Preradovic: Vucic trying to hide behind a referendum (N1)
The foreign policy editor at the weekly NIN Zoran Preradovic assesses that the pessimism of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after the new round of dialogue in Brussels says that "not much can be pulled out'' from the negotiations on the issue of Kosovo, reports regional broadcaster N1.
"Vucic tries to hide behind a referendum that he obviously prepares and where citizens would say what the solution is. If, say, most citizens think that this is a frozen conflict, then he will not be responsible for what will happen after that," say Preradovic to N1.
He reminds that Vucic won the mandate to solve the problems, including Kosovo.
"He now returns the mandate to citizens, I do not understand why," he says, adding that Vucic is running away from facing political opponents on the issue.
In his opinion, there is an abolition of the cause.
"The cause lies in the 1990s, where Ivica Dacic's party was in power, and Vucic's gave support or even participated," he says.
Preradovic says he is afraid that "Vucic promised the West that he would give more than he should or should have".
"Someone else may be, without this political baggage from the past, able to negotiate more seriously, better and more competently with greater capacity," he says.
Preradovic adds that he has the impression that the European Union does nothing to pressure Pristina to start forming the Association of Serb Municipalities (ZSO).
"Federica Mogherini wants to come to an end as soon as possible about Kosovo because she sees herself in the future as an important Brussels administrator," he says.
Speaking about the opening of two new chapters in Serbia's EU membership negotiations, Preradovic assesses as a delusion because he believes that the enlargement of the Union will not come "at least another ten years or more."