Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic meet Lord Russell-Johnston

Belgrade, September 17, 2001 - President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly Lord Russell-Johnston said that he was encouraged with the meeting he had with Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, expressing his assurance that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia would soon be ready to enter the Council of Europe.

"The situation in Serbia is now much better than what I saw on the occasion of my previous visit to Belgrade. I admire the energy and openness of Prime Minister Djindjic's handling of such huge problems," said Lord Johnston after talks he had with the Serbian Prime Minister and added that the country's prosperity depended mainly on adherence to the law, which is a fundamental premise of economic development.

Democratization of the judiciary, police and government apparatus are top priorities of the Serbian government, Djindjic stressed.

"At this phase, we need to see initiative coming from non-governmental institutions and independent media, who would point out to all kinds of abuses and irregularities," Djindjic said stressing that this form of development would be slow to take place.

According to him, irregularities can be revealed only if citizens who are aware of instances of abuse and who is responsible report to the authorities.

"Introduction of an ombudsman will improve the quality of public services. After a certain period, we expect that these institutions would be strong enough to provide for control within themselves," said Djindjic, adding that domestic institutions would do everything necessary to get the "green light" from the Council of Europe.