Parliamentary committee adopts BIA reports

The Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security accepted on Wednesday two reports submitted by the Serbian intelligence agency BIA. One covered the work of BIA from March to October 2009, and the other the security situation in the country. Parliamentary committee adopts BIA reports Most objections at the session, which lasted around three hours, came from MPs of the opposition Serb Radicals (SRS). Eight members of the Committee voted for accepting the reports, whereas four radicals abstained. Presenting the reports to the committee members, BIA Director Sasa Vukadinovic said that the security situation in Serbia is stable, that the act of illegal self-proclamation of independence of Kosovo and Metohija remains the biggest destabilizing factor and that the agency's priority is to complete the cooperation with The Hague Tribunal. He pointed out that Serbia is continuously exposed to certain security risks and that they are the highest priority of BIA's work, since the destabilization of Serbia and other countries in the region is possible. Speaking about BIA's operations in Kosovo, he explained that the work of the agency in that field is made harder by the fact that it cannot be physically present in Kosovo, because of which all the security operations are undertaken by international powers, but he underscored that BIA does all it can to protect Serbs in Kosovo. “What will happen in 2010 also depends a great deal on the position of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It is to be expected that if that position is negative for the Albanian side, there will be more radical acts toward the Serb communities, especially those who live surrounded and in enclaves,” he said. The BIA chief pointed out that the agency was also working on fighting religious extremism and terrorism, adding that the state bodies, including BIA, reacted very good and diminished the security risk from concrete dangers, especially regarding the existence of extreme Islamic structures. Vukadinovic underlined that the agency carefully considered the activities of the ultra-right organizations, neo-Nazi and other extreme groups, and added that, when it comes to this issue, a good cooperation was established with the MUP and that the exchange of information led to arresting of some members of such organizations. Fighting international organized crime is also a segment of BIA's work, he said, and pointed out that in this field too they established successful cooperation with the services and agencies of other countries, such as the confiscation of 2.8 tons of cocaine in Latin America. Vukadinovic underscored that BIA will continue to work on fighting organized criminal groups and added that this will require an additional engagement in 2010. Sasa Vukandinovic (Tanjug)

Parliamentary committee adopts BIA reports

Most objections at the session, which lasted around three hours, came from MPs of the opposition Serb Radicals (SRS).

Eight members of the Committee voted for accepting the reports, whereas four radicals abstained.

Presenting the reports to the committee members, BIA Director Saša Vukadinović said that the security situation in Serbia is stable, that the act of illegal self-proclamation of independence of Kosovo and Metohija remains the biggest destabilizing factor and that the agency's priority is to complete the cooperation with The Hague Tribunal.

He pointed out that Serbia is continuously exposed to certain security risks and that they are the highest priority of BIA's work, since the destabilization of Serbia and other countries in the region is possible.

Speaking about BIA's operations in Kosovo, he explained that the work of the agency in that field is made harder by the fact that it cannot be physically present in Kosovo, because of which all the security operations are undertaken by international powers, but he underscored that BIA does all it can to protect Serbs in Kosovo.

“What will happen in 2010 also depends a great deal on the position of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It is to be expected that if that position is negative for the Albanian side, there will be more radical acts toward the Serb communities, especially those who live surrounded and in enclaves,” he said.

The BIA chief pointed out that the agency was also working on fighting religious extremism and terrorism, adding that the state bodies, including BIA, reacted very good and diminished the security risk from concrete dangers, especially regarding the existence of extreme Islamic structures.

Vukadinović underlined that the agency carefully considered the activities of the ultra-right organizations, neo-Nazi and other extreme groups, and added that, when it comes to this issue, a good cooperation was established with the MUP and that the exchange of information led to arresting of some members of such organizations.

Fighting international organized crime is also a segment of BIA's work, he said, and pointed out that in this field too they established successful cooperation with the services and agencies of other countries, such as the confiscation of 2.8 tons of cocaine in Latin America.

Vukadinović underscored that BIA will continue to work on fighting organized criminal groups and added that this will require an additional engagement in 2010.