Serbian President Boris Tadic stated in the municipality Mali Zvorink in western Serbia on Thursday that Serbia offered the best possible response to the difficulties caused by the latest wave of low temperatures and heavy snowfall.

At the same time, he warned that prevention measures need to be implemented in order to provide a timely response to landslides and floods that can arise as a result of the melting snow.

We are taking care of the coming weeks because the bad weather is causing new problems, and only if we react in an organised way, with solidarity and as a well-governed country, we will be able to cut losses and reduce the difficulties people are facing, Tadic said in the village of Radalj on the highway from Krupanj to Mali Zvornik.

The road was unblocked early on Thursday after several-days-long efforts of units of the Serbian Armed Forces, which even had the necessary fuel and spare parts delivered to them by horse- or oxen-drawn carts in some cases.

Tadic underscored that services in charge of cleaning the snowed local roads in Serbia are delivering assistance to isolated households and are experiencing grave problems because machines are breaking down often with temperatures in Podrinje which can be lower than 25 below Celsius.

According to Tadic all logistic problems are removed timely and competent services in Serbia are reacting in the best possible way.

Tadic especially commended soldiers who were actively engaged in the removal of snowdrifts from Podrinje roads.

The president called once more on citizens to save electricity and be careful in traffic, to clean the snow and remove icicles in the vicinity of their homes.

Tadic visited the municipality of Mali Zvornik together with representatives of local self-governments and Chief-of-staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Ljubisa Dikovic, and later in the day they would also visit the snowed-under municipalities of Ljubovija and Bajina Basta in western Serbia.