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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

SAJ marks 30th anniversary

Belgrade, 20 September 2008

The Ministry of Interior’s Special Anti-terrorist Unit (SAJ) marked today its 30th anniversary with a celebration held at the Zemun sports centre 13. Maj.

Author: Fonet

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said at the celebration that he expects SAJ to yield excellent results in the fight against crime and terrorism and promised that the government will continue investing in this unit because terrorism is a potential threat to safety.

The time has come for us to create a modern state and Serbia is facing a fight for economic development, preservation of its integrity and sovereignty and improvement of citizens’ living standard, he said.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic recalled that SAJ is one of the oldest anti-terrorist units in the world and has achieved extraordinary results.

You do not have the right to make errors, because they can have a tragic outcome not only for you, but also for all Serbian citizens, said Dacic and recalled that SAJ has carried out hundreds of arrests in which it took in dangerous terrorists and solved many hostage situations.

Dacic also said that during the 1999 NATO bombing, 17 SAJ members were killed and added that everyone in the Ministry of Interior must preserve the memory of them.

Serbia cannot be strong without strong police and the army, and we cannot have that if citizens do not have faith in the army and the police, said the Minister and invited citizens to place their trust in the police.

He also wished that members of the SAJ unit do not have much work in the future.

Dacic stressed that 30 years of SAJ’s work confirm Serbia’s continuity in the fight against terrorism.

SAJ commanding officer Spasoje Vulevic said that since its establishment on December 18, 1978, the unit has had 597 members whose obligation today is to continue with their professional development based on tradition and experience in order to become reliable guardians of citizens and the state.

At the celebration, top state official were awarded plaques – Serbian parliament speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, President Boris Tadic, Chief of Police Milorad Veljovic, Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic, Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac, Serbian Army Chief of General Staff Zdravko Ponos, director of the Security and Intelligence Agency Sasa Vukadinovic, as well as previous SAJ commanders.

Among guests at the celebration were police representatives and representatives of special units from neighbouring countries, NATO representatives and Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic.

SAJ was formed in 1978 as part of the then Interior Affairs Secretariat of the Republic of Serbia, and today it is an independent unit within the Ministry of Interior’s public security sector.