LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: You will not watch the movie of a small and weak Serbia (RTS)

Serbia is not going to be weaker in terms of economy, military and politics – on the contrary, it will be ever stronger, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Leskovac on Monday evening commenting the latest developments in Croatia and Kosovo. “I called Odalovic by phone and told him that it was good that he has protected the dignity of Serbia. But I told him that he should have reacted even harsher and tell them into their faces what we are thinking about the crimes they committed against Serbs in different places,” Vucic said. He said that for us situation is very complicated because some people think that every moment is an occasion to outburst against Serbs, especially when they have no arguments for their policy”. He says that the arrest is a message to every Serb not to try to visit their homes, or to come and live in it. “We checked in our archives, our security services on what we know about him and whether he had committed something. There are no indicators that he had done anything,” said Vucic, noting that Mitrovic is a reservist. “This is a consequence of a policy where it is permitted to do everything you can against the Serbs, and when we only say that we don’t like this, then you immediately have an army of people in Serbia who launch an arsenal of weapons, saying that you are against peace and stability,” said Vucic. He says that he will travel to Brussels on Thursday, since he sees no other way to resolve matters except with talks, but he asked how this conversation can be normal after what happened. “They arrest a 74 year-old man. Then 20 heroes under full warfare, who are very brave, and Serbia should say ‘you did this nicely’. We will talk on Thursday because my job is to take care of the future of citizens, but also of Mitrovic. Their head will hurt from our questions, what they will do and how they think to do this,” said Vucic.

What happened at the meeting in Croatia inspires Vucic, as he said, to wonder what kind of Serbia would be good enough for some. “Is it powerless, weak Serbia on its knees, or they would be satisfied if Serbia would simply not exist. But Serbia is not going to be weaker in terms of economy, military and politics – on the contrary, it will be ever stronger,” he explained.

Serbia has nothing to be shamed off especially its history, unlike the others, Vucic concluded.

The Secretary General at the Serbian Foreign Ministry and the Chairperson of the Commission on Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic walked out of a meeting on the process of identifying the missing persons that took place in Zagreb, Croatia on Monday, because of insulting statements aimed against Serbia made at the gathering by Croatia’s Chairperson of Commission on Detained and Missing Persons Stjepan Sucic.

Djuric condemns violence against Serbs in Suva Reka (Beta/RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric condemned the arrest of Serbs in Suva Reka, stating that it was just another excuse for the continued policy of ethnic cleansing of the Serb people. “Over the past few years, Musutiste has been a symbol of suffering of the Serb people and the rallying place of the most notorious Albanian chauvinists and Serb-haters and, instead of the temporary authorities in Pristina showing that they are in favor of turning a new page in Serbian-Albanian relations by creating conditions for the return of the displaced to the village, they are sending terror squadrons against those Serbs who dare visit their homes and church,” Djuric said in a written statement. He said the patience of the Serbian authorities was not limitless and that there can be no normalization of relations if the other side does not want it. “It is about time for decisive steps to be taken, for those who have brutally ethnically cleansed dozens of Serb towns and villages in Kosovo and Metohija to be punished, but, instead, we have today the continuation of the disgraceful and inhumane practice of harassment of those who have already been victims of crimes, and the complete absence of sensitivity of the international community to the horrors that happen to the Serb people,” Djuric stated.

Drecun: Message to Serbs not to return to Kosovo and Metohija (RTS)

The arrest of Bogdan Mitrovic in Musutiste is an example of intimidation and a message to expelled Serbs not to return to Kosovo and Metohija, the Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told RTS. He says it is necessary to establish responsibility for crimes in Kosovo and Metohija, regardless of nationality, victims and perpetrators, adding that the problem is in the existence of secret indictments in Pristina and their judicial institutions. “There are several dozens of indictments against Serb people who are charged with allegedly perpetrated crimes,” he says, noting that these indicted people don’t know this. Drecun thinks that a reaction of the international community is necessary, but that it is absent. “The topic of cooperation regarding the prosecution of those who are suspected of war crimes should be on the agenda of the dialogue in Brussels,” says Drecun. When it comes to the format of the dialogue, he thinks it should be raised to a higher level, not only by Belgrade and Pristina, but the EU side should also be represented at a higher level. Federica Mogherini is investing a lot of effort, but it seems she doesn’t have strong enough authority in Pristina in order to make them implement the agreed, he says, adding that the EU Parliament speaker could perhaps join the dialogue. According to him, this change of format would imply extension of topics, but without leaving the neutral status framework.

Mogherini: Balkans not EU’s backyard, it’s our 4th priority (B92/Beta)

The Balkans is one of four priorities of EU’s foreign policy, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said, Beta reported. According to the EEAS website, Mogherini, speaking at the opening of the EU Ambassadors conference in Brussels, said that the Balkans was the organization’s fourth priority. “Still looking at our immediate neighborhood, but this is the file on which, as you know very well, we have more to lose and more to gain,” she said.  “This year we have seen in the Balkans tensions arising worryingly in different moments, in different countries. We had some moments of crisis, acute crisis, but at the end of the day our partners in the Balkans have always, always managed to recommit and to reconfirm their willingness and their capacity to advance on the European Union way, on their path towards the European Union – always, we have helped and they have done it,” Mogherini said, and added:  “Why? Because I believe their population, their young population, is asking their own leaderships for this and the leadership knows this very well. It might be difficult, it might be challenging, it might be painful from time to time to work on reconciliation and good neighbourly relations, but at the end of the day if this is what your people ask from you, this is what you have to deliver.” Mogherini also revealed that she gets very angry when she hears people telling our friends in the Balkans about their way towards Europe. “Some say it is the backyard. It is not the backyard: it is Europe,” she said, adding, “we see it very clearly when it comes to security challenges, when it comes to the migratory routes, when it comes to economic investments and many other things.” The EU official also announced that she would this week meet again with Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaqi to move forward with the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. “And I think we can set as our own goal, by the end of this mandate, to see substantive steps forward for each of our Balkan partners on their path towards European Union membership,” she said. Beta is reporting that Mogherini stressed that the priorities of EU’s foreign policy “will also be security of citizens and territory, building of European defense, suppressing terrorism and illegal immigration, and strengthening of the global governance, above all through the UN, with the goal of resolving crises.”

Putin doesn’t care about Balkans – he’s just after EU (B92/Tanjug/APA)

Austrian Balkans expert and former high representative for Bosnia Wolfgang Petritsch says that “foreign influences in the Western Balkans are overestimated.” According to him, Serbia, as the most important country in the region, “sees its future in the EU.” In his statement to APA, Petritsch said that the countries of the Western Balkans “must be evaluated individually.”

“I was recently in Serbia and, despite the flirting with Russia, I saw that the country sees its future in the EU. Serbia is the most important country in the region and the issue of Serbian-Albanian relations, first of all around Kosovo, is decisive. Austria must make more efforts there because it enjoys a great reputation in the region,” said he. According to him, “foreign influence” in the Balkans is “overestimated.” “President Vladimir Putin doesn’t care about the Balkans, but about the EU. Making EU’s weaknesses visible is the real goal of Russia’s foreign policy, which is why it is necessary to talk with Putin firmly but constructively,” Petritsch said. The policy of embargos, which, according to Petritsch, is actually being conducted by the United States, “is not functioning and has made things even worse.” Petritsch, however, believes that sanctions should not now be lifted unconditionally – “but it is a matter for diplomacy to find a compromise with the important neighbor, Russia.” When it comes to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, the former Austrian diplomat pointed out that they are “behind the rest of the region, but politics can achieve more there.” Petritsch also assessed that unless political problems, that is, those concerning institutions are resolved in Kosovo, “Pristina will not be ready for EU accession even in 30 years.”

REGIONAL PRESS

Moore confirms Berton to take over his role (Fena/Dnevni avaz)

Outgoing Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Ambassador Jonathan Moore confirmed for the media in Sarajevo on Tuesday that Principal Deputy High Representative Bruce Berton will become new Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H starting 3 September. Moore held the final press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday during which he said he is a moderate optimist regarding B&H. Moore noted he has seen many positive things at a local level during his tenure, from people who showed they can live together, adding that politicians failed to convince him. He thanked journalists and citizens of B&H, who have been following the OSCE Mission in past 20 years and who supported his work in the past three years.

Ivanic: RS will not accept NATO without Serbia (Nezavisne)

Asked about the most recent issue with NATO integration and announced referendum on NATO membership in the RS, member of the B&H Presidency from the RS Mladen Ivanic said: “I do not understand all the rage, and I especially do not see why SNSD attempted to transfer responsibility related to the issue to the other side. The Membership Action Plan is not realistic in this year because a condition on registration of (prospective military) property has not been met. And as long as that condition is here, as long as property registration is before courts – and it is – this will not be finished in seven or eight, even ten years, because that is how long court procedures last. So, why the increase in tensions? Because of what? And it is namely being done by President Dodik and his spokesmen –Spiric, Kosarac and Majkic. All the key MAP-related decisions were adopted when SNSD was in authority. The only official document that exists is a request of Radmanovic while he was member of the Presidency, to activate the MAP. Based on that request, positive answer was defined in Talin, according to which B&H is going to get MAP when the property is registered. You will not find a document with my signature on it. It was all Dodik and his people.” Ivanic also rejected an idea of NATO referendum in the RS, underlining that the current generation of politicians is not going to be the one to decide on NATO membership, but a new generation in maybe some 15 years. He noted that Dodik is making noise for no reason, and there is a possibility the MAP will now be activated because of him. Ivanic went on to say that Dodik’s behavior is nothing new, as he always yells without considering implications of his actions. “This is the first time I hear MAP is the problem… Dodik has suddenly started saying that MAP is problematic. Several days ago he said that MAP was a problem, and I believe yesterday (Sunday) he said that MAP is not the problem, only NATO is.” Ivanic pointed out that everyone knows Serb people are against NATO membership and nothing is going to change unless Serbia changes its stance, which is why he does not see the need for the referendum. “Everyone must understand that we cannot enter NATO without Serbia, because that would mean division of Serb people,” said Ivanic. He also accused Spiric of changing his mind, as he pleaded for MAP activation when he visited the NATO Headquarters at the time he acted as B&H CoM Chairman.

Asked about the issue of signing of the Southeast Europe Transport Community Treaty, Ivanic said vanity is the main reason B&H has failed to sign it, because the Treaty cannot be changed and only B&H can agree on its internal coordination system. He said he finds it logical to have the three ministers – state and entity transport ministers – discuss projects amongst themselves. “If the RS government does not give its approval even under these conditions, then I am not for having the ministers of the Alliance for Changes voting against the will of the RS even though I believe it would be useful for the RS, because they would immediately be declared traitors.” Commenting a recent meeting of SDS leader Vukota Govedarica and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Ivanic said he does not expect Vucic to interfere in the internal affairs in B&H and the RS, or to support only one political option. He noted that Serbia is an important country in the region, which is why it is under pressure of both the EU and Russia. Ivanic also noted that the Alliance for Changes is going to work together for the 2018 general elections and they will have joint candidates for the RS President and the member of the B&H Presidency. He noted he does not see a problem in opposing SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, as he already defeated him when he ran against Zeljka Cvijanovic for the position of B&H Presidency member.

Crnadak: B&H officials should finish their obligations regarding B&H’s EU path by end of 2017 (FTV)

B&H Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak addressed journalists on Monday and said that he expects that the admission of B&H to the Transport Community will be confirmed at one of upcoming sessions of the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H in September. Crnadak also commented on the activation of the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) and he emphasized the importance of upcoming visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to B&H. Crnadak assessed that the announcement on the referendum on admission to NATO represents hiding of responsibility by those who adopted decisions on activation of MAP several years ago. He commented on media claims that the Ministry of Defense of B&H filed a motion with the Constitutional Court (CC) of the RS after a court in Doboj rejected registration of two military barracks in Doboj as state property. Crnadak said that this was a mistake of the RS institutions because “their activities enabled courts to make decisions in the way they did”. Crnadak, however, did not want to comment details of the latest case because he still has not been adequately informed about it. Commenting on the admission to the Transport Community, Crnadak said that the main obstacles were removed the moment the RS Government gave up on two of its demands. “It is only left now to agree on one thing – the way of cooperation among three ministers, i.e. the Minister of Transportation (and Communications) in B&H CoM and ministers in the RS government and FB&H government”, Crnadak said.

OHR imposing changes to Election Law? (Dnevni avaz)

The daily learns that situation with the issue of changes to the Election Law on B&H is yet to get more complicated. The author adds it remains to be seen how long it will take for SDA to submit its own proposal of changes to the Election Law, which they have been announcing for months. According to current mood, goes on the author, it is certain that HDZ B&H’s proposal of the law changes will not get support in B&H House of Representatives, despite the optimism that HDZ B&H’s officials express. The daily learns that an option of the OHR imposing certain decisions regarding the changes to the Law on Election by end of the year is becoming more and more certain. Namely, the daily’s (unnamed) source claims that diplomatic circles in Sarajevo are more and more often mentioning a possibility of High Representative Valentin Inzko using his powers and he could intervene at least in the part concerning some technical changes to the law, which would improve election process in B&H.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Albin Kurti: Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue is ‘Dead’ (BIRN, by Taulant Osmani, 29 August 2017)

The opposition Vetevendosje candidate for Kosovo prime minister, Albin Kurti, told BIRN that EU-sponsored talks between Pristina and Belgrade have ‘failed’ and should not continue.

As his Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party eyes the possibility of helming the Kosovo government, Albin Kurti told BIRN in an interview that he is not interested in reviving the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue in Brussels because he thinks the process is “dead”. “The dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia has been interrupted for more than six months. Why should we restart a dialogue that is already dead?” Kurti said in his written response to BIRN’s questions. “Objective journalists and analysts have shown through their analysis that this dialogue has not brought any improvement in relations between the two countries, nor the integration of the majority and minority communities. Why then we should continue a failed process, a failed model?” he asked. Instead of the Pristina-Belgrade talks, Kurti said that if he comes to office, he will “immediately engage” with Brussels, Berlin and Washington to start a dialogue with them on the issue of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “So [we will have] dialogue with our partners on solving a problem with our opposing side, not dialogue with our opposing side in which our partners are impartial arbiters,” he explained. As one of the most vocal critics of the EU-mediated process aimed at normalising relations, which started in early 2011, Kurti maintained that the dialogue has been “asymmetrical” and was undertaken without an internal consensus in Kosovo. “Worse than that, due to this dialogue without any principles, the international community is not asking Serbia to recognise Kosovo anymore,” he said. “We need both recognition and an apology for war crimes, and it should be followed by economic reparations, the return of [official] documents and stolen wealth,” he argued.

‘We will cooperate with Serbs’

As a prominent student activist, Kurti led protests in 1997 and then served as an adviser to the Kosovo Liberation Army’s political office in Pristina the following year. In spring 1999, during the NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia aimed at forcing Belgrade’s forces to withdraw from Kosovo, Kurti was arrested by Serbian police and sent to Pozarevac prison, where he was held until December 2001. Only 18 months ago, Kurti said he was not keen on meeting Aleksandar Vucic, who at the time was Serbia’s premier and is now the country’s president. Now, as he considers the possibility of becoming Kosovo prime minister, Kurti refers to the idea of meeting Vucic as a “basic” requirement for the country’s premier. “You are posing this question to me like we are talking about something impossible,” he said, noting that prime ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia had to meet as part of the EU-run ‘Berlin Process’ regional cooperation initiative. “In fact, meeting with the prime minister or president of Serbia is the most basic thing that Kosovo prime minister or president has done so far,” he added. However – in a move likely to be met with disapproval in Belgrade – Kurti said that as prime minister, he will implement “protocol in international relations when the two sides are present”. “However, I will articulate Kosovo and the Albanian nation’s interests at the highest levels, within the rules of diplomacy,” he added. Kurti has been very critical of the main Kosovo Serb party, Srpska Lista, and its dependence on Belgrade. How would he work with Srpska Lista, which has now nine of the ten seats allocated for the Serb community in Kosovo’s parliament, if he became prime minister? “We will cooperate with the Serb community. There are politicians, even MPs from the Serb minority, who have complained and have opposed Belgrade’s diktats which come through Srpska Lista. So we will ask for and find their cooperation,” he responded. “It is true that Belgrade is trying to impose a political monopoly over the Kosovo Serbs, but it does not mean that we will recognise this monopoly. Kosovo Serbs are our compatriots so we don’t need filters or interferences from outside to cooperate with them,” he insisted. He promised to “immediately start a dialogue with Kosovo Serbs” based upon common interests. “Kosovo citizens’ preoccupations, no matter what their ethnic background, are employment and justice,” he said.

‘We need a change’

Vetevendosje began as a movement and only relatively recently turned into political party, and has come a long way from street activism to potentially becoming a key political actor, raising questions about whether it will now change its tactics as it gets closer to power. The results of the June 11 elections gave the party an astonishing 32 seats in parliament, compared to the 16 it won in 2013. On Monday, Vetevendosje and the Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, resumed talks in a bid to reach a coalition agreement and finally establish a government. However, there are still many questions about whether the two rivals can clear away all the animosities of the past. In late 2015 and early 2016, Vetevendosje challenged LDK Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s government using the most confrontational of methods, including letting off tear gas in parliament, throwing Molotov cocktails in the streets and even staging protests in front of the premier’s home. However, Kurti is optimistic that two parties can reach an agreement which would see Kadri Veseli’s Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK going into opposition after nine years in office. “We need a change and the eradication of [state] capture. This pushes us to ask for unification with all forces that are resistant to the PDK and SHIK leaders,” he said, referring the covert Kosovo’s intelligence service known as SHIK, which was led by Veseli and operated until 2008. With local elections scheduled for October 22, Kurti now expects his party to increase its share of the vote in the municipalities too. “The June 11 vote showed that we can face a run-off in 10 to 15 municipalities,” he said. “But there could be surprises. There are big municipalities where, if voters help us a little bit, we can win without a run-off,” he added. Currently, Vetevendosje controls only one municipality – the capital, Pristina – but Kurti believes that the party’s rise is set to continue.

Albanian Business Welcomes Joint Balkan Market (BIRN, by Fatjona Mejdini, 29 August 2017)

A top Albanian businessman says the EU-backed plan to form a common market in the Western Balkans is good in principle – as long as businesses are included in the drafting of the plan.

Albania’s business community is looking forward to the EU-sponsored initiative to form a Western Balkans common market, while emphasising that the initiative must be free of administrative barriers and distortions, Alban Zusi said. Susi, who runs a meat business and is director of the Albanian Food Industry Association, told BIRN that reciprocity should be at the core of this agreement. “If any country claims a product doesn’t meet the administrative standards, such as sanitary conditions, and turns it back, the same should be done with this country’s products,” he said. On the other hand, he says, products subsided by one country should incur extra fees when they cross the border, so that production on the other side is not undermined. “Some countries have the possibility to subsidise [products], while others do not,” Zusi noted. The European Commission seeks to form a joint market in the region of some 20 million people in which goods, services, and workers can freely circulate. The initiative is regarded with some suspicion in Albania, where some fear that Serbia is going to be the main beneficiary. The project was presented at the Trieste Summit – part of Berlin Process initiative for European integration of Western Balkans – in July. On August 26, at an informal meeting in Durres, Albania, six Prime Minister from the Balkans agreed on an action plan to make the initiative real. By September, every Western Balkan country is due to appoint a national coordinator, to make sure that institutions and businesses in each of the countries concerned participates fully in the initiative. However, some political and economic analysts, and opposition parties, accused the sponsors of the initiative of trying to create a “new Yugoslavia” – in which Serbian exports dominate the market. The leader of Albania’s opposition Republican Party, Fatmir Mediu, on August 26 said the initiative cannot be separated from the political process of normalising relationships between Albanians and Serbs in the region. “It is important that this idea not only reflects the standpoint of the EU but also of our American friends and of local and international expertise,” he wrote. However, Zusi sees the initiative as a good one, that could lead to the integration of this joint market with that of the EU in the end. “Balkan businesses still have to learn a lot about joint markets, procedures, software, and about gaining experience before joining the big European market,” he said. Zusi said the initiative has to be discussed without delay with businesses, since their expertise will be crucial.