11.12.2010.
Minister's interview to TANJUG news agency
NO MILITARY DANGER FOR SERBIA
Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said today that the Serbian military is under no threat, but that there is a latent possibility individuals in Kosovo and Metohija endangering the security.
Sutanovac recalled in an interview to Tanjug that Serbia has a peacekeeping mission of KFOR and EULEX in Kosovo and Metohija.According to him, there is a latent threat to security, which certain individuals from Kosovo and Metohija can cause, "which occurred in the past." Sutanovac said that in matters of security, this year is much better than the previous year, and expressed hope that next year " would be as safe as this one ".
He stressed that the Serbian Army had a very good cooperation with KFOR members in Kosovo and Metohija recalling that meetings of the General Staff of the Serbian Army and KFOR commanders are organized on regular basis.
Sutanovac said that the visit of the Commander of KFOR to Belgrade is expected recalling that the Serbian Army Chief was in Pristina at a meeting with the KFOR commander this fall.
Defence Minister also declared that the Serbian Army and KFOR had restored confidence, which had once been shaken after the NATO decision to form and train the so-called Kosovo security forces.
"On a daily operational level, we have contacts and I think it is extremely important in terms of security, especially non-Albanians, to cooperate as much as possible closer to the international community and all those who work to ensure stability and security of citizens in Kosovo and Metohija," said he said.
Sutanovac also pointed out that with the opening of the base "Jug" near Bujanovac, the entire south central Serbia got a contemporary modern military base which can accommodate up to 1,000 troops.
"We want to put this base in function not only to secure ground safety zone and that part of Serbia, but also to train members of the Serbian Army and members of friendly armies, who go to the peacekeeping mission," he said.
Sutanovac explained that the project depends not only on Serbia, adding that this project should receive some financial, material and technical support from countries that are interested in training for peacekeeping missions.
"I expect that over the next year, the project would begin to function, and in 2012 this project (the training to participate in peacekeeping missions) would be considered as something normal," he said.
Sutanovac said that Serbia is doubling the number of its army members in UN peacekeeping missions in comparison to 2007, and in a few days, our peacekeepers would be returning from Chad, where they have successfully completed the mission of the UN, in the first rotation as part of the Norwegian contingent, and later independently.
"On the other hand, we are nearing a moment of signing the security agreement with the European Union, which opens the possibility of participation in civil-military missions both of the police and the army," he said. Defence Minister pointed out that talks with Greece and France were afoot about the possibility of sending some of our officers to these countries’ fleets in a EU peacekeeping mission.
According to him, in terms of our military numbers and our country’s size, we participate in symbolic numbers.
He pointed out that participation in peacekeeping missions was extremely politically important, as this shows that we want to be part of the modern and the modern world, and that we care not only about the safety of our own borders.
Referring to the participation of Serbia in NATO's Partnership for Peace ", Sutanovac said he expects 2011 to be above all about the stabilization of relations within the framework of "Partnership for Peace" and the final opening of our offices.
"There are a number of committees, we began to take part in ... and I think that Serbia has something to offer while also drawing benefits and opportunities from the Partnership for Peace," he said.
In his words, Serbia has for some time been at a standstill in cooperation within the framework of "Partnership for Peace", and next year we have to go full steam ahead," to use all means so in 2012 we can have mutually full communication capacities.
Reminding that as of 1 January 2011, the Army of Serbia would officially be a professional army, he pointed out that in the coming year, special attention would be devoted to training and the development of professionals.
Sutanovac also pointed out that as for the plans for equipping the Army of Serbia it was important to see what the budget for next year would bring, "as this will determine what we can buy or revitalize in the modernization and equipment process.
The Defense Minister said that during the last two years our military budget was extremely modest, in terms of needs that are not the same as in neighboring countries, as in 1999 we suffered severe damage.
Recalling that the contract for export in the field of defense industry in his term in office has reached 1.2 billion USD, Sutanovac said that we have long exceeded all the plans, regarding the export of arms and military equipment and contracting.
The Defense Minister emphasized that it is now important to meet the deadlines and the quality and not to give the impression that we are the ones who want to get a job, and cannot execute it.
"It seems to be going in the right direction, because now there is a great interest of many countries, even very distant ones, such as Uruguay and Brazil, which want us to participate in the development of certain weapons and emerge on third markets," he said.
Looking back on the field of military education, Sutanovac expressed hope that Serbia, would for the first time in its history open a Defence University.
"Forming a University of Defense is a decade-long pursuit with a few attempts so far to establish it, but I think that this time the attempt would be successful," he said.
Sutanovac said that degree programs of the Military Academy and the Military Medical Academy would be accredited and that he expected in the coming months, as defined by some other matters of internal decisions, University of Defense to start functioning.
