Serbia likely to extend mandate of its peacekeepers

Dragan Sutanovac says the National Council for Security proposed for the mandate of Serbian military and police in UN peacekeeping missions to be extended. This should be confirmed by the government during the next session, the defense minister added. Serbia likely to extend mandate of its peacekeepers "This was the only possible decision. The withdrawal of members of peacekeeping missions would be completely unacceptable from the standpoint of international relations, since the UN troops would be left without presence in our area of responsibility," Sutanovac told Belgrade-based daily Danas. The decision on extension of mandate in UN peacekeeping missions would have to be reached by June. The Council believes that, due to international character and urgency of the matter, it would be better to reach the decision at a government's meeting than wait for the next session of the parliament. The parliament would then verify the document, most probably immediately after the setting up of the new convocation, the daily wrote. Sutanovac also said that "no country has ever withdrawn its peacekeepers without prior notice and serious reasons". "If the Council had not adopted the recommendation, a drastic violation of international credibility could have been committed, not only by the army and police, but also by the state as a whole and its diplomacy. This would represent some kind of an international scandal, which we, fortunately, managed to avoid," Sutanovac explained. He announced that the state bodies will in the next period analyze the law regulating the participation of Serbia's security forces in multinational operations, since the act needs to be amended and modified, in order to make sure that the country does not face such a problem ever again. The daily reported that the National Security Council, led by Serbian President Boris Tadic, adopted the recommendation on Saturday, March 31, and forwarded it to the government. The decision will refer to members of the Serbian Army engaged in five multinational operations - in Congo, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Lebanon and Cyprus, as well as to members of the Ministry of Interior in three missions - in Liberia, Haiti and Cyprus. A total of 70 Serbian peacekeepers are taking part in the missions. Danas Tanjug

Serbia likely to extend mandate of its peacekeepers

"This was the only possible decision. The withdrawal of members of peacekeeping missions would be completely unacceptable from the standpoint of international relations, since the UN troops would be left without presence in our area of responsibility," Šutanovac told Belgrade-based daily Danas.

The decision on extension of mandate in UN peacekeeping missions would have to be reached by June.

The Council believes that, due to international character and urgency of the matter, it would be better to reach the decision at a government's meeting than wait for the next session of the parliament. The parliament would then verify the document, most probably immediately after the setting up of the new convocation, the daily wrote.

Šutanovac also said that "no country has ever withdrawn its peacekeepers without prior notice and serious reasons".

"If the Council had not adopted the recommendation, a drastic violation of international credibility could have been committed, not only by the army and police, but also by the state as a whole and its diplomacy. This would represent some kind of an international scandal, which we, fortunately, managed to avoid," Šutanovac explained.

He announced that the state bodies will in the next period analyze the law regulating the participation of Serbia's security forces in multinational operations, since the act needs to be amended and modified, in order to make sure that the country does not face such a problem ever again.

The daily reported that the National Security Council, led by Serbian President Boris Tadić, adopted the recommendation on Saturday, March 31, and forwarded it to the government.

The decision will refer to members of the Serbian Army engaged in five multinational operations - in Congo, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Lebanon and Cyprus, as well as to members of the Ministry of Interior in three missions - in Liberia, Haiti and Cyprus. A total of 70 Serbian peacekeepers are taking part in the missions.