LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic on resolution of Kosovo knot (Novosti)

How will you proceed if you are requested during your mandate to sign the comprehensive agreement on normalization with Pristina that would enable Kosovo to become a UN member?

“I took an oath in parliament that I will protect Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and I am guided by that oath in everything that I do. Belgrade is devoted to normalization of relations with Pristina, because talks of the Serbs and Kosovo Albanians are very important for preserving peace, political and economic stability of the region, but, primarily, they are important for the people living in Kosovo and Metohija. Because of these people, we need to preserve peace and must not make a single move that would return us to conflicts. That is why Serbia is doing everything to strengthen trust in the region, because EU integrations and economic development of Western Balkans can continue only in such an atmosphere. Pristina authorities are not fulfilling the obligations stemming from the Brussels agreement, because of which we still don’t have the Community of Serb Municipalities. We will continue to insist on this before opening any other issues. The priority at this moment is to offer full support to President Vucic in conducting our internal national dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija.”

Djuric: Most important debate seen in generations (RTS)

The goal of the Working group for support to the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija is to examine the widest range of stands and for most ideas to be collected in one place so Belgrade’s position would strengthen, the Chairperson of this working group Marko Djuric told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). “The working group will offer support to the internal dialogue – technical, logistic, organizational. It is important that the government, by quickly forming the working group at the initiative of President Vucic, showed how much it is devoted to the internal dialogue,” said Djuric.  “The internal dialogue will significantly strengthen Serbian’s capacity to deal with the Kosovo issue when it comes to internal relations and the international community,” says Djuric. All ministries will be included in the working group, and 13 members participated in its formation. When it comes to the working group, the second phase of the dialogue will commence in the following weeks, said Djuric. He stressed that until now the Serbian side showed readiness for compromise in the dialogue, unlike the Albanian side. “This is why it is important for us to call Pristina once again, at the beginning of the new phase of the debate, to undertake the agreed,” said Djuric.

The implementation of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement on the judiciary should commence today. “This is the first time since 1999 that we will have a court with a Serb majority, with a Serb president of the court in Kosovska Mitrovica and a prosecution with a Serb majority. I expect this big and important job for the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija to be finalized by Friday, as well as all prerequisites in the sense of special indemnities for judges and prosecutors, on which the government will pass a decision,” said Djuric. He underlines that it is important for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to have legal security both in the north of the province and in regions south of the Ibar River, where there will be hundreds of Serbs employed in the judiciary.

“This big job is a new chapter in the functioning of rule of law for the Kosovo Serbs. It is better for the Serbs that the Serbs resolve disputes regarding property and in criminal disputes, and not when the Albanians judge Serbs and when we had ethnically motivated verdicts,” said Djuric.

Djuric: If the Serbs are not satisfied, there is no gain for the Albanians (Tanjug)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric believes that, despite the fact that there have been not talks for nearly 11 months either on technical issues with Pristina or the implementation of the reached agreements, the dialogue will continue, and that the Serbs will have greater collective political power in Kosovo and Metohija following the local elections.

“Luckily, the dialogue has resumed over the past months at the highest level, which contributed to stability. As long as we are talking, there is a perspective on the horizon to resolve problems,” said Djuric. He cannot specify when the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will resume in Brussels, although EU High Representative Federica Mogherini has announced that a new phase could be in full swing by the end of the year. Asked what he expects from the new platform for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, announced by Ramush Haradinaj, Djuric says Belgrade’s wish is for the Serbs and Albanians to cooperate better politically, for the atmosphere in the Assembly within the provincial government to be better than during the time of Isa Mustafa’s government.

Judges and prosecutors in north Kosovo didn’t take oath (RTS)

Oaths of judges and prosecutors from north Kosovo did not take place. The taking of oaths was scheduled for 11 a.m. in the cabinet of the Kosovo President. Kosovo Chief Prosecutor Aleksandar Ljumezu told RTS that judges and prosecutors from north Kosovo didn’t show up and that the cabinet of the Kosovo President will determine the following date for taking of oaths.

REGIONAL PRESS

SDA welcomes EU Council’s conclusions (Fena)

SDA issued a press statement, which reads that there is no change in electing of members of B&H Presidency without implementation of Sejdic- Finci ruling. The party welcomed Monday’s conclusion of the EU Council and they especially welcomed the stance of the Council that no legislation or political step should be made, which would aggravate implementation of the Sejdic- Finci ruling and other related rulings. Until then, party noted, election of B&H Presidency members remains unchanged. SDA further noted that it is necessary to proceed with changes of Election Law in order to secure implementation of the B&H Constitutional Court concerning the House of Peoples and Mostar. “Other conclusions of the Council realistically and objectively describe situation in B&H and advise B&H what needs to be done in the following period,” reads statement. SDA called on institutions and political subjects in B&H to go forward with implementation of all conclusions of the Council. Party also called on political subjects to end negative rhetoric and early election campaign.

Croat representatives refuse to attend scheduled session of HNC Assembly (Vecernji list)

Croat representatives in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly issued a statement according to which an initiative of a group of representatives led by SDP to hold an extraordinary session to discuss amendments to the Constitution of the HNC “represents is an attempt of SDP to introduce in the work of the Assembly inappropriate and extraordinary methods of work”, as the Assembly already discussed the proposed amendment. The Croat representatives believe that the initiative is politically hypocritical because the party has shown in several election cycles what they truly think of the constituent status of the peoples in B&H. “Different alliances and platforms the party led with help of certain international institutions have helped majorization of Croat and Serb peoples and imposition of political will without respect for the original voters’ will,” reads the statement underlining that the moves of SDP have helped establish a practice of having one people elect political representatives of another people. The Croat Caucus underlined that SDP is actually trying to collect more votes, not to help improve position of Serbs, which is why they will not attend the session scheduled for 17 October. However, they underlined that they unanimously support constituent position of the Serb people, but they will continue to insist on political agreement and consensus, as such amendments must be adopted in a regular procedure. In conclusion, the Croat Caucus noted that all political representatives must know that their political will cannot and must not be undermined.

Spiric: SNSD will be part of majority at B&H level after 2018 elections (N1)

Commenting on work of B&H parliament, MP Nikola Spiric (SNSD) said that MPs are being elected by people, who will have opportunity to vote in a year. He stressed that people should not be underestimated, because they are very smart and cannot be deceived ten times. Spiric said that SNSD is the strongest political party in the RS, which would win more than 50 percent of votes if elections are today. According to him, this is a reason why the opposition is trying to weaken SNSD with extra-parliamentary mechanisms. He denied allegations that the position blocked work of the RS Assembly and explained that next session will be held as planned. Spiric said he believes that SNSD will be a part of parliamentary majority at B&H level after 2018 elections, as well as to have B&H Presidency member. Asked if SNSD leader Milorad Dodik will be a candidate for B&H Presidency member, Spiric said that it will be up to SNSD to decide.

Speaking about the issue of adoption of the Law on Excise Duties, Spiric said that this law is in focus for more than one year. He reminded that political parties that formed parliamentary majority bragged about adoption of the Reform Agenda, which contains adoption of the law, but now they are outsmarting each other. Asked why the issue is not solved yet, Spiric said that B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) is not working, caucuses in B&H parliament are falling apart, while parliamentary commissions do not convene. He stressed that institutions are not working at full capacity, and added that B&H CoM is only working when “trade parliamentary majority” is formed. Spiric said that he supports the law, but added that he is not sure that it will be adopted due to latest announcements of political parties from parliamentary majority. He noted that no one made any better proposal, adding that only arguments emerge that are connected to the past. “B&H lacks a view to the future and internal dialogue,” he said. Spiric acknowledged that SNSD will endorse the law again, because the party is aware of the fact that European path considers infrastructure integration. He said that he is against finding the culprit, but rather advocates finding a solution. Spiric denied allegations that funds collected from excise duties could be spent non-transparently, because all public funds are subject to internal and general audit.

SEC to release final results after lodging complaints ends (Republika)

The State Election Commission (SEC) released Monday the initial results of the Oct. 15 local elections. They will be declared final after the 48-hour deadline, launched after closing the polls, for lodging complaints ends – namely Tuesday at 19:00h – i.e. 48 hours after releasing the initial results (Tuesday at midnight). “The exact number of polling stations in which the elections have ended in the first round will be announced once the results are considered final, i.e. after the procedure to process complaints is closed… As soon as the process is completed, we will be able to unveil the final results and we will be able to determine where the elections have come to an end in the first round and which municipalities will have a runoff,” SEC’s president Aleksandar Cicakovski told a news conference. According to the SEC, he said, yesterday’s elections took place in compliance with the law, in a fair and democratic atmosphere. A total of 1,814,634 voters are registered in the Voters’ List. 3,480 polling stations were opened across the country.

Sunday’s turnout is estimated at 59.55%, a total of 1,076,451 voters. 1,030,945 ballots are considered valid with 45,343 ballots being invalid. Of 98.39% of votes counted and processed in all Skopje municipalities, Petre Silegov of SDSM won 138,798 votes (50.27%) while Koce Trajanovski of VMRO-DPMNE secured 99,720 votes (36.12%).

Ivanov-Markovic: No open issues between Macedonia and Montenegro (Republika)

There are no open issues between Macedonia and Montenegro, which are dedicated to identical foreign policy goals and intensive regional cooperation, President Gjorge Ivanov and Prime Minister Dusko Markovic concluded Monday in Skopje. They expressed satisfaction with the traditionally good relations and the political dialogue between the two countries. Speaking about Macedonia’s European perspective, Ivanov said ‘the country’s EU, NATO accession is vital for the stability and prosperity of the entire region’. He also notified Macedonia’s interest in closer political-security cooperation with Montenegro in regard to NATO membership process, as well as the cooperation between the security services of both countries, the President’s Office said in a press release. ‘I expect for the EU, NATO expansion not only to resume, but to accelerate. It’s the only way for Europe to be more powerful, resilient to existing challenges,’ Ivanov said.

The talks reaffirmed the interest in advancing the bilateral economic cooperation and connectivity. Ivanov and Markovic also shared opinions on developments in Macedonia, Montenegro, the region and Europe. They voiced their interest to keep cooperating within the regional initiatives, including the Brdo-Briuni Process, which is set to hold a summit next year in Macedonia.

Albania and Macedonia to hold joint government meeting (ADN)

A joint meeting between the Albanian and Macedonian governments is expected to be held in the next months. This decision was taken during a meeting on Tuesday between Prime Minister Edi Rama and his counterpart Zoran Zaev. Rama is currently in Macedonia in the framework of “100 business-leaders of the Eastern Europe – Interconnection” that will take place in Skopje.

The governments’ joint meeting aims to give a new impetus to the bilateral cooperation while facilitating two countries economic exchanges.  The respective foreign ministries will now prepare the agenda and define the time and modalities of the governments’ joint meeting.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

EU Foreign Ministers Reiterate Commitment To Bosnia, But Call For Reforms (RFE/RL, 16 October 2017)

LUXEMBOURG — Meeting in Luxembourg, European Union foreign ministers have reiterated the bloc’s commitment to Bosnia-Herzegovina’s EU perspective as a single, united, and sovereign country. In a document adopted at an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on October 16, the ministers deplored that “a divisive rhetoric rooted in the past and an early electoral agenda have over the last months slowed down the pace of reform and affected the political climate” in Bosnia. They also urged Sarajevo to “step up efforts including regarding the functioning and the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as the fight against terrorism and the prevention of radicalization.”

Bosnia has lagged behind its neighbors on the path toward EU membership. An Association Agreement between the EU and Bosnia was signed in 2008 but didn’t enter into force until 2015, due mainly to Sarajevo’s lack of progress on reforms. In Luxembourg, the EU foreign ministers expressed readiness to prolong the mandate of Operation Althea, the bloc’s military operation in Bosnia, under a renewed UN mandate. Operation Althea, launched in 2004, aims at supporting Bosnia’s authorities to maintain a “safe and secure environment.” Since the end of the Bosnian War in 1995, the country has been split into two entities — the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnian Muslims and Croats and the ethnic Serb-dominated Republika Srpska.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels