LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: I swore on Constitution, not to someone else (Tanjug, Vecernje Novosti, B92)

Aleksandar Vucic, asked to comment on the decision to “diversify gas supplies”, said he “swore on the Constitution of Serbia, not to someone else.” The Associated Press ran an interview with him earlier this week describing his statements about Serbia joining a U.S.-backed has pipeline from Azerbaijan as “a major policy shift” of the until now ally of Russia. Vucic on Friday said this was “no policy shift,” but a desire to ensure energy security and efficiency for Serbia. On Thursday, Vucic remarked that he was too small to speak about Russia or America, “while everyone must to fend for themselves, and my job is to take care of Serbia.” Speaking at the Palace of Serbia today, he also commented on a statement of his first deputy and foreign minister, Ivica Dacic, on President Tomislav Nikolic‘s Kosovo platform, which Dacic said was “too late.”

“It would be better for different ideas on key national issues to be presented within the state leadership, and to go public with agreed upon principles,” said Vucic. Asked to comment on Dacic’s statement that a partition of Kosovo “would be the best solution,” Vucic said: “Only united we can achieve the preservation of state and national interests, as well as economic prosperity.” Vucic then remarked that he “does not know if Dacic even saw Nikolic’s platform.” In his interview for the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti, Dacic said that he had not. Vucic also said that “Serbia has had a good policy on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.”

“That’s why I ask that we talk more and come out with agreed upon solutions. I do not see any sense in bickering and quarreling. We need to be united in order to move forward economically, and the economic expansion of Serbia is what we hope, and that is our greatest strength. You will see that in the years ahead.” He added that would be good if Pristina formed a special court to deal with crimes perpetrated by the KLA, and that the Serb deputies in the Kosovo parliament will vote in favor of such a decision. Vucic was responding to a reporter’s question when he said that Serbia “believes in what Clint Williamson was doing, as well as many organizations, which have collected evidence of crimes, and achieved results in those investigations.” He hopes, he said, to see indictments based on the evidence and the results of investigations, and was also looking forward to judgments, “but does not want to prejudge court decisions.” Asked about Hashim Thaci‘s announcement about Pristina’s genocide lawsuit against Serbia, Vucic reiterated that he does not believe it can happen, and considers it “legally speaking impossible.”

“It is so frivolous that I am not able to comment,” the prime minister said and added that he was “very surprised when he heard that someone could even think to say something like that.” He believes that the announcement is likely meant to serve internal political purposes in Pristina, related to the future special court. The prime minister then stated that “this announcement shows how serious a country Serbia is because it does not enter into political games and is not spoiling relations in the region.” And on the question of whether the case of the Bytyqi brothers would be solved by the time he visits the U.S. on June 1, Vucic replied that this was “not realistic, but that he certainly believes the case should be solved.” Vucic was at the Palace of Serbia on Friday for a round table dubbed “A Region of Success,” where he called on businesspeople to invest in Kosovo and Metohija. Vucic urged the businesspeople participating in the meeting to open daughter companies in Kosovo in both Serb and ethnic Albanian areas, adding that the best solution for successful investing will be found in the next three months. The round table organized by the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce has brought together officials of the government, interim self-government institutions in Pristina, academic community, expert institutions, diplomatic corps and civil society, as well as businessmen and economic associations.

Vucic: Push for diversification, not policy shift toward the U.S. (Tanjug)

Serbia has one strategic objective- membership in the EU, but it also pursues the policy of mutual respect in the cooperation with Russia, just like Germany, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday. Asked whether he feels Russia’s growing influence in Serbia, the prime minister said at a joint press conference after meeting with German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Mueller that Serbia’s main strategic objective at the moment is to secure the opening of chapters in EU accession negotiations, and final – EU membership.

“We want to have good relations with Russia- I do not see anything bad in that. However, if the question is whether Serbia has a balanced policy in a sense that it would join alliances in the East or alliances in the West, Serbia has one strategic objective and that is EU membership and I think that Serbia’s policy is completely clear,” Vucic said.

Vucic said that his push for a diversification of gas supply sources does not constitute “a policy shift toward the U.S.”, but rather a strive to ensure Serbia’s energy security.

Serbia should secure pipelines, interconnectors with certain countries so that it can have a steady gas supply, and if possible, at a lower price than today, Vucic told reporters, when asked whether the readiness for the diversification of gas supply sources means a policy shift toward the United States. Vucic pointed out that in 2019 Russia will stop supplying gas to Europe via Ukraine, which will also cut the gas supply to Serbia from the direction of Hungary.

At a joint press conference with German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Mueller, the Serbian prime minister said that he had underscored on several occasions over the past five months that Serbia is ready to consider the supply of gas from different sources. “We support the diversification and we will try to gain access to gas from all sources,” said Vucic. It is the job of every prime minister to ensure energy security of their country, said Vucic.

Dacic: Too late for president’s platform on Kosovo (Vecernje Novosti)

Ivica Dacic says that the president’s Kosovo platform is too late, that he is not familiar with its contents, but is himself “closer” to the policy if PM Vucic. “It is certain that the Prime Minister is in contact with the president that he is consulting about international topics. I understand the need for Serbia to define what it will not do, but I think that everybody knows that already,” the foreign minister told the daily Vecernje Novosti. He said he was not familiar with the content of the platform, while “the most important question is why it was written at all”

“There is a big difference between a political declaration in Belgrade and the needs of the people in Kosovo. We in Belgrade can adopt whatever we want, but in Prizren, which was once the capital (of Serbia) there are now 21 Serbs, the Serbian flag will hardly fly.” Asked whether Tomislav Nikolic‘s text could make Serbia and the European Union “quarrel”, Dacic said “there should not be confrontation without reason, Belgrade needs a strong international position in order to solve the Kosovo issue.” As he said, a partition of Kosovo and Metohija was “still the best solution,” but also one that is in his opinion too late, while ethnic Albanians “simply do not accept” the offer of autonomy within Serbia. According to Dacic, “representatives of foreign countries” find the platform’s most contentious part to be the provision of Kosovo’s essential autonomy within Serbia. He, however, does not think that Serbia will deal with a request “to recognize Kosovo.”

“It is true that we are being asked to sign with Pristina a legally binding agreement, but that does not necessarily mean that it will be a request for mutual recognition. At the moment nobody in Brussels knows what exactly will be written in this agreement,” said Dacic, who also serves as first deputy prime minister. Dacic added there was “consensus of all EU members expect Germany” to open the first chapters in Serbia’s EU membership negotiations, and that it was “not realistic” to expect this might happen in June. He added that “a precise roadmap” was asked from EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, but that there has not yet been a reply to this, “perhaps because she has not yet entered into the whole matter and realization of where decisions are in fact made.”

Dacic also remarked during the interview that he viewed as “horror” the possibility of former Serbian President Boris Tadic joining Vucic’s cabinet, adding that his Socialists (SPS) will remain in power “if its coalition partners so decide.” Asked about rumors that his job was safe because he was “a Russian man” and because he currently chairs the OSCE, the foreign minister said he “did not pay attention” to such comments. Dacic also said he was not in favor of early elections as he “cannot see they are needed at this time,” because he “does not know what they would change.”

German Ambassador: Kosovo is a precondition of all conditions for the EU (Pink TV)

German Ambassador in Belgrade Heinz Wilhelm stated on Friday that Germany wishes Serbia’s negotiating chapters to open as soon as possible and added that the Kosovo issue needs to be resolved. From the German perspective, the prerequisite for opening the chapters is embodied in the opening of Chapter 35 on the Kosovo issue as the first step, and the condition for opening this chapter is full implementation of the Brussels agreement, Wilhelm told the Belgrade-based Television Pink. The German ambassador noted that the constitution of the community of Serb municipalities is another matter that has not been completed yet, and added that the talks on the matter are being conducted with difficulties. He noted that after the opening of Chapter 35, Chapters 23 and 24 could open as well. Asked to explain the exact meaning of the phrase ‘normalization of relations with Kosovo’, Wilhelm said that the normalization does not imply recognition and instead refers to establishment of good neighborly ties. Asked about the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Serbia, Wilhelm confirmed that the preparations for the visit are underway although the date has not been specified yet, adding that he believes Merkel will meet with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Pristina: Session on special court postponed (B92)

The Kosovo assembly has postponed a sitting on constitutional amendments that would allow for a special war crimes court for the former KLA to be formed. The decision came at the request of Hashim Thaci‘s Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), it was announced in Pristina on Friday.

It was said that the request came because members of the assembly have not received “materials from Brussels about the Special Court.” Earlier in the day, the PDK group in parliament held a meeting in which ten deputies said they would not vote in favor of the proposed amendments.

According to the Albanian language media in Pristina, “this influenced the PDK to suggest that the session be postponed indefinitely.” The same media previously reported that the assembly meeting may be postponed “due to great pressures, and simultaneous protests of former KLA fighters.”

Leaders of Kosovo’s institutions in the past pointed out on numerous occasions that Kosovo had taken on the obligation to carry out the decision to form the special court, in order to investigate the allegations from the Marty report. The report filed in 2010 by then Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty mentions the ethnic Albanian KLA in the context of crimes that include kidnappings of Serb and other civilians and harvesting of their organs. In order for the constitutional amendments to be adopted, two thirds of all MPs and two thirds of those representing minority communities must vote in favor. International representatives have announced the possibility that the UN Security Council might set up the court, in the Kosovo assembly fails to do so.

Defense minister attends send-off for Serbian peacekeepers (Tanjug)

A send-off ceremony for 163 Serbian Armed Forces (VS) soldiers, who will join the UN-mandated multinational peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, was held at the “First Infantry Regiment of Prince Milos the Great’ in Vranje on Thursday, and Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic said that their engagement is a proof of high readiness levels of the VS forces.Serbian peacekeepers to be deployed to Lebanon include 130 members of the 4th Land Forces Brigade, who will join the Spanish contingent, and 33 members of Force Protection Company of the 3rd Military Police Battalion, who will be part of the Italian contingent.The engagement of VS troops in multinational operations around the world is an important element of Serbia’s foreign policy, and a continuation of its peacekeeping tradition and active role in preserving the international peace and stability, said Gasic. The new regular rotation of the Serbian troops will replace the peacekeepers from Belgrade and Novi Sad who are already in Lebanon. The VS has been part of the UNIFIL peacekeeping operations in Lebanon since 2010.

REGIONAL PRESS

House of representatives condemns terrorist attack in Zvornik (Srna)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives condemned a terrorist attack on a police station in Zvornik and the killing of a police officer and expressed condolence to his family. The House of Representatives accepted a proposal of the House Collegium for all conclusions from the yesterday’s debate, a report of the B&H Council of Ministers on the attack on a police station in Zvornik and on the recent arrests in Republika Srpska (RS) and stenographic records to be sent to the B&H Parliament’s Joint Defence and Security Committee which should propose conclusions and send them to the House of Representatives for consideration.The House of Representatives did not accept a proposal of SNSD MP Nikola Spiric to supplement the agenda for the 11th session of the House of Representatives with an item on “a report of the B&H Council of Ministers on a terrorist attack in Zvornik.”At the last House session Spiric proposed that a report on a terrorist attack on a police station in Zvornik be included in the agenda and said that the demand for a summary report on the attack in Zvornik and the Ruben police operation which was conducted in RS after the attack sends a bad message. “Demands for summary reports might turn this institution into a cradle for nurturing terrorism and terrorist actions,” Spiric said. He said that a political consensus is needed in order to condemn terrorism and that by delaying a debate and requesting summary reports, some are sending a message to those dealing with terrorism to continue with it.

Pandurevic: No one equates terrorism with Bosniaks (Oslobodjenje)

Aleksandra Pandurevic, delegate from the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives, said that the discussion on the terrorist attack in Zvornik showed that there are individuals in parliament who are not prepared to accept that B&H has a problem called terrorism. “The bearers of the fight against terrorism in this country must, above all, be Bosniaks, or Bosniak politicians, and no one is equating this with Bosniaks nor with Islam, which has been tried to be planted here,” said Pandurevic. The SDS seeks, Pandurevic said, from the Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) complete information on radical movements in B&H and departures of B&H citizens to foreign battlefields. It is also seeking changes to the law on criminal procedure to ensure that all information the OSA gathers can, in the case of terrorism, be used as evidence. She stressed that individuals are trying to minimize what happened in Zvornik and challenge Operation Ruben, although there is information that this action was implemented by order of the Special Prosecutor because of suspicion of the crime of terrorism, and that they are still investigating 32 persons. “We have information that 24 persons from that list are on the list of members of the Salafi movement or their sympathizers, and one of these persons was arrested in Operation Damask and tried in the B&H Court,” she added. She believes that no one from Republika Srpska (RS) would support a resolution condemning the Srebrenica Genocide, proposed by Denis Becirovic, SDP delegate, and for her it is most controversial that the resolution ignores other war crimes.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia Calls on EU Not to Create Barriers for Gas Projects (Sputnik, 28.05.2015)

In his statement, the head of the Serbian national gas company “Srbijagas” Dusan Bajatovic expressed hope that all problems between the EU and Russia “will soon be resolved.”

Serbia hopes that the EU will not create administrative obstacles to the development of the gas infrastructure on its territory, the head of the Serbian national gas company “Srbijagas” Dusan Bajatovic said on Thursday. “I hope that we will not face any administrative restrictions based on ideological differences or big mistrust in relations between the EU and Russia,”Bajatovic said.

Serbia‘s gas infrastructure, particularly in the south of the country, is insufficient. The country’s officials are interested in participating in energy projects, including those, proposed by other countries. In his statement, Bajatovic expressed hope that problems between Russia and European countries “will soon be resolved.” Bajatovic is known as one of the main supporters of the “South Stream” project, proposed by Russia. In early December, Russian authorities cancelled the project’s implementation due to the unconstructive position of the EU and decided to build a “pipeline” to Turkey, creating gas hub for Southern European consumers in Greece.

Kosovo Postpones Vote on Wartime Crime Court (BIRN, By Marija Ristic, Petrit Collaku)

The Kosovo parliament postponed a vote on amendments to the constitution whose aim was to enable the formation of a special court on the wartime crimes of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

After being scheduled for Friday, a vote in the Kosovo parliament on amendments to the constitution to allow the establishment of the special court on crimes committed during 1990s war was postponed for “technical reasons”. With 78 votes for, 2 against and 1 abstention, the assembly postponed the vote and did not schedule a new session. The head of the parliamentary group of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, Adem Grabovci, said technical obstacles prevented the vote.

“Owing to the lack of opportunity to see the materials that what we have to vote on, we propose that this session be postponed,” Grabovci said. The Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, and his deputy coalition partner, Hashim Thaci, were not present at the session. Albin Kurti, from the opposition Self-determination party, which opposed the creation of the Special Court, said the session was put on hold because there were not enough MPs to approve the amendments. “These amendments were always notorious. And this time it’s no different,” Kurti said. However, Slavko Simic, MP from the Serbian List, said formation of the court was an international obligation for Kosovo and was being postponed for political reasons. The adoption of the amendments were a first step to enable the formation of the chamber, which would function under Kosovo law, but most of whose proceedings would be conducted abroad and all of whose judicial structures would be composed of international staff. Following adoption of the amendments, parliament needs to adopt a special law that will regulate the functioning of the court. The draft law is currently still being negotiated between the Kosovo government and the European Union. The date of the vote has already been postponed several times, but under pressure from the international community was due to take place on Friday.

During the session on Friday, hundreds of war veterans took to the streets of Pristina, protesting against the planned vote and the recent ruling of a Mitrovica court which jailed 11 ex-KLA fighters, including top politicians Sylejman Selimi and Sami Lushtaku, for war crimes in 1998 and 1999.

Hundreds of war veterans chanting “KLA, KLA” gathered in front of parliament calling on MPs not to back amendments which would lead to creation of the Special Court. The head of the war veterans associations, Smajl Elezaj, said the court would be damaging to the sovereignty of Kosovo. “MPs should leave the parliament, which would make it impossible to vote on the amendments that would bring about the Special Court,” Elezaj said. The new court is to be sited in The Netherlands and a number of senior KLA figures are expected to be indicted for crimes committed during and after the 1998-99 war with Serbian forces. It will hear cases arising from the recent European Union Special Investigative Task Force report, which said that unnamed KLA officials carried out a “campaign of persecution” against Serbs, Roma and Kosovo Albanians believed to be collaborators with the Belgrade regime.

The alleged crimes include killings, abductions, illegal detentions and sexual violence.

Political Risk Analysis – Hasty government formation points to continued instability – July 2015 (BMI)

South East Europe May 2015 / Bosnia-Herzegovina / Political Risk

BMI View: The fragmented political system of Bosnia-Herzegovina will see political risk remain high in the coming years. The primary risks stem from policy discontinuity and the possibility that political instability may dissuade international organizations from providing funding arrangements which Bosnia-Herzegovina relies upon.

In March 2015 Bosnia and Herzegovina finally achieved the formation of all state and entity level governments. This marked the conclusion of a long period of political negotiations following general elections held in October 2014. Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two main entities, namely the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) and the Republika Srpska (RS). The difficulties encountered in this process do not bode well for the stability of the government going forward. This risk of political paralysis and inability to enact key reforms pose an economic threat, as Bosnia’s ability to achieve policy goals remains a key determinant of access to IMF funding and EU cooperation. Though the government of Republika Srpska (RS) was formed before the end of 2014, the government of the country’s other entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), was only formed in the final hours before the deadline on 31 March 2015. The state government and council of ministers was first approved. Once this was completed the President of FB&H, Marinko Cavara, nominated a new FB&H government which was subsequently confirmed by the assembly in an emergency session. Ministerial positions are divided among members from the Party of Democratic Action (SDA, a Muslim party), the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and the non-ethnic Democratic Front (DF). Fadil Novalic of the SDA party was chosen as Prime Minister of the entity government. Immediately after the formation of government and cabinet, another emergency session was convened to agree on the entity-level budget for FB&H which gained approval just before midnight.

Macedonia’s crisis affecting entire region, Zaev tells Bulgaria PM (Novinite.com, 29 May 2015)

The political crisis into which Macedonia has plunged over the past years is affecting neighboring states as well, the country’s opposition leader has said while on a Friday visit to Sofia. Zaev met PM Boyko Borisov in the morning at the Council of Ministers, telling journalists afterwards that he would like to extend his gratitude to Sofia authorities for putting in effort to help find a way out of the political turmoil. Bulgaria, “a big friend of Macedonia”, has to be informed of opportunities to find a peaceful solution, Focus News Agency quotes Zaev as saying. “Macedonia has got our support for joining the EU and NATO. We insist very much that the political crisis be resolved in a democratic way,” PM Borisov has told private national bTV station. “We are categorically against statements on Macedonia’s federalization,” he added, referring to suggestions by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Bulgaria and Albania might be seeking to partition the country. Borisov called on the governing parties and the opposition to find a common language which Europe has also demanded. The meeting at the government headquarters also included Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov and Yanaki Stoilov, a member of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) – the counterpart to Zaev’s SDSM. “We organized the meeting with the opposition to show that in Bulgaria we are not divided into left-wing or right-wing when it comes to such problems,” Borisov added.

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ. The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.