Vucic: High number of abstentions in UNGA resolution vote would be "heroic success"

NEW YORK - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday evening Serbia's position ahead of a vote on a draft Srebrenica resolution in the UN General Assembly was extremely difficult and that having a high number of abstentions and votes against the document would be a "heroic political success."

"For us, that is important, too. We are trying to get countries that will abstain and vote against to outnumber those that will vote in favour. It will be a heroic political success if we manage to do that, even though we will formally lose. I hope that is not impossible," Vucic told the RTS.

Small countries that agree to vote against decide to abstain after being pressured and threatened by large countries, he said.

Vucic said he would also speak with Chinese representatives and noted that the discussions would be "extremely important for us."

"I have spoken with a minister from India, those are the world's largest countries," Vucic added, noting that he would speak with representatives of up to 35 Asian-Pacific states.

He said he had spoken with over 63 per cent of Latin American, Caribbean and African states at the UN's New York headquarters.

"Those are extremely important continents and nations for us, and they feel Serbia's concern. Some countries astounded me by not wanting to vote the way we asked them to, but they heard our arguments. You have to bear in mind that this is a difficult topic and that it is difficult to oppose the most powerful countries," Vucic said, naming the US, Germany, the UK and France as the main sponsors of the resolution.

"It is individuals who are responsible for the crimes, and they have been punished, while in this way, collective guilt is being imposed," he said.

"They (Western powers) are doing this to cover up all they cannot say about Gaza and to show they are not anti-Muslim," Vucic noted.