DAILY SURVEY - Nr. 51 / 386 - Belgrade - Prepared by: Z. Bucin

- SERBIA

TADIC: SERBIA IS DOING ITS BEST TO ARREST HAGUE INDICTEES

BELGRADE, Oct 6 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic stated on Tuesday evening that he cannot exclude the possibility that the Netherlands will once again block Serbia’s EU integration, adding that Serbia is doing its best to arrest the Hague indictees. "I hope that it will not come to that as we are doing everything to arrest the remaining Hague fugitives," Tadic stated in a political show on Radio and Television of Serbia. Regarding the future dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Tadic pointed out that he agreed with EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton that the EU should conduct the negotiations. "If we hadn’t made systematic mistakes in the past we would have more maneuvering space now, but there is a way to pursue an active foreign policy concerning Kosovo. There is a possibility that we will be requested to abide by certain conditions, but we need to carry out a policy that avoids traps," Tadic underscored. He said that Russia had been duly informed about all Serbia’s moves regarding Kosovo and that there are no objections from its part. Tadic assessed that the earliest possible date of Serbia’s EU accession is 2016, adding that it can easily turn to 2035 if "Serbia does not work hard." "I expect that the candidacy will be forwarded in the nearest future and I believe that we could obtain the candidate status at the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012," Tadic stressed, adding that he is satisfied with the work of Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic.

TADIC: SERBIA HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DEMOCRATIC

BELGRADE, Oct 6 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic stated late on Tuesday that Serbia has never been a more democratic state, expressing his confidence that ten years after the changes that took place on October 5 no one would ever forge election results. Tadic underscored that Zoran Djindjic played the most important role in those changes, adding that by saying that he does not deny the role of DSS leader Vojislav Kostunica on October 5, 2000. "Serbia today heads towards its membership in the European Union and we have never been on a higher level of relations with the Union. Those who say that we need a new October 5 forget that we won the 2000 election," underscored Tadic.

ANTI-CRIME MEMORANDUM SIGNED IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Justice and interior ministers from nine countries signed a cooperation memorandum in Belgrade on Tuesday to strengthen their efforts against crime. The document was signed by representatives of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Romania, Albania, Slovenia and Bulgaria. The memorandum was signed as part of a conference on combating organized crime. Italian, German, Austrian, Hungarian, Swedish, Spanish and Swiss representatives also attended the conference. The two-day meeting gathered prosecutors from all of the countries of the region. "The memorandum confirms the willingness and determination by all the countries of the region to fight international crime, which poses a threat to all countries," Serbia’s Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said closing the conference. The document is meant to strengthen cooperation against organized crime when it comes to prevention and data exchange. It also involves harmonizing the legislation in the region, improving cooperation between police forces, prosecutors and courts and removing any obstacles in crime fighting. The memorandum also allows creation of joint investigation teams for organized crime and use of all UN approved methods in the fight.

INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CRIME OFFICE OPENS IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - An international anti-crime office opened in Belgrade on Tuesday as part of EU’s regional project International Law Enforcement Cooperation Unit (ILECU), the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs has told Tanjug. As a regional project initiated by the EU, ILECU is aimed at establishing national units for coordinating international cooperation in the domain of law enforcement for western-Balkan countries, which include Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia. The unit would cooperate with international institutions such as Interpol, Europol and Frontex. As part of the project, interior ministers of the western-Balkan countries signed a memorandum on cooperation on September 9, 2009, after which Serbia began tackling this task by adopting an action plan and forming a project team. The Interior Ministry also said that it has recently signed an agreement with the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Finance on improving the cooperation in the fight against international crime as part of the project realisation. In order to implement the agreement, the Interior Ministry adopted a new organisational structure, while the Ministries of Finance and Justice appointed their representatives for the newly-established office. The office was opened during a conference on strengthening international cooperation as a prerequisite for a successful fight against organized crime.

- SERBIA – EU

TADIC: SERBIA CAN JOIN EU IN 2016 EARLIEST

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tadic) - Serbian President Boris Tadic stated on Tuesday that Serbia can join the EU in 2016 the earliest, but added that it could be a lot later if reforms in Serbia are carried out at a slow pace. "The earliest possible date of Serbia’s EU accession is 2016, on condition that negotiations start late in 2011 or early in 2012. However, if reforms and laws are implemented at a slow pace, the country will join the EU much later," Tadic told reporters after participating at the conference ’Serbia on the road to Europe - 10 years after’. The president explained that the negotiations regarding all aspects of EU membership can take some time and that the shortest EU integration process ever, which was recorded with Slovakia, lasted nearly 5 years. "Serbia’s advantage is that it can learn from the negative experiences of the countries which have already walked the same path, and thus shorten the process of our EU integration," Tadic noted. He pointed out that Serbia has its own specific problems, such as the Kosovo issue. The president warned that Serbia cannot join the EU burdened with a historic conflict, since Europe already has a number of unresolved issues such as Cyprus and Northern Ireland. Tadic assessed that the participation of the Democratic Party (DS) in the government is one of the prerequisites for EU membership, since it was the DS, as he said, that prevented the focus being shifted from Europe onto some other political goals.

TADIC: ALL EFFORTS TO BE FOCUSED ON FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic stated Tuesday, on the 10th anniversary of democratic changes, that the biggest part of the job in the fight against organized crime has been completed, and that now all efforts should be invested into fighting corruption. "We cannot tackle all the problems at the same time, and now we must accelerate the process and invest all our efforts in the fight against corruption," Tadic told journalists after the meeting dubbed ’Serbia on the road to Europe- 10 years after’. Tadic said that the democratic standards of Serbian society should be upgraded, and added that a great job has been done concerning the rights of national minorities. "The Pride Parade will soon be held, and this also represents a fight for citizens’ rights. Only few years ago, this was hard to imagine," Tadic said pointing out that this adds to the list of what has been achieved.

JEREMIC: PROGRESS MOST EVIDENT IN FOREIGN RELATIONS

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Tuesday that since October 5, 2000, Serbia’s progress has been most evident and indisputable in the area of foreign relations. "October 5 was a historic victory for the country and the region, and this decade has been a decade of progress and improvement," Jeremic said at a conference dubbed ’’Serbia on the road to Europe - 10 years after’.

TALKS ON SERBIA’S PARTICIPATION IN EU PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac met Tuesday with the European Parliament Delegation for relations with South East Europe and the EU Delegation to Serbia to discuss the participation of members of the Serbian defense system in EU peacekeeping missions. It was concluded in the meeting that defense cooperation is the best segment of Serbia’s overall relations with countries in the region, the Ministry of Defense published on its website. "The participation of Serbia’s defense system members in EU missions was also discussed, as Serbia wants to contribute to international peace and security and promote stability in crisis areas." Sutanovac also acquainted the EU officials with the defense system reforms, the process of full army professionalization and future steps in EU integration.

KUKAN: REGIONAL COOPERATION PRECONDITION OF FUTURE INTEGRATION

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Head of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the countries of South East Europe Eduard Kukan said Tuesday that regional cooperation is a precondition for the future integration of Serbia and other countries in the region into the EU. Regional cooperation is a very important issue for all countries in the region and their active participation is a prerequisite of EU membership, Kukan said at a conference dubbed ’Serbia on the road to Europe - 10 years after.’ During a debate on regional cooperation in South East Europe, Kukan said that this issue, which is frequently brought up by Brussels, is mostly seen as another of the EU’s conditions, and stressed that this view should be changed for the benefit of the people and further integration. Kukan pointed to the importance of economic cooperation between countries in the region, followed by cooperation in science, education and energy, and added that the elite should take on special responsibility in the process of Western Balkans’ integration.

DEGERT: EU CONTINUES TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL, POLITICAL AID TO SERBIA

BELGRADE, Oct 5 (Tanjug) - Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert stated on Tuesday that the EU will continue to provide political and financial support to Serbia because it wants the country as its member, but he could not specify the exact date when Serbia’s EU membership application will be discussed by the European Commission. At the conference ’Serbia on the road to Europe - 10 years after,’ Degert pointed out that Serbia’s EU membership application will certainly be discussed by the European Commission, and that a positive opinion on the matter is more important than the exact date of the discussion. Degert added that in order to launch EU membership negotiations, Serbia needs to tackle a lot of issues, primarily regarding further reform concerning the rule of law, judicial system, fight against organised crime and corruption, creation of an open market, regional cooperation and good relations with surrounding countries. EU accession is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and one should be well-prepared for the race and know which path to follow, Degert said and added that the EU has been supporting Serbia’s EU integration ever since 2003. He stated that the EU will continue to provide help to the country, and added that since 2000, Serbia has received EUR 2 billion in financial assistance aimed at preparations for EU accession. European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin said that the EU should open certain issues in order to accelerate the pace of changes in Serbia and the country’s EU accession. When Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia can become EU member in 2016 the earliest, Kacin interpreted that as an invitation to the Serbian government and the Democratic Party (DS) as the biggest party in the ruling coalition to stir into action and help Serbia progress on its EU path. He also said that the parliament needs to reinforce its role. Speaking about Kosovo, Kacin said that the EU expects the dialogue to begin and be conducted on operational levels rather than between prime ministers or ministers, with a view to helping both sides reach an agreement on everyday problems, such as electricity supply and operation of mobile telephony.

SLOVAK FM: SLOVAKIA WILL NOT CHANGE STANCE ON KOSOVO

BELGRADE, Oct. 05 (Beta) - Slovakia’s view on Kosovo will not change and Bratislava wants Serbia to become a member of the European Union as soon as possible, Slovak Foreign Minister Mikulas Dzurinda said on Oct. 5 in Belgrade. "Recognizing Kosovo is not part of the Slovak government platform," Dzurinda said at a news conference following talks with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. Speaking about planned negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Dzurinda said that he is convinced that positive talks leading to mutual understanding are possible and that they will not only be good for the standpoint of European prospects, but will also improve everyday life. Jeremic said that Serbia is ready for dialogue with Pristina and that it wants dialogue to begin as soon as possible. He added that Serbia’s policy on the issue of Kosovo’s future status and on Serbia’s intention to become a fullyfledged EU member has not changed.

- KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

KRASNIQI: TALKS WITH BELGRADE AFTER KOSOVO ELECTION

PRISTINA, Oct. 05 (Beta) - Acting Kosovo President and Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said on Oct. 5 that representatives of Kosovo’s institutions support holding talks between Belgrade and Pristina on technical issues after the upcoming general elections in Kosovo. "It is in the interest of politics, but also of those who will supervise the talks, for the talks to take place when Kosovo has consolidated institutions, that is, institutions that will come out of the new free and just election," said Krasniqi. Other representatives of Kosovo’s institutions also believe that the election should be held before the commencement of talks with Serbia, even though they state that Kosovo is politically ready to negotiate. Pristina is expected to reach a decision on the date of the election by the end of the week. The election will probably be held between mid February and the first half of March, 2011.

KFOR, EULEX, KOSOVO POLICE TO TAKE ACTION IN NORTHERN KOSOVO

PRISTINA, Oct. 05 (Beta) - KFOR Commander Erhard Buehler, EULEX Police Chief Udo Hans Moeller and Kosovo Police Director Behar Selimi announced on Oct. 5 that a series of operations will be carried out in northern Kosovo "to establish order and peace and provide security for all citizens." "We will not tolerate violence and we will prevent criminals from committing new crimes," said KFOR Commander Erhard Buehler at a news conference in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. He announced that the number of soldiers, checkpoints, military patrols and gendarmerie in northern Kosovo will increase. EULEX Police Chief in Kosovo Udo Moeller explained that it is important to eliminate incidents and crime in north Kosovo, and that the overall goal is to enhance security for all citizens. The security chiefs said that they have informed the government in Belgrade about their activities and that they are operating in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.

STRONG SECURITY FORCES DEPLOYED IN NORTH OF KOSOVO

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Oct 6 (Tanjug) - Deputy Regional Director of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) Ergin Medic on Wednesday stated that joint patrols by the KPS and EULEX police had been intensified. Medic told Tanjug that it was a continuous process aimed at criminal activity control in that part of Kosovo. Members of the KPS, KFOR and EULEX police were visible this morning in the town zones with mixed population, where Albanians and members of other ethnic communities live beside Serbs. Members of the executive and special department of the EULEX police arrested a Kosovo Serb, D.V., from Lesko, the suspect in a murder case and illegal weapons possession, in the north of Kosovo on Monday. According to Kosovo media, the investigation against D.V. is being carried out by EULEX police, under the supervision of the EULEX prosecutor at the Mitrovica District Court. Several incidents, including a couple of murders and several murder attempts, have taken place in the north of Kosovo since the beginning of July.

For further information: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia