revised version of Ahtisaari's plan as "worse than the previous one," stating that it, "fully corresponds with the stance of the Albanian separatists." DSS spokesperson in the second Koštunica ministry The 2007 Serbian parliamentary election did not produce a clear winner, and an unstable coalition government was eventually formed, led by the DSS and the rival Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka, DS). Koštunica continued to serve as prime minister. Mladenović, who provided regular media updates during the negotiations for a new government, remained the DSS's media spokesperson, although from July 2007 he shared this responsibility with Branislav Ristivojević. In September 2007, Mladenović said that Serbian Army forces would not be deployed to international missions in either Afghanistan or Iraq. In November 2007, he said that a new European Union (EU) mission to Kosovo and Metohija would be unacceptable for Serbia prior to the resolution of the disputed area's status. The DSS offered to support DS incumbent Boris Tadić in the second round of the 2008 Serbian presidential election if Tadić agreed to abandon Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union in the event of the EU sending a new mission to Kosovo. Tadić rejected the offer, and the DSS remained neutral in the runoff vote between Tadić and Tomislav Nikolić. Mladenović stated that Tadić and the DS were to blame for the DSS's neutrality, stressing that the DSS proposal was a legitimate offer and not a form of blackmail. Tadić won a narrow victory in the election despite the absence of a DSS endorsement. Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and its subsequent recognition by EU countries created a crisis for the DSS–DS government. Mladenović expressed the DSS's view that Serbia should hold a referendum on whether the country should continue its efforts to join the EU "with or without Kosovo." He added that "official policy thus far has been that Kosovo is Serbia and that we will join the EU with Kosovo as a constituent part." The crisis ultimately led to the breakdown of the coalition government and to early elections in 2008. The DSS contested the election on a joint list with New Serbia, and Mladenović received the sixty-second position on their combined list. Boris Tadić announced during the campaign that he would sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU; Mladenović responded by saying, "his signature is not the signature of Serbia. He is