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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Deadline for issuing identification documents to be extended

Belgrade, 3 April 2010

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said in an interview for the Easter edition of the Politika daily that the deadline for issuing new ID cards and the replacement of old passports will most likely be extended.

Dacic announced that the issuance of new driving licences and registration plates will begin in the second half of 2010, calling upon citizens to be patient and have understanding for the crowding at counters because the Ministry is understaffed, but it cannot take on more employees because of the crisis.

He also stressed that during the last 18 months over five tones of cocaine were seized abroad thanks to the information gathered by the Serbian Ministry of the Interior. Dacic noted that cocaine was confiscated from drug dealers from Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina to Belgian harbours and all the way to Durban in South Africa and various locations in Italy and Spain. In the operation Balkan Warrior alone, 2.7 tonnes of cocaine were seized, Dacic stressed, adding that operation Checkmate is under way in cooperation with the Italian police, while operation Niva has recently been finished.

The Ministry of the Interior is open to international police cooperation, Dacic said adding that operation Niva is the result of cooperation with the SOK, a specialised agency within the British security system, tasked with combating severe forms of crime. We plan to establish the same cooperation with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as with countries in Southern Africa. I believe that direct cooperation is necessary, even though these countries are quite far from Serbia, because criminals from these regions are already operating in those countries, Dacic explained.

He said there are two preconditions for a successful fight against organised crime, and these are good international cooperation in security issues and good cooperation among competent organs within a country.