LOCAL PRESS

Dacic: Nikolic, Vucic to meet with Serb leaders in B&H, RS Thursday (B92/Beta/Tanjug)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will on Thursday meet with Serb leaders from B&H and the Republika Srpska, SerbianForeign Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters in front of the Presidency in Belgrade late on Tuesday. Dacic made the announcement after an urgent meeting convened by President Nikolic, attended by Prime Minister Vucic and several of his ministers. Dacic said that Nikolic and Vucic will speak with Serb leaders about the position announced earlier by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in B&H against the holding of a referendum in the RS, but also about the current situation in general, and possibly, about further steps. He said that top state leaders analyzed the situation concerning security and regional stability, and discussed the issue of our vital national interests. “Measures have been agreed on and will be undertaken, and are already being undertaken, to protect our national and state interests, so that people can rest assured that security will not be compromised in the country and, we hope, in the region,” Dacic said during a break in the meeting held at the Presidency of Serbia. “We are interested in preserving security and stability in the region,” said Dacic.

Stefanovic: Serbia’s stability not threatened (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbia wants to demonstrate that it has an active role in maintaining stability in the region, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said, adding that despite the tensions in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the occasion of the announced referendum in the RS, the stability of our country is not threatened. Stefanovic was in Jakovo when reporters asked about the meeting of top state officials last night in Belgrade, to which he replied that did not want to go into any details. Instead he reiterated that, despite the concerns about everything that is happening related to the referendum, Serbia’s stability is not endangered. “’The government and the prime minister are doing everything in our power so that Serbia is stable and a guarantor, and support to the Serb Republic in terms of increasing stability and economic development,”’ said Stefanovic. He said that the government is fighting for our country to be safe and secure in order to continue to strengthen economically. Stefanovic also described the statements coming from Croatia over the last days, i.e., those made by former Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanovic as having the least to do with common sense, but that he would not comment on that, in accordance with the government’s decision. “We can no longer participate in that, let them think about that,” said Stefanovic.

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: With visit to northern Kosovska Mitrovica, Tahiri wished to provoke incident (Beta)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija said that with a visit to the northern Serb-populated part of Kosovska Mitrovica while escorted by police and numerous bodyguards, Kosovo Minister Edita Tahiri wished to provoke an incident, condemning such an attempt at a show of force. In a statement, the office said that it is an undisputed right of Ms Tahiri, as a citizen of Serbia, to walk through any part of Serbia as long as her behavior is not aimed at causing provocation or unrest. “By doing so, she has joined the gallery of provocateurs who over the past few days with their unfair and insulting behavior have been trying to provoke an imprudent reaction from Serbia and the Serbian people, but the Serbian people, unlike them, have their state and government that do not fall for cheap tricks by irresponsible politicians in the region,” according to the statement. The release further said that “instead of arrogantly acting in a cafe on the ,Ibar river bank, Tahiri should have offered to the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija an apology for the chauvinist incidents, caused by her compatriots and those who share her opinion, in the past few days”.

Odalovic: Increasingly weaker regional cooperation on resolving fate of missing persons (Tanjug/Beta)

The fate of 4,086 Serbs who disappeared during the wars in the former Yugoslavia still remains unresolved, and regional cooperation on resolving the problems of missing persons is yielding weaker and weaker results, the Head of the government’s committee for missing persons Veljko Odalovic said on Tuesday. At a conference in Belgrade marking the International Day of the Disappeared, Odalovic said that the resolution of the fate of the disappeared was extremely important for the overall normalization of the situation in the region. “We do not want the victims to be in the background, but we will not allow either for the Serbian victims to be in last place. Recently the level of communication and agreement on joint activities with Croatia has been very low, B&H has its specifics and Kosovo is a separate story, since there the international community is not doing as we expect of it,” Odalovic said. “There is no information requested of Serbia which we did not provide, there is no location with alleged mass graves that we haven’t checked. We also expect this kind of attitude from others in the region. Everyone has to be up to the task concerning the resolving of the fate of the disappeared”, Odalovic said. The overall number of missing persons on the territory of the former Yugoslavia is a little less than 11,000.

Dikovic meets with Miglietta in Nis (Tanjug)

The Serbian Army Chief of General Staff, General Ljubisa Dikovic, met in Nis on Tuesday with the KFOR Commander, Major General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, who will soon leave the position. Dikovic and Miglietta discussed the current security situation in Kosovo and Metohija and along the administrative line with Serbia’s southern province, as well as the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
It was a high-level meeting of a joint commission on implementing the 1999 Military Technical Agreement. The joint commission is comprised of commissions set up by the KFOR Command and the Serbian security forces, respectively. The meetings have been held regularly at various levels since 1999 for the purpose of implementing the Agreement.

Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to resume between 8 and 10 September (Politika)

Technical talks between the Belgrade and Pristina delegations will resume between 8 and 10 September. The dialogue on the dialing code for Kosovo ended without an agreement. The Serb side advocates that the Serbs in province, as in the past, can call other parts of Serbia without using a dialing code and according to present tariffs.

Appellate Court confirms verdict for crime in Kosare (Novosti)

The Appellate Court in Nis has confirmed the verdict of the Higher Court, whereby the terrorists for the crime in Kosare were charged with a joint 15-year prison sentence. The court has rejected as unfounded the appeal by the defense counsel of the eight accused men. Former KLA members Sicer Maloku, Gashi Xhafer, Gacaferi Demush, Maloku Dema, Agron Isufi, Chuni Anton, Rabit Aliu and Rustem Berisha were found guilty for committing two offenses of terrorism in complicity. At the trial it was established that they committed, as members of the terrorist group “Kobre” led by Agim Ramadani, attacks on two border guard patrols of the Yugoslav Army at the Yugoslav-Albanian border on 30 September 1998. At that time, five soldiers were killed and six were wounded. Soldiers on military service Vladimir Radoicic, Miladin Gobeljic and Ilija Pavlovic, as well as contract soldiers Miroslav Jocic and Milos Pavlovic, were killed in ambush in the region of the Kosare watchtower. Captain Goran Loznica and contract soldiers Goran Simic were seriously wounded in the attack. On the same day, patrol leader Milan Bundalo was killed when their vehicle went over mines planted by the terrorists, while contract soldier Boban Mihajlovic was seriously wounded, and Sasa Kostic, Goran Tasic and Sladjan Jovanovic slightly wounded.

REGIONAL PRESS

PIC calls RS government not to hold referendum, Russia dissents (Srna)

The ambassadors of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), with dissenting Russia, called the Republika Srpska government not to hold a referendum on the Republika Srpska Day. The ambassadors urge B&H institutions to address this issue through the established legal procedures and the existing constitutional framework, and through constructive dialogue. “In this context, we note that there are proceedings already ongoing before the B&H Constitutional Court that have been instituted by the representatives of the B&H institutions with the aim of assessing the constitutionality of the Republika Srpska Assembly’s decision on referendum, as well as a request for review of the decision of the B&H Constitutional Court regarding the Law on Republika Srpska Holidays submitted by the RS Assembly, reads the statement by the ambassadors of the PIC Steering Board after the meeting held in Sarajevo.
PIC Steering Board further calls on all parties in B&H to refrain from hasty measures and divisive rhetoric, which only deepen the negative political atmosphere.

Russia excluded itself from the PIC’s statement (TV1/FTV)

Following the meeting of Ambassadors of the PIC Steering Board, Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov said that they did not support the text of the joint statement because of one thing. “It threatens, jeopardizes and condemns,” Ambassador Ivantsov stressed. He claims that Russia was in favor of more peaceful approach, which will allow all members of the PIC SB to come up with a balanced conclusion. Ivantsov pointed out that the RS is being urged not to hold the referendum while other participants in this issue are not being urged to do anything. Ivantsov stressed that it is not up to him to comment work of the B&H Constitutional Court but the B&H Constitutional Court should be more sensitive and take into consideration the entire context. Ivantsov noted that members of the PIC did not ask from the HR to use the Bonn powers.

Izetbegovic: Russia’s support to RS political adventure detrimental to everyone (Al Jazeera)

In a statement to Al Jazeera Balkans, Chairman of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic said that it is not surprising that the Russian Federation issued a dissenting opinion at the session of the PIC in Sarajevo on Tuesday. “Russia has been unconditionally supporting everything coming from the RS for a while. Supporting the political adventure that brings into question the institutions established by the Dayton Peace Accords will be detrimental to everyone – to BiH, to the RS, to the region, as well as to Russia,” Izetbegovic underlined.

Ivanic: Ambassadors’ statement expected (Srna)

B&H Presidency member from RS Mladen Ivanic told Srna that the statement by the ambassadors of the Steering Board of the PIC is expected and that no usage of the Bonn powers is evident. There is no usage of the Bonn powers because it would mean that the OHR would be the only body to make decisions in the next five years in B&H. Secondly, I think this condemnation of a referendum is not a smart PIC’s position because it shows one-sidedness,” said Ivanic. He stressed that he has never heard of, but he wished he did, such strong condemnation of the fact that four cantons in the Federation of B&H have no Serbs as a constituent people for 16 years. Ivanic believes that the PIC is strongly influenced by Sarajevo and that its unilateral act is obvious. “The solution to such situation is that the B&H Constitutional Court accepts the appeal of Republika Srpska, which would make the referendum fully legal, nobody would be able to contest it, and if the B&H Constitutional Court ruled that the Republika Srpska Day was unconstitutional, then we would need to introduce the Republika Srpska Statehood Day, enforce the decision, and keep 9 January as the key holiday in RS,” Ivanic concluded.

Dodik: I am not interested in either PIC or either their statements (Srna)

RS President Milorad Dodik told Srna that he is absolutely not interested in either the PIC or their statements. “Dealing with PIC and their statements does not even cross my mind in the day when I got a granddaughter, the day so special for me and my family” Dodik stated in comment on the statement by the PIC ambassadors.

Cvijanovic: No one may deprive RS citizens of the right to referendum (Srna)

RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic told Srna that RS citizens have the right to express their opinion on any issue, which they find important for either themselves of Republika Srpska and stated that no one may deprive them of this right. “The referendum question on the Republika Srpska Day is neither directed against any institution, any people in B&H nor the act of a referendum is in conflict with the Constitution and the law. On the contrary, it is protected by the Constitution and the law. We do not violate the Dayton Peace Agreement, we do not re-write the boundaries; we have just decided to defend ourselves by democracy from constant attacks and harassment, therefore, I do not understand why the PIC is threatening,” Cvijanovic stated.
She has reminded that it is not the first time that the PIC works in favor of the Bosniak policy and stressed that she does not remember that it has ever defined any position that was fair and good for all in B&H. “The same was with the High Representative who has made decisions ordered in advance by the political Sarajevo for years, mostly short-sighted and detrimental to internal relations in B&H. Therefore, it is right to say that the High Representative and the PIC are, if not more, then at least as guilty as the local politicians for the failure and the deficits shown by B&H,” stressed Cvijanovic. She has said that after their disastrous moves and experimenting with B&H, unbalanced and biased attitude and turning blind eye to the reality, we now have B&H with much less internal cohesion, a lot more security risks. “They are the ones that have violated and broken democracy in B&H for years and very often depriving B&H of breathing by using both lungs. They, along with political Sarajevo, re-write the constitutional structure of B&H to the detriment of Republika Srpska,” said Cvijanovic. She has said that “it sounds absurd when PIK recalls the obligation to carry out the B&H Constitutional Court’s obligations in a country where more than 90 such decisions remained unexecuted, mainly in the cantons and the Federation of B&H, while they have never scratched their heads over it”.

Reactions of FB&H officials to PIC’s joint statement (FTV)

FTV carried reactions of politicians from the FB&H to the statement of Ambassadors of the PIC on the referendum in the RS on the Day of the RS, scheduled for September 25. Representatives of opposition parties in the FB&H stressed that statement of Ambassadors of PIC Steering Board related to the announced referendum in the RS is reaction of the international community which no one will benefit from. Leader of the Civic Alliance (GS) Reuf Bajrovic stated that there is no chance that the international community will actively react to prevent Dodik from violating the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). “Now it is up to the B&H Prosecutor’s Office to react in this case and it should have ordered the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of B&H to apprehend Dodik and members of the Referendum Commission,” Bajrovic underlined. Member of SDP B&H Presidency Damir Masic stressed that SDP B&H members expected the High Representative in B&H and the PIC to take concrete measures and actions. “We did not expect them to make mere conclusions which no one in B&H will benefit from,” Masic stressed. Representatives of opposition parties in the FB&H agreed that besides the RS, another destabilizing factor in B&H is Russia which, according to them, showed that it does not respect the decisions of BiH institutions. Head of SDA Caucus in the B&H parliament Asim Sarajlic said that RS President Milorad Dodik succeeded in introducing the atmosphere of homogenization and in mobilizing the parties from the RS regarding an issue which is not under competences of the RS. Sarajlic deems that the referendum is an attempt to hide the real problems in the RS, such as collapsing banks, corruption and inability of the RS Government to resolve issues. MP in the B&H parliament Zeljko Komsic (DF) stated that the B&H parliament has to discuss the issue of the referendum and define its official stance. Komsic noted that the issue of the referendum must not be ignored. MP in the B&H parliament Denis Becirovic (SDP) deems that a part of MPs from the RS has abused the entity voting and did not allow the B&H parliament to discuss very important issue of the referendum. Becirovic warned that the entity voting has turned into the ethnic voting, which is not in line with the Dayton Peace Accords.

Referendum in RS sparks debate among B&H HoR MPs, SDP reps walk out of session (BHT1)

The House of Representatives (HoR) of the B&H parliament held a session in Sarajevo on Tuesday, but failed to include the announced referendum on the Day of the RS on the agenda. Namely, SDP B&H MP in the HoR of the B&H parliament Denis Becirovic demanded that a debate be launched on the “anti-Dayton and unconstitutional referendum on the Day of the RS” at HoR’s session on Tuesday, to which MPs from the RS vehemently opposed. Dissatisfied with the agenda, SDP MPs decided to leave the session. Addressing the MPs, Becirovic urged the HoR not to turn a blind eye to the biggest post-Dayton crisis in this country and added that the RS Assembly “fired on 15 July, i.e. 45 days ago, a referendum missile directly into the heart of the Dayton Peace Agreement”.Commenting on the issue, DF MP in the HoR Zeljko Komsic pointed out that the decisions of the B&H Constitutional Court (B&H CC) need to be implemented. SDA MP in the HoR Salko Sokolovic underlined that the announced referendum on the Day of the RS, due to be held on September 25, is unconstitutional and anti-Dayton. According to him, the HoR MPs should discuss the matter because it concerns sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of this country. SBB B&H MP in the HoR Mirsad Djonlagic underscored that he cannot understand why the forthcoming local elections in B&H are less important than the referendum in the RS. HDZ B&H MP in the HoR Nikola Lovrinovic also stressed the importance to discuss the referendum issue. On the other hand, Serb MPs refused to discuss the matter. SNSD MP in the HoR Dusanka Majkic emphasized that the B&H parliament cannot influence decisions passed by the RSNA. SDS MP in the HoR Aleksandra Pandurevic stated that the referendum on the RS Day is not a topic which should be discussed by the B&H Council of Ministers or the B&H institutions.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Tens of thousands migrate through Balkans since route declared shut (The Guardian, 30 August 2016)

Europe’s closure of corridor brought numbers down but still 24,790 people estimated to have passed through Serbia since March

Patrick Kingsley at the Greece-Macedonia border

At least 24,000 people are believed to have made the journey along the Balkans migration trail since European leaders declared the route shut in early March, highlighting how migration continues despite the construction of several fences along borders in eastern and central Europe.

On 9 March the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, declared that “irregular flows of migrants along western Balkans route have come to an end”, after the closure of a humanitarian corridor that funnelled asylum seekers from Greece to Germany and the erection of fences along parts of the Macedonian, Hungarian and Austrian borders. But although this brought migration numbers down considerably, since 9 March 24,790 people are estimated to have passed through Serbia, a key waypoint on two major migration routes across eastern Europe, according to Guardian analysis of daily records and estimates by the UN refugee agency. During the same period, 21,231 are recorded as having reached Austria, the last stop on the trail to Germany. This is roughly a tenth of the total during the equivalent timeframe in 2015, but already exceeds the annual total for 2013, and is more than three times greater than 2012’s annual figure. Many enter Europe through Bulgaria instead of taking boats from Turkey to the Greek islands, where new arrivals are now detained after landing. Those stranded in Greece since detentions began in March sometimes pay smugglers to take them to the Greek mainland and then reach Macedonia on foot, since Macedonia’s new fence does not line the whole border. “Right now it’s heaven for the smugglers,” said Tareq Ahmed, a 26-year-old Syrian carpenter who set off from northern Greece this week. “Europe is giving smugglers a lot of work.” Migration through the Balkans is being driven in part by the desperation of the 57,000 people stuck in Greece, most of whom are living in squalid camps. EU member states have promised to relocate all of them, but the system is working so slowly that only 2,681 refugees have been sent to other countries – encouraging many of the rest to smuggle themselves northwards instead. “I don’t want to wait here for a year to get just my first appointment [for an asylum interview], so that’s why I’m going to the smugglers,” said Ahmed, who spoke to the Guardian on the day he set off for Macedonia. “If they promised to move us by next March, no one would go with the smugglers. But we haven’t even got our first appointments. We’re Syrians, we’re used to working, we don’t like to sit and do nothing.” On Tuesday the areas lining the Greek side of the border were covered with the discarded belongings of people who crossed into Macedonia in recent months. In the undergrowth next to the border were sleeping bags, clothing, empty sardine tins and shoes, including a toddler’s trainer. Migration researchers say that although the closure of the Balkans humanitarian corridor has reduced migration numbers, it has forced many people to seek more dangerous routes to northern Europe. Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International’s deputy Europe director, said: “Shutting a border like in Macedonia doesn’t mean closing a route for refugees and migrants; it just means more business for exploitative smugglers, more dangerous routes, and more suffering for people who need protection and care. Instead of laying more razor wire and erecting ever higher fences, Europe’s leaders should end their head-in-the-sand politics and provide meaningful, sustainable solutions.” Migrants attempting the routes frequently report being assaulted and robbed by smugglers and police officers alike. In July, Human Rights Watch researchers released a report on the violent treatment of people at the Hungarian border, and Amnesty will soon publish their own report on the same issue. Raed, a 26-year-old from Damascus, said: “I was caught by the Macedonians and I told them I had a health issue in my stomach so they shouldn’t kick me there. And after that they kicked me only there.” This treatment is no deterrent for some migrants, who have often experienced far worse traumas to reach Greece, and who will try repeatedly until they manage to enter Macedonia. At a transit camp in northern Greece for migrants who have been caught trying to enter Macedonia, one of the camp’s only permanent residents said he saw some people return to the camp several times, undeterred by each failed attempt. “I’ve seen one family come and go 10 times,” he said. Sitting beside him, an Iranian woman added: “I’ve already tried twice and been taken back here twice. And I’ll try again and again.”

Albania MPs Back Vetting Judges and Prosecutors (BIRN, by Fatjona Mejdini, 31 August 2016)

Albania’s parliament has adopted a law on introducing vetting for judges and prosecutors, despite opposition claims that it will result in a ‘witch hunt’.

With 88 votes for and one abstention out of 140, Albania’s parliament on Tuesday passed a Law on Reassessment of Judges and Prosecutors, known as the “vetting” law. “Albanians have got confirmation that the will of majority is firm to stop the lack of justice in this country,” Edi Rama, the Prime Minister, said after the vote, criticising opposition MPs who did not back the law. The law will introduce background checks on Albanian judges and prosecutors related to their professional preparation, moral integrity and level of independence from organised crime, corruption and political power. It is part of a wider judicial reform demanded by the EU and designed to cleanse the justice system of corruption and political influence. Parliament is due to adopt six more laws to pave the way for the implementation of constitutional changes adopted unanimously on July 22. However, the opposition led by Democratic Party boycotted the plenary session as the draft law was about to be voted on, complaining that their 28 amendments had not been taken into consideration. The former Prime Minister, Democrat MP Sali Berisha, accused the ruling majority of planning to use the new law for a “witch hunt”. “This vote diminishes the reform that we passed [earlier] by consensus … You are ridiculous,” Berisha said in a heated debate with Rama. The opposition further claimed that the formula of electing members for the Independent Commission of Qualification – tasked with vetting justice officials – is biased. The commission will be in charge of the checking process, along with the College of Appeal and the International Monitoring Operation. However, Rama insisted that the opposition parties had been given a chance to reach a consensus over the law and added that parliament will continue to adopt further laws designed to make the reform work. The US embassy in Tirana welcomed the vote in parliament. “We look forward to the full and timely approval of the remaining implementing laws for this critical reform, which enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of Albanians,” the embassy said. The judicial reform package, compiled with the expertise of EU and US justice missions in the country and suggestions from Venice Commission, aims to end the widespread corruption noted in a series of European Commission progress reports and in polls of the perceptions of Albanian citizens and diminish the influence of politics in justice institutions.

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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.