Members of the National Assembly’s Committee on Defence and Security, headed by Committee chairman Milorad Mircic, met a delegation of the French parliament to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, led by Michel Voisin. The meeting reached a conclusion that terrorism was this century’s greatest danger, and that all nations needed to co-operate to defend themselves from it. Parliamentary democracy, it was said, could contribute greatly to the struggle against terrorism, and was in the interests of peace and security in Europe.

Mr Mircic underlined that Serbia was currently undergoing ‘comprehensive reforms, including those to the security sector and the military,’ as well as that ‘we are ready to accept all generally accepted standards in the field.’ With this in mind, he added, co-operation with the French parliament’s defence committee would be very useful to help the drafting of security- and military-related legislation.
Mircic especially stressed that Serbia was facing ‘various forms of terrorism and crime’ in Kosovo and Metohia, as well as that ‘we needed assistance in fighting these threats that pose the danger of spreading to the entire region.’

M Voisin, the head of the French delegation, spoke of the historic ties and traditional friendship between the French and the Serbian people, adding that France would help Serbia on its way to European integrations. He also said that France was ready to assist Serbia in its fight against terrorism, as this was part of ‘a joint effort to secure human rights and dignity.’

Mircic asked French MPs to help in ‘ensuring fundamental human rights’ for the president of the Serbian Radical Party, who is on a hunger strike at the Hague Tribunal’s Detention Unit.