NOVI SAD -- A Serbian parliament committee met on Tuesday in Novi Sad and condemned the attacks on the property of members of national minorities.

The Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs also called on the government to firmly deal with the individuals who committed the attacks which constitute an incitement to ethnic hatred. The Committee held a session to discuss the attacks on the property owned by Albanians and the Goranis which occurred on October 14 after the incident at the football match in Belgrade between the teams of Serbia and Albania. After two hours of debate, the Committee condemned the attacks and requested adequate sanctions for the perpetrators, and it called on citizens to refrain from expressions of dissatisfaction. The Committee also called on the media to provide coverage in such a way that would contribute to the creation of the atmosphere of tolerance in the society. The Committee called on all government bodies to ensure a safe environment for all Serbian citizens. Cherishing differences is one of the top values and goals of our society, but it is also an obligation for everyone to ensure that members of all ethnic minorities are able to cherish their distinctive features in a safe environment, in the awareness that they belong to the community of all ethnicities in Serbia, the Committee noted. The fact that mainly minors and young adults have so far been identified as the perpetrators of the attacks on the property of members of national minorities shows that repression in such cases is only the ultimate and necessary measure, and that the government needs to tackle this issue from a preventive standpoint, the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee stated in its conclusions. The European championship qualifier match between Serbia and Albania was abandoned after a brawl that followed the appearance of a drone with a map depicting the so-called Greater Albania, a nationalist project that would include parts of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece. Albanians in the region celebrated the incident as a national victory, which was followed by a series of provocations in the southern part of central Serbia as home to Albanian minority, as well as attacks on Serbs and their property in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other hand, 23 shops (bakeries and cake shops) owned by members of the Albanian minority in central Serbia and the northern province of Vojvodina were targeted by attacks. Minister of Interior Affairs Nebojša Stefanović said at the Tuesday session of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee that a total of 91 individuals have been detained with a view to gathering information, adding that the perpetrators in almost all attack cases have been identified and shall be adequately sanctioned. On the other hand, not a single Priština or Tirana official condemned the political provocation involving the map of a Greater Albania which appeared during the football match, nor has any attack case against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and their property been solved, Tanjug reported.

"All cases will be solved"

Nebojša Stefanović said Tuesday that 23 shops owned or leased by ethnic Albanians were damaged across Serbia, and stressed that the police will solve each individual incident. Four attacks were reported in Belgrade, as well as in Sremska Mitrovica and Zrenjanin, six took place in Novi Sad, three in Pančevo and two in Sombor, Stefanović specified at the meeting of the Serbian Parliament's Defense and Internal Affairs Committee held in Novi Sad. These were not organized attacks but sporadic felonies and misdemeanors, stressed the minister, adding that the police has so far brought in 91 individuals for questioning. Eleven of them are minors, noted the minister and said that the circumstances of each individual incident are being established. The persons responsible for the attacks on several shops in Novi Sad have been detained and the perpetrators of the attack on a Zrenjanin shop have been discovered, said Stefanović. He added that the police have identified two minors, one of Serbian and one of Hungarian nationality, who set fire to a plastic bucket outside the auxiliary facility of the Muhajir Mosque in Subotica. These two individuals will face criminal charges at the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Subotica for causing national, racial and religious hatred and discord, the Serbian Interior Ministry stated on Tuesday. "The police have reacted quickly and I expect the judicial authorities to be as efficient in the processing of those who committed the attacks,” the minister said. Stefanović underlined that all police directorates received specific instructions to protect the property and persons who could be targeted by such attacks. He added that the situation is much calmer now, as the state has sent a clear message that all such attacks will be met with a strong response.

"Albanian government must to detain suspects"

Nebojša Stefanović expressed the expectation on Tuesday that the Tirana government would bring to justice all the individuals who took part in the incidents which occurred during the football match between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade on October 14. The Serbian police promptly and efficiently identified the perpetrators of almost all attacks on Albanian property which occurred over the past seven days and the individuals responsible for the attacks will be punished, Stefanović told reporters after the session of the Committee. The Serbian government has demonstrated the right way to counter offenders, Stefanović said and expressed the expectation that the Albanian government would do the same and bring to justice all the individuals who took part in the incidents during the football match. Stefanović noted that both countries strive to achieve European values and that they need to show it in these circumstances as well by creating a more tolerant atmosphere in their societies.