Serbian nationalists

Vucic welcomed Putin at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, and the two presidents then took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade and at the Monument to the Red Army Soldier in the Serbian capital.

Putin was then given the official red carpet welcome in front of the Palace of Serbia in New Belgrade.

A huge crowd of people, estimated by police to be about 120,000 strong, gathered in front of this Serbian Orthodox church to welcome him, carrying a banner reading, in Russian and Serbian, "Thank you, president - for a free and decent Serbia."

The Russian leader addressed them in Serbian, to say, "Thank you for your friendship!"

A statement issued on Thursday contained the relevant portion of the closing argument, and noted that according to some Belgrade media, Prosecutor Milenko Mandic had stated that "the whole government was a jury" when the state leadership in 1999 decided to kill Slavko Curuvija.

He argued that Russia supports Serbia, but not the current authorities.

Jeremic told the srbin.info website that Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not trust Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic because of his relations with the West."

Leaders from the Balkans have discussed ways to bolster Serbia's bid to join the European Union.

The leaders from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Serbia met in the Serbian capital of Belgrade Saturday as part of a regular regional initiative.

Of the four, Serbia is looking to join the others in the EU.

Former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic asked the UN court in The Hague to grant him a provisional release until the final verdict in his trial next year.

A Croatian court sentenced former Yugoslav People’s Army general Borislav Djukic to nine years in prison for trying to blow up the Peruca dam during the war in 1993.

The State Attorney's Office in Split said on Thursday that it will begin an investigation into an unnamed 72-year-old Serbian citizen accused of crimes against prisoners during the war in 1992 and 1993.

A court refused to grant early release to former Serbian paramilitary commander Dragan Vasiljkovic, alias Captain Dragan, convicted of war crimes against Croatian civilians and prisoners of war in 1991.

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said this on Wednesday, referring to the scandal that occurred on Sunday.

Vulin told TV Pink that "neither Serbia nor President Aleksandar Vucic had been humiliated, but they have been insulted."