LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: I wouldn’t mock Praljak’s act, the problem are EU double standards (Tanjug)

On the occasion of the verdict to leaders of “Herzeg-Bosnia”, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says he would have something to tell the people in the EU regarding their different standards and words pronounced on Serbia and Croatia regarding the latest verdicts. Vucic has stated that he wouldn’t want to mock in any way the act of ICTY indictee Slobodan Praljak nor would he call it a cowardly act, but that he sees EU double standards as a problem. He says that he will talk today about this at a meeting with the representatives of 27 or 28 EU member states. “I will try to point out to them what is Serbia exposed to, and how they pretend to be blind and deaf, sometimes even stupid, when some others are at issue,” says Vucic. Vucic says that following the verdict to general Ratko Mladic, statements from Serbia had an emphasis on the future. “Yet, what were the reactions in the region…Nobody mentioned the future. They were dealing with Serbia and the Serbs, unfortunately,” says Vucic.  “The Serbian state leadership has placed emphasis on the future, without running away from the past and difficult topics, without running away from expressing respect towards victims; on the contrary. These were our key sentences. Yet, judging by the reaction in other parts of our region, you see that nobody has even mentioned the future,” said Vucic. “How is it possible that everybody has been indicted for something, but nobody has been indicted for a single crime against the Serbs,” added Vucic. According to him, 95 percent of Serbian citizens thinks that the verdict to Ratko Mladic is unlawful, bad and doesn’t correspond with the facts” and adds: “Yet, what would it look like if I as the President of the state tell the public that I am against that verdict, that he is a hero and that we will try to challenge the verdict. They are criticizing from Croatia. ‘You Serbs, pay attention to what you are saying regarding The Hague, but we, who are in the EU, we will be speaking against the Tribunal’ …who are you people fooling? What do you want to make of us?”.

“We hope that the people will understand that we have to live together and to look into the future, and it is a different matter as to whether we will know how to do this and whether we will succeed in this,” said Vucic.

Other reactions in Serbia over ICTY verdict (RTS)

“For Serbia and Serbs, the most important thing is for these verdicts to not in any way be related to us. They definitely show what happened between Croats and Muslims in places where they were not allies. In places where they were allies, unfortunately no one was punished for the crimes against Serbs and that is my deepest impression. Judging by the ICTY, crimes were committed against Croats, crimes were committed against Muslims. They committed crimes against each other, but no one ever committed crimes against Serbs. The ICTY does not deserve our respect for a simple reason – because it never accepted that Serbs were victims in this war as well and it never managed to find justice for them,” Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said on Wednesday.

Leader of the Serbian Resistance Movement (SPO) Vuk Draskovic said that the fact destruction of the Old Bridge in Mostar, the symbol of Mostar and the most beautiful bridge in the Balkans, was not pronounced a crime. He says that the Old Bridge should not have been a legitimate war goal.

Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj described the suicide of Slobodan Praljak as an act of heroism. “What has happened dealt a significant blow to The Hague Tribunal, at the end of its existence”, Seselj said, adding that it is a shame there has not been more blows of the same kind. Seselj concluded that according to the ICTY, destruction of the Old Bridge in Mostar is not a crime.

Joksimovic on new Belgrade-Pristina mediators (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister for EU Integration Jadranka Joksimovic says that inviting global powers to join the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue represents a reflection of provincialism. “I’m sorry to hear that the Atlantic Council thinks the US and Serbia have had such bad relations until now, that a historic reconciliation needs to occur. They would have been better off recalling that we were allies in the difficult 20th century, and that this is a good historical basis for even better relations.” Joksimovic observed that the US is a global power – and of course their foreign policy influences everyone, this region included, and it would be natural for the US to work on strengthening ties with important factors in the region – and Serbia has its significance. According to her, inviting great global powers, whether it’s the US or the Russian Federation, to get involved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is a reflection of provincialism and a desire to have everything revolve around us. “The EU is the mediator and it should stay that way,” Joksimovic thinks.

Government adopts 2018 budget bill (Tanjug)

The Serbian government adopted on Wednesday the Bill on the Budget for 2018, with planned revenues in the amount of RSD 1,178 billion and expenditures RSD 1,207 billion. According to a statement by the Ministry of Finance, the planned fiscal deficit at the level of the Republic for the next year is 0.6 percent of GDP, or RSD 28.4 billion, which is RSD 40.7 billion less than the deficit planned for the 2017 budget.

Carpenter: US to ‘peak’ into the center in Nis, and the Russians into Bondsteel (N1)

Former advisor of former US vice president Joseph Biden, Michael Carpenter, says that he thinks it is quite fine for the US representatives to ‘peak’ into the center in Nis and that he doesn’t believe they will find something problematic. “Let the Russian come and look inside the Bondsteel base, while I think that the visitors from Russia had been there many times in the past, and they also will not find anything interesting,” Carpenter told N1. He thinks that the US needs to pay attention to the specific position of Serbia in the Balkans. “I think the US should have a stronger role in the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations and that this would be good for all sides that are negotiating and mediating. Whether this person will be Condoleezza Rice or someone else – I leave it to the State Department to decide, but I am convinced that the US would be working to the benefit of normalization of relations, but also in the EU interest,” says Carpenter. He assesses that the work of the KFOR Mission was in the mutual interest of Serbia and the authorities in Kosovo, as well as the communities in the West. He points out that Serbian officials have stated many times that they appreciate the fact that KFOR secures stability in the region and protects the interests of the Kosovo Serbs. Asked what he thinks should be the US and NATO response to the Russian presence in the Balkans, Carpenter says that Russia’s presence is “quite normal and perfectly acceptable”. “There is nothing bad in that, but here at issue is that Russia, more precisely the Russian government and especially the intelligence service, are trying to spread influence on the region. That is a completely different story. We need to be very aware of the wish for influence in Serbia, even in Montenegro…this is why we need to make a clear distinction between completely natural and acceptable ties that concern the economy, culture and very malicious, but very real activities that are occurring and that are conducted by the Russian intelligence service,” says the US official.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H officials comment on verdict in case ‘Prlic et al.’ (FTV/TV1)

A special session of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) dedicated to rendering the final ICTY verdict in case against six wartime officials of the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia was held on Wednesday.

President of HNS and Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Dragan Covic addressed media. Talking about the verdict on behalf of HNS, Covic said that it is completely unacceptable and legally ungrounded. Covic went on saying that this verdict is a crime against all decent members of HVO and entire Croat people. Also, HNS expressed full support to convicted military and political leaders of Herzeg-Bosnia and to their families. Commenting the fact that upon learning the final verdict against him, one of indictees in ‘Prlic et al’ case Slobodan Praljak committed suicide by drinking poison in the courtroom, Covic said that this a is most honorable act. He underlined that in this way, Praljak showed preparedness for sacrifice of this size just to say that he is not a war criminal. The President of HNS stressed that Praljak’s act is a message that the ICTY is just a political court. Covic also said that the Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE) (and participation of leadership of Croatia in JCE) established by the first instance verdict in the abovementioned case and confirmed by the final verdict is unacceptable. He reminded that Croatia provided significant help to B&H during the last war and that this country has been providing significant help regarding the EU path of B&H.

Leader of HDZ 1990 Ilija Cvitanovic expressed discontent with the verdict rendered on Wednesday and expressed full support to convicted wartime leaders of Herzeg-Bosnia. Cvitanovic also rejected part of the verdict establishing existence of JCE.

The Croat Party (HS) of B&H called on Croats to accept the verdict with dignity and show reason in their reactions. The party also underlined that the verdict against Prlic et al is not a verdict against Croat people.

Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic commented on the verdict saying that the bearers of the European values should not praise war criminals and deny the rendered verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He expressed hope that, after this verdict, the relations of Bosniaks and Croats in B&H will be improved. Izetbegovic stated that this verdict puts an international seal on the dark part of the truth about the causes of creation and the way of action of Herzeg-Bosnia, about the part of the goals and about the role of then Croatian leadership in the previous war. He stated that Croatian politics at that time was a “two-faced politics”, that was in conflict between helping B&H and accomplishing of its own personal goals in B&H. “One face is represented through the failed joint criminal enterprise (JCE) that caused tremendous suffering and made both Bosniaks and Croats losers of this war. Second, the bright face of Croatian politics is one that fought and struggled for cessation of the conflict”, said Izetbegovic. He expressed his deep condolences to all victims of this senseless criminal enterprise and stated his hope that people will be able to move past this and continue together towards a better future.

Reflecting on Covic’s reaction in which he assessed the verdict as unacceptable, Izetbegovic stated that denial of the UN international court’s decisions is not in line with European values that Covic advocates. Izetbegovic stressed that one cannot say they are a holder of European values and then reject the court’s verdicts. According to Izetbegovic, this verdict should calm down the rhetoric of politicians who glorify war criminals. On the occasion of wartime Commander of the Croat Defense Council (HVO) Slobodan Praljak’s suicide, Izetbegovic noted that Praljak was ruined by the JCE project.

SBB B&H Leader Fahrudin Radoncic commented the verdict by saying that he believes that this verdict is strong condemnation of the crimes committed against Bosniaks from Herzegovina and Central Bosnia, but also the final confirmation of the character of the previous war in B&H. He added that this confirms that B&H was a victim of aggression during the war and the court has confirmed that Bosniaks were the biggest victims of the war in B&H.

SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic stated that no discussion will change this verdict and that he believes that people should look towards the future, after this, and not use the verdict to spread more hatred amongst the people in B&H and the region.

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic argued that the ICTY worked under the influence of big world powers. Cvijanovic said that the incident in the ICTY’s courtroom, where Praljak drank the poison after which he died in The Hague hospital, causes huge doubts when it comes to the ICTY’s work.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of B&H Denis Zvizdic commented the final verdict and stated that the verdict that determined the existence of the joint criminal enterprise represents a long awaited justice and partial satisfaction for the victims of their crimes. “The verdict is based on civilization standards and norms of the international law, and it fully complies with relevant and proven historical facts,” reads the statement issued by Zvizdic’s Cabined, adding that in the long run, the verdict will put a stop to the attempts to rehabilitate the idea of the Herzeg-Bosnia and similar para-state, secessionist or hegemonic projects and ideas. “I expect the Croat officials, both in B&H and in Croatia, to distance themselves from the fully determined liability of military and political leadership of the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia,” stated Zvizdic and concluded that better future can only be built on truth and justice.

SDP stated that the verdict represents a historical decision for both B&H and all the victims of their ear crimes. The party called on everyone to refrain from increasing tensions, because the verdict is not a verdict against the Croat people, but against individuals. Also, SDP urged everyone to finally face the facts and the truth in the interest of the victims and their families, but also in their own interest. SDP underlined it is necessary for everyone to understand there is no collective guilt of a people.

The Independent Bloc stated: “We are convinced that the ICTY verdicts should be incorporated in our education system and not allow new Srebrenica, Prijedor, Uzdol, Grabovice, Kazani, Dretelj, Omarska and other killing sites of all peoples to ever happen again.”

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of B&H Mladen Bosic stated that the verdict is not satisfying for the Serb victims. He also noted that majority of Serbs believe the ICTY did not help reconciliation in B&H and the region.

Deputy Speaker of B&H HoR Sefik Dzaferovic stated that the focus should be on the victims, not the perpetrators of crimes.

ICTY Prosecution content with final-instance verdict in case ‘Prlic et al’ (FTV)

The ICTY Prosecution expressed content with the ICTY Appeals Chamber’s verdict in case ‘Prlic et al’ which in the most important aspects confirmed the convictions from the first-instance verdict. The statement issued by the ICTY Prosecution reads that although it was confirmed that six leaders of so called Herzeg-Bosnia are responsible for ethnic cleansing campaign, many more senior and mid-level officials and commanders must still be brought to justice for these crimes. It was added that many of them are within reach of Croatian judicial authorities.

Attorneys of defendants in case of ‘Prlic et al.’ dissatisfied with second-instance verdict (BHT)

Attorneys of the defendants in case of “Prlic et al.” all said that they are dissatisfied with the final verdict. Berislav Pusic‘s attorney, Fahrudin Ibrisimovic, said that generally speaking, he is not satisfied with the final verdict. Bruno Stojic’s attorney, Senka Nozica, said that they can conclude that Croatia is guilty of joint criminal enterprise (JCE) and that Serbia is not guilty of JCE. “Do we need to comment on that any further?” Nozica wondered. Nozica wondered why Croatia was declared guilty of the JCE at the same time Serbia was not mentioned in the last week’s verdict to wartime RS Army Commander Ratko Mladic. Milivoje Petkovic’s attorney, Vesna Alaburic, said that the verdict is very unfair. “It does not reflect what was actually happening on the ground. It does not reflect the actual objectives of the policy of Bosnian Croats,” Alaburic stressed. Alaburic assessed that the ICTY Appeals Chamber took the easy way out in this case and confirmed the first-instance verdict, instead of making an effort and analyzing details.

Attorney Fila: It has been determined that Croatia was aggressor in B&H, not Serbia (Srna)

Serbian attorney Toma Fila commented the final verdict in the Prlic et al’ case rendered by the ICTY on Wednesday, and he stated that by confirming there was a joint criminal enterprise between Croatian leadership and the leadership of the so-called Herzeg-Bosnia, the ICTY determined for the first time “that Croatia committed aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), not Serbia”, which is why Bosniaks should demand compensation for destroyed mosques and killed people from their other neighbor. “They should at least demand payment of material damages, because now it has been determined who did it. Those were not Serbs from Belgrade, Serbia or Serbians, but Croatians,” stated Fila and added that “Muslims sued Serbia, but never Croatia, although Croatian armed forces were the ones who occupied cities in B&H, not Serbs”.

Inzko calls on all parties in B&H to accept ICTY’s final verdict in case ‘Prlic et al.’ (Oslobodjenje)

High Representative (HR) Valentin Inzko called on everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to accept verdict in case of ‘Prlic et al.’, underlining that the truth and justice are the only ways to go forward. HR Inzko stated: “The truth and justice are the only road forward and at the same time, the only way towards real reconciliation and a better future”. Inzko said: ”The way Germany faced its past, honestly and energetically, is exactly the reason why this country dramatically progressed and gained respect of the entire world. In order to reach the same, this as well as other verdict that the ICTY rendered, must be fully respected and it cannot be politicked”.

US Embassy in B&H issues statement regarding verdict rendered in case ‘Prlic et al.’ (Oslobodjenje)

The US Embassy to B&H issued a statement on Wednesday with regard to the ICTY’s final verdict in the case of six wartime officials of former, self-proclaimed Croat Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia ‘Jadranko Prlic et al.’ The Embassy emphasized that the US supports the important work of the ICTY and respects its verdict. “The verdict in the case ‘Prlic et al.’ is an important step toward holding to account those individuals responsible for the tremendous suffering of the people of B&H”, reads the statement. The US Embassy urged all parties to respect the court’s verdict, and rededicate themselves to continued reconciliation and peaceful coexistence essential to the future of a stable and secure B&H. US President Donald Trump stated that he supports the work of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and that every verdict is a just one.

OSCE’s Berton calls for reconciliation (Oslobodjenje)

Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Bruce Berton commented a final verdict against Jadranko Prlic et al rendered by the ICTY on Wednesday, and he stated that the final verdict will close an important chapter of facing the past and bring justice to the victims of horrid crimes committed in B&H. The OSCE called on all the political leaders in B&H and outside it not to question the ICTY verdicts. “Considering recent comments, the OSCE has concluded there is a need of strengthening the reconciliation process in B&H,” stated the OSCE.

Holy mass organized in Mostar in Praljak’s honor (N1)

A holy mass was organized in Mostar on Wednesday evening in honor of former Commander of the Main Staff of Croat Defense Council (HVO) Slobodan Praljak, who committed suicide earlier on Wednesday after the ICTY convicted him of war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Around thousand Mostarians attended the holy mass and then lit candles to pay tribute to Praljak. Reporter described the atmosphere in Mostar following rendering of this verdict, saying that the opinion of citizens is divided in this regard. Reporter noted that certain catering facilities in Mostar closed on Wednesday afternoon, to pay tribute to Praljak.

Plenkovic: Praljak’s actions speak of deep moral injustice (Nacional)

The Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic expresses his deep regret for the death of Slobodan Praljak and offers his condolences to the Praljak family, who died after drinking poison today in the courtroom at The Hague. ”On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, I personally wish to express my deepest sympathies to General Slobodan Praljak’s family. His act, which we unfortunately all witnessed, speaks mainly of the deep moral injustice towards the six Croatians from B&H and the Croatian people. The government expresses sympathy for all the victims of all the crimes committed during the war in B&H. We’d also like to express our dissatisfaction and regret regarding the confirmed verdicts for the six who were on trial. In relation to this, I’d like to remind you once again of the help and support the Republic of Croatia gave to B&H at a time when it was faced with Greater Serbian aggression, and when its territorial independence was compromised. On the basis of an agreement with B&H’s political leadership, the Croatian military interrupted the Serbian siege of Bihac, we’re talking about a milestone in the relationship between the forces, and thus prevented the most serious of crimes and genocide, such as what happened in Srebrenica. The Croatian Army freed a large part of B&H’s territory, thus halting the war and allowing for the possibility of the Paris-Dayton peace agreement. For years, the Republic of Croatia provided shelter to refugees from B&H. It was among the first countries to recognize B&H. B&H’s independence would not exist without the Croats, who, with their vote in the March 1992 referendum with the Bosniaks, created the foundations of the country.

The Republic of Croatia tried to get involved in the trial as a friend of the court. For the first time in 2006, then again in 2016, and finally during my government’s time in 2017, the court rejected the Republic of Croatia’s claims. What is particularly important is that in July 2017, the Appeals Chamber interpreted the contents of the first-instance verdict in 2013 in a way that the trial chamber didn’t make any concrete conclusions about the participation of the leadership of the Croatian state for what was called the JCE, and didn’t blame them for any crime. It was also confirmed that the jurisdiction of the court was not to determine the criminal liability of the state.

The Republic of Croatia considers this verdict to have wrongly alluded to the role of the state leadership in the developments in B&H in the 1990’s. We consider that the state leadership in these war events, according to the position of the government, could not in any way be related to those facts and interpretations that they tried to construe and interpret from 2013’s verdict.

At the same time, we’d like to say that it’s absurd that no international verdict has established the responsibility of Serbia’s then state leadership. In light of all this, the government will consider all the available legal and political mechanisms to disprove certain allegations from the verdict.

Once again, I want to send a message of support for the survival of the Croatian people in B&H. In all of our activities, we should be taking care that we’re the biggest advocate of B&H’s European path.”

Andrej Plenkovic has been in contact with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who has interrupted her visit to Iceland and is in constant contact with judicial experts, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Ambassador in the Netherlands and Croats in neighboring B&H.

Grabar Kitarovic: Croatia is not an aggressor, it did the most for the survival of B&H (HRT/Index)

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic cut short her visit to Iceland to return to Croatia and commented on the events in The Hague in this morning’s address to the public, the President expressed her condolences to the Praljak family and stressed that she wanted to be clear about the fact that yesterday in The Hague the Republic of Croatia or the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina had not been sentenced and Croatia had not been an aggressor, but had done a great deal to secure the survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state adding that the Croats have to be strong and admit that some of their nationals in Bosnia and Herzegovina committed crimes and they have to take the blame. “Together with United States, Croatia did a great deal to secure the survival of B&H as a sovereign state. Croatia, headed by President Franjo Tudjman, was among the first to recognize B&H’s independence, 10 thousand wounded people were treated in Croatia. Most of the aid came through Croatia. Croatia played a decisive role in breaking down the Greater Serbia aggression and liberated large parts of B&H, preventing the Srebrenica scenario in Bihac” said Grabar Kitarovic. “Croatia and B&H were attacked by Milosevic‘s Serbia and the JNA, starting the open struggle for the realization of the project of “Great Serbia”. Croatia did not attack anyone,” Kitarovic said in her address to the public. She said that Croatia must admit that some compatriots, as she said, committed crimes and that they should be held accountable for it, but that it is unjust that at the same time crimes against Croats by Serb and Bosniak were not punished. “Croats and Bosniaks must rise above all of this for the good of both nations,” Kitarovic said, and called on Bosniak leaders not to abuse the verdict and worsen Bosniak-Croat relations.

MPs react to the horrific event at the ICTY courtroom and the final verdict in the Bosnian Six case (HRT)

MPs express shock at the way events had been unfolding at the ICTY courtroom regarding both the suicide of General Slobodan Praljak and the final verdict in the Bosnian Six case.

The events in The Hague were met with strong reactions in parliament. After the proceedings at the ICTY were abruptly halted, the parliament had also stopped working for a while and a session of the parliamentary presidency with presidents of all parliamentary parties’ clubs was convened. Reacting to the horrific events happening at the ICTY courtroom, when General Praljak ingested the poison, MPs were quick to point out how it was possible for any substance and particularly poison to be brought into the courtroom.

The parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic described the act by General Slobodan Praljak as shocking adding that this had been a move that had surprised and shocked everyone. Jandrokovic went on to say that he was rejecting such a way of historical events being explained and thinks that such an explanation and the outcome is not helping the reconciliation among peoples, as the bases for reconciliation is historical truth.

HDZ’s Miroslav Tudjman is convinced of Praljak’s morality saying that the act that he had committed, was simply the consequence of his moral principles of not wanting to accept the verdict which not only has nothing to do with justice, but simply has nothing to do with reality.

GLAS MP Vesna Pusic believes the verdict to be the result of the bad and erroneous politics of the 1990’s. Pusic said that those waging the politics in question had stood trial and were convicted before the ICTY and not the Croatian people as a whole.

SDP’s Orsat Miljenic said that there was no doubt that crimes had been committed, there had been victims and that needed to be resolved in court and individual guilt of the perpetrators pin-pointed. Miljenic described the ICTY as a bad court which had not done a good job and for which it would have been better to have never been established and as far as he was concerned the verdict was totally unacceptable.

DF wrote to Lavrov: Kadyrov involved in “coup attempt” (CDM)

Montenegrin opposition leaders, Milan Knezevic and Andrija Mandic, who are both indicted in the coup case, wrote to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, asking for support and informing him that Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, was also mentioned before the court in Podgorica. “This is an attempt to ruin reputation of the Democratic Front, which struggled to establish economic and cultural cooperation with the Chechen Republic,” Knezevic stated in his report. The complaints are based on the testimony of key prosecution witness Sasa Sindjelic whereas Russia denied its involvement in any attempt of organized illegal activities in Montenegro.

Russia suggests presidential candidate through DF? (Pobjeda)

The  United  States  ought  to  work  hard  to  make  Montenegro’s  NATO  membership  a  success, the latest US Atlantic Council’s report titled Balkans Forward: A New A New US Strategy for the Region. “This means  working  closely  with  our  newest  ally  on a  common  security  agenda,  but  also helping  it accelerate domestic reforms, bolstering the rule of law, and helping nurture a healthy political climate that  includes  space  for  a  loyal  opposition.  After all,  presidential  elections  are  looming  in  2018,  and Russia is sure to try to leverage its malign influence in  the  Democratic  Front  to  field  an  anti-Western candidate,” the Washington-based organization says in its report presented by the council’s vice president Damon Wilson. The Atlantic Council advocates returning the US reputation as an “honest broker”. “When  a  young  student  asks  why  Milo  Djukanovic’s Montenegro  has  been  allowed  to  join  NATO  and is  making  progress  on  EU  accession  even  though he  has  ruled  his  little  coastal  country  more  or  less unopposed  since  1991,  the  West  needs  to  have  a better  answer  than  ‘stability’. Rather, the West needs to be clear that it holds leaders accountable for reforms,” the document says. The report points out that the last two years have seen breathtaking attempts by Russia to capitalize on the region’s lingering pathologies to undermine the European project. “Though the region still broadly yearns to join the West (and its institutions), the final outcome should no longer be taken for granted. The United States, in particular, can and should play a key role. We should give voice to a clear, common vision for the region, and coordinate with the European Union to reestablish clarity in a common transatlantic goal at the political level,” the document adds. The Atlantic Council suggests four concrete steps the United States ought to take to help stabilize a region badly in need of stability.

The first of them is establishing a permanent US military presence in Southeastern Europe. The document says that “Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo is ideal for this purpose”. The organization also suggests pursuing a “historic” rapprochement with Serbia and regaining reputation as an honest broker. “A  blind  pursuit  of  stability  at the  cost  of  progress  in  democratic  development virtually guarantees  the  persistence  of  the  very pathologies  that  plague  the  region.  Montenegro’s accession to NATO presents one opportunity to help an emerging partner make good on its commitment to genuine democratic reforms,” the council says. The fourth step is to “bet on the region’s entrepreneurs and youth”. “None of these moves make sense without addressing longer-term economic prospects for the region’s young people, especially as the accession process stretches indefinitely into the future,” the document says.

Zaev and Gruevski called to an urgent meeting with Ivanov (Meta)

The President of the Republic of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, held an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and the leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Nikola Gruevski. The topic of discussion, as announced by the president’s cabinet, were the current events and possible solutions for a way out from the current state of tension in the country. “The purpose of the meeting was to encourage reconciliation and the normalization of the political process in the Republic of Macedonia. The participants at the meeting agreed that the talks will continue in the future, “Ivanov’s cabinet said. The meeting comes after the Ministry of Interior, by the order of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, yesterday detained 36 people for the violence that occurred in Parliament on April 27th. All 36 people are being charged with endangering the constitutional order and security. Police arrested 24 people, including MPs Krsto Mukoski, Johan Tarculovski, Zaklina Peshevska, Ljuben Arnaudov, Saso Vasilevski and Ljupco Dimovski, and former director of the Public Security Bureau and former Interior Minister, Mitko Chavkov, as well as some of the organizers the initiative “For a United Macedonia”, Vlado Jovanovski, Boris Damovski, Igor Durlovski and Bogdan Ilievski. There is also a warrant for arrest for another 12 people but authorities are still searching.

The prosecution has asked the court to impose a measure of detention for the 36 in custody. So far, Chavkov, Durlovski, Jovanovski and Pepic have received 30-day detention measures while MPs Zaklina Peshevska and Krsto Mukoski have been placed under house arrest.

VMRO-DPMNE’s Gruevski falls short of revealing any detail about Ivanov meeting (MIA)

VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski has failed to reveal any detail about last night’s meeting in President Gjorge Ivanov‘s cabinet which was attended by both him and Prime Minister and SDSM leader Zoran Zaev. “In an attempt to tone down tensions rising in the society after all the political witch-hunt, the President invited us for talks. In the meeting, I reiterated my positions that I’ve made public during yesterday’s news conference,” stated Gruevski. Also, he said his party had yet to decide whether VMRO-DPMNE should leave Parliament.

Zaev calls Gruevski-Ivanov meeting “constructive” (MIA)

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said Wednesday that the meeting with VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski and President Gjorge Ivanov in the latter’s cabinet was held ‘in a constructive climate.’ Talks, he said, focused on normalizing political processes following the arrest of more than 30 people involved in the violent events in Parliament on April 27. The same sentiment is echoed both in a press release of President Ivanov’s cabinet and in a statement to the press by Nikola Gruevski. “We talked openly in order as responsible stakeholders through dialogue to find solutions to issues considered problematic in the country. An emphasis was put on the need of the opposition to be fully engaged in coming processes,” Zaev told reporters. According to him, the interlocutors had agreed to hold more talks in the future. Zaev refused to comment on decisions of a Skopje court ordering detention of 13 people and home confinement of 6 people.

“I wouldn’t like to comment on court decisions. I’m committed to the political aspect. I expect the Constitution and the laws to be respected, to pay utmost attention to abiding by the legal norms in our country, nothing more, nothing less,” Zaev stated. I believe, he added, that rule of law must prevail in Macedonia all the while being extremely cautious with respect to the country’s perspectives. “Macedonia is facing serious processes. Serious reforms are ahead, and I believe we are absolutely able through dialogue with political stakeholders to find political solutions,” concluded Zaev.

Kocijancic: It is important to establish accountability for the events on 27 April and everyone to act accordingly (Meta)

It is important to establish accountability for the events at the Parliament on the 27th of April and we call upon all parties to act responsibly, said Maja Kocijancic, the EU spokesperson, in a statement for Meta agency. According to her, even though the EU does not want to comment ongoing judicial procedures or investigations still it expects good behavior on part of the political parties. “The EU does not comment on ongoing investigations or judicial proceedings. We are following events closely and expect all parties to act responsibly and in line with the law. The EU has previously stressed the importance of establishing accountability for the 27 April events in parliament,” said Kocijancic.

More US engagement needed (ADN)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs has started a working visit to Washington D.C. He and his Western Balkan counterparts will attend a conference on regional cooperation and security, organized in the framework of the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe initiative. During his visit to the US, he attended an activity organized by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) with the topic “View of Albania on Regional Security, Energy and Atlanticism in the Western Balkans”. Invited to this panel presented by Janusz Bugajski and Peter Doran, at the presence of an audience of analysts and diplomats in Washington, Bushati introduced a view of the challenges of security that the Western Balkans is facing. Minister Bushati estimated that the Western Balkans constituted a complex region regarding security challenges, ranking a series of elements that require added attention and increased cooperation not only among regional countries, but even by the EU and US. “This added attention becomes even more indispensable if we consider that our region, which has not recovered yet from the nationalist reminiscences of the past, is easily exposed and threatened by the influence of third actors, but even by terrorism, radicalism and foreign fighters engaged in the conflict in Syria,” declared Bushati. Speaking about major energy projects, like TAP Pipeline and perspective for its expansion along Albania, Montenegro, Croatia in the project for Adriatic- Ionian Pipeline, he underlined the strategic importance of the region regarding the EU in its challenge to diversify energy sources and reduce dependence. Focusing on Albania’s role in the region, Bushati pointed out that Albania has a long-term strategic interest to contribute to peace and stability of the region and in this frame it has used all international platforms to promote this position. More concretely, he referred to the support that Albania has given to the Euro-Atlantic integration of Western Balkan aspirant countries for NATO membership, stressing that this approach has been materialized even in the regional cooperation, where Albania, Montenegro and Croatia are working in a three- lateral platform to offer added contribution not only to platforms of regional security but even to promote inter-connection and social development in the Western Balkans. The Albanian Foreign Minister held a meeting with the Congressman from Florida, Matt Gaetz with whom he discussed the recent developments in Albania and region. On his part, Congressman Gaetz said that the government has a clear mandate to govern and it has full support of the US for state-consolidating reforms undertaken by them. He underlined that the US is particularly interested in reforms in the field of rule of law and the potential that these reforms may release for the Albanian economy. The American Congressman pointed out the interest of the US in the reform to the energy sector in Albania.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Spotlight: Flagship rail project demonstrates cooperation with China good news for CEEC, EU (Xinhua, by Tian Dongdong, Shi Zhongyu, 29 November 2017)

BUDAPEST — With an investment of 350 million U.S. dollars, the upgrade and reconstruction of the first segment of the Belgrade-Budapest railway started Tuesday, in a bid to revive its function as a road of friendship, cooperation and development. Praised as a “flagship” project by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the railway is the first major scheme jointly implemented by China, a European Union (EU) member state (Hungary) and an EU aspirant (Serbia). “The renewed line would ensure the fastest way for Chinese goods through central Europe to the West. The 16+1 forum not only serves CEE (Central and Eastern Europe’s) interests but those of the whole of Europe,” said Orban in a keynote speech to the seventh China-CEEC Economic and Trade Forum on Monday. As he was delivering the speech, the Xiang Ou Express linking Budapest and China’s south central city Changsha was pulling out of BILK Logistics Ltd, Hungary’s largest railway hub. Loaded with 41 containers of red wine, beer, cereals, milk powder and hardware accessories from Hungary and other European countries, the Express embarked on its first trip back to China, along with expectations of CEE countries (CEEC) to double or triple their exports to China. “If you carry goods by ship from China to central Europe, normally it takes around 30 days. With the help of the Express, the time is 12 days. Besides, it is more controllable,” Viktor Lippai, CEO of BILK, told Xinhua. The express not only strengthens Hungary’s prominent role as a regional logistics hub, but also facilitates the delivery of exports from western European countries to China, said Lippai. For Lippai, China-CEE cooperation is win-win in nature. However, he said the EU is anxious regarding cooperation with China, but he believes that cooperation does not pose a hurdle to European integration. Instead, he, together with many experts from both China and the region, believes that China is an opportunity instead of a threat to the EU. Faced with multiple challenges, Europe may eventually find a way out with China’s efforts to build a community of shared future for mankind, Wan Zhe, chief economist with the International Cooperation Center of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, told Xinhua. China showed its firm support for European integration by forging ahead with 16+1 cooperation. Such cooperation is providing a strong buttress for a solidified EU, a prosperous Europe and a stable euro, said Wan. Similarly, Liu Zuokui, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua that the global financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis have limited the EU’s ability to support the development of CEE countries. China’s participation fills the gap and the development of China-CEEC relations could help bring about a rebound for the European economy, he said. Agnes Szunomar, a researcher with the Institute for World Economics under the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, thinks that such a competitor as China is necessary for the EU’s competitiveness. “The challenge for the EU is to acknowledge that it has a competitive position. Competition is fundamentally good; competition is anticipated; and competition drives companies, firms and individuals to improve their services,” Szunomar told Xinhua. In that sense, the 16+1 mechanism serves as an opportunity for China and the EU to strive towards a harmonious relationship, Szunomar said. As CEE countries are showing increasing interest in cooperation with China, zero-sum mentality and ideological bias are actually holding the EU back, putting the whole union’s prosperity at risk. The world now calls for mutual respect and understanding, Orban said in his speech. “Europe should not be a fortified Europe, and Europe should not close its doors,” he said.

Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak dies after drinking poison in UN court (Deutsche Welle, 30 November 2017)

Ex-Bosnian Croat General Slobodan Praljak died Wednesday evening after drinking poison at a United Nations court hearing in The Hague. “One of the six defendants … passed away today in the HMC hospital in The Hague,” said court spokesman Nenad Golcevski. Earlier, judges part of the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  had rejected the 72-year-old’s appeal against his 20-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war. Upon hearing the verdict, Praljak yelled: “Judges, Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject the verdict with contempt.” He then drank from a small glass bottle and told the courtroom: “What I drank was poison.” The presiding judge called for medical assistance and ordered the session to be closed to the public. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has described the verdict as “unjust” and offered his condolences to Praljak’s family.

Praljak blamed for destruction of Mostar bridge

Before the interruption, the court had also confirmed lengthy prison terms for Jadranko Prlić and Bruno Stojić. The judges reaffirmed lengthy prison sentences for the remaining three defendants — Milivoj Petković, Valentin Coric and Berislav Pušić — after the session was resumed.

In its 2013 verdict, the court had found Praljak guilty of multiple crimes, including ordering the destruction of the renowned 16th-century Ottoman bridge in Mostar, which was rebuilt in 2004.

The poisoning prompted Croatia’s right-wing president, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, to cut short her visit to Iceland and return to Zagreb, according to local media outlets.

Bechev: Russia is playing the “spoiler” in Western Balkans (European Western Balkans, by Nikola Burazer, 28 November 2017)

Interview with Dimitar Bechev, research fellow at the Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Bechev is one of the most renowned experts on Russian and Turkish influence in the Balkans and a member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG). His recent book “Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe”, published by Yale University Press, attracted lot of attention and positive reviews soon after publication.

European Western Balkans: Russia is the word on everyone’s lips when it comes to threats to liberal democracy and Western hegemony on both sides of the Atlantic. There are stories about Russian influence, Russian hacking and Russian propaganda everywhere, but especially in the Western Balkans. Do you think that these fears are overblown?

Dimitar Bechev: They are and they aren’t. On the one hand, Russia is meddling in the region — the alleged coup attempt in Montenegro, however murky the story is, proves the point. Moscow relies on a number of proxies, too: political parties, civic groups, opinion makers, clerics.  On the other hand, Russia is making use of the vulnerabilities in the region – the anti-Western attitude in large swathes of society, the poisoned media environment, corruption and state capture. And, as I argue in my book, it wields influence because Balkan elites make a common cause with it to promote their very own interests, rather than serve the Kremlin.

EWB: Many observers conclude that the main Russian interest in the Western Balkans is preventing EU and especially NATO expansion and creating problems for both by “striking Europe’s soft underbelly” and provoking crises in the region. Would you agree with this assessment? Is Russian influence necessarily a negative phenomenon?

DB: Russia is not provoking crises but rather making use of recurrent tensions. There are many opportunities to embarrass the West in a region where old problems are festering. It is absolutely true that Russia is playing the spoiler, in contrast to not that long ago when it accepted that former Yugoslavia fell in the remit of the EU and NATO. Now the context has changed with the Ukraine crisis making Russia’s relations with the West zero-sum. Russian influence is a negative phenomenon because it is geared towards obstructing the policies of other powers — as opposed to advancing a positive agenda of its own, whether it is economic development or some form of political integration and conflict resolution.

EWB: In your recently published book “Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe”, you single out three vessels of Russian influence in the region: military power, energy and soft power. Which of these three do you consider to be the most important one at this point in time?

DB: Clearly soft power. Russia has no military presence in the region, having withdrawn its peacekeepers in 2003. The grand energy projects of the 2000s are mostly frozen – Moscow is out of cash, outstanding legal disputes with the EU and changing market realities pose an obstacle. What remains is influencing hearts and minds, building alliances with domestic political actors and feeding the media image of resurgent Russia capable of challenging and thwarting the West.

EWB: The Russian efforts appear to failing recently. Montenegro joined NATO in June, Macedonia is firmly on a pro-Western path and Serbia is being increasingly pressured by the West to cut its ties with Russia. Is this assesment correct or are there in fact more “aces” up Russia’s sleeve?

DB: I think it is correct. There are limits to Russian influence — after all the Western Balkans are economically and even politically integrated into the West. I don’t think however that any of those countries, particularly Serbia, will cut ties to Russia. Politicians will go on hedging their bets and pursuing benefits from working with Moscow.

EWB: Do you believe the fear of Russia is what’s pushing the EU to continue with enlargement in the Western Balkans? Could the same perhaps be said about NATO’s recent expansion efforts?

DB: No, EU enlargement has a different set of drivers. I don’t think the fear of Russia would speed up expansion of NATO either, though it certainly helped in Montenegro’s case. Macedonia is trying to exploit the situation, too. However, NATO accession will happen only when the name issue with Greece is resolved. And I don’t think anyone on either side of the Atlantic will pressure Greece very hard to make concessions to Skopje.

EWB: The dominant narrative is that Russia is putting pressure on the EU through influence in the Western Balkans. But, would you agree that the opposite is also possible, that the Western Balkans countries are the ones using the links with Russia to pressure the EU?

DB: Absolutely. As long as the conversation in Serbia, for instance, is about Russia vs. the West Vučić could be safe in the knowledge that no one is to ask him tough questions about domestic politics in Serbia – issues like media freedom and state capture. The same is true of the Montenegrin government which is in position to sideline its internal critics as Russian pawns. Gruevski used Russia as well as certain EU members such as Hungary and Austria to get extra wiggle room during the 2015-7 crisis and deflect Brussels’ criticisms. Dodik played with the independence referendum, with diplomatic cover from the Russians, to get away from corruption scandals involving him and his family. Russia is therefore a useful instrument.

EWB: In “Rival Power”, you claim that the current situation is not a “new Cold War” and that we are not witnessing the comeback of the Great Power struggles of the 19th century. But do you believe that scenario is realistic at some point in the future? What would need to happen for this scenario to unfold?

DB: I don’t think that either scenario is in the cards. The world has changed and so have the Balkans. The Soviet Union was a different animal from today’s Russia, the Tsarist Empire – even more so.  A return to the future scenario will imply Moscow’s willingness to use military force in former Yugoslavia, as it does in Ukraine and Syria, to assert its interests. I don’t think the odds are very high – the risks are prohibitive, the possible payoffs – questionable.  Acting by proxy and waging a political war through soft power channels is much more low-risk strategy and occasionally it delivers. It is also more suitable for this day and age when globalisation and EU integration has blurred borders and made domestic politics and societies much more interconnected.