"Disaster came from God, people can fix it"

"Disaster came from God, people can fix it"

SMEDERVSKA PALANKA -- President Tomislav Nikolić has said he will ask UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to organize a fund raising dinner to help those affected by the floods.

"I will ask the UN Secretary-General to organize a donor evening to help the citizens of Serbia and will seek support for this from the Security Council," Nikolić told reporters in Smederevska Palanka, where he delivered humanitarian aid.

He announced that he would on Thursday inform French President Francois Hollande about the disastrous consequences of the floods, and that "a film about the natural disaster needs to be secured, with data about the damage."

"So that it is not considered that we did not inform the world about the extent of the tragedy - and let the world think about whether Serbia deserves to be helped," said the president, adding that the country in the past supported others and now rightly expect the world to show solidarity.

Nikolić delivered a truck of canned food and two two trucks of bottled water and shoes to residents of Smederevska Palanka.

He was quoted as saying that the natural disaster "came from God, not from people," but that "people can help fix that injustice."

Nikolić urged all those "who have more than they need" to help, and said that "once all this is over" Serbia will certainly express its gratitude to those who were there for the country when it most needed it.

"Real challenges"

Presidential Advisor Marko Đurić said on Wednesday that President Tomislav Nikolić will continue talks with representatives of the international community, noting that the real challenges will arise after water retreats...