secures
Kosovo - Metohija's self-administration in relation to Serbia, then the
essential autonomy of the Serbian community in Kosovo -Metohija is the new
formula that will secure the community's survival in today's Kosovo -Metohija
considering the discrimination of Serbs which prevails there in the interim
institutions and considering the manner in which the majority ethnic group
treats [the Serbs]. Essential autonomy of the Serbian community in Kosovo means
territorial autonomy, the division of Kosovo into entities, or the cantonization
of Kosovo -Metohija, and the corresponding cultural and individual autonomy. In
the course of setting up the institutions of authority in Kosovo and in securing
this form of essential autonomy for the Serbian community in Kosovo , we must
take into consideration another issue which was taken into consideration in
Bosnia-Hercegovina after the Dayton agreement. The fact is that the national,
ethnic composition of Kosovo -Metohija changed radically after 1999. In setting
up institutions in Kosovo - Metohija, the situation in the province in 1999 must
be taken into consideration.
State union
Next, I would like to address the relations in the state union. A little over a
year has gone by since the Constitutional Charter of the state union of
Serbia-Montenegro was endorsed. Not much, not enough, has been achieved in that
time on its internal, institutional and legal organization, or in the
implementation of its constitutional authority. Once the Serbian government is
set up, we will approach, with full responsibility, our obligations which stem
from the Constitutional Charter and our basic, democratic and European
orientation. The government will do everything possible in its authority to
define in practical terms and to strengthen the functionality of the state union
of Serbia-Montenegro. This primarily means that the government must work on
meeting Serbia's obligations towards it. As part of the constitutional changes
that await us, it will be necessary to adjust Serbia's constitution to the
Constitutional Chapter. As far as work on harmonization is concerned, it must be
completed, and the work that has already been done on the endorsement of the
action plan, namely, the harmonization of the economic systems of Serbia and
Montenegro, must be implemented in the coming period to ensure a rapid
application of market economy conditions throughout the state union.
EU policy
This government will step up the implementation of a pro-European policy. This
means there will be more work and less talk in this area. In its internal
development, Serbia must become a safe country with human and minority rights in
line with European standards, where laws are observed and institutions function,
where the laws of market economy are in place, where white-collar crime has been
eradicated, and corruption diminished in the greatest degree possible. What
could be more European than the attainment of these goals in internal
development? The policy of association is primary here, of course. It is a
policy for which the European Union has already defined the guidelines; regional
ones in the form of its strategy for European partnership, and the direct
guidelines which concern Serbia-Montenegro. We expect the completion of the
Feasibility Study, and immediately afterwards, the start of negotiations on the
Stabilization and Association Agreement. However, it is already clear to us that
we must immediately start coordinating just about every law that we have and
that we shall pass with the European Union's rules and legal norms. That is why
the government will draft a national strategy for association with the European
Union, in which it will set out the main elements of its association policy and
the obligations the state bodies, economic entities, and other social factors
will have in this long-term process.
Economy
But let me move away from the state institutions and the state they are in, and
how the government envisages changing them, and address the economy. Let me say
right away that our citizens, the little people, believe [words indistinct] that
Serbia's own strength is enough of a guarantee that an economically strong
Serbia is an attainable idea. Contrary to this belief, we can see that life in
Serbia has been hard for too long. A great number of people cannot make ends
meet. Without demagogy and any irresponsibility, I will say that the reasons for
the grave economic situation are not simple, they are not from yesterday, and
some of them are the result of Serbia's comprehensive political circumstances in
the recent and distant past.
Concentrating on the current state of the economy, I wish to stress several
crucial problems which we have to face, aware of the fact that if we want
certain progress, there can be no short-cuts or simple solutions. I first wish
to stress that it is not good that the state has levied high taxes on the work
force. I know that some 950,000 people are out of work today, and numerous
indicators show that there is a surplus of workers in many companies. Production
continues to decrease, there are no funds in the budget that would stimulate
investment, there are no funds for agriculture, and there are still no
affordable mortgages. At the same time, Serbia is importing apples and wheat.
Import exceeds export by 5bn dollars, the country's debt has reached 14bn
dollars, and the rates for its repayment will increase in the coming years. The
programme goal of the government's new economic policy will be to create
conditions for competitive domestic production in order to initiate economic
activity, increase the presence of domestic goods on the market, and to boost
import [as heard]. This will create jobs and more revenue will stay in the
economy. The government will lower taxes that are burdening production, [it will
change] the customs policy, and will make non-customs measures more efficient,
and it will work on securing more favourable loans and on encouraging
investment. The government will support the policy of the dinar's stable
exchange rate.
We are aware that, in the initial period, lowering taxes will decrease budgetary
revenue, for which we will compensate through increased turnover tax and excise
duty, particularly where luxury products and products hazardous to health are
concerned. Clearly, the intention is to distribute taxes in such a way that the
wealthier strata of society take on a greater tax burden. With an appropriate
customs policy, a more efficient collection of customs duty, and through
non-customs measures, we will help those sectors which can be competitive to
stand on their own feet, and we will influence foreign producers, whose products
are present on our market, to relocate at least a part of their production to
Serbia.
We are going to prevent uncontrolled imports at dumping prices and the import of
goods that do not meet the existing standards. Exports, with active efforts to
attract foreign capital, will take priority in the work of the Ministry of
Foreign Trade. We are going to set up necessary institutions that will be
procuring export contracts. Of course, in order for us to continue with the
necessary restructuring of the economy, one of this government's priorities will
be to carefully analyse situations in each industrial sector and draw up
appropriate strategic plans. The restructuring of large systems does not and
must not necessarily mean a loss of jobs if we make an effort to turn them into
more profitable jobs in small-and medium-size companies that are more flexible
and easier to manage. As for privatization, it is necessary for us to consider
in what way the existing privatization procedure can be improved and rid of
evident deficiencies. The transformation of ownership must be honest, fast, and
in everyone's interests. Through an appropriate legal framework, the interests
of the state and minority shareholders must be protected. Any disputed acts of
privatization that are suspected of being disadvantageous for the general
interests, illegal, or a violation of concluded contracts, will be revised.
As for agricultural production, a new and realistic system of financial
incentive will be introduced, which will facilitate long-term planning and
ensure necessary security for the farmer. We plan to implement adequate customs
and non-customs protection of domestic agriculture and prevent the uncontrolled
import of basic farming products to the Serbian market, which will create better
opportunities for domestic producers. The objective of these measures is not
protectionism, but the protection of one of the most important domestic
resources - agriculture - in line with the standards of protection applied by
the EU as well.
In particular, let me point out that, as one of the first tasks, the Trade
Ministry, in the area of its competence, will shed light on all issues related
to the sugar affair. This is not only something that we owe to our citizens and
the EU, but is also an economic priority to ensure normal export of farming
products.
The development of and a reform in the management of traffic systems need to be
funded from realistic sources, through concessions, partnership between the
state and the private sector, and in line with a development strategy that is
the basis of Serbia's further development. Of course, it is necessary to step up
work on the completion of Corridor 10, which will make the highway through
Serbia the cheapest and most secure thoroughfare that connects Europe's west and
southeast.
Social welfare, health care
As for the welfare policy, it certainly needs to be taken care of by the state,
rather than companies. We shall be actively pursuing social dialogue with all
relevant partners, all with the aim of finding solutions that will improve life
for everyone. One of the first steps by the new government will be to conclude a
welfare contract between leading labour unions, employers' associations, and the
state.
The health care system is one of the best indicators of the development level at
which our society currently finds itself, and everything will be done to create
the conditions for our health care system, which has been in a poor financial
state for quite a long time now, to ensure the right to health care protection,
which is one of the most important goals of our government. To achieve this, we,
of course, need to change the relevant laws, primarily the law on the revision
of health care, as well as the [word indistinct] of the Serbian Health Insurance
Fund.
Environment is the last segment of this sphere. The establishment of a common
system of environmental and natural resources protection is one of the areas
that requires urgent legislative measures, in addition to adopting EU standards.
Our government's work will aim to include actively environmental protection into
the process of economic reforms and privatization.
Justice and state administration
A few words about the justice and state administrations and the necessary
changes in these segments of the state machinery. Of course, in the transition
countries the justice administration has a particular significance. It is clear
that the justice administration in Serbia today is in a very bad shape. It is
characterized by a large degree of politicizing, ineffectiveness, and,
unfortunately, corruption. In addition to the long period of abuse by the
one-party system and the forgotten role of the judiciary in the democratic
society, the decline of our judiciary was also helped by the violation of the
judiciary's independence when amendments to judiciary-related laws were passed.
The underprivileged position of most of the employees in the justice
administration prompted a great number of skilled people to leave, and has made
work in the justice administration for young and hard-working law experts
insufficiently attractive.
As for the state administration and its reform, despite the fact that two bodies
were set up in the meantime, which were supposed to be in charge of that - the
State Administration Council and the Agency for State Administration Development
- a true reconstruction of the state administration is waiting to be carried out
only now. It is necessary to draw up a long-term strategy of the
administration's reforms in the shortest possible time, which is an integral
part of our and EU integration processes. The basic goals of the future
administration reconstruction will be, of course, downsizing, decentralization,
de-politicization, and professional advancement. The government's particular
priority is the passage of a law that prevents conflicts of interests, which
will prevent [words indistinct] of government offices to the detriment of
society's interests. A particular priority task for the government is the
passage of a law that would regulate the competencies and functioning of a
certain institution, whose job is that in those cases where citizens have
already received a ruling on the protection of their rights, but they are still
not satisfied with the degree of that protection, to ensure this protection in a
different way. This is, of course, the institution of an ombudsman, that is, a
people's lawyer. Of course, it does not fall within the competencies of the
state administration in the strictest sense of that word, but the government
will nevertheless endeavour to promulgate a law on political parties. Let me
recall the fact that there is a law on financing political parties, but not one
that regulates their status.
As for the so-called [word indistinct] sector, the government will, of course,
put forward its bill on NGOs. This is an area that is totally unregulated,
particularly in terms of the lack of financial transparency in this sector. I am
speaking of NGOs.
Even though the new law on local self-rule was passed in early 2002, one of the
government's priorities will be a true reconstruction of the local self-rule
system, a comprehensive decentralization of power, and a higher degree of
financial autonomy for local self-rule units. The Interior Ministry will be
transformed into a professional body of the state administration, which will
fully respect human rights, people's dignity, the constitution, laws, and
international regulations in its work. This ministry must be open to the public,
politically neutral, and in all this it will protect essential national
interests. Let me particularly underline that the government's priority in
interior affairs will be to shed light on all murders and attempted murders that
took place before and after 5 October [2000], as well as on major industrial and
financial scandals that caused alarm among citizens.
In the area of security, the government will continue the started reforms in the
Security Information Agency [BIA], which have so far been only formally
implemented. We shall endeavour to elevate state security to a level at which
one will be able to say rightfully that it has been completely depoliticized,
purged of all legacies of the past, and that the BIA, in terms of its staff,
technical and technological condition, is fully ready to do its job.
Cooperation with Hague tribunal
Finally, as regards the justice administration and interior affairs, let me say
a word or two about something that Serbia has been confronted with for all these
years in a rather difficult way. It is cooperation with the Hague tribunal. The
government will do everything to make this cooperation a two-way street. In this
sense, among things, we shall endeavour to secure all legal, material and expert
preconditions to speed up the trials of all people accused of war crimes before
our domestic courts, to obtain from the Hague tribunal evidence against our
citizens which can be further used, and to offer adequate assistance to all our
citizens indicted by the Hague tribunal in their defence before the tribunal.
Similarly, we shall endeavour to conclude a contract with the United Nations,
which would make possible for the prison sentences passed by the Hague
tribunal's panels of judges to be served in our country.
Education
Finally, let me briefly present the government's plans in the spheres of
education, culture and science. As one of the pillars of the state, education
must assume its role as a driving force that facilitates the progress of entire
society. To implement this goal, we need to incorporate into the existing
educational system the best principles of the national educational tradition and
the general principles applied by the EU. In this, of course, we must pay
attention to our national and cultural individualism, and in part also to the
specific status of [word indistinct] institutions. In that sense, we are going
to propose amendments to the law on education, which will envisage the formation
of a national education council, an independent body of experts consisting of
representatives from all relevant national institutions, as well as pedagogical
and educational institutions.
As for science, we are going to set up a national council for science, to which
representatives of the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences and all prominent
scientists from Serbia and the diaspora will be invited. We shall increase
subsidies for science and pass a bill on scientific-research work.
Finally, as regards culture, this government will define in clear terms a
national strategy of Serbian culture. A Serbian national council for culture
will be working on this project, to which we shall invite the most competent
representatives from all cultural segments. It is our goal to start the renewal
of culture by adopting the national strategy, and we, the government, shall
support the entire process by proposing legal regulations and increasing a
budget for culture, and, of course, science.
We shall encourage private entrepreneurship and initiative in culture, and we
shall also support the preservation of the cultural tradition of all ethnic
communities in Serbia. The new government will additionally regulate relations
between the state and religious communities, because the previous laws from this
area have been abolished. We shall do everything to right wrongs, such as the
nationalization of property owned by religious communities. In addition, we
shall regulate by law the legal position of religious communities and enable
hospitals, homes for the elderly, and penitentiaries to introduce spiritual
counselling. We shall also grant tax relief and other incentives for religious
communities.
Citizenship law, minorities
Considering that a large number of our compatriots live outside
Serbia-Montenegro, the Serbian government deems it its duty to create the
conditions for the diaspora to get involved in the country's political, economic
and cultural life. The first necessary condition for that has already been
created by amending the election law. The next step will be amendments to the
law on citizenship, which will make it easier for persons of Serbian descent to
assume citizenship and thereby enable the Serbian diaspora to exercise their
rights in a more comprehensive way. Speaking of the diaspora, the government
will work to rectify two major injustices done to a great number of people, of
whom many are in the diaspora today, which is the return of seized property and
the rehabilitation of wrongfully convicted persons.
Finally, as regards national minorities, they are living witnesses of the
history of this part of Europe. Frequently victimized in the past, today they
are becoming a bridge between nations and one of the most important participants
in the process whose goal is reconciliation, mutual understanding, and the
development of lasting trust in the region. In order for ethnic minorities to be
able to fully participate in Serbia's politics, new amendments to the election
law, similarly to those in some of our neighbouring countries, have enabled
minorities, on the basis of a natural threshold, to appoint their
representatives to the Serbian Assembly. Likewise, the government will make sure
that ethnic minorities will be represented in an adequate way in the executive
authorities and the administration.
On Serbia's territory there is a whole army of sufferers, refugees, some 370,000
of them, of which over 250,000 have assumed Serbian citizenship. We need to do
everything to make their life easier in the new environment or facilitate their
return to the homes which they were forced to leave. Therefore, the government
will extend its full assistance primarily in dealing with property issues in
Serbia, and in dealing with property issues in the countries from which those
refugees arrived. We must find a way to simplify the legalization of
newly-constructed buildings, start parcelling out building land, and extend full
help in solving the problem of their unemployment. The question of refugees is
no longer a humanitarian issue, but it is an integral part of Serbia's
development and welfare policies. It is particularly important to encourage
regional cooperation, because without cooperation among Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina
and the state union of Serbia-Montenegro, it is not possible to solve this
problem.
Perhaps I should - or should not - mention something that is the last, but not
least important thing this year, and that is sports. Considering that we are in
an Olympic year, our government will do everything to create the conditions for
our athletes to prepare themselves and participate in this year's greatest
competition. Bearing in mind the importance that sports has in our society and
the international reputation that, thanks to the successes of our athletes, our
country enjoys, we shall urgently adopt a national strategy for sports and draw
up a law on sports that will include a long-term definition of sports in our
society. Considering that at this stage sports needs to be financed from the
budget and donations, we shall initiate a public debate on laws that would
regulate privatization in this area.
Ladies and gentlemen deputies, let me conclude by saying that different times
see different words that sound as though they had some supernatural power and
meaning, words that one should not question, words that are used to instil fear
in people. One of such words is reform. Of course, my question now is whether
this government will be reform-oriented. Every new government strives to
implement some changes, in which it is more or less successful. If we look at
rhetoric before, during and after elections in stable democratic states, you
will see there, too, that the word reform is highly valued, at least in some
fields, like reforms in education, health care and pension insurance. You may
call it as you wish, but this government will endeavour to change things in
certain areas and follow the guidelines that I have mentioned. Whether you call
it reform-oriented or not, in any case it will not be proving that it works well
and that everything is fine, using money siphoned off from citizens' pockets to
pay glitzy and expensive campaigns. It will not be proving that the burden of
transition and reforms needs to be carried mainly, if not even solely, by
people. On the contrary, this burden needs to be carried by all of us. Those who
have more should carry more, and those who have less should carry less. The only
valid judgment about how a government works can be passed by people's deputies
in the parliament and the people directly. Therefore, this government will
endeavour to be responsible, which means that others, too - the parliament and
citizens - and not only the government alone, will assess how successful it has
been in everything.
New cabinet
Ladies and gentlemen deputies, this was a brief summary of the programme. You
will receive a more comprehensive version after the break. At the end, I would
like to inform you of the future cabinet's composition. Since you are going to
receive biographical data about all the members of the cabinet separately as
well, I will omit these data. I will just read out the names of the cabinet
members:
Miroljub Labus - deputy prime minister;
Dragan Jocic - interior minister;
Mladjan Dinkic - finance minister;
Zoran Stojkovic - justice minister;
Zoran Loncar - minister for state administration and local self-rule;
Ivana Dulic Markovic - minister for agriculture, forestry and water resources;
Dragan Marsicanin - economy minister;
Dragomir Naumov - minister for mining and energy resources;
Velimir Ilic - minister for capital investments;
Bojan Dimitrijevic - minister of trade, tourism, and services;
Predrag Bubalo - minister of foreign trade relations;
Slobodan Lalovic - minister of labour, employment, and welfare policy;
Aleksandar Popovic - minister of science and environmental protection;
Ljiljana Colic - minister of education and sports;
Dragan Kojadinovic - minister of culture;
Tomica Milosavljevic - health minister;
Milan Radulovic - minister for religions;
Vojislav Vukcevic - minister for diaspora.
Ladies and gentlemen deputies, thank you.
Original Language: Serbian
RTS TV, Belgrade March 2, 2004 1004 gmt /BBC Monitoring/(c) BBC Record Number:
101174362E2D8ADC
Posted for Fair Use only.