VZCZCXRO3242
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHSR RUEHVK
RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #0026/01 0080939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080938Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0548
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RUCXJAC/JAC MOLESWORTH JCDX RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 000026 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: RASIM LJAJIC UNVEILS SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF 
SERBIA 
 
REF: 09 BELGRADE 771 
 
Summary 
 
----------- 
 
 
 
¶1.         (SBU) The new Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDPS), 
led by popular Minister of Labor and Social Policy Rasim Ljajic, 
held its founding party congress in Belgrade in mid-December. 
Marking Ljajic's ascension from leadership of the regional Sandzak 
Democratic Party (SDP) to a nation-wide political movement 
(reftel), the SDPS congress attracted President Tadic, coalition 
partners, and members of Serbia's nationalist opposition.  With its 
principles of promoting efficient state institutions, economic 
development, normal political dialogue, constitutional patriotism, 
and caring for the disadvantaged, the SDPS is positioning itself to 
capitalize on Ljajic's personal popularity and to advocate modern 
European values on Serbia's left.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Ljajic Officially Forms SDPS 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.         (SBU) Political, labor, and intellectual figures 
descended upon Belgrade's Sava Center on December 12 to mark the 
formal creation of the SDPS led by Minister of Labor and Social 
Policy Rasim Ljajic.  The SDPS founding congress attracted such 
luminaries as President Boris Tadic, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, 
Education Minister Zarko Obradovic (Socialist Party of Serbia-SPS), 
Diaspora Minister Srdjan Sreckovic (Serbian Renewal Movement-SPO), 
National Investment Plan Minister Verica Kalanovic, League of 
Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) head Nenad Canak, SPO president 
Vuk Draskovic, Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) deputy president 
Aleksandar Vucic, Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) economic council 
head Nenad Popovic, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) MP Kenan 
Hajdarevic, Democratic Christian Party of Serbia (DHSS) head Vladan 
Batic, Together for Sumadija (ZZS) deputy president Sasa Milenic, 
United Serbia (JS) MP Jasmina Milosevic, and representatives from 
sister parties in Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  An 
array of labor syndicates, left-leaning intellectuals, and 
non-governmental organizations also attended the proceedings as did 
numerous ordinary citizens, many of whom the SDPS brought in by bus 
in order to pack the 3,600 seats of the Sava Center's main hall. 
Nearly all high officials of the SDP (which Ljajic formally led 
until recently) also attended, but without any public role. 
 
 
 
¶3.         (U) The party congress began with the national anthem 
followed by an introductory film highlighting the values of the 
SDPS.  Featuring short interviews with activists, youth, 
pensioners, and workers on the street, the film emphasized the 
space existing in Serbian politics for a viable social democratic 
party and lauded Ljajic's personal leadership.  Reiterating the 
party's slogan "one Serbia,"  the film also emphasized the key 
themes of the SDPS platform including building up the state, 
constitutional patriotism, protecting the development of democracy, 
decentralization and regionalization, fight against crime and 
corruption, and social democratic economy. 
 
 
 
 
 
Coalition Partners Sing Rasim's Praise... 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
 
 
¶4.          (SBU) President Tadic headline a series of speeches 
from government coalition partners praising Ljajic's vision and 
character.  Tadic said that social democratic parties must take 
into consideration the most vulnerable segments of the population, 
as well as preserve the stability and financial sustainability of 
the state and promote economic growth.  He emphasized the need for 
business owners to assume social responsibility.  Describing the 
SDPS as "the closest sister party" of the Democratic Party, Tadic 
said both parties agreed that "the best social policy is the policy 
 
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of development and growth" and social policy based on budget 
expenditures was not sustainable.  (Comment: Strikingly absent from 
Tadic's comments was any mention of EU integration.) 
 
 
 
¶5.         (SBU) Other speakers were similarly laudatory of Ljajic. 
Canak (LSV) followed Tadic in offering congratulations to Ljajic 
and welcoming the existence of a nationwide social democratic 
party.  Draskovic (SPO) noted that despite being on the opposite 
end of the political spectrum, he supported Ljajic since "we are 
both parts of the same body of Serbia."  Draskovic provided the 
most catchy sound bite of the congress, commenting that everyone 
from those living in difficult conditions to Serbia's Prime 
Minister (responsible for finding Hague indictee Ratko Mladic) all 
turned to Ljajic to say "Rasime, spasi me" ("Rasim, save me"). 
Obradovic represented SPS head Ivica Dacic (who was traveling) in 
welcoming another voice on the left for Serbia's disadvantaged. 
Representatives of sister social democratic parties from Montenegro 
and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United Independent Serbian Party 
from Croatia also gave short speeches. 
 
 
 
 
 
...As Does the Opposition 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6.         (SBU) The SDPS congress also featured remarks by two key 
Serbian opposition party members.  In strikingly undiplomatic 
comments, Vucic (SNS) said he wished Tadic had not left the 
congress early because Vucic wanted to tell Tadic that there would 
always be a place for Ljajic in the SNS-led future government after 
the SNS beat the DS in the next elections.  Popovic (DSS) offered 
more boilerplate language complimenting Ljajic's focus on 
development and economic issues while stopping short of suggesting 
DSS cooperation with the SDPS. 
 
 
 
 
 
Ljajic's Vision 
 
------------------ 
 
 
 
¶7.         (SBU) Following over an hour's worth of congratulatory 
speeches, Ljajic took the stage flanked by roughly fifty young 
people waved long-stemmed roses above their heads.  Ljajic stated 
that the diversity of parties represented at the congress reflected 
the SDPS's goal of encouraging a peaceful and normal dialogue 
between all parties of the government.  Serbia needed to develop 
stable institutions, efficient administrations, a government with 
no more than 15 ministers, and a National Assembly of roughly 150 
MPs, Ljajic said.  Describing Serbia's membership in the EU as one 
of his party's primary goals, Ljajic noted that Serbia needed to 
sort out its affairs at home in order to be a good neighbor and a 
reliable partner, adding, in particular that Serbia needed a 
dialogue and consensus over basic state issues such as 
decentralization and the status of Kosovo.  Ljajic declared that 
the SDPS would not take a single cent from any tycoon because the 
SDPS would not "be a corporation from which anybody will profit." 
Ljajic closed by reiterating his commitment to Serbia's youth 
through advancing the values of equality and protection of the 
disadvantaged. 
 
 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶8.         (SBU) The high-level representation from the entire 
Serbian political spectrum at the SDPS congress was testament to 
Ljajic's popularity and political astuteness .  By leaving behind 
 
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(albeit nominally) the regional minority SDP to lead the 
national-level SDPS, Ljajic is banking on his popularity and social 
democratic message to appeal to a wider audience, including 
Serbia's disadvantaged.  However, political analysts have pointed 
to the poor track record of social democratic movements in Serbia 
and expressed skepticism to us that the SDPS could meet the five 
percent threshold in national elections without going into an 
electoral coalition with the DS; Ljajic has said he would welcome 
that.  Much of the impetus to form the party has come from Ljajic's 
desire to enhance his personal image and political influence. 
Ljajic is an energetic and dedicated minister who reaches out to 
and has the pulse of the ordinary citizen.  The only coalition 
politician to regularly speak about the need to support the ICTY, 
Ljajic is well placed to be an influential voice in advancing the 
European values that Serbia must embrace to emerge from its 
troubled past.  End Comment. 
BRUSH