(ANSA) - BELGRADE, MARCH 18 - Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica
Dacic said clashes and violence by opposition protesters at the
weekend in Belgrade caused damage to the country's image. Dacic
also criticised the silence by embassies from western countries
and the EU. Dacic, speaking to private broadcaster Pink, said
the message was that instability, crisis, clashes, and incidents
reign in the country, a fact which he said "caused serious
damage to Serbia". He lamented the fact that despite the
seriousness of the violence on the part of demonstrators - which
included breaking into the headquarters of public broadcaster
RTS and blocking the presidential palace - there was no response
from any western ambassador. "No one made a phone call, neither
to the ministry nor to the president, to find out what was going
on," he said. Serbian police chief Vladimir Rebic said 18 people
were arrested during the demonstrations. Rebic said six officers
were wounded in the clashes at the RTS headquarters. He
emphasised the police's professional and responsible behavior,
in that they deployed a very controlled use of force in order to
contain the most violent demonstrators. (ANSA).
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