Serbia hosts organized crime confab

BELGRADE, Serbia, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- European officials gathered in the Serbian capital of Belgrade Monday for a two-day regional conference on combating organized crime in the Balkans.

Serbian President Boris Tadic told the group his government is determined to move against the problem and is counting on assistance from the European Union, Serbian news broadcaster B92 reported.

Tadic said that, unfortunately, "the political fragmentation of societies in Europe" did not result in the fragmentation of organized crime.

Instead, he said, fragmentation in the Balkans actually "accelerated the cooperation among organized criminal groups, which have always been one step ahead of the institutions that fight them."

Participants in the conference include regional interior and justice ministers, plus representatives of European organizations like Interpol and Eurojust.