REPUBLIKA SRBIJA
MINISTARSTVO SPOLJNIH POSLOVA
GENERALNA DIREKCIJA ZA
INFORMISANJE I KULTURU
Direkcija za informisanje
BROJ: 2/106
20. Mart 2009.
FAX
VRLO HITNO
SVIM DKP REPUBLIKE SRBIJE
REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
DAILY SURVEY
Belgrade, 20. 03. 2009.
CONTENT:
SERBIA – TURKEY
- JEREMIC: EUROPEAN UNION MUST NOT HESITATE ON ENLARGEMENT
- JEREMIC CONFERS WITH ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
KOSOVO – METOHIJA
- BAN KI-MOON: SITUATION IN KOSOVO STABLE
- NO OFFICIALS MAY COME TO KOSOVO WITHOUT PERMISSION
- BOGDANOVIC: WE WILL NOT GIVE UP SIX-POINT PLAN
- BOGDANOVIC CONFERS WITH EULEX CHIEF
- UNMIK INCAPABLE OF MANAGING ELECTRIC ENERGY SYSTEM
- EULEX CHIEF CONFERS WITH SERBIAN MINISTERS
- KERMABON: EULEX IS TECHNICAL MISSION
- LAJCAK: SLOVAKIA HAS NOT CHANGED STAND ON KOSOVO
- SCHEFFER: REDUCTION OF KFOR TROOPS NUMBER IS PREMATURE
- RUSSIA OPPOSES KOSOVO'S ADMISSION INTO UN ORGANISATIONS
- SPAIN TO WITHDRAW ITS SOLDIERS FROM KFOR
SERBIA – EU / SCHENGEN / ICTY
- VUKCEVIC MEETS WITH REHN
- LJAJIC: WE WILL INITIATE AGREEMENT WITH HAGUE
- LLOVERAS: VISA LIBERALIZATION DOES NOT DEPEND ON REGIONAL COUNTRIES
SERBIA – CROATIA
- KUPRESAK: CROATIA TO HELP SERBIA REACH EU
- SANADER: LAWSUITS ARE LESS IMPORTANT TOPIC OF BELGRADE TALKS
SERBIA – IMF / ECONOMY
- OFFICIALS AGREE THAT RICH SHOULD BEAR BRUNT OF CRISIS
- GREECE & SERBIA CONSIDER FOSTERING COOPERATION IN ENERGY
- VARVITSIOTIS: AGREEMENT ON CORRIDOR 10 REACHED
- PARKING LOTS ON SERBIAN BORDERS EXPENSIVE FOR GREEK TRUCKS
- SERBIAN ECONOMY MINISTER REQUESTS DEBT RESCHEDULING
- SUTANOVAC: SERBIA WILL EXPORT ARMS AT RECORD PACE
SERBIA
- SERBIAN GOVT ADOPTS STRATEGIC DEFENSE REVIEW
- SERBIAN ARMY 2008 ACTIVITIES ANALYZED AT ANNUAL MEETING
- DJELIC: UNIVERSIADE WILL BE ORGANIZED SUCCESSFULLY
- MUNTER: I REGRET HUMAN VICTIMS AND DESTRUCTION
- HONORARY HUNGARIAN CONSULATE OPENED IN NIS
- BOSNIAN OFFICIALS: SERBIA IS VIOLATING ROME AGREEMENT
SERBIA – TURKEY
JEREMIC: EUROPEAN UNION MUST NOT HESITATE ON ENLARGEMENT
ISTANBUL, Mar 19 (Beta) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that European
integration was the only longterm guarantee of peace and stability in the Western Balkans
and that the EU itself would be "more secure" if it were to expand into the region. In a lecture
entitled "Serbia, Turkey and the EU: Joint Work in the Balkans and Middle East," at Istanbul's
Sabanci University, Jeremic recalled that European integration was Serbia's main strategic
priority and called on the EU not to hesitate on further expansion. "What should be more
clearly emphasized, particularly in the context of the financial crisis which is affecting all of us,
is that Europe is not allowed to consider an exit strategy as far as our part of the world is
concerned," Jeremic said in his speech. He said that if the EU were to hesitate on expansion,
it would spend more money on solving temporary crises than it would completing the
integration process. "Simply put, the EU would be more secure if the Western Balkans, with
Serbia at its center, were to enter the European home, instead of resentfully knocking at its
door. The Serbian foreign minister also supported Turkey's entry into the EU and said that
Turkey was a "key actor on the international stage" and that it belonged to both the East and
the West, successfully connecting two important civilizations: the Islamic and the Western.
Jeremic said that he was confident that it was in Serbia and Turkey's "joint interest to work
together, as two regional bases, on unresolved issues in the Western Balkans, such as the
reform process in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the status of Kosovo."
JEREMIC CONFERS WITH ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH
ISTANBUL, Mar 19 (Tanjug)- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Serbian
Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic discussed issues concerning relations between the Patriarchate
of Serbia and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, during their meeting Thursday in Istanbul.
Jeremic, who visited the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Fanar
district, stated that he was deeply impressed and honoured, Greek news agency ANA reports.
He also referred to the multifaceted activities and the global role of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, underlining the unique and charismatic personality of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
KOSOVO – METOHIJA
BAN KI-MOON: SITUATION IN KOSOVO STABLE
BELGRADE, March 19 (Tanjug) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon assessed on
Thursday, in his report for the Security Council which was made public earlier in the day, that
the overall security situation in Kosovo and Metohija was stable, in spite of the fact that a
series of incidents had occurred in the region of Kosovska Mitrovica. The report by the UN
secretary general was announced on the world organisation's website, and it has been
drafted for the forthcoming session of the UN SC, scheduled for March 23. In the document,
Ban Ki-moon also said that the reconfigurated UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija would
maintain a small field of presence, in particular in Kosovska Mitrovica. It will focus on
reporting on minority issues, including minority representation, returns and freedom of
movement, as well as issues relating to the protection, preservation and reconstruction of
cultural heritage in Kosovo.In the report, he concluded that EULEX had assumed full
operational responsibility from UNMIK in the area of rule of law on December 9 within the
framework of Res 1244 and under the overall authority of the United Nations. The secretary
general pointed out in the report, which refers to the period between November 1, 2008 and
March 9 this year, that the return statistics for 2008 show a dramatic decline in the number of
voluntary minority returns, and that according to the estimates by the Office of the of the
UNHCR, only 582 minority community members had returned to Kosovo last year. An annex
to the report, signed by EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon, says that the Mission expects to
reach full operational capability by the end of winter.
NO OFFICIALS MAY COME TO KOSOVO WITHOUT PERMISSION
PRISTINA, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - A Kosovo government spokesman on Thursday stated
that officials of "other states" will not be allowed to enter the territory of Kosovo unless a a
visit approval request had been submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "They have to
submit requests to the Kosovo Foreign Ministry, and only after receiving permission they may
enter. Without such permission, various ministers and deputy ministers may not visit Kosovo.
Bogdanovic could not come, parliament members could not come and no one else will be
able to come," the spokesman said in a statement with radio KIM.
BOGDANOVIC: WE WILL NOT GIVE UP SIX-POINT PLAN
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Goran Bogdanovic
stated late on Thursday that Serbia will not give up the six-point plan, agreed with the U.N,
and that it wants the plan to be implemented in the whole of the Kosovo and Metohija territory
and not only in the north of the province. "Everything else is absolutely unacceptable to us,
and that is the red line below which we are not prepared to go," Bogdanovic said in a
statement with the RTS on the occasion of the visit by EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon.
Recalling that there are major problems in the electricity supply to the Serb population in
Kosovo, Bogdanovic underscored that the state is investing enormous efforts in resolving the
problems, and although it is not in a position to directly restore the electricity supply it may
point out the grave situation during meetings with international community representatives.
BOGDANOVIC CONFERS WITH EULEX CHIEF
BELGRADE, March 19 (Tanjug) - Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Bogdanovic
pointed out, in his talks with EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon, that Belgrade was ready to
continue its cooperation within a status neutral framework, with the participation of the United
Nations as a body under whose authority EULEX had been deployed. During the talks,
Bogdanovic pointed in particular to the problems regarding electricity supply in Kosovo Serb
settlements, the acquittal of Fljorim Ejupi, lack of freedom of movement in Kosovo and
Metohija and the fact that Serbian officials were not allowed to enter the province, the Ministry
for Kosovo and Metohija said in a statement. Minister Bogdanovic once again underlined that
Serbia was willing to continue its cooperation and improve it even more, and expressed belief
that the international civil presence in Kosovo and Metohija would find a lasting solution to the
problems which brought in jeopardy the Serb and the non-Albanian population in that region.
UNMIK INCAPABLE OF MANAGING ELECTRIC ENERGY SYSTEM
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - The cause of the crisis in electrical energy supply in
Kosovo and Metohija, "which is being concealed by the most brutal force and cutting off
communities in which Serbs make up the majority population," is in UNMIK's incapacity to
manage the electrical energy supply system in the province on its own, the Serbian Ministry of
Mining and Energy stated.The problems of the electrical energy supply system are
manifested through a low production level, high degree of technical losses and only 35 % of
payments for the supplied electricity, which means that the majority of the population in
Kosovo and Metohija does not pay electricity bills, the statement read."If one ethnic
community, the Serbian one, does not make up five percent of the consumers, it is absolutely
clear that it is absurd in both logical and ethnical sense to present the problem as the cause
of the crisis. We are not aware of consumers being grouped ethnically anywhere in the world.
EULEX CHIEF CONFERS WITH SERBIAN MINISTERS
PRISTINA, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon said his talks with
Serbian ministers for Kosovo-Metohija, interior, justice and finance paved the way for
fostering technical cooperation between Serbia and EULEX. This was a first step. EULEX
should work with all parties, including Serbia and the Serb community in Kosovo, in fighting
organized crime and securing stability for all people in Kosovo, he said. The talks were
attended also by judiciary, police and customs experts, the EULEX office in Pristina said. The
talks paved the way for fostering technical cooperation between Serbia and EULEX.
KERMABON: EULEX IS TECHNICAL MISSION
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - EULEX Chief Yves de Kermabon stated late on
Thursday that the EU mission is a technical mission and that Kosovo's status is not in its
competency. Out of the 27 member states of the European Union, some have recognized
Kosovo's independence, some did not, but they all want the rule of law to be respected in
Kosovo and that is my mission, that is the mandate I work under and I am looking for good
solutions that will be acceptable to all in Kosovo, Kermabon said in a broadcast by TV B92.
He said that the EULEX mission is still in the consolidation phase and that it will become fully
operational in April, adding that it needs to get technically connected with Serbia's institutions
and that pragmatic solutions to the benefit of the population need to be found.
LAJCAK: SLOVAKIA HAS NOT CHANGED STAND ON KOSOVO
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Slovakia's newly-appointed Foreign Minister and
former high representative to BIH Miroslav Lajcak has stated that his country had not
changed its stand on non-recognition of Kosovo's independence, underscoring that the West
Balkans belongs in the European Union, even in "this turbulent situation." "The position of the
Republic of Slovakia is public and clearly defined. Nothing has changed in the conditions that
had led to Slovakia's stand (on non-recognition of Kosovo), which is why there are no reasons
to speak about a change in Slovakia's policy," Lajcak said in an interview published by
Vecernje Novosti. When asked whether our citizens may hope that Serbia will be granted the
status of a candidate state this year and get accepted in the EU in several years provided it
fulfills everything it is being requested to fulfill, Lajcak gave an affirmative reply. He said that
European integration of the West Balkan as a whole might be discussed in an informal
meeting scheduled to be held in the Czech Republic in some ten days.
SCHEFFER: REDUCTION OF KFOR TROOPS NUMBER IS PREMATURE
BRUSSELS, Mar 19 (Beta) - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stated
on March 19 that any significant reduction in the number of international forces in Kosovo is
premature, which is considered to be a direct criticism of Spain's decision to withdraw its
troops from KFOR. De Hoop Scheffer believes that any significant change in the strength and
structure of KFOR should take place only after the Alliance establishes whether political and
security conditions have been fulfilled, and that moment has not come yet, said one of the
Alliance's spokespersons, Carmen Romero, as conveyed by the AFP agency. At the
beginning of March, a NATO diplomat mentioned that some of the 26 NATO member
countries were planning to withdraw their troops from KFOR, which consists of 15,450
soldiers, and added that this issue could be discussed at the meeting of the member
countries' defense ministers in Brussels on June 11 and 12. According to official figures of
NATO, the largest KFOR contingents after Feb. 27 were those of Germany (2,854), Italy
(2,395), France (1,923), the U.S. (1,494), Turkey (762) and Greece (685).
RUSSIA OPPOSES KOSOVO'S ADMISSION INTO UN ORGANISATIONS
VIENNA, March 19 (Tanjug) - Russia strongly opposes the possibility that selfproclaimed Kosovo be admitted into UN organisations and international financial institutions,
Russia's Permanent representative to the OSCE Anvar Azimov said on Thursday. According
to him, Kosovo cannot be allowed to squeeze itself into the international organisations of the
UN system and its specialized institutions by violating not only the principles of law, but also
all the principles of morality, the Russian news agencies reported. The explanation that is
being used in this respect and the claims that without such membership, it will be impossible
to resolve the status of Kosovo Serbs cannot be accepted, Azimov said. The supporters of
Kosovo extremists used the very same slogans when they helped push the province toward
independence, the Russian diplomat said. Addressing the participants of a session of the
OSCE Permanent Council, which was held on the occasion of five years after the anti-Serb
pogrom in Kosovo in March 2004, Azimov said that the anti-Serb operations of ethnic
Albanian extremists represented an unprecedented event in Europe's post-war history. They
expressed hatred, barbarism, they wanted to expel the Serb population from a region in
Europe in which they have lived from time immemorial and to destroy their culture and their
religious heritage, he underlined. The result of all that was a new wave of Serb refugees and
the leveling to the ground of Orthodox monasteries and churches, some of which are under
UNESCO protection, Azimov pointed out.
SPAIN TO WITHDRAW ITS SOLDIERS FROM KFOR
PRISTINE, Mar 19 (Beta) - Spain will withdraw its soldiers from the international
forces in Kosovo by summer, Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon announced on March
19. "It is time to go home, we are going home, congratulations," said Chacon while visiting the
Spanish contingent in Kosovo, reported Spanish media. She said, "the mission is finished,"
and added that the Spanish soldiers would return home by summer in stages. The KFOR
Spanish contingent is made up of 632 soldiers who are deployed in western Kosovo under
Italian command. Spain is one of the five European Union countries which have not
recognized Kosovo's independence.
SERBIA – EU / SCHENGEN / ICTY
VUKCEVIC MEETS WITH REHN
BRUSSELS, March 19 (Tanjug) - War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic informed
European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn that Serbia was intensively working on the
finalization of cooperation with The Hague Tribunal, that there was unquestionable political
will in the country for something like that and that security departments fully cooperated to
that effect. After his talks with Rehn, Vukcevic assessed that the "talks were very important
for Serbia." During the meeting, "I presented the fact that the political will in Serbia to bring
the cooperation with The Hague to an end was indisputable, that security services were
intensively working on the issue and that the coordination between them had never been
better," the Serbian prosecutor said. He conveyed to Rehn that our country's cooperation
with the Tibunal had been complete, unless one believed the word referred only to the arrest
of remaining ICTY indictees. The Serbian prosecutor reminded that it was for ICTY Chief
Prosecutor Brammertz to say whether full cooperation had been achieved with the Tribunal.
LJAJIC: WE WILL INITIATE AGREEMENT WITH HAGUE
KRUPANJ, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Serbia will launch again the initiative for the Serbs
sentenced by the Hague tribunal to serve their prison sentences in domestic prisons,
President of the National Council for Cooperation with the ICTY Rasim Ljajic told Tanjug on
Thursday. He said that it would be a useful move which would contribute to restoration of trust
and better understanding between ICTY and Serbia representatives. The Action Team for
cooperation with the ICTY will start the initiative during the upcoming visit of ICTY Chief
Prosecutor Serge Brammertz to Belgrade, scheduled for March 26-27.
LLOVERAS: VISA LIBERALIZATION DOES NOT DEPEND ON REGIONAL COUNTRIES
BELGRADE, March 20 (Tanjug) - The EU visa liberalization regime is individual for
every country and does not depend on other countries of the region, the Head of the
European Commission Delegation Josep LLoveras said.Lloveras pointed out that the process
of fulfilling conditions for the so-called White Schengen List will be rated in every country
individually and that the progress that Serbia has made in that respect will be evaluated
separately.According to him, the issue of fulfillment of conditions necessary for visa
liberalization regime is an example of complete accordance and consensus of political parties
and the Ministries of the Serbian government.If the same consensus can be reached on other
European integration issues, the progress will be evident, Lloveras told in the government.
SERBIA – CROATIA
KUPRESAK: CROATIA TO HELP SERBIA REACH EU
ZAGREB, Mar 19 (Beta) - "Croatia would like to assist Serbia with the EU accession
process because relations between Belgrade-Zagreb are the basis for a stable and
prosperous region," Croatian Ambassador to Serbia Zeljko Kupresak tells Blic. He adds that
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader will discuss a number of outstanding issues with Serbian
officials during his visit. "This visit will not resolve these issues, but it will encourage the start
of efforts to deal with them after years of delays," Kupresak goes on to say. According to him,
it was not Brussels that has caused ties between the countries to improve."We did not need
Brussels to realize that these problems have to be resolved bilaterally."
SANADER: LAWSUITS ARE LESS IMPORTANT TOPIC OF BELGRADE TALKS
BRUSSELS, Mar 19 (Beta) - Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader stated in Brussels
on March 19 that "much more important topics" than the mutual lawsuits before the
International Court of Justice in The Hague will have priority during his meeting with Serbian
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic in Belgrade on March 20. Sanader, who took part in the
session of the European People's Party, which rallies European rightwing parties, pointed out
that, during his visit to Belgrade, he will be accompanied by an important group of Croatian
energy experts. "We believe this is one of the important fields of cooperation between Croatia
and Serbia," Sanader stated. The Croatian prime minister added that, before the meeting in
Belgrade, he does not wish to comment on Cvetkovic's statement that Croatia, and then
Serbia, should withdraw their lawsuits before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
"I cannot comment on this because I expect that Prime Minister Cvetkovic and I will have
something to say to one another during our meeting and we will not send messages through
the media," he stressed. "This is not the way to function and I do not know if he said that, but I
will hear this from him in Belgrade on March 20," the Croatian prime minister said.
SERBIA – IMF / ECONOMY
OFFICIALS AGREE THAT RICH SHOULD BEAR BRUNT OF CRISIS
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Beta) - Officials of the ruling coalition and the opposition in the
Serbian parliament on March 19 supported the government's idea that richer citizens should
bear the brunt of the economic crisis through additional taxes. Nada Kolundzija, whip of the
For a European Serbia party, said that there was no doubt that the economic crisis would
affect everyone equally, but that tax limits were not something that could be arbitrarily bid on.
"It is the state's obligation to introduce instruments on the basis of which it will be ensured that
the most endangered citizens do not suffer additional consequences of the crisis," said
Kolundzija. Suzana Grubjesic, G17 Plus whip, said that it had been conveyed in the
announcement that the measure to shift the burden of the crisis on to the rich would be
temporary and that their income would be taxed and not their assets.
GREECE & SERBIA CONSIDER FOSTERING COOPERATION IN ENERGY
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - Minister of Energy Petar Skundric said Thursday that
talks with a Greek delegation on cooperation in the energy sector showed that this
cooperation can be greatly improved. Views were exchanged on prospects for cooperation in
the energy sector and on potential projects that might be interesting to both countries, he told
the press. Skundric said he conferred with the Greek delegation on renewable energy
sources which have great potentials for development, on issuing tenders for the construction
of new thermo-electric power plants, and on the South Stream gas pipeline which also offers
good prospects for cooperation. Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said that
bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is vital for both countries.
VARVITSIOTIS: AGREEMENT ON CORRIDOR 10 REACHED
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece Miltiades
Varvitsiotis told that one of the most important results of his visit to Belgrade was an
agreement on Corridor 10, the construction of which Greece will finance with EUR 100 mill.
We have agreed with Deputy Prime Minister Mladjan Dinkic on specific sections of Corridor
10 that will be financed by Greece, and it is our pleasure to announce that we will call public
bids for the corridor construction by mid-summer," said Varvitsiotis, recalling that the funds
will be allocated from the Hellenic Plan for the Reconstruction of the Balkans. Varvitsiotis,
who is charge of economic diplomacy, also discussed with officials in Belgrade resolution of
the problems Greek investors are facing in Serbia, where they had already invested EUR 2.5
bill. In regards to the current political issues, Varvitsiotis said that Greece's stand on Kosovo
had not changed. I do not believe that Greece will recognize Kosovo in the near future, but
this does not mean that we will not maintain economic relations with Kosovo, said Varvitsiotis.
We believe in the region's economic prosperity and we are working on it, he also said.
PARKING LOTS ON SERBIAN BORDERS EXPENSIVE FOR GREEK TRUCKS
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Beta) - Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis on
March 19 assessed that the price of parking for trucks at Serbian border crossings should be
reduced. At a meeting with Serbian Minister of Trade Slobodan Milosavljevic, he stated that
among the "minor problems" in cooperation between the two countries were the complex
administration and the long court proceedings, as well as the problem of Greek company
Veropoulos, whose construction of a hypermarket in Belgrade has been obstructed by citizen
protests. Milosavljevic told journalists after the meeting that he had informed Varvatsiotis that
the problem of long waits at border crossings and the high prices of parking charged by
private companies should be resolved by the end of 2009. "I informed him that an interactive
border management project was ongoing, which informationwise should make a connection
between the border crossings, so that the papers would practically arrive before the trucks do
and waiting at the borders will be much shorter, while there will be no need to pay so much,"
Milosavljevic said. At the meeting, he called on Greek companies to take part in the
privatization of Serbian spas and mountain tourist centers, to invest in the construction of
tourist facilities on the Danube, and to increase the number of Greek tourists in Serbia.
SERBIAN ECONOMY MINISTER REQUESTS DEBT RESCHEDULING
BRUSSELS, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Economy Mladjan Dinkic asked Thursday in Brussels the EU prime ministers to use their
influence with the banks in their countries to reschedule the debts of private companies in
Western Balkans and Serbia. In the crisis years, when exports to the EU market are difficult, it
is necessary to show understanding and defer debt repayment in order to maintain economic
stability in southeastern Europe, Dinkic said after meeting high EU officials at the European
People's Party summit. Rescheduling the debts of private companies in Western Balkans is
very important, as the private sector has been developing so far precisely thanks to the loans
of those banks, he said quoted by a statement of his ministry.
SUTANOVAC: SERBIA WILL EXPORT ARMS AT RECORD PACE
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Serbia expects to keep exporting arms at a record
pace this year, but will also cut jobs in state-owned weapons producers to boost profits,
Defense Minister Sutanovac stated. "In 2008 we produced a record USD 621 mill worth of
weapons and equipment and secured sales for about USD 400 mill," Defense Minister
Dragan Sutanovac said Reuters. Sutanovac also said that the Serbian defense industry "had
already secured USD 50 mill in sales in January alone.""Serbia's membership in NATO will be
delayed until (negative) public sentiment with the alliance diminishes," Sutanovac said. Ten
years ago, NATO bombed the then Yugoslavia, which Sutanovac described as "a major
mistake.""The goals of the bombing were not justified," Sutanovac told Reuters, adding that
Serbia's economy will be recovering from it for years to come.
SERBIA
SERBIAN GOVT ADOPTS STRATEGIC DEFENSE REVIEW
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - The Serbian government adopted the strategic
defense review, after President Tadic approved the draft document.The document constitutes
an institutional framework for reforming the defense system and defines medium-term
defense planning, the Defense Ministry said. It also defines efficient management of defense
ressources, transparency of defense activities and conditions for democratic and civilian
control of the Serbian Army, its professionalization and efficiency in realizing the set missions
and tasks, the ministry said. The document is based on Serbia's basic strategic commitment
to adapting to the current world developments and accepting democratic standards for
organizing the defense system, it noted. It also includes a vision of Serbian Army until 2015,
analyses the current situation in the defense system and the capabilities of the Serbian Army,
and sets out future priorities and needs, the ministry said.
SERBIAN ARMY 2008 ACTIVITIES ANALYZED AT ANNUAL MEETING
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Tanjug) - A regular annual meeting to analyze the operational
and functional capabilities of the Serbian Army was held and was attended by Serbian
President Boris Tadic, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The meeting focused on
future development and tasks of the Army, the realization of set tasks in 2008, the security
situation in the country and the region and other relevant issues, the statement said. The
security situation in southern Serbia and Ground Safety Zone was assessed as stable, the
statement says. The meeting was attended also by Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac,
Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Miloje Miletic and other top ministry and army officials.
DJELIC: UNIVERSIADE WILL BE ORGANIZED SUCCESSFULLY
BELGRADE, Mar 20 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Djelic and Interior Minister
Ivica Dacic expressed their confidence that the Universiade Belgrade 2009 will be organized
successfully. Djelic, who is also president of the Organizing Committee, underscored that the
university village is ready and funds secured. After a meeting with heads of delegations of the
participating countries, Djelic told that "we take seriously the security, enjoyment and spirit of
sports, since more than 10,000 athletes from 140 countries are expected to take part."
MUNTER: I REGRET HUMAN VICTIMS AND DESTRUCTION
BELGRADE, Mar 19 (Beta) - Speaking during the marking of ten years since the
NATO bombing of the FR of Yugoslavia, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Cameron Munter said
that he regretted the victims and destruction and hoped that the problems that had led to this
would never be repeated. Faced with what has happened in the former Yugoslavia over the
last 20 years, we believe that it would be best for a successful Serbia to be created over the
next 20 years, Munter told reporters in Pancevo on March 19. Munter added that the U.S.
Embassy in Belgrade is dedicated to Serbia's ecological goals and to attempts for it to clean
up its environment. "We will actively work with nongovernmental organizations, student
groups and local authorities in order to help Serbia clean up its environment. The activism of
such groups is the key to success," Munter said. After a visit to the Petrohemija factory and
the nature park Ponjavica near Pancevo, the ambassador said he was aware of the jeopardy
the environment in this city was in because of the chemical industry there.
HONORARY HUNGARIAN CONSULATE OPENED IN NIS
NIS, Mar 19 (Beta) - Jeno Faller, a state secretary in the Hungarian Foreign Ministry,
and Milos Simonovic, the mayor of Nis, on March 19 in Nis opened an honorary Hungarian
consulate. The Hungarian honorary consul in Nis is Miloje Brankovic. According to him, the
honorary consulate will not issue business or tourist visas, but rather its task is to bring
together and improve cultural cooperation and promote good neighborly relations. Brankovic
said that administrative tasks connected with the issuing of visas would still be carried out at
the Hungarian Embassy in Belgrade.
BOSNIAN OFFICIALS: SERBIA IS VIOLATING ROME AGREEMENT
SARAJEVO, Mar 19 (Beta) - Members of the BosniaHerzegovina Presidency Zeljko
Komsic and Haris Silajdzic on March 19 assessed that, by bringing charges against wartime
members of the former Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency, Serbia had violated the
Rome Agreement, signed in 1996 by Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. "This agreement clearly
states that, before the countries who signed it can bring charges, they must first ask for the
Hague tribunal's opinion, which Serbia failed to do and thus violated international law,"
Komsic and Silajdzic said. They underlined that, in this case, they will ask for the Hague
tribunal's opinion, "because BosniaHerzegovina's sovereignty is also being violated." Silajdzic
and Komsic, in Sarajevo, met with members of the former Bosnian wartime Presidency
Tatjana LjujicMijatovic, Ivo Komsic, Mio Lazovic and Ejup Ganic. They discussed the
investigation launched against them based on a decision by the Serbian War Crimes
Prosecution, for war crimes against members of the Yugoslav People's Army in Bosnia.
According to the former wartime Presidency members, "those who worked in state institutions
during the war in Bosnia, but also Bosnian citizens, are concerned about these indictments."