Kacin: Serb cemetery attackers should be arrested

EP rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin demanded Tuesday at the European Parliament that the persons who attacked Serb cemeteries in Kosovo be found and convicted as soon as possible.

(kosovocompromisestuff) Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Respect for the deceased and their graves is the fundamental right and standard of all civilized societies, Kacin said in his speech before the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, dedicated to a series of attacks on Serb holy sites, which took place after the removal of a memorial to murdered members of the so-called Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja in Presevo, southern Serbia.

The irregular forces launched an armed rebellion in 2000, and the monument was removed on Sunday morning.

Kacin urged Kosovo authorities to identify and convict the vandals as soon as possible, and take measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

At the same time, Kacin called on Serbian and (ethnic) Albanian leaders to find solutions that would provide a better future for young generations through dialogue.

With this speech, in which he pointed to the progress Serbia has made in European integration, Kacin opened a discussion dedicated to the draft resolution on Serbia proposed in December, to which MEPs submitted amendments in the meantime.

The rapportuer particularly commended the results made by the Serbian government in the fight against corruption and organized crime and progress made in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Kacin also noted he is glad that the amendments were submitted upon his proposal that Serbia be given strong support in its European integration and a date for the start of EU accession talks as soon as possible.

The final resolution will be adopted in the spring, and members of the Committee will later today confer with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration Suzana Grubjesic, who is visiting Brussels as part of her European tour.