The main part of the Tuesday discussion in the Serbian Parliament about the draft declaration on the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica consisted of a dispute between the parliamentary groups Forward Serbia on one side and For European Serbia and G17 Plus on the other, which was started by Forward Serbia WhipTomislav Nikolic commenting that not everyone in the ruling majority is in favour of the document.

Nikolic said that the goal of the declaration is to blame the Serbian people for everything that happened and make it look like they are the only ones who committed war crimes, adding that crimes are not committed by the whole people, but by individuals.

Nikolic remarked that there is no consensus on the contents of the declaration within the ruling coalition, but that its MPs will vote for it because of personal and party interests.

The Forward Serbia whip stated that "Serbia is unable to join the EU not because it has failed adopt this or other similar declarations, but because its factories are not working, its government is spending without limits, its civil servants are corrupt and smuggling is thriving."

For European Serbia Whip Nada Kolundzija replied to this by saying that the government wants to acknowledge the crime with the declaration and say that individuals committed it, so that by determining individual responsibility, the people and the government would be cleared of any blame.

G17 Plus Deputy Whip Vlajko Senic asked Nikolic not to involve "party relations" in the discussion.

"The path from opposing the EU to advocating integration into it is not easy and simple. You are having a hard time today, and I can understand why you are sending a message that you denounce the crime in Srebrenica. You have come to the point where you have to decide between European values and nationalism," said Senic.

Nikolic then described the declaration as "a trap for the Serbian Progressive Party (the party he leads)," because if it is against the document, then it is against the EU.

Kolundzija replied once again, explaining that the ruling majority wants to adopt the declaration because of the Serbian people and their future.

"The fact that you are not prepared to take responsibility, just like in the past, speaks about you, not about us, who are prepared to take that responsibility. It is a painful and difficult thing to do, but it is in the interest of this country's future," Kolundzija said.