CoE secretary general visits Serbia

Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland is visiting Belgrade today. He is meeting with top Serbian officials, including President Boris Tadic, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic. CoE secretary general visits Serbia Jagland stated in Belgrade that the reforms implemented in Serbia are so impressive that the CoE Committee of Ministers of this organization decided to suspend the post-accession supervision and replace it with a regular analysis carried out in all COE member states. "I congratulate the Serbian government on all implemented reforms which are very impressive," Jagland said after meeting with Djelic. "This is why the Committee of Ministers decided that the post-accession supervision should be replaced with regular analysis," he added. Jagland pointed out that CoE is prepared to continue helping Serbia in all necessary reforms, primarily in the judiciary reform and fight against organized crime. Djelic said that the CoE is Serbia's important partner in the EU integration, as the EU relies on CoE's assessments of the respect of human rights, rule of law, minority rights, etc. He announced that Serbia will by June submit to the COE the new report on the compliance with the EU standards, adding that the country's intention is to redefine its relation with this organization by the end of the year. Speaking of Serbia's cooperation with the COE, Djelic expressed his expectation that this organization will continue respecting the international law and that it will not accept Kosovo as its member, since the province unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Jagland also said that he wouldl commend Tadic, as they meet, on the positive steps he has taken on the adoption of the declaration condemning the crime in Srebrenica, which is an important move toward reconciliation in the region. He said that the declaration was the first step toward the reconciliation and the country's better relations with its neighbors. Jagland added that Serbia "has now become a source of stability in the region". This is Jagland’s first visit to Serbia since he assumed the duty of the CoE secretary-general in October 2009. Jagland, Djelic in Belgrade today (Tanjug) "Secretary general with authority" Ahead of the visit today, Zoran Sekulic, veteran FoNet journalist and the news agency's director, said he was convinced that Jagland, whom he considers a "first-class European politician", will discuss further strengthening of relations between Serbia and the CoE as he meets with his hosts today. “Jagland is coming to Belgrade with topics which are encouraging Serbia's European integrations, with topics which will deal with the Srebrenica declaration and reconciliation in the region, Serbia's relation toward Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as Serbia's relation toward what the CoE is doing in Kosovo, strictly making sure to leave an impression and confirm that the CoE is status-neutral,“ he said. Sekulic also commented on the Yellow House case, saying that he did not expect Jagland to have “some special information“. “Dick Marty, as CoE's specialrRapporteur, still hasn't finished his work and according to our information, he's been fairly insular and avoiding any kind of contact, both with the public and, I would say, with the CoE institutions, until he has submitted the report to the institutions and people such as Jagland. In any case, maybe it will be only some technical exchange of opinions on the subject, but Marty's report is still awaited.“ “This secretary general has more authority than some previous secretaries have had and I think that (the Yellow House case) is something that he will care about very much, especially if he gets support from the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE which should debate and then adopt Marty's report,“ the FoNet director concluded. The war crimes case, known informally as the Yellow House, was launched by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution, and is trying to determine whether hundreds of Kosovo Serb civilians kidnapped in the province in 1999 by ethnic Albanians were imprisoned in northern Albania. The prosecution suspects that their vital organs were removed and sold in the black market before they were murdered.

CoE secretary general visits Serbia

Jagland stated in Belgrade that the reforms implemented in Serbia are so impressive that the CoE Committee of Ministers of this organization decided to suspend the post-accession supervision and replace it with a regular analysis carried out in all COE member states.

"I congratulate the Serbian government on all implemented reforms which are very impressive," Jagland said after meeting with Đelić.

"This is why the Committee of Ministers decided that the post-accession supervision should be replaced with regular analysis," he added.

Jagland pointed out that CoE is prepared to continue helping Serbia in all necessary reforms, primarily in the judiciary reform and fight against organized crime.

Đelić said that the CoE is Serbia's important partner in the EU integration, as the EU relies on CoE's assessments of the respect of human rights, rule of law, minority rights, etc.

He announced that Serbia will by June submit to the COE the new report on the compliance with the EU standards, adding that the country's intention is to redefine its relation with this organization by the end of the year.

Speaking of Serbia's cooperation with the COE, Đelić expressed his expectation that this organization will continue respecting the international law and that it will not accept Kosovo as its member, since the province unilaterally declared independence from Serbia.

Jagland also said that he wouldl commend Tadić, as they meet, on the positive steps he has taken on the adoption of the declaration condemning the crime in Srebrenica, which is an important move toward reconciliation in the region.

He said that the declaration was the first step toward the reconciliation and the country's better relations with its neighbors.

Jagland added that Serbia "has now become a source of stability in the region".

This is Jagland’s first visit to Serbia since he assumed the duty of the CoE secretary-general in October 2009.

"Secretary general with authority"

Ahead of the visit today, Zoran Sekulić, veteran FoNet journalist and the news agency's director, said he was convinced that Jagland, whom he considers a "first-class European politician", will discuss further strengthening of relations between Serbia and the CoE as he meets with his hosts today.

“Jagland is coming to Belgrade with topics which are encouraging Serbia's European integrations, with topics which will deal with the Srebrenica declaration and reconciliation in the region, Serbia's relation toward Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as Serbia's relation toward what the CoE is doing in Kosovo, strictly making sure to leave an impression and confirm that the CoE is status-neutral,“ he said.

Sekulić also commented on the Yellow House case, saying that he did not expect Jagland to have “some special information“.

“Dick Marty, as CoE's specialrRapporteur, still hasn't finished his work and according to our information, he's been fairly insular and avoiding any kind of contact, both with the public and, I would say, with the CoE institutions, until he has submitted the report to the institutions and people such as Jagland. In any case, maybe it will be only some technical exchange of opinions on the subject, but Marty's report is still awaited.“

“This secretary general has more authority than some previous secretaries have had and I think that (the Yellow House case) is something that he will care about very much, especially if he gets support from the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE which should debate and then adopt Marty's report,“ the FoNet director concluded.

The war crimes case, known informally as the Yellow House, was launched by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution, and is trying to determine whether hundreds of Kosovo Serb civilians kidnapped in the province in 1999 by ethnic Albanians were imprisoned in northern Albania.

The prosecution suspects that their vital organs were removed and sold in the black market before they were murdered.