Izvor: N1 televizija, 27.Apr.2018, 17:57 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
Retired Serbian general says new laws not good for military
Former Serbian chief of staff Zdravko Ponos said on Friday that a set of draft laws on the military is designed to cater to the interests of arms traders, not at upgrading the army and improving living standards for military personnel.
Ponos, a deputy leader of the Peoples’ Party, told the Nasa TV station that dissatisfaction was rising at all levels within the Army of Serbia (VS). “The dissatisfaction of people on the bottom rungs is growing because their salaries are low and >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << they are expected to do tours in the Ground Safety Zone (along the border with Kosovo) and the generals are dissatisfied because they are waiting for another start which secures them a higher pension,” he said.
“The laws on the military and defense do not guarantee holiday pay and food allowances which will be paid if the money is there. The same is true of salaries, they will be paid if there are funds in the budget,” he said.
Ponos said the draft laws give too much power to the defence minister, allowing him to decide who to hire, who is deployed where, what their salary is,” the retired general said. “The goal of the laws is not improving the situation in the military. They deal with the people earning money on the military and making sure that money is earned by the SDPR [a weapons and military equipment trade company], which is under the control of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) local board in Zemun,” Ponos said.
According to him, the draft law on the arms and military equipment trade is part of the privatization process in the military industry. “The unions are looking at that process through the experience of workers at privatized companies who lost their jobs without severance pay programs or early retirement while the people who kept their jobs got low pay,” Ponos said.
Hand out to Serbia, Croatian president says
Izvor: N1 televizija, 27.Apr.2018
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Friday that her hand is out for a dialogue with Serbia...“Our hand is out for a dialogue but it takes two for a dialogue. This is not just about us discussing open questions, there has to be a true desire to resolve them,” she told reporters in...
