Serbian Environment Protection Minister Irena Vujovic told a meeting with her counterparts from the region that they should work together to clean the Lima and Drina rivers of all floating waste.

She also told officials from the counterpart ministries of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro that they should sign a memorandum of understanding to base the cleanup efforts on. She said that the three ministries should set up a working group to immediately start clearing up the waste floating on the two rivers and draw up maps of illegal landfills, a ministry press release said.

Vujovic said that more than 7,500 cubic meters of waste had gathered at the Potpec dam on the Lim river which flows through all three countries.

Montenegrin Ecology Ministry official Danilo Mrdak is quoted as confirming that the waste comes from his country and expressed readiness to draw up a joint project and apply for European Union funding. Bosnia-Herzegovina Foreign Trade Minister Stasa Kosarac said that regional cooperation is crucial, adding that the important thing is that a political decision exists to deal with the pollution on the Lim and Drina rivers through joint efforts. The Drina flows along the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Republika Srpska assistant Ecology Minister Svjetlana Radusin said that she expects concrete activities.