Serbia dismisses NATO membership

Brussels: President of Serbia Boris Taric reinforced on Monday the decision to maintain the neutrality of his country without joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the end of his term.

Taric assured until 2012 the current Serbian Government will hold the military neutrality declaration and will not approve the issue about the association with NATO, unlike the opposition that promotes the celebration of a referendum.

He said the demands for a referendum on the entry of Serbia to the Western bloc are completely meaningless, regardless of whether some countries in the region have joined the alliance, said the Serbian President.

According to the President the Balkan nation participates in a cooperation program with NATO “Partnership for Peace” and intends advances in its status. He stated the country has more important tasks such as combating crime and organized crime, coupled with economic projects. Of the republics that made up the former Yugoslavia before the break-up in the early 90s, Slovenia joined NATO in 2004, while Croatia joined in April 2009, along with Albania.

Macedonia is also among the aspirants for membership in the military bloc.

Belgrade, Prensa Latina