Brnabic hopes "at least some facts" will make it into Picula's report

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Tuesday she had accepted a meeting with the European Parliament's rapporteur for Serbia Tonino Picula out of respect for the EP and that she hoped "at least some facts" would make it into his progress report on Serbia since a draft report he had presented was "disgraceful, inaccurate and full of disinformation."

"Mr Picula informed me that he has come on an investigative mission to check facts. I told him I am endlessly glad about that because I hope he will be able to find at least a single fact as a result of the visit so that at least one fact makes it into the resolution he is preparing. Other than that, our meeting was good, because it was mutually open and sincere, and I think that is always good," Brnabic told a press conference in the parliament building.

Asked if Serbian government officials were boycotting Picula, Brnabic said she did not know who was boycotting him as nearly all groups of MPs had met with him.

"The President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and PM Milos Vucevic have not met with him - they have no need to. Considering all Mr Picula has said about Aleksandar Vucic, the regime in Serbia and the rest of us, I really do not even see a particular topic for such discussions. The president does not have to meet with anyone from the EP as the EP falls under the authority of our parliament," Brnabic noted.

Asked by Croatian reporters if she had refused to shake hands with Picula, Brnabic said such allegations were untrue and aimed at deceiving the public.

Picula is a Croatian MEP.