VBA chief attends parliament committee

Hague suspects are not hiding in Serbian military facilities, nor are any members of the army or Ministry of Defense harboring them. This is according to Military Security Agency (VBA) chief Svetko Kovac, who on Tuesday presented the agency's report to the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee. VBA chief attends parliament committee "There is no information to indicate that any Hague suspects are hiding in military facilities, nor that members of either the army or ministry of defense are helping them to hide," Kovac said. When asked to comment a search of Mladic's home in Belgrade, Kovac said that the purpose of the operation had been "gathering documents" but declined to give any other details. Discussing the agency's activities last year, Kovac said that the agency had chiefly been involved in operations to shield Serbian army units stationed in the land security zone lining Kosovo from attacks by ethnic Albanian extremist groups. Kovac said that several attacks were staged on security forces in southern Serbia last year and that the attacks had the characteristics of "terrorist acts". He added that the agency was cooperating with KFOR's intelligence service to collect data on terrorist and criminal groups. As for army security, Kovac reported that 14 automatic rifles were stolen last year, of which 13 were tracked down and that out of 50 stolen sidearms, 15 were recovered. "The quantity of armaments listed as being surplus was reduced by 25 percent, of which a portion was destroyed, while the rest was sold. We still have a surplus of 18,000 tons of armaments, of which 5,300 is in open storage," Kovac said. "No terrorist or extremist activities directed at other parts of the defense system were manifested in 2009, there was less religious extremism than in 2008, no cases of parallel organizing, nor any illegal arming of extremist groups," Kovac said.

VBA chief attends parliament committee

"There is no information to indicate that any Hague suspects are hiding in military facilities, nor that members of either the army or ministry of defense are helping them to hide," Kovač said.

When asked to comment a search of Mladić's home in Belgrade, Kovač said that the purpose of the operation had been "gathering documents" but declined to give any other details.

Discussing the agency's activities last year, Kovač said that the agency had chiefly been involved in operations to shield Serbian army units stationed in the land security zone lining Kosovo from attacks by ethnic Albanian extremist groups.

Kovač said that several attacks were staged on security forces in southern Serbia last year and that the attacks had the characteristics of "terrorist acts". He added that the agency was cooperating with KFOR's intelligence service to collect data on terrorist and criminal groups.

As for army security, Kovač reported that 14 automatic rifles were stolen last year, of which 13 were tracked down and that out of 50 stolen sidearms, 15 were recovered.

"The quantity of armaments listed as being surplus was reduced by 25 percent, of which a portion was destroyed, while the rest was sold. We still have a surplus of 18,000 tons of armaments, of which 5,300 is in open storage," Kovač said.

"No terrorist or extremist activities directed at other parts of the defense system were manifested in 2009, there was less religious extremism than in 2008, no cases of parallel organizing, nor any illegal arming of extremist groups," Kovač said.