Serbia's presidential candidate: "Trained dogs" released, owner responsible

"I expressed my readiness to be the coalition candidate; whoever proposed it first is a technical issue," he said.

Commenting on the tabloids' claims that "he was "a NATO general" or got rich while he was the Army of Serbia (VJ) Chief of the General Staff, Ponos said that he would not respond to that.

"And some things can be interpreted not only as an attack on personal dignity but also as a threat to family safety. I'm afraid someone let 'trained dogs' do that. And when such dogs bite someone, then the owner is always responsible," he said, adding that "we know who can let those dogs. I mean Aleksandar Vucic. What his media is doing is inappropriate civilized behaviour, "Ponos said.

Asked if he thought Serbia could become a NATO member, he said he saw no point expecting something like that from the current political generation.

"But that does not mean that we should not have the best possible relations with NATO and its members," he added, dismissing accusations that he was opposed to the doctrine of military neutrality.

"I have not heard that from political opponents, and I do not take the tabloids seriously. I am a supporter of the policy of military neutrality," Ponos said.

He added he would have his team of advisers and would speak about them during the election campaign.

Speaking about what motivated him to accept the candidacy, Ponos said that "it's not about a career. Someone of my age doesn't need it. I was quite successful in what I did. That is a challenge I didn't ask for. I responded to an invitation from a group of opposition parties. I wanted to contribute to the opposition struggle as my civil duty. I will run that race with the support of everyone. We will win that race," he said.

Ponos also clarified his earlier statement that if the government changes, frustration should occur, but not revenge.

"I think my commitment led the regime to attack me like this with all its means. What this regime is doing is not their voters' fault. None of the voters committed a crime by voting, and they should not be afraid to go back to work after the election. But those who did other things will have to be held criminally responsible," Ponos said.