Ragus: MEPs cut meeting at National Assembly of Serbia short, show unprecedented disrespect

Vice-President of the National Assembly of Serbia Marina Ragus said today that a delegation of the European Parliament (EP) cut short a meeting with deputies from the ruling Serbian coalition, and pointed out that this was an act of unprecedented disrespect.

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Ragus also stated that it is necessary to change the EP rapporteur for Serbia because Tonino Picula from Croatia is biased.

Ragus told a press conference on Friday that members of the ruling coalition waited for the EP delegation to show up for half an hour, that the meeting was supposed to last at least 40 minutes and that the MEPs cut it short with the excuse that they had other meetings scheduled, and they previously had two with representatives of the opposition.

According to her, members of the National Assembly of Serbia waited for the EP delegation, and took the meeting in the first place because the EP delegation members who came to Belgrade did visit the exhibition about Jasenovac set up in the hall of the House of the National Assembly.

"I have never in my political career experienced this kind of disrespect from a delegation visiting the Serbian parliament. The meeting was cut short, despite our strong protest. We showed up today because the EP delegation visited the exhibition about Jasenovac. That was our reason. And to talk about European values, human rights, civil rights, the rule of law," said Ragus.

She added that the beginning of the meeting was probably unpleasant because the Serbian deputies expressed their protest that the rapporteur for Serbia is a man who celebrates Croatia's Operation Storm (carried out against ethnic Serb areas) and takes photos in the uniform of one of the units that participated in it.

Ragus stressed that they also expressed a strong protest that the EP "fact finding" mission came to Serbia in search of facts that they essentially do not want to hear.

Ragus also noted that this mission was organized after the EP already adopted its resolution on Serbia.

According to her, no evidence was presented today that would support the claims about Serbia made in that resolution, such as that a sound weapon was allegedly used against anti-governemt protesters last year.

"We didn't manage to hear a single fact or proof of what was mentioned in the European Parliament resolution, and we were ready to discuss everything without holding back in any way," Ragus said and added that everyone is aware that mistakes are made, but also ready to correct any mistake.

"But Serbia is a sovereign and independent country. Unfortunately, the message that is being sent from one part of the European Parliament is not good and we said that they must change the rapporteur for Serbia because (Picula) is a very bad choice since he is biased. He completely defined his stance when he got himself triumphantly photographed wearing the uniform of the 'Black Mambas'," said Ragus.

The vice-president of the National Assembly added that during the meeting today, Serbian deputies did not even hear the visiting MEPs condemn the genocide perpetraited in Jasenovac.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)