Ana Brnabic on Rio Tinto: Daughter company was set up in 2001 - so who brought them to Serbia?

She spoke from the Serbian National Assembly

Serbian National Assembly President Ana Brnabic addressed the nation on Tuesday.

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"As the president of the National Assembly, I felt the need to respond to the untruths uttered yesterday by the president of the (opposition) Freedom and Justice Party ("Stranka Slobode i Pravde"), Dragan Djilas, who stated that the Democratic Party (that he was previously a member of) did not issue the exploration permission to Rio Tinto in 2006, as President Vucic had said. That's because, I quote, 'In 2006, the Democratic Party was not in power, but in opposition'," Brnabic said and continued:

"And he (Djilas) said that, 'no mining permit was given to Rio Tinto at that time, because if it had been, this government would not have issued it now'. Let's go over it again now, slowly and thoroughly."

"Number one. Now I found another document, publicly available to everyone, from the APR (Serbian Business Registers Agency). It shows when Rito Tinto's daughter company, Rio Sava Exploration, was founded in Serbia - on May 16, 2001. Who was in power then? Who brought Rio Tinto to Serbia? Aleksandar Vucic? Ana Brnabic? Milos Vucevic? No. The Democratic Party did, in cooperation with G17+ and others who were in power at the time," she said.

"The first document, the first permit, is dated June 8, 2004. It was then that the Ministry of Mining issued a decision allowing Rio Sava Exploration to explore in Loznica (western Serbia). Vojislav Kostunica from the DSS was the PM at the time," she noted.

"After that, in 2006, a new law on mining was adopted. Why is that important? Let's see what that law was like until 2006. It was adopted in 1995, and it was prescribed that after surveying is done, the use of raw mineral materials is awarded through public bidding. Therefore, the license for exploitation is given through public bidding, so whoever offers more and better conditions, gets the license. The law states the following:

'Except for raw mineral materials of strategic importance for the Republic of Serbia.' In 2006, this provision is removed, there is no more public bidding, no collection of bids, but a rule is introduced that only those who have an exploration permit can get the right to exploitation," stressed Brnabic.

She said that the possibility for Serbian companies to get contracts had been removed precisely by Dragan Djilas and his party comrades at the time.

"The prime minister was Kostunica, the president was Boris Tadic. He only signed that into law, that's all... The DS (Democratic Party) had nothing to do with it, they've no idea about anything, as did Dragan Djilas. Let's go on, a document dated January 15, 2007, approves new, additional fields for exploration by Rio Tinto. The entire top state leadership was the same. A document dated January 4, 2008, (concerns) continuation of geological surveying in 9 more fields.

The permission was given by Kostunica, (and) Minister of Mining Aleksandar Popovic. There was a switch, he (Popovic) had become the minister of mining and energy coming from (ministry of) environmental protection. Minister for Environmental Protection in 2008 was Sasa Dragin, from the DS. What was it that Djilas said, that no single permit was issued to Rio Tinto by the DS?," noted Brnabic.

Finally, she asked how those who brought Rio Tinto to Serbia, calling it a leading company, aren't ashamed to today be accusing Vucic of having done that.

"How do you look at yourselves in the mirror, how do you sleep at night," Brnabic wondered.

(Telegraf.rs)