BELGRADE -- Serbia is ready to provide all legal guarantees for the defense of Oliver Ivanović, Serbian Government Office for Kosovo Director Marko Đurić has told Tanjug.
"Our position on the inadmissibility and the harmfulness of the six months of baseless custody for Ivanović without charge is known, and on the fact that previous guarantees of the government of the Republic of Serbia were ignored," Đurić said.
It was reported late on Tuesday that Ivanović, a political leader of Serbs in northern Kosovo who was arrested in January, has now been indicted.

"Officially, we insist that now after an indictment has been raised, Ivanović is released from detention and allowed to be free during his trial, and Serbia will responsiblly provide assurances that he will be available to the judiciary at all times", said Đurić.

"We want to believe in the impartiality of provincial institutions and the judiciary, and the rule of law in Kosovo and Metohija," he added.

Đurić also stressed that he was "sure that in any fair trial Oliver Ivanović would prove his innocence."

Analyst Dušan Janjić reacted to the news to say he did not expected Ivanović to be released, adding that he will probably "go to his trial straight from jail."

"Ivanović will have to wait for the formation of a special unit. I assume that it will be formed by the end of the year, but would not be surprised if it happened in the spring," Janjić told the RTS.

He added there were two reasons for Ivanović's likely continued detention: "His won safety, and the danger posed to the future course of the investigation."