LOCAL PRESS

Pristina drops probe into suspected killers of 14 Serbs (Tanjug/B92)

The Special Prosecution in Pristina has stopped the investigation into all persons suspected of killing 14 Serb farmers in Staro Gracko in July 1999. An international prosecutor in 2007 launched the investigation into eight persons – former members of the KLA unit from Lipljan – suspected of committing the massacre of the Serb civilians.  Nine years after the probe was launched and later expanded, the process has been stopped with no adequate explanation.  The Staro Gracko victims were Milovan Jovanovic (born in 1969), Jovica Zivic (1970), Radovan Zivic (1967), Andrija Odalovic (1967), Slobodan Janicijevic (1965), Mile Janicijevic (1957), Novica Janicijevic (1981), Momcilo Janicijevic (1946), Stanimir Dekic (1955), Bozidar Dekic (1947), Sasa Cvejic (1973), Ljubisa Cvejic (1939), Nikola Stojanovic (1936) i Miodrag Tepsic (1951).

Djuric: Message that it is permitted to murder Serbs in our southern province (Tanjug)

I received the news on dropping the investigation into the crimes in Staro Gracko with disbelief, and I am sure that there is not a single Serbian citizen today who doesn’t feel sadness and anger over this shameful act. The curtain has definitely fallen in the cynical show where the criminals and their sponsors have been pretending that they care about those whom they had murdered. Now we clearly see that those who placed, uninvited, flowers on the monument to Serb victims in Staro Gracko, are the same as those who desecrated the same monument not long afterwards.

I am certain that all decent citizens of Albanian nationality are ashamed of today’s decision of the Special Prosecution in Pristina.

Kuburovic: Decision disgraceful (Tanjug)

Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic has stated that the decision of the Special Prosecution in Pristina once again confirms the injustice toward Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and that the decision was disgraceful. “Even 18 years later the Pristina judiciary fails to establish the truth about the perpetrators of this monstrous crime. Is this the equality for all citizens that Pristina supposedly stands for? Is this equal access to justice? Does it mean that every murder, torture, and brutal attack on Serbs in Kosovo will go unpunished?,” she asked in a statement for Tanjug. Apparently referring to Ramush Haradinaj, Kuburovic said it was scandalous to celebrate the release of a terrorist, murderer and rapist – for whom there is countless evidence that he committed the gravest crimes against civilians – while the killers of 14 Serbs do not have a name even nearly 20 years later. Kuburovic said that true and sincere reconciliation in Kosovo can happen only once the driving of fear and terror into the Serb population ends, and said she hoped that a specialist court for KLA crimes in the Hague would bring to justice those responsible for the Staro Gracko crime.

Serbian government offers strong support to Serb List (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said that on 11 June parliamentary elections will be held in Kosovo which will be of crucial importance for the survival and fate of our people in the southern Serbian province. Djuric said at a press conference in the Serbian government after a meeting between Serb List representatives and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic that the Serb List gathers all Serb representatives who want to work and cooperate with Serbia, would like to fight for the interests of the Serbian people in the southern province and rely on the strong support of the Serbian state, the nation, and most of the compatriots in the province. According to him, the Serbian government believes that the Serbs in Kosovo mad Metohija should gather around the Serb List primarily because in this election it also means continued support of Serbian state to the institutions in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the continuation of institutional relations. Only the Serb List can guarantee and fight in the provincial institutions that the relationship between Belgrade and our people in Kosovo remains unbroken, Djuric said. He pointed out that Serb List MPs prevented the formation of a Kosovo army and that its establishment requires four out of 10 Serbian votes, which must not be allowed. Albanians are trying in every way through various abuses and machinations, including through buying of certain Serbian representatives to get Serbian mandates, as well as other mandates, Djuric noted, adding that they had registered a series of lists on which there are actually people who are in direct function and directly delegated by Albanian parties in order to take control of the most part of the non-Albanian population and placed the political system in the province under their full control. Djuric said that Vucic conveyed to Kosovo Serb representatives the support and solidarity of the people of Serbia and the desire of Serbian state institutions and all our people that the Serbs in Kosovo vote strongly for their interests.

Serbian Labor Minister Aleksandar Vulin said that the only reason that the Kosovo Army has not been formed is because the Serb List MPs prevent that. If there are no MPs who really speak on behalf of the Serb people, rest assured that the Kosovo army will be a new factor in Kosovo and Metohija. When you listen to candidate for prime Mmnister Ramush Haradinaj, who is threatening to reach Nis it can be guessed what he will do once he has an army. The Serbs must not allow that, Vulin said.

Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antic stressed the importance of conservation of energy capacity, especially for supplying northern Kosovo. The issue of security of supply of electricity to the north is an extremely sensitive issue. For us the Gazivode system is of capital importance because it provides security of supply in the north. We take special care of it because any solution that is not fully coordinated with us would bring people in the north of Kosovo to a position of power hostages, Antic warned. Antic said that very difficult talks regarding that are being conducted and that Pristina’s administration is trying to achieve their goals that are not in line with the agreement.

Serb List leader Slavko Simic noted that 20 candidates for MPs held a consultative meeting with Vucic and that since its establishment the Serb List has been coordinating all its activities with the Serbian government. The Serb list is a national project, has become a political brand of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. So far it has been the holder of the peace and stability and the policy of the Serbian government. We prevented them from voting all those legal provisions which were to the detriment of the Serbian people in the province, Simic concluded.

Dacic: Migrant crisis handled with respect to human rights; No progress in respect for human rights in Kosovo (Beta/Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at the Council of Europe (CoE) ministerial meeting in Nicosia that Europe’s greatest challenge in managing mass migrations is how to handle the process while respecting human rights. At the 127th meeting of the CoE foreign ministers, Dacic said that Serbia shared the CoE’s view that urgent measures are required to protect the children of migrants and asylum seekers, especially unescorted children. In addition, active engagement is needed to prevent human trafficking and all types of abuse, and to punish the traffickers. Dacic said that Serbia, as a state on the Western Balkans migrant route, had faced a wave of nearly one million refugees and migrants, who passed through the country’s territory since the crisis broke out, adding that the state had paid special attention to vulnerable groups, children in particular. Dacic recalled that unfortunately Serbia has had an extensive and painful experience in dealing with refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), explaining that 29,457 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina still lived in Serbia, alongside over 200,000 IDPs from Kosovo. Serbia regrets to note that, even after years of implementation of CoE projects, there has been no major progress in respect for human rights and freedoms in Kosovo, Dacic said in Nicosia. This is particularly noticeable in the everyday lives of people who are not part of the ethnic Albanian community – mostly Serbs, Dacic said.

Vucic receives Slutsky (Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic received the Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation for International Affairs Leonid Slutsky, with whom he spoke about the improvement of the political and economic cooperation between the two countries. Vucic expressed his gratitude for the understanding shown by Russia for the views and policies of Serbia, without deviating from the principled position that it respects the territorial integrity and does not recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo. The two officials discussed the situation in the Western Balkans, and expressed concern about the idea of so-called Greater Albania, pointing to the danger it brings to regional stability. Vucic highlighted Serbia’s commitment to a policy that brings peace and cooperation to the region. He underlined that Serbia, due to the economic progress it achieved, wants to improve economic cooperation with Russia and it is expected that the participation of Serbian ministers in the Saint Petersburg forum in early June will be an opportunity to discuss concrete forms of cooperation. Slutsky said that parliamentary cooperation gives a special contribution to the relationship between the two countries and announced a stronger linking in that area. In this regard, he announced the official visit of Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin to Serbia for 5 June.

Blue berets off to mission in Lebanon (Beta)

At Ribnica barracks in Kraljevo a ceremony has been organized on the occasion of sending an infantry company and a force protection platoon from the 2nd Army Brigade, staff officers and members of the National Support Element to the multinational mission UNIFIL in Lebanon. The ceremony was attended by the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic, the Army Commander Lieutenant General Milosav Simovic, the Commander of the 2nd Army Brigade Colonel Zeljko Kuzmanovic, representatives of local authorities, religious communities, as well as families and friends of the peacekeepers.  Wishing our “blue berets” the successful mission, General Dikovic emphasized that this was an important mission that we had been participating in for six years, and 1,285 Serbian peacekeepers have been engaged in this mission so far.  “You continue more than six decades long tradition of participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in multinational operations, and you are going to execute tasks in the same area where members of our Armed Forces were 60 years ago. You will have an opportunity and honor to spread the good news about the citizens of Serbia, the Serbia Armed Forces because we build better Serbia and would like it to be strong,” the Chief of General Staff highlighted.  According to him, the army with the most modern armament and equipment is not the only strong army. Besides that, it is important that the army loves its country and occupation, is morally strong, competent and trained to use what it has at its disposal in the best possible way. In the following six months, 163 members of the 2nd Army Brigade and 12 staff officers and members of the National Support Element will be engaged in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, where they will substitute members of the 1st Army Brigade, who are currently deployed in this UN multinational operation. Currently 329 members of the Serbian Armed Forces are engaged in ten multinational operations worldwide.

REGIONAL PRESS

US Embassy to B&H: Yee’s statements on Balkans mention issues of importance for peace and security (N1)

The statement of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee, who said before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday that B&H is faced with the risk of becoming a failed state if it does not implement reforms, has sparked reactions in B&H. Yee also warned that ethnic tensions in the Balkans are again growing and emphasized that Russia is encouraging secessionist plans, especially in Republika Srpska (RS). The US Embassy to B&H issued a statement to N1 explaining that Yee’s statements refer to the situation in the Balkans that mentions issues of importance for peace and security in the region. The Embassy’s statement underlines that B&H needs to urgently achieve progress in reforms. “Without the necessary structured reforms, B&H is at risk of becoming a failed state. Young people seek better economic perspective abroad”, the statement reads. The Embassy also noted that B&H politicians from all ethnic groups turn towards nationalist rhetoric, testing the boundaries of the Dayton Peace Agreement, in attempts to obtain the public support without solving real challenges their country faces.

Dodik: In case of increased interventionism, B&H will fall apart (RTRS)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik stated that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee is presenting lies by calling for or wishing for interventionism. Dodik noted that B&H will break apart and no one will be able to put it back together in case it comes to increased interventionism of the international community. Dodik underlined that secession is not on the RS’ agenda. Dodik said that none of the official channels submitted him with the information about the plan ‘Last Chance’, according to which the opposition and certain foreign services allegedly want to destabilize the RS. However, Dodik deems that behavior of certain opposition parties resemble the described scenario, where they are nothing but bad actors unable to play their part. Dodik went on to say that all information of this kind are being investigated and he expressed confidence in the RS Ministry of Interior, which he referred to as the best organized police structure in B&H that is recognized in the world for its fight against terrorism. Asked whether he fears for his safety, Dodik replied that threats will not prevent him from doing the things that need to be done. Speaking about sanctions that the US imposed on him, Dodik announced launch of all mechanisms in order to explain to the US’ new administration how someone decided to put his name on the blacklist only three days before inauguration of the new US President. Dodik trusts that the US’ new administration will show understanding to reexamine reasons for such decision. The RS President stressed that his official trip to the US depends on removal of all misunderstandings. He concluded that he expect much from the new administration, not because of possible lifting of sanctions but because of US President Donald Trump’s stance that the US will no longer interfere in internal matters of other countries.

Yee’s statement causes a number of reactions (ATV/RTRS)

The assessment of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee that Russia is encouraging secession of Republika Srpska (RS) from B&H has caused a number of reactions. Following his meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Crnadak confirmed on Saturday that Russia remains committed to peace in B&H and the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). Crnadak stressed that Lavrov and he only agreed the payment of the clearing debt, adding that he did not receive information about calls for division of B&H. “Such information related to some visits of RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik to Moscow emerged in the media. We of course did not discuss that. That is an issue for those who took part in those talks,” Crnadak stressed. Dodik, on the other hand, said that Yee is presenting lies about the situation in the region. Dodik stressed that there is no activity related to secession on the RS’ agenda, noting that neither Serbia nor Russia, or anyone else is asking the RS to implement any kind of activities related to calling a referendum on independence. Addressing the media Chairman of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic said that he does not believe that US officials said “so directly” that B&H is close to failing. Still, Ivanic noted that Yee’s statement represents a simplified version of the stance of US officials. Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic commented on the statement of US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hoyt Brian Yee, who said before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday that Russia supports secessionist rhetoric in B&H especially in the RS. In this regard, Izetbegovic disagreed with Yee’s assessment and said that there is no such influence of Russia in B&H. Izetbegovic added that he in fact thinks that RS President Milorad Dodik changed his rhetoric after visiting Moscow since he said that the RS will not reach for secession. Yee’s statement caused quite a commotion in the regional media. Enhanced by apocalyptic headlines that the US is preparing a war, the news spread fast, although it remains unclear whether Yee actually said those things.

Can opposition ensure majority for removal of government? (Oslobodjenje)

The RS Assembly is scheduled to convene on 31 May and discussed an initiative of the RS opposition for removal of the RS government. In order to achieve that, the opposition will have to have 41 votes in support of the removal. DNS Vice-president and RS Assembly speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic stated that “if the coalition cannot survive one vote, then it should not be a coalition”. On the other hand, RS President Milorad Dodik stated that the majority in the RS Assembly is stable. Commenting the initiative for removal of the RS government, he said it is a legitimate one, but SNSD, DNS, SP and several independent delegates will not allow the initiative to even be put on the daily agenda. “The opposition will have 25 votes, and they need 42, which is something they will not achieve. They know that, but now they want to insist on the talk about the RS government,” said Dodik. SP leader Petar Djokic also believes the ruling coalition is functioning, as well as the RS government. “I do not see any big crisis,” said Djokic and dismissed allegations that the government no longer has majority in the RS Assembly.

Croatia will help us reactivate Herzeg-Bosnia (Nezavisne)

Leader of HSS party, member of B&H House of Peoples and member of the Presidency of Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) Mario Karamatic, asked to comment his earlier statements on the necessity to reactivate “Herzeg-Bosnia” and establish a Croat entity, stated that reactivation of “Herzeg-Bosnia” is necessary. “As for the third entity, that would require constitutional changes and consensus of political parties in B&H. Since that is obviously not possible, HSS which I am leading is advocating activation of provisions of the Vienna Convention in order to return to the starting positions which we had at the time when the Washington Agreement was signed in line with the international law, which in this case means Croat Republic of “Herzeg-Bosnia”. If changes to B&H Election Law are not adopted, HSS will present this proposal to the HNS”, Karamatic explained. According to him, this can be achieved only through the International Court of Justice, and since peoples cannot address the Court, the motion to reactivate Herzeg-Bosnia will be filed by Croatia which is one of the guarantors of the Washington Agreement and Dayton Agreement. “We have made contacts and we already have a satisfactory number of colleagues who are members of Croatian Parliament and who absolutely support our proposal”, he underlined. Asked to comment the fact that Bosniak Caucus in B&H HoP invoked the mechanism for protection of vital national interests over the proposal for changes to B&H Election Law submitted by HDZ B&H, Karamatic said that he does not understand why Bosniak Caucus did this. He underlined that he expects B&H Constitutional Court to reject the motion filed by Bosniak Caucus and return the proposed changes to the parliament so that they can be adopted in urgent procedure. Commenting SDA’s claims that they have their own proposal for changes to the Election Law which implement rulings in the case of ‘Sjedic-Finci’ and ‘Pilav’, Karamatic said that the proposal of HDZ B&H was earlier harmonized with SDA. He argued that SDA no longer has enough votes even for simple majority, let alone for constitutional changes which are necessary in order to implement the ‘Sejdic-Finci’ and ‘Pilav’ rulings.

The first round of local elections in Croatia took place on Sunday (HRT)

The first round of local elections in Croatia took place on Sunday. On that occasion, more than 6,000 polling stations opened across Croatia and 47,500 people were candidates for election. Citizens of Croatia went to polls in order to elect town and municipal mayors and councils, as well as country prefects and assemblies. Namely, voters were electing, inter alia, 128 city mayors, 195 deputy city mayors, 20 county prefects, 51 deputy county prefects, 836 county councilors and 2,226 city councilors. The second round, if necessary, will be held on June 4. More than 3.7 million voters had the right to vote, which was 39,500 less than at the previous local elections. Prime Minister of Croatia and HDZ leader Andrej Plenkovic voted on Sunday morning and stated that he wanted the turnout to be as high as possible. “These elections are important. They are about our municipalities, towns, counties, about representative bodies that decide on many of the concrete issues important for creating better living conditions throughout Croatia,” said Plenkovic. SDP leader Davor Bernardic also voted on Sunday morning and told reporters: “Unfortunately, the elections are the only opportunity in Croatia when all citizens, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, regardless of their social influence, have the same power. I call on them to use that power and go to the polls,” said Bernardic.

Plenkovic says HDZ satisfied with overall results of local polls (Hina)

Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenkovic said on Sunday evening after the local elections were held across the country that the HDZ was very pleased wiith the election results. According to incomplete preliminary results released by the State Election Commission (DIP), as many as eight county prefects out of 20 were re-elected for another four year term. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) slates won a majority of seats in councils in 12 larger towns, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ensured a majority in the councils in five cities, whereas the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) is the winner in one city council and the party of the incumbent Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic ensured a majority in the assembly in the Croatian capital, according to incomplete preliminary results released by the DIP.

Expelled Serbs asked to pay for removal of their destroyed homes (Srna)

The Serbs who fled Gospic have received bills of between 700 and 2,700 euros which they are supposed to pay to Croatia to have the country’s utility services remove the ruins of their homes burnt down during the 1995 Operation Storm. The bills arrived on the basis of the 2013 Law on Construction Inspection, which allows local self-governments to remove ruins at the owners’ expense, reports the Belgrade-based Blic daily. The Association of Gospic Residents “Nikola Tesla” Belgrade asserts that the bills “mark the end of ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Croatia.”

A former principal of an elementary school in Gospic, Mile Rajicevic, says that it would be normal that the clean-up be paid by those who destroyed the houses and recalled that the majority of the people from the area had either been killed or fled the place. “It wasn’t me who toppled my own house, it was the Croatian army, and it would be normal if they cleaned it up themselves. If I don’t pay the costs of the clean-up, the city and the state will sell the property and my grandchildren will inherit debts, nor their ancestral heritage. All that is left after us seem to be the ruins that need to be removed,” said Rajicevic. Since the City of Gospic is allegedly unable to find the owners of the land plots, because they consider them to be living at “unknown addresses,” the decision to remove the ruins is posted up on the bulletin board, which ends all of the City’s responsibility and work. The Association of Gospic Residents filed a criminal report over ethnic cleansing to the Special Court in Belgrade a year ago, but has not received any replies yet.

Vujanovic: Russia will accept our membership in NATO (MINA/Pobjeda)

In 11 years since regaining independence, Montenegro has achieved its strategic goals in foreign policy, said Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, underlining the key goal – balanced development of the country and social justice. Speaking of divides in Montenegro, he said they have a historic foundation. “Our generation worked hard to make those divides bigger. I do not think DPS contributed to that however,” Vujanovic said. Speaking of the future relations between Moscow and Podgorica, Vujanovic said that we need to accept Russia’s reactions with full responsibility of the state. “Geopolitical frame is set to change, and Russia will have to accept it as a fact. Our membership in NATO does not mean we cannot have good relations,” the President said.

Hagleitner: EU expects Montenegrin leadership and opposition to find a solution (MINA)

Thomas Hagleitner from European Commission said that EU expects political actors in Montenegro, both leadership and opposition, to find solution for the current situation in the country. Hagleitner, in charge of Montenegro in the Directorate for Western Balkan, said that the Commission was crystal clear – parliament boycott is no way to lead politics in EU.

“Montenegro is in negotiations with EU. We expect everyone to work to find a solution,” he said. Montenegro’s work on chapters, as well as results within the rule of law, shall determine the pace of accession in EU. “This is a process that includes all segments of social life, whether the rules concern food, products or environment. This is not about officials from Brussels or Podgorica, it is about better life for the Montenegrin society,” Hagleitner concluded.

Zaev and Ahmeti have agreed to intensify the number of meetings (Meta)

SDSM’s party leader and the mandate holder, Zoran Zaev and DUI’s President Ali Ahmeti, at the Friday meeting didn’t talk about the personnel for the ministries and this subject has been postponed only to be discussed at other meetings, said SDSM’s brief statement issued after the meeting. The subjects discussed at the meeting, which is the first as part of the negotiations between SDSM and DUI for forming a new government, were the principles of collaboration, reformatory government, and NATO-integrations. “During the forthcoming period, the dynamics and the talks between the two parties will intensify, including the talks with the parties that provided support for the new government of the Republic of Macedonia, after which what will follow are the concrete solutions for the ministries,” said SDSM’s press release concerning the meeting.

Spasovski: The new government should be based on principles and not on imposing conditions (Meta)

The talks between SDSM and Besa’s working groups are over but without a firm agreement. As SDSM’s general secretary Oliver Spasovski has announced the negotiations are expected to continue in the forthcoming days. “Today we have concluded the talks with BESA’s working group. The negotiations are continuing in the forthcoming days. In general, we talked about the principles on basis of which the future reformatory government should be formed. These are the principles regarding what sort of people, what sort of personnel is needed in order to achieve the reforms, but it will be based upon principles and we expect that in the forthcoming period to open up more details about the personnel for the future government, with the purpose of achieving an agreement both with Besa and other political subjects that are part i.e. should be a part of the newly parliamentary majority,” said Spasovski on Saturday. He stressed that so far there hasn’t been an allocation of departments nor the choice of personnel is known and he added that the information will be announced as soon as they will be agreed. When asked whether Besa is imposing certain conditions and whether it demands a ministry position in the new government, Spasovski stressed that hasn’t been on the agenda of the Saturday’s talks. “We only talked about the principles and we didn’t talk at all about the allocation of departments or other details that have to be determined while sending the proposal and as a result, for a first meeting I can say that it was positive, but we will have to continue working more. We didn’t talk about setting conditions for each other, as we talked about principles. For us, as the Social-democratic Union, it is important to have principles on basis of which the new reformatory government will be based upon rather than imposing conditions between partners as that is not a good way of communicating,” said Spasovski. SDSM’s general secretary refused to answer whether they expect Besa to be a part of the new government. He said that they will know when the talks end.

U.S. Congressman Michael Turner congratulates President-elect Ilir Meta (ATA)

Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Michael Turner, has congratulated parliament speaker on his election as Albania’s next president. In a congratulations letter to president-elect, the U.S. Congressman Michael Turner expressed confidence that Meta will show same dedication and leadership he has demonstrated while serving as speaker of the parliament of Albania. “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Albania’s newly elected President. For me it was a pleasure to meet you during the 2016 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Tirana, Albania. Your speech to the Plenary Session on the fact that NATO must address complex security challenges in a unified and collective way was exactly at the right time. I am sure that now as President of Albania you will show the same leadership you have demonstrated while serving as speaker of the assembly,” Congressman Turner said in his letter. U.S. Congressman noted that Albania and United States have excellent bilateral relations since the two countries re-established the diplomatic ties in 1991 after the fall of Soviet Union. “I hope to see our strong relations improve further, our partnership within NATO strengthens and our shared anti-terror efforts against the Islamic State expand further,” U.S. official concludes. U.S. Congressman Michael Turner has served as President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly and has chaired the 2016 Spring Session that was held in Tirana last May.

President sets 25 June as new general elections date (ATA)

President Bujar Nishani has set 25 June as the new date for the next parliamentary elections following the political accord between the Prime Minister Edi Rama and main opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha earlier this week. Delayed local elections in the western town of Kavaja will be also held on the same date. Director of the President’s cabinet Olsi Lafe said at a press conference that next general elections and the municipal by-elections in the town of Kavaja will be held on the same date, on Sunday, June 25, 2017. “As part of his continued institutional initiative to promote political dialogue to reach compromised solutions, the President of the Republic welcomes the agreement as a major achievement in the country’s and Albanian citizens’ best interest. In this context, the head of state wishes to offer his gratitude to our European and American friends for their valuable contribution,” Lafe told reporters.

Albanian parliament to convene for extraordinary session on Monday (ATA)

The parliament of Albania will meet in an extraordinary session on 22 May at 6 p.m. to vote the presidential decree on dismissal and appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister and six ministers as part of a new cabinet reshuffle under this week’s political accord between the two main parties that ended a three-month political deadlock in the country. The Assembly responded Sunday to an official request made by Prime Minister Edi Rama calling for an extraordinary session of the parliament. The agenda of the plenary session will include discussion and voting on issues for the implementation of the Political Agreement dated 18 May regarding the vote on the decrees of the President of the Republic on dismissal and appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister and six ministers, Albanian Assembly said in a press release on Sunday. Lawmakers will also examine and vote in the legislative package on electoral reform, approve three opposition members to the three parliamentary ad hoc vetting committees. The Monday’s session will also elect a new chair of the Central Election Commission and a member of the election body.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

How Kosovo Poisoned America’s Relationship with Russia (The National Interest, by Ted Galen Carpenter, 19 May 2017)

Washington, DC perpetuated and deepened its Balkan blunder a few years after the Bosnia intervention when it intervened in Kosovo. Civil strife in Serbia’s restless, predominantly Albanian province, simmered and then flared in the mid-and late-1990s. This time, Washington didn’t even make a gesture of deferring to the leading European states, but took the policy lead early on. Ultimately, the United States led a seventy-eight-day air war against Serbia, compelling Belgrade to relinquish control to a largely NATO occupation force operating under a fig-leaf resolution that the UN Security Council approved. Russia reluctantly acquiesced to that peacekeeping resolution, despite Moscow’s ties to Belgrade and Russian interests in the Balkans going back well into the nineteenth century.

That step reflected Russia’s military, economic and diplomatic weakness following the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Despite anger at NATO’s policy, there was little Russian leaders felt they could do in response to the West’s intrusion into a traditional Russian sphere of influence. Even with Moscow’s surprisingly passive response, though, Washington’s arrogance nearly produced a tragedy. In the closing days of the fighting, Moscow dispatched a token peacekeeping contingent to Kosovo, without prior authorization from the Western powers. NATO’s supreme commander, U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, ordered the British commander on the scene, Gen. Mike Jackson, to seize the airport outside Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, and prevent the Russian troop planes from landing—by force, if necessary. Jackson flatly disobeyed Clark’s order, stating bluntly that he wasn’t going to start World War III for the American general.

The Kosovo intervention set some terrible precedents. A supposedly defensive U.S.-led alliance attacked a country that had not attacked any NATO member, disregarded Moscow’s angry protests, and forcibly detached the province of a sovereign country, placing it under international control. That set of worrisome precedents was compounded by the actions that the United States and its allies took in early 2008. Kosovo wanted to declare its formal independence from Serbia, but it was clear that such a move would face a certain Russian (and probable Chinese) veto in the UN Security Council. Washington and an ad hoc coalition of European Union countries brazenly bypassed the council and approved Pristina’s independence declaration.

It was an extremely controversial move. Not even all EU members were on board with the policy, since some of them worried about the wider ramifications. Spain fretted about the encouragement because such a decision might give to its own secessionist movements, especially the Basques and the Catalonians. Greece and Cyprus were deeply concerned that ratifying the forcible severing of Kosovo from Serbia could legitimize Turkey’s earlier military seizure of the northern portion of Cyprus and the subsequent establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in that occupied territory.

Russia’s leaders protested vehemently and warned that the West’s unauthorized action established a dangerous, destabilizing precedent. Washington rebuffed such complaints, arguing that the Kosovo situation was unique. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns made that point explicitly in a February 2008 State Department briefing. Because the situation was unique, he insisted, the West’s Kosovo policy set no precedent regarding other ethnic secessionist situations. Both the illogic and the hubris of that position were breathtaking.

The Western powers soon discovered that merely because they said their action in Kosovo established no precedent, that did not make it so. Russia demonstrated that point just a few months later. The Republic of Georgia had been dealing with secessionist efforts in two regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, ever since the Soviet Union dissolved at the end of 1991. President Mikheil Saakashvili’s national government in Tbilisi exercised little authority over either area, and Russian “peacekeeping” troops were on the ground in South Ossetia.

When Saakashvili’s forces launched an offensive to reassert control over South Ossetia in early August 2008 by conducting an artillery barrage against the self-proclaimed rebel capital, the Russians counterattacked and were soon advancing to the outskirts of Tbilisi. Predictably, the United States and its allies blamed Moscow for the conflict, although a subsequent European Union investigation placed most of the blame on Saakashvili. The war lasted only five days, and when it was over, the Kremlin made it clear that the bolstered Russian force would continue to protect the autonomy of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The parallels to NATO’s role preventing Serbia from regaining control over Kosovo were not particularly subtle.

George W. Bush’s administration condemned both Moscow’s initial invasion and the Kremlin’s subsequent actions, as did Washington’s NATO allies. But just as Russia was not in a position to do much about NATO’s conduct in Kosovo, the Western powers (short of initiating a war against Russia) could do little about Moscow’s meddling in Georgia. The episode marked another stage in the continuing deterioration of relations between the West and Russia.

The Kosovo precedent came back to haunt the United States again in 2014 when the Kremlin enhanced its military presence on the Crimea Peninsula and used it to “supervise” a referendum in which Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine. That step was a prelude to Russia’s annexation of the peninsula. Washington reacted with even greater anger than it had following Moscow’s invasion of Georgia, soon imposing an array of economic sanctions against Russia. At a press conference, President Obama fumed that Russia could not be allowed to redraw “the borders of Europe at the barrel of a gun.” None of the journalists in the room asked the president what he thought NATO had done in Kosovo.

The Kosovo intervention was an even worse U.S. foreign-policy blunder than the earlier intervention in Bosnia. It empowered an extremely unsavory political movement, the Kosovo Liberation Army, which proceeded to commit an array of human-rights abuses. The mission further transformed NATO from a defensive military alliance into a mechanism for aggressive nation-building crusades. Forcibly amputating the territory of a sovereign state created a worrisome template in the post–Cold War international system. Washington further undermined international law by bypassing the UN Security Council and using an ad hoc Western coalition to grant a secessionist entity independence. Those measures set extremely damaging precedents that have returned to plague the West. And last, but certainly not least, the actions of the United States and its NATO allies in Kosovo further poisoned relations with Russia. In every respect, the U.S.-led Kosovo mission was unwise and counterproductive.

Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign-policy studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor to the National Interest, is the author of ten books, the contributing editor of ten books, and the author of more than 650 articles on international affairs.