LOCAL PRESS

Day of Remembrance of genocide in Jasenovac marked (B92/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday attended a commemoration for the Jasenovac victims, held at the site of one of the death camp’s largest killing grounds. The camp in Donja Gradina – now a town in the RS, in B&H, near the border with Croatia – was formed in 1942 as part of the Jasenovac complex of concentration camps, operated by the Ustasha regime of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH). By the end of the Second World War and the disintegration of this Nazi-allied entity, hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti-fascists were slaughtered there. “It is our obligation to be here for the descendants of Jasenovac victims,” Vucic said, and added: “We have to be here so that the events of seven decades ago never get repeated, but also to send a message that we will never forget what happened to us and that we strongly oppose attempts of repeating that.”  “Here, in one of the worst places in the then occupied Europe, I am grateful to RS President Milorad Dodik that Serbia and the RS are together marking the events of the past,” Vucic said. Vucic also criticized the attempts to restore the Ustasha ideology and the revision of history and attempts to rehabilitate Alojzije Stepinac and thus remove responsibility for the crimes committed against the people and clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian government said. According to Beta, he said that there were still people in Croatia who wish there were no Serbs there or their cultural, religious and other symbols, adding that Serbia wanted and had to work with a normal Croatia, where people will not be judged by whether they are different. Vucic repeated that Serbia would never let anyone to have another Bljesak or Oluja – referring to Croatian military operations against ethnic Serb areas of the country in the mid-1990s – and adding that staunch opposition must meet anyone who wants to redraw borders in the Balkans, who wants a Greater Albania and some other states, not asking the rest of us, especially not the Serbs whose territory they want to seize.

Dacic: Statements about Greater Albania are not careless but dangerous (RTS/Beta)

Statements of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Kosovo President Hashim Tachi and chairman of Albanian National Council in Serbia Jonuz Musliu on unification of all Albanians and creation of Greater Albania were not “careless” or “not very careful”, as American

Ambassadors qualified them, they were dangerous for peace and stability of Balkans and Europe, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic warned on Friday. Dacic asked if the US Ambassadors in Serbia, Kosovo and Albania would have such a mild reaction if Skopje, Greek Epirus or Ulcinj in Montenegro were mentioned, since Musliu have put Serbian Nis within the borders of Greater Albania. “They would certainly have a harsher reaction – as an attack on Serbia is something that can be tolerated,” Dacic emphasized in his comment of, as he stated, synchronized statements of American Ambassadors. Dacic added that, as long as such statements were not marked as a threat to the peace in the region, Albanians would continue with provocations, as Musliu continued with the story that this was a time to unite. Musliu said that unification between Kosovo and Albania was impossible without including the three municipalities in southern Serbia where Albanian population lived. He added that Nis was also a part of “Greater Albania”.

He specified that one thing was certain – such statements were not careless, but “a reflection of clear platform of all Albanians regarding Greater Albania. Yesterday it was Kosovo, today it is Nis, tomorrow it is Skopje and so on”. “Do not be careless, your Excellencies, not to see this on time, until it is too late”, Dacic said to the US Ambassadors in Belgrade, Pristina and Tirana.

Joksimovic expects Serbia to open two or three new chapters (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Minister without portfolio in charge of EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic has stated that she hopes Serbia would open two or three new chapters in EU membership negotiations this year despite the difficulties. “I do not want to speculate, but this concerns Chapter 7 on protection of intellectual property rights and Chapter 29 on the customs union. We have adopted the negotiating position for Chapter 30, and I think Chapter 6 is on the way, too,” she told Tanjug. Addressing a plenary session of the National Convention on the EU, she added: “We have a chance to maintain a good dynamic by the end of Malta’s EU presidency, and to, in the second part of the year, work and maintain the path to stability through successful EU integrations.” Joksimovic called upon civil society representatives to explain to citizens that European integration is not a process we are forced to do by Brussels, but a mechanism that allows us to do things faster and better to our advantage. “Of course, a referendum (on EU membership) exists as an option, for citizens to, at the end of the final stage, decide, based on the presented successes and problems, whether (EU) membership is a legitimate choice for Serbia,” said Joksimovic. She went on to say that there exists a very superficial and demagogically supported information about Serbia being constantly somehow blackmailed. Noting that EU integration is often perceived as a technical matter, Joksimovic stressed that it is much more than that – (it is) not only a foreign policy but also an internal political decision to move towards prosperity and democratization. According to Joksimovic, political circumstances in the region represent a kind of a political precondition – while not enough understanding for the developments in the region is being shown. “I think some people in the region are not showing understanding and goodwill – if something has been said which leads to poor relations, I expect that to be explicitly condemned by the EU,” she said. On the other hand, Joksimovic thinks that – although the vocabulary of the EU is sometimes much bureaucratized – this does not mean the organization is not sending a clear message. “But their answer must be explicit if they wish to keep and preserve credibility and stability,” Joksimovic concluded.

Ivanovic released until trial (Novosti)

The leader of Serbia, Democracy, Justice (SDP) Party Oliver Ivanovic got his house arrest cancelled by Kosovo court on Friday and he received a security measure to register twice a week to police station in northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. Ivanovic said that cancellation of the house arrest was an encouraging step that convinced him that everything would end up in the way he expected since the beginning. “It is meaningless that they have kept me locked in, the whole process is meaningless, but I must push this to the end,” he said. Ivanovic said that the evidence during the retrial would only strengthen the view that he had nothing to do with the indictment. “I have a goal and this is to clear my name and simply resolve this thing once and for all. I absolutely have nothing to do with the charges against me, but I must prove it,” he said.

Serbian parliament passes several international agreements, protocols (Beta)

The Serbian parliament passed on 21 April several international agreements and protocols in education, police cooperation and culture. The Serbian MPs ratified an agreement on participation in a Central European university exchange program (CEEPUS III), an agreement

between the Serbian government and other members of the Initiative for the Reform of Education in South Eastern Europe and an agreement based on which the secretariat of the Initiative will be moved to Belgrade.

The parliament ratified a protocol to eliminate illegal tobacco trade, establishing global rules based on controlling the chain of tobacco supplies and stronger international cooperation.

The parliament also confirmed agreements between the Serbian and Polish governments on the struggle against organized crime and other crimes, between the Serbian and German governments on cooperation in the security sector, and between the Serbian and Bulgarian governments on police cooperation.

Serbia’s lawmakers also ratified an agreement between the Serbian and Czech governments on cooperation in culture, education, science, youth and sports, and confirmed an agreement between the Serbian and Hungarian governments on navigation on the Tisa River, opening the river to all types of vessels.

The Serbian parliament passed agreement between the government of Qatar and Serbia on mutual encouragement for and the protection of investments, an agreement between the Serbian and Romanian governments on social security, and the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, and a convention on the European Forestry Institute.

On the same day, the Serbian MPs refused to include on the agenda a request by the Democratic

Party that Serbian speaker Maja Gojkovic be dismissed. The Democrats said that Gojkovic had degraded the supreme legislative body, violated the Constitution and the parliament’s rules, and their request was not included in the agenda because only 13 MPs supported the move.

Local elections held in five municipalities (RTS)

According to the preliminary results of the local elections, the SNS list won most of the votes in Vrbas, Kosjeric, Kovin and Odzaci, while the list “Bosko Nicic – Movement for Krajina” won in Zajecar. Local elections were held on Sunday in Zajecar, and four municipalities in Serbia, with a number of reported irregularities and incidents, agencies reported. In addition to Zajecar (the largest city in eastern Serbia), elections were held for councilpersons in three municipalities in Vojvodina – Vrbas, Odzaci and Kovin, and the Kosjeric municipal council, in western Serbia. The elections were regular in Kovin and Kosjeric, while early elections were held in Zajcar, Vrbas and Odzaci.

Protests “Against Dictatorship” continue (Beta)

Protesters Against Dictatorship rallied on 23 April in front of the Serbian parliament in Belgrade, with support from the Independent Union of Teachers of Vojvodina, the Belgrade High School Forum and the Allied Teachers’ Unions. Several hundred protesters gathered in downtown

Novi Sad late on 23 April at the new Against Dictatorship demonstration, then marched along central city streets. The 18th protest in Nis was marked by teacher support to the demonstrations. Some hundred citizens marched in the protest there.

REGIONAL PRESS

RS, Serbia organize commemoration for victims of Jasenovac in Donja Gradina: Dodik refuses to shake hands with US Ambassador Cormack (FTV/BN TV)

Republika Srpska (RS) and Serbia organized a commemoration in the memorial area in Donja Gradina, near Kozarska Dubica on Sunday, for victims of the concentration camp in Jasenovac. RS President Milorad Dodik and Serbian Prime Minister (PM) Aleksandar Vucic attended the commemoration. Chairman of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic and associations of prisoners of War from the World War II (WWII) laid wreaths in Donja Gradina and thus paid their tribute to the victims. Representatives of the international organizations and Embassies of Israel, Russia, the US and Germany to B&H also attended the ceremony in Donja Gradina.

Addressing the attendees, Dodik said that Serbs would not have been killed in Jasenovac, if the RS had been established in 1941. Dodik added that even today, he cannot understand many things that happened in concentration camp Jasenovac and raised the question why killing of innocent people in Jasenovac has never been characterized as genocide. Dodik stated: “The RS is committed to build peace and stability. The RS has no intention and the RS does not want destabilization in this area. We do not want bad things to anyone here in B&H. However, we cannot be sure that B&H is the territory that will protect Serbs and a place that provides protection to Serbs and other peoples who live here, because the RS is Serbia!“ Dodik criticized Croatia for “allowing the Ustasha greeting at the place where 500,000 Serbs were killed”. Dodik noted that the commemoration is taking place in Donja Gradina because Croatia did not allow it to be organized in Jasenovac.

During the commemoration, Dodik refused to shake hands with US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack. Cormack told media that she came to Donja Gradina to pay tribute to all victims of Jasenovac and other execution sites, where a huge number of people lost their lives.

Addressing the attendees, Vucic stated that Serbia wants peace and stability and added that Serbia will not allow anyone to kill Serbs again. Vucic warned about existence of Ustasha ideology “that is reflected in revision of the facts that history has already accepted”. Vucic stated in his address that an attempt to revive the Ustasha ideology is underway, warning that Serbs will never allow for the Croatian military operations “Bljesak” and “Oluja” to happen ever again. “We are therefore exposed to a number of attacks from various sides and also because they will try to abolish independence, sovereignty and the right to living to Serbia, as well as Serbia’s possibility to help its people regardless of where they live,” Vucic emphasized.

Vucic assessed that it is difficult to build a better future without remembrance. “Our job is to confront those who would like to change the borders in the Balkans. Someone would like to create a “great Albania” and someone else would like to create some other “great state” – without asking anyone, not even Serbs whose territory they want to take. Our job is to defeat them politically, without a war or conflicts’” Vucic stressed. Vucic reminded that killing of Serbs was part of the master plan of the NDH, warning that there are still people in Croatia who do not want to live together with Serbs. However, he stressed that there is more room for cooperation and improvement of relations between Serbia and Croatia.

Foreign Affairs Ministry of B&H condemns behavior of Dodik who refused to greet US Ambassador (NAP)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of B&H strongly condemned “primitive and undiplomatic” behavior of RS President Milorad Dodik who refused to shake hands with US Ambassador Maureen Cormack during the commemoration ceremony for victims of Jasenovac camp which was held in Gradina on Sunday. According to the press release published by the Ministry, Dodik’s behavior is detrimental to international reputation of the RS and B&H, especially since Ambassador Cormack was invited by the governments of the RS and Serbia which hosted the event. “The attempt to publicly humiliate and insult highest-ranking diplomats of other countries represents an outdated diplomatic method, especially when aimed against people who responded to the invitation to attend events of importance for the host country in order to pay respect to innocent victims,” reads the statement of the Foreign Ministry. The Ministry expressed gratitude to all diplomats and representatives of international organizations who attended the commemoration.

Dodik, Vucic in Dubica discuss current political situation in B&H (RTRS)

Following the commemoration of victims of war camp Jasenovac in Donja Gradina, RS President Milorad Dodik met with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in Kozarska Dubica on Sunday. Dodik and Vucic discussed the events related to Jasenovac, as well as current political and economic issues. Following their lunch meeting, Dodik told the media that one of the topics of discussion was the blockade in joint institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). According to Dodik, Vucic showed interest for the situation in B&H in terms of functioning of authorities at B&H level and with regard to what will happen once Croats request amending of the Election Law of BiH. Dodik stressed that Vucic was specifically interested to discuss the manner in which it is possible to implement the idea about formation of a customs union of non-EU countries in the Balkans. On behalf of the RS, Dodik expressed support to such idea. Dodik criticized the authorities at B&H level for failing to fulfill “minimum obligations” from the Reform Agenda and reminded that the RS was against that at the beginning. Dodik concluded by saying that framework of B&H will have to be discussed one day. Vucic did not address media.

Moore: Fact that there is no political stability at state level anymore is sad (N1/TV1)

Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Jonathan Moore stated that fact that there is no political stability at the state level anymore is a sad fact. He added that there is neither consensus nor compromise in the Council of Ministers of B&H, even in the Presidency of B&H, adding that political instability is a huge obstacle on the path towards integration and reforms. Moore concluded by saying that he regrets the fact that some people find their seats more comfortable than the concrete steps in favor of the people. “People who got the support of voters have high-level duties, constitutional rights, democratic, constitutional and political responsibilities and they must often find joint solutions. I believe that you are already informed that this is not the situation with B&H. Political instability is a big obstacle on the path to the integration and reforms,” Moore concluded.

Dodik: If it is established that Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ letter is authentic, RS will cease all cooperation with that institution (RTRS)

Commenting the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to B&H Embassy in Jerusalem, claiming that the RS Representative Office in Jerusalem was closed back in 2013 and that the RS government has been financing private company of Head of the RS Representative Office Arie Livne under the guise of the RS Representative Office for longer than three years, RS President Milorad Dodik stated that, if it is established that the letter of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authentic, the RS will cease all cooperation with that institution. Dodik made the statement after the meeting with Israeli Ambassador to B&H Boaz Rodkin, held in Banja Luka on Saturday. Reported noted that, according to unofficial information, Dodik left the meeting with Rodkin before it officially ended. Dodik said that if it turns out the letter is credible, the RS cannot accept offensive and humiliating demands such as the ones presented in the letter.

Israeli Ambassador to B&H Boaz Rodkin held a meeting with Head of the RS Representative Office to Israel Arie Livne on Saturday during which they discussed the controversial letter of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On that occasion, Livne stressed that the whole story about the RS Representative Office in Jerusalem has a political background and reiterated that the Office does operate. According to him, the RS Representative Office in Israel deals with culture, economy and sports, not with diplomatic or political issues. Livne also added that the Office is a commercial representative office which has never faced any illegality in the work. According to him, big projects in the RS are currently being implemented through this Office, citing as an example the sale of ‘Ljubija’ iron ore mine to ‘Israeli Investment Group’ (IIG). In this regard, Livne said that he helped attract Israeli investors to B&H.

Separate commemorations held at Jasenovac (Hina/N1)

The first of three separate commemorations for murdered detainees of the Ustasha camp at Jasenovac and all Ustasha victims was organized on Saturday by the Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters and Anti-Fascists of Croatia (SABA) and the Serbian National Council (SNV). In addition to numerous citizens, the commemoration was attended by ambassadors from several countries. SABA president Franjo Habulin said that his association had decided not to take part in the official parliament-organized commemoration due to the attitude of the current government towards the Ustasha regime, its symbols and slogans. Habulin also said that it was undoubtedly true that the victims of the Jasenovac camp, Serbs, Jews, Roma Croats and anti-fascists, were innocent victims, while the Ustasha were criminals. “We will not allow the victory of historical revisionism that has gained deep roots in today’s Croatia, whose ultimate goal is to turn the World War II winners into defeated criminals and those who have been defeated and proven to be criminals to be turned in national heroes,” concluded Habulin.

President of the Serbian National Council Milorad Pupovac expressed his regret that this year there would be no joint commemoration. He condemned the controversial memorial plaque with the Ustasha slogan which has been erected at Jasenovac. “This place obliges us to call on the government and everyone else to turn to mutual respect and mutual repentance,” he said, adding that he would not want Jasenovac to become a place where some would try to turn bad past into good future. “This cannot be accepted,” said Pupovac.

SDP president Davor Bernardic, who also attended the commemoration on Saturday, said that “this is a place where Croatia must be united and not divided.” He feels that the current government had to come to an agreement with the survivors and the relatives of the victims.

On Sunday, the official commemoration took place under the auspices of the Parliament. The event was attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, while President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and speaker of parliament Bozo Petrov sent their envoys.

Prime Minister Plenkovic said after a commemoration for the victims of the World War II Jasenovac concentration camp on Sunday that he regretted that there was not only one commemoration because the victims deserved it. Plenkovic underlined that all “difficult issues” related to history of Croatia should be discussed in tolerant atmosphere.

During the commemoration, which was not attended by representative of survivors, there were no speeches. On Monday, representatives of the Jewish community in Croatia will hold their commemoration at Jasenovac. This is the second year in a row that separate commemorations are being held.

EUFOR ‘makes up’ in report that Croats are initiative new entity (Vecernji list)

Vecernji list learns that EUFOR sent a draft report on situation in B&H to its HQ in Brussels a month and a half ago, and that the draft report reads that key security challenges were organization of the referendum in Republika Srpska (RS) and requests for separation of the RS from B&H, and what the daily refers to as “alleged” request for establishment of the Croat entity in B&H. According to the daily, other challenges were in EUFOR’s opinion of lower intensity. Daily contacted EUFOR and asked if such “scandalous and rather biased report” was sent to the EUFOR HQ in Brussels, and according to the daily, EUFOR neither confirmed nor denied the information, instead it provided vague answers. Asked whether the report lists the third entity as source of security problems and challenges, daily reads that EUFOR stated that EUFOR is monitoring the security situation in the country, in line with its mandate. It is unknown where EUFOR analysts drew their conclusions from.

Djukanovic: Opposition threats are in vain (MINA)

Decision that is to be made on 28 April in Cetinje is of the highest historical significance, said leader of DPS Milo Djukanovic. This decision will be in accordance with the Constitution and legislature of Montenegro, and no one will be able to dispute it, now or in the future. Opposition’s threats are in vain, Djukanovic said. “Montenegro’s membership in NATO is one of the main topics of political conversations both in Montenegro and abroad. That is only normal, as Montenegro’s membership is one of the most significant facts of history, both for the present and future of Montenegro,” Djukanovic said. He believes that it is completely just to decide on the membership in the parliament. “It is constitutional, it is standard procedure. Elections were a referendum, in some way,” Djukanovic explained. He said there was no doubt about the legality of the process. “They send these messages in order to make us doubtful about our Western path. But these threats are in vain” he said. He is certain that DF is not only an anti-NATO force, but anti-EU is well. “If they were to become politically relevant, they would voice their stance against EU. They are pro-Russian. I have no negative thoughts on Russia, on the contrary, but I know which model is more successful,” Djukanovic said, adding he believes that opposition must understand that ends do not justify the means in the race for leadership. Djukanovic also believes that the decision of Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic to put a ban on arrest of two MPs was more a matter of politics than law.

Vujanovic: No need to have a referendum on NATO (CDM)

President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic said that four years ago he thought that referendum would be the best manner of deciding whether to join NATO, but the circumstances have changed, and now he sees no need. “Referendum would be a challenge for the safety of the state, with many security risks,” Vujanovic said. He added he was wrong four years ago. Commenting on the protest DF announced on Cetinje on the day that Draft of the Law on ratification of NATO contract in the parliament, Vujanovic said that the citizens have a right to voice their disagreement. “We are to become a part of NATO, not to be against someone, but in order for Montenegro to benefit. This is the easiest path to EU as well,” Vujanovic believes. Vujanovic said that mothers with three or more children are taking part in finding the best solution. He expects the Government to make the best decision possible soon. He said the mothers should not be victims of the law.

Osmani: Zaev and Gruevski are having meetings (Meta)

“We have information that Zaev and Gruevski had a meeting and we encourage that in order for a solution to be found for a deblocking of the Parliament and a government to be formed,” said DUI’s spokesperson, Bujar Osmani for Meta. SDSM’s spokesperson Petre Shilegov, on the other hand, denied that. “I don’t know why we would be having talks with them now. I don’t know what DUI’s acts in the last two days are based upon, but there is no such thing happening. Even the Deputy – president Shekjerinska denied that – said Shilegov.

SDSM: The blockade of democratic processes will lead to criminal charges (Meta)

The democratic processes will continue and the country must continue to function at full capacity, because the livelihood of the citizens is at stake, and businesses due to unreasonable blockades that are preventing a peaceful transfer of power, stated SDSM’s regular morning press release. “Outgoing Ministers have technical powers. In a very short time, all powers of the Mayors and municipal councilors will come to an end, and new local elections cannot be scheduled without a parliament speaker. This means the entire state system is blocked. The parliamentary majority will not allow it,” reads SDSM’s statement. The party pointed out that the institutions, political parties and individuals should know that inciting tensions between citizens and activities against national interests are large violations of the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Macedonia, and entail serious criminal liability. “It is necessary that the opposition leader, Nikola Gruevski and VMRO-DPMNE act in the interest of the citizens and stop the scenarios of instability and crisis. They cannot prevent justice and change this way,” said SDSM.

General elections-CEC: 29 April deadline for presenting list of candidates (ATA)

The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Saturday drew the attention of the electoral subjects that the list of the nominated candidates running for members of parliament and the relevant documentation attached should be presented to CEC within 29 April which is the last legal deadline. In a press release, spokeswoman Drilona Hoxhaj said that CEC will verify the documents of the candidates running for MP as well as decriminalization forms and finalize the registration process within 5 May. It will be part of the candidates’ documents even a C.V. That will give the electors the opportunity of getting acquainted with the candidates for MP on whom they will vote at the parliamentary elections.

Peleshi: Ruling coalition does not want to hold elections without opposition (ATA)

Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi told a meeting in the city of Korça, south-east Albania, on Friday that the ruling coalition parties would not wish to hold the upcoming June parliamentary elections without the opposition’s participation. “The ruling majority would not like to enter elections without opposition. However it is up to opposition to decide whether to participate or to boycott the polls,” Peleshi said while commenting the political situation in the country as the center-right opposition led by the Democratic Party has boycotted parliament and is protesting against the government for over two months. According to Deputy PM, participation in election is not a parties’ right, but an obligation to their supporters and the people. “We have registered and we have already launched work for the next elections. Parties in the ruling coalition have been registered to participate in the polls,” he said. Peleshi said the two-month protest in a tent in front of the government’s office is first damaging the opposition itself and the entire country.

SP condemns opposition’s calls for protests (ATA)

Albania’s ruling Socialist Party (SP) has condemned the center-right opposition’s calls for more protests and plans to block main national roads across the country as part of their two-month campaign to force government step down and allow formation of a technical administration until the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on June 18. In a press statement on Saturday, SP said that threats issued by the leader of main opposition Democratic Party Lulzim Basha to block roads and boycott parliamentary polls “are a dangerous path that inevitably leads only to violence, just like in 1997.” SP reiterated accusations against DP leader that he is seeking to delay implementation of the key judicial reform in the country. “Basha’s tent has already postponed implementation of the justice system reform and risks putting the country’s progress towards EU in jeopardy,” SP said in its statement, in a reference to the so-called “Tent of Freedom” erected by the opposition in front of the Prime Minister’s office. “We will not allow DP to take Albanians’ future hostage. On 18 June, citizens will be free to express their will,” the press statement read.

Bushati: Basha is driving DP to political suicide (ADN)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ditmir Bushati has accused the head of opposition Lulzim Basha of making a diversion from the approach of EU and the US and driving the opposition to a political suicide. Minister Bushati, has stated on Sunday that the message of Washington was very clear about implementation of justice reform, a joint US – European investment. “The stand is pretty clear regarding the importance that the US attaches to rapid finalization of justice reform. It is a political, human and financial investment of the US and EU. They were blunt. I hope that DP, Lulzim Basha, will give up on diversions and mudslinging regarding the friends and international partners involved in this cause as well as the importance of taking part in June 18 elections in compliance with the Constitution and laws of Albania.” Bushati went on saying: The EU has been clear, Germany and the US were very candid with us. The Albanian citizens expect all political parties to present their alternatives for the next four years. Asked about the DP protest on Monday and the appeals to block the roads, Bushati said that Basha is driving this party to political suicide.

Internationals to visit Tirana the upcoming week (ATA)

The vice president of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the chairman of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister is expected to visit Tirana the upcoming week in an attempt to engage the parties to dialogue and reach a compromise.

The German MEP visits Albania on the demand of the left-governing coalition, which decided to officially address the European right wing to intervene in order to establish communication to the Albanian opposition, whose protest continues for two months, without retreating from the demand to establish a caretaker government to guarantee free and fair elections.

The chairman of EP Foreign Affairs Committee’s arrival in Tirana on Tuesday coincides to the escalation of the opposition protest, which is foreseen to emerge from the ‘tent’ on the main boulevard, attempting to block the main roads in the country.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

‘Kosovo’ Project Failed Despite Massive Financial Help From the West (Sputnik, 24 April 2017)

The amount of money the US and the EU have invested in Kosovo is 20 times more than what developing countries normally get. Still, the “Kosovo” project is simply not happening, Andrea Lorenzo Capossela, the former head of the International Civilian Office’s economic department in Kosovo, told Sputnik. In his book, titled “State Building in Kosovo – Democracy, Corruption and the EU in the Balkans,” Capossela writes about the failure of attempts to create a multiethnic Kosovo state the Western countries staked on so much. In an interview with Sputnik Serbia, Andrea Lorenzo Capossela said that after its 1999 intervention and the 2008 recognition of Kosovo’s independence, the West tried to justify this by making everyone believe that everything in Kosovo was going just fine. “Realizing that it was not so, they pretended that they just didn’t see. That’s why they didn’t interfere to change the situation,” Andrea Capossela said.

When asked about the reason for such active US and EU support for Kosovo’s independence, he said that in 1998-1999 the US was at the peak of its might as the center of a unipolar world and it used the crisis in Kosovo to show everyone that, as a domineering force, it could justify its violation of international law by the need to “promote justice, human rights” and things like that.

“The NATO intervention flew in the face of the principles the UN stands for. They used the situation in Kosovo just to create a precedent and their intervention there after the war was over, helped them reinforce this precedent,” he said. Doing this proved harder than expected;, however, as many of the ”freedom fighters” in Kosovo, who were portrayed by the West as innocent victims, eventually ended up in jail on charges of corruption. “When you say that independent Kosovo is the only way to have an effectively working government and then you arrest the country’s finance minister [Zahir Bajrami] on charges of taking kickbacks, this looks strange, doesn’t it?” Capossela noted. He added that even though there was certain initial progress made in Kosovo, it was still too little given the huge amount of money the Western countries had invested there. “In my book I have an infographic where Kosovo development is represented by a horizontal line, while other countries show at least some growth. How come Montenegro is progressing without any EU mission, while Kosovo is stagnating,” he wondered.

Commenting on the agreement reached in Brussels on normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina, Capossela said that independence was not a solution for Kosovo. “There are problems begging for solution. They will try to do this in Brussels, but time will show how successful this effort is going to be,” he noted.

When asked whether the French authorities will agree to extradite Kosovo’s former Prime Minister and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Ramush Haradinaj, to Serbia to face trial on war crimes charges, Andrea Capossela said that people close to Haradinaj and his brother have threatened that if he is not set free they will retaliate, including with a series of ethnic cleansings of local Serbs. “I’m afraid that some members of the Kosovo elite are resorting to blackmail, just like they did in 2004, forcing the international community to intervene and kick-starting the process of Kosovo’s independence,” he warned.

Belgrade-Sarajevo Highway Sparks Battles in Bosnia (BIRN, by Igor Spaic, 24 April 2017)

The planned construction of an expressway connecting Belgrade and Sarajevo, intended to aid national reconciliation, has instead generated fights between towns in Bosnia over the route.

When the leaders of Bosnia and Serbia agreed to construct a new highway between Belgrade and Sarajevo, the hope was that project would reconnect the two countries, literally and symbolically.

Instead of mending ties between the two neighbours, however, the project appears to be generating new tensions within Bosnia itself. These tensions have nothing to do with Bosniak or Serbian ethnic relations but with the economic interests of Bosnia’s two entities, the Bosniak and Croat-dominated Federation entity and Serb-dominated Republika Srpska – as well as the municipalities in both entities, all of which want this crucial infrastructural lifeline to pass their neighbourhoods. As Bosnia’s economy struggles along due to the prolonged political crisis, the passage of such an important road through a municipality could mean the difference between prosperity and slow death. “All the municipalities want it to pass through their territory,” Samir Dzaferovic, from Bosnia’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, told BIRN. “This is not a discussion about the most feasible options. There are a lot of other things present, from the interests of individual municipalities to those of the entities,” political analyst Adnan Huskic told BIRN. On April 13, two Sarajevo-based institutes, IPSA and Eptisa BiH, presented a technical study ordered by the European Delegation in Bosnia to determine the best route. The study outlined five different routes through Bosnia. In line with Serbia’s preference, they all calculated the same entry point into Serbia at the border crossing of Vardiste, near Visegrad, some 120 kilometres east of Sarajevo. From Vardiste, the expressway should then go through Uzice in western Serbia and connect up with the Belgrade-Skopje highway near the central town of Cacak. After completion of this study, it will be presented to Turkish officials, as Turkey has offered to finance the project. The study and the continued negotiations with investors are expected to fuel new debates among communities that sit astride the five different routes outlined in the study. Some other towns, which have been excluded by the study but were hoping the expressway would pass by them, are also not giving up. They vow to continue fighting for their interests, promising further heated debates and new tensions.

Arguments over route started at once:

The idea to build the expressway emerged in October 2016, when Bosnia’s Trade Minister, Mirko Sarovic, and Serbia’s Trade and Telecommunications Minister, Rasim Ljajic, visited Istanbul to meet Turkey’s Economy Minister, Nihat Zeybekci. Turkey offered to finance the project, but only after a route was chosen and agreed. In February, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic hailed the idea as a “peace project that means much more than an expressway” between Serbia and the Bosnia. But in complex Bosnia, arguments soon started about the route.

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik wanted as much as possible of it built through Bosnian Serb territory. In January, he claimed that as much as “95 per cent” of the road would run through his entity. “With this in mind, Republika Srpska should determine the route,” he concluded. According to Huskic, Dodik was, as usual, looking at his own interests, both in terms of the road’s economic impact and at its possible impact on his popular ratings ahead of the next election in 2018. Dodik’s statement only marked the beginning of a competition among local officials to start lobbying for the road to pass through their entity, towns or villages. “This project is life. It is literally the life for all of these local communities in the east [of Bosnia],” the mayor of the eastern Bosnian town of Vlasenica, Miroslav Kraljevic, told the newspaper Slobodna Bosna in February as he called for the route to pass by his town.

Other officials from the economically run-down east, in Gorazde, Zvornik, Foca and Romanija, have also demanded that their towns find themselves on the route. The east is one of the most neglected areas of Bosnia and a major highway would certainly help to revive it. But the project has revived dreams in other communities as well. The industrial northern city of Tuzla is also lobbying hard for share of the action. Tuzla’s Transport and Tourism Minister, Mirsad Gluhic, told BIRN that a 160-km route through Tuzla Canton would the best option for several reasons.

The terrain does not require many tunnels and bridges, it would have a high volume of traffic passing through it, and the road would “connect the two entities and the District of Brcko, as well the three main ethnic groups [of Bosnia] with each other and with Serbia”.

Federation entity lawmaker and former Federation Minister of Transport and Communications, Enver Bijedic, asked the Federation entity parliament to insist on that route when negotiating.

This proposed route would go from Sarajevo towards Zenica, where a highway has already been built. It would then continue to Zepce, then go on towards Tuzla and connect later to the District of Brcko and the town of Bijeljina in the northeast. It would then cross the border to Serbia and Belgrade. The rationale for the northern route instead of the eastern one is that, instead of traversing the least developed areas in Bosnia and aiding their revival, it would connect up the economically strongest areas of Bosnia – Sarajevo, Zenica, Zepce and Tuzla in the Federation and Bijeljina in the RS. However, the Federation Parliament rejected the initiative on March 22. The fact that the recent study focused exclusively on the eastern route, and used the entry point to Serbia at Vardiste, makes the northern route less and less likely. The study estimated the cost of the project at between 994.6 million and 1.2 billion euros. The most favourable of the five route options, according to the study, goes from Sarajevo to Praca, through the canyon of Hrenovica, then along the banks of the Drina River, across Ustipraca and then towards Vardiste. This has not discouraged Gluhic from Tuzla. “We are not giving up, this is not over,” he told BIRN. Huskic, like international relations expert Zlatko Hadzidedic, also believe the northern route will most benefit Bosnia’s economy. Hadzidedic said Bosnia should not accept Serbia’s decision about the entry point as a given but should insist on negotiating other options. He supported the project in general and said it might be a step in the right direction towards reconciliation between Bosniaks and Serbs and between Bosnia and Serbia. However, he warned that “many more steps must be taken before we can talk of peace-building”. “Once there is some kind of regular communication, and quick transport of goods and people from Belgrade to Sarajevo and back, and once economic cooperation between the two countries grows – we can start talking about peace-building,” he concluded.

Albania opposition blocks roads, wants technocrat government (Reuters, 24 April 2017)

Supporters of Albania’s opposition Democratic Party blocked several main roads on Monday for one hour, escalating their two-month-old protest for a caretaker government to oversee the June 18 general elections. Party leader Lulzim Basha joined supporters sitting at a crossroads on the outskirts of Tirana where traffic comes off a main highway, and praised their peacefulness and “European culture”. There were other sit-ins near highways in northern, central and southern Albania. The opposition has been calling for a caretaker government to oversee the next election because it says Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist-led coalition will reshape the judiciary to its liking and it cannot be trusted to ensure a fair vote. The government, which is trying to reform the judiciary as part of its drive to join the European Union, rejects this accusation. The protesters have been holding a sit-in for the past 65 days at a tent pitched in the main street below the government offices. Efforts to solve the deadlock have so far failed. The opposition is also boycotting parliament, stalling the passage of laws that would help vet the new judges and kick-start a reform of the judiciary that Brussels has made a step before starting accession negotiations with Albania. At the end of the hour-long protest, Basha repeated his call for a technocrat government that could purge officials with a criminal past and pass the vetting laws.

“This is a warning that the determination of this people’s movement is unbreakable in its resolve to hold free and fair elections,” he told the crowd on the road. Police had earlier warned the protest was illegal but it did not try to disperse the crowd. Except for minor altercation in the south, the roadblocks passed peacefully. Rama accused the Democrats of creating roadblocks because they “did not want the road to Europe to be opened by cleansing the corrupt from the judiciary”. Two members of the European Parliament, from the right and left, were due in Tirana on Monday evening on a mission to help reach a compromise, the EU delegation office said.

(Reporting by Benet Koleka; Editing by Tom Heneghan)