Ivica Dacic talks with UN Assistant Secretary-General

New York, Feb 05, 2010 (Source: serbia.gov) – First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic met with Dmitry Titov, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
At the meeting, Dacic expressed his condolences to families and colleagues of UN peacekeepers killed in Haiti. Dacic said that he had talked with Titov about increasing the number of Serbian peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping missions. At the present time members of the Serbian police force are taking part in two peacekeeping missions, in Liberia and in Haiti, said Dacic. If there is a need, Serbia could contribute more and even send out smaller police units, said Dacic, adding that the chief duty of UN peacekeepers is to help people and to help with police training. Further capacity building is needed in order to accomplish this and members of the Serbian police force should be able to attend courses at various training centers, as they do in Vicenza, where members of the Serbian police have regularly received training during the past, said Dacic. Titov expressed his gratitude to all Serbian peacekeepers, particularly those in Haiti, for their help and support to the people. He thanked Serbia for the messages of condolence over the death of 90 UN peacekeepers in Haiti. The presence of the UN in Kosovo-Metohija was also discussed with Titov, said Dacic, stressing that it is necessary for the UN mission to function according to Security Council Resolution 1244. Resolution 1244 is a key factor in the preservation of peace, stability and security in Kosovo-Metohija, primarily for non-Albanians, explained Dacic, adding that it guarantees that all international missions in Kosovo-Metohija will maintain a status-neutral position. Later, Dacic travelled to Washington where he attended a reception organized in his honor by Serbian Ambassador to the US Vladimir Petrovic. The reception was also attended by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Senator George Voinovich and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Stuart Jones. Dacic talked with the US Transportation Secretary about infrastructure projects in Serbia and the possibility of joint work with US experts. Dacic also invited La Hood to visit Serbia. Dacic will continue his visit with meetings with CIA and FBI representatives.