Report: Balkans One of Safest Areas in Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia — The Balkans, a hotbed of crime and violence during the Yugoslav wars and the chaotic transition from communism, has become one of the safest areas in Europe to live, according to a U.N. report released yesterday.

The report concluded that nine Balkan countries — including Bosnia and Croatia, which saw vicious ethnic bloodletting in the 1990s — now boast lower levels of homicide, robbery, and rape than Western Europe.

"Surprising as it may be, the Balkan region is one of the safest in Europe," the report said.