Tadic called for an urgent, complete and independent investigation

He said that reconciliation was a strategic and moral imperative for Serbia and called upon the countries of the region to combat organized crime together.

Addressing the PACE MEPs, the Serbian president pointed out that organized crime was threatening politics, economy and society and advocated "creation of a strategic alliance against organized crime".

"If all of us do not cooperate in combat against this horrible threat our region and my country will be prevented from achieving the most important goals," he stressed.

Tadic said that Serbia is prepared for the dialogue with Pristina, and he pointed out that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton had already been informed about it.

"We have been waiting for months for the dialogue to begin," he told MEPs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

"We are armed with patience because we are determined to approach the dialogue and solving of Serbian and Albanian relations in the region. The Serbian delegation is waiting for Pristina's delegation to be formed and the dialogue will begin then," the Serbian president pointed out.

Cvetkovic: we expect detailed investigation  

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic expects a detailed investigation to be opened after the adoption of Dick Marty's resolution in the PACE, and to clearly establish the circumstances and guilty parties.

He told that the resolution is fully in line with the stance of the Serbian Government that crimes were made by all sides in the wars in former Yugoslavia, but Belgrade does not wish to politicize that document. Our stance has always been that crimes were committed by individuals and each criminal must be punished, emphasized Cvetkovic.

Asked whether the resolution would have impact on the announced Belgrade-Pristina dialog, the Prime Minister said it was possible with the Albanian side, but would not comment in more detail. 
 

Families of missing Kosovo Serbs react

An association of families of kidnapped and missing Kosovo Serbs has called on prosecutions and courts to react in the wake of the CoE resolution.

"We expect all crimes to be investigated and criminals to meet their deserved punishment," a statement from the association said.

"For years we have offered evidence, names, locations of mass graves, names of witnesses willing to testify, to domestic and international officials, UNMIK, KFOR, EULEX, and most acted blind and deaf," said the statement.

According to their data, the families have thus far been given the remains of 325 kidnapped Serbs, while 526 are still listed as missing.

The Association of the Families of Kidnapped and Missing Serbs from Kosovo said that after the adoption of the resolution in Strasbourg on Tuesday, courts and prosecutions of the countries where the crimes took place should now act.