Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
03.01.2012.

Minister Sutanovac'S interview to "TANJUG"



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Minister Sutanovac announced that the SAF would be equipped with new weapons acquired mostly from domestic firms and along with 21 "Hummer" SUVs.

In an interview to TANJUG news agency Minister said that the procurement plan for the coming year had entered final stage, and that the majority of funds would be spent on local products, including trucks and new uniforms.

He said the plan is that the factory "Zastava Trucks" to get a modernized, developed SUV which would used by the army, and perhaps the police.

"On the other hand, we need to purchase assets and optoelectronic ballistic protection of military assets deployed in the Ground Safety Zone," said the minister.

He said he expected that in April this year, we get "a donation of 21 ''Hummer's” arriving by special order of the Army of Serbia".

Furthermore, as minister stated these SUVs will be deployed in SAF special units, which will then be the best equipped unit of its kind in Europe.

Sutanovac said that the procurement of more serious arms systems should wait the decision of the SAF CHOD’s staff member as what kind of weapons should be procured urgently given the current security risks and threats.

In an interview minister also spoke about the need to purchase new fighter aircrafts, recalling that it has been 25 years since the SAF we was last equipped with new multi-purpose aircrafts and that the existing ones are almost obsolete.

"This suggests that it is necessary in the future buy a specific vehicle, because if we do not have them, according to European legislation will have to pay someone else to protect our skies," explained the minister.

This, said the minister, was totally unacceptable, especially since Serbia, which this year celebrates 100 years of military aviation, one of the few European countries that had one of the first military aircraft.

"We have a desire to complete the final assessment of what is necessary for our sky, and to enter into a financial analysis," said the minister.

He explained that the purchase of such systems, and multi-purpose aircraft, must be supported by the political establishment.

Sutanovac also stressed that such acquisition can not be realized within one year, explaining that the procurement of such aircraft last for several years.

"We want to buy new helicopters that we need and in civil-military purposes. I think that we will supply the implementation of the helicopters come in 2012. as Minister of Defence remarked.

Sutanovac of plans for this year is set aside and continued participation in peacekeeping missions, as well as presentation of the Serbian Army forces but also a demonstration of political will to participate in resolving those issues that are a problem for the world.

He said they discussed that members of the defense system, with five UN peacekeeping missions in now participate, and be deployed in southern Sudan and that it is possible to increase the number of our members in missions in Cyprus and in Lebanon.

"We talked about South Sudan and the ability to deploy military doctors with the military hospital," said the minister, adding that participation in the mission "is still under negotiation."

According to him, "stand by" arrangement that was signed with the Serbian participation in UN peacekeeping missions to the UN to assess what is the priority in this field, or where the Serb participation was most useful.

"We talk with the EU and if they are to have some priorities we will be sure to analyze and access to these operations," said Minister of Defence.

He recalled that the presence of our armed forces in peacekeeping missions means "strengthening our national defense system," adding that "all the world uses the military peacekeeping mission to develop operational capabilities."

Sutanovac and expressed the hope that the base "Jug" near Bujanovac, which has already organized several International Performance exercises this year, would be turned into a regional training center for participation in peacekeeping missions.

"The fact is that the countries in the region with capacities lower than Serbia participate in peacekeeping missions and we want to increase our participation in the year ahead," he said.

Sutanovac said that the Serbian Army "then become a concrete partner in terms of global security and peace" and then expecting other armies and soldiers who will train together with members of our armed forces.

The Defense Minister, referring to the cooperation with KFOR members in Kosovo and Metohija, said that this cooperation is high.

"Despite all the incidents that have been in the past, we try and manage to maintain a high level of cooperation with KFOR and we believe that KFOR is still a factor of stability in Kosovo and Metohija," said the minister.

According to him, without the presence of KFOR would have had extremely difficult circumstances "which would probably be the conflicts in Kosovo and Metohija."

"We try to be a good partner and we want it to do so and continue. We expect that the crisis that began in late July, will finally be completed and returned to KFOR in those frames that are defined by UN Resolution 1244 and Kumanovo agreement," said defense minister.

The Defense Minister said that the cooperation with KFOR carried out through direct and personal contacts.

"In some situations that were very some incidents and we were able to influence colleagues from KFOR to be handle the situation in a more composed manner so as to avoid the possibility of escalation," said the minister.

He also recalled that since the beginning of 2007. The interlocutors in Brussels said that KFOR should not reduce the numbers, because as a guarantor of peace in Kosovo must have certain corrective forces that can appear on every point which can cause the incident.

The plans for this year apart also include continuation in solving housing problems for the former and current members of the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia.

He reminded that during the last four years solved anything less than 5 000 housing, mentioned that this issue this year will be resolved by building houses, grant credit for pensioners, as well as continuing to build apartments.

"We want to solve this problem by building houses (in Valjevo, Subotica probably) and by awarding grants housing loans retired military members," he said.

"I expect that in the first months of this year, about 300 military retirees who have no permanent issue already resolved to sign the grant contracts loans," he said.

Sutanovac expressed hope that the apartments in Vozdovac would soon be allocated, stressing that this was a "very successful project in which the army made a great contribution."

Talking about the plans for this year, he singled out the reforms of the military and health insurance and pension funds which would hen emerge as the most vital in the whole health care system in Serbia."
 
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