Serbian President Apologizes in Sarajevo

During a three-day visit, which includes a visit to the capital Sarajevo, Tadic, who was elected in June this year, urged further cooperation between the two countries. "I apologize to all those that have suffered crimes in the name of the Serb people," he said, according to the FENA news wire. "The same crimes were committed against our people as well, and in this sense we all owe an apology to each other. If it is necessary, I will begin." Tadic also urged Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as well as his native Serbia to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) in The Hague, as a necessary step to move towards EU membership. "In order to determine the truth, it is necessary to carry out investigations, the indicted war crime suspects must stand trial before the international institutions of justice," he said. Cooperation with ICTY has repeatedly been urged by Brussels - a number of war crimes suspects are thought to be in Republica Srpska (in BiH) and in Serbia. (EUobserver.com)