Serbia needs rescue teams, saving lives priority

Serbia needs rescue teams, saving lives priority

BELGRADE -- Ivica Dačić has said that Serbia now above all needs assistance in equipment, along with rescue teams to save the affected towns and their residents.

He pointed out that another kind of assistance would follow - through the rebuilding and donations. Now, aluminum motor boats, helicopters, blankets and rescue teams are most urgently needed, Dačić added.

"We must save towns and people, and then follows the reconstruction of the country and donations. We'll need the help of the EU and the UN," the Serbian foreign minister and first deputy prime minister told the public broadcaster RTS on Saturday.

"At this point it is important to save as many people as possible and that the help which is now arriving in related to rescue (operations)," he said, adding that the minister in charge of EU integration, Jadranka Joksimović, "will talk about what will come once the crisis situation is over," and that the EU "will certainly provide help."

"We as a government addressed all countries in a timely manner and launched also a mechanism with the EU, as a system for emergency situations. They will assess the damage, which is important for a fund and damage," he said.

According to Dačić, the EU immediately sent a directive to member states to immediately respond in terms of direct assistance in equipment and manpower.

He then pointed out that many countries, including Montenegro, Israel, Macedonia, Croatia and others, contacted the Serbian authorities immediately to help in various ways, and that the Ministry of Interior had set up a body to coordinate activities related to the collection of aid.

Dačić stressed that many...