LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic at conference “World in 2018” in Hong Kong (RTS/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was the keynote speaker at a gala dinner organized by the reputable magazine The Economist, as part of the annual conference “World in 2018” in Hong Kong. Brnabic spoke at one of the biggest and most famous annual events, organized by this British magazine, about the ongoing political and economic reforms in Serbia, the process of European integration, relations with the EU and Russia and cooperation with China, primarily within the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. She said she is proud that Serbia has the largest number of projects under this initiative and a portfolio of approximately $6 billion, mainly for infrastructure projects, but also for energy and the environment. Speaking about Serbia’s foreign policy priorities, she pointed out that the EU is Serbia’s priority, but that the accession process should not simply be linked to the number of open and closed chapters, but to essential and sustainable reforms that lead to a better quality of life for all citizens. In that sense, she said that Serbia is implementing reforms primarily because of ourselves, and only after that because of the accession to the EU as a society that holds values that we share. At the end of the panel, the speakers gave predictions for 2018, and the Serbian Prime Minister predicted that there is a historic opportunity to talk about the Balkans next year in a much more positive way, not common for the Balkans. At the initiative of President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia has already launched a historic internal dialogue on Kosovo with the aim of involving the entire public in these talks and creating a future together as a society that will lead us forward, she said. We now have a historic chance. With dedication, courageous political decisions, leadership, capability and willingness to accept compromises and with a bit of luck, the Balkans have a chance to change their own image. This would mean that in 2018 Europe itself will look different and that the Balkans are art of the solution, and not of the problems that the EU or other countries have to solve, Brnabic concluded.
Concluding the conversation with the Serbian Prime Minister, the moderator said that she managed to get everyone in the audience interested to pay more attention to the Western Balkans next year.

Dacic: Minimum joint interests of US and Serbia over stability (RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said yesterday that Serbia and the US needed to find a minimum of shared interests so that they could contribute to regional stability. “There is no stability in the region if the U.S. cannot find a shared interest with the biggest country and biggest people in the Balkans, which is Serbia and the Serbian people,” Dacic told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). After a several-day visit to Washington, he said that in that sense one should look for the minimum of joint interests so that we can contribute to the stability of the entire region. “I insisted on the fact that there was no stability in the region is the US doesn’t find joint interest with the largest country and largest nation in the Balkans, and this is Serbia and the Serb nation, and that in this sense we need to look for some minimum of joint interests,” said Dacic. He said that the US was leading a policy of its own and that it was interested in Russia’s influence over the region.

Speaking about a recent Atlantic Council report on the US new strategy for the Balkans, he pointed out that in a formal sense that was not a document made by the US administration, but rather by an NGO which could have some degree of influence, but not necessarily.

As for possible requests for changing the format of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, Dacic said that Serbia had not transferred the negotiating process to the EU, but rather that it was a proposal by the EU. “During the time of Tadic’s administration, the UN General Assembly enacted this resolution and that format cannot be changed just like that,” Dacic said. He added that no one had formally voiced a proposal for changing the format of the talks and that he thought there were large differences between the EU and US over the matter. “Let’s not tell any fairy tales, the US was always in some way present behind the scenes during this dialogue,” Dacic said.

US administration denied Thaci’s and Haradinaj’s claims (Tanjug/B92)

Pristina’s claim that possible future US involvement in dialogue with Belgrade is a proposal coming from the official US administration is incorrect. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who was in Washington, told this to Voice of America, Tanjug reported on Friday. “The things that Thaci and Haradinaj are saying have been denied by the US administration. They even told Federica Mogherini that they were not standing behind statements,” Dacic said.  He added that US officials said they were not running away from it – but this should be a matter of consensus and a question of a joint proposal. “The General Assembly transferred Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to the European level, and any new change of format would imply a new discussion about it, and certainly Serbia would have to propose some other non-EU members,” Dacic said.

Asked whom Serbia would invite, he replied: “Someone who would be on our side.” Dacic added that during his talks with US officials, he insisted on finding a minimum common interest rather than creating an image of the US and other Western countries having interests that are contrary to Serbia’s. “Also, the role of other Western countries would be not to pressure Serbia to recognize Kosovo, but to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution that would respect the interests of both the Serbs and the Albanians in Kosovo,” Dacic concluded.

Opening of new chapters on 11 December (RTS)

The inter-government conference where Serbia will open new chapters in the negotiations with the EU will be held on 11 December, RTS learns in Brussels, but there is still no consent on whether they will open two or three chapters that are technically prepared and refer to the economy, finances and budget. The key thing for this decision will be the estimate of the EU member states on how much had Serbia progressed in the field of the rule of law, based on the report that was prepared for them by the European Commission.

REGIONAL PRESS

RS President: ICTY’s verdict in ‘Prlic et al’ case is result of various combinations of Croatian reps in political calculations (TV1)

Commenting on the ICTY’s second instance verdict in the ‘Prlic et al’ case, Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik stated on Thursday that it is a result of various combinations of Croatian representatives in political calculations. He assessed that they have changed several combinations in political calculations ever since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia.

“First they clearly supported the referendum on Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) independence and then they were in war with Muslims for a couple of years. Result of that war can be seen in Wednesday’s verdicts,” Dodik assessed. Dodik also stated that the ICTY is a generator of non-reconciliation in the region but he also assessed that the ICTY’s final verdict in the case of wartime officials of former self-proclaimed Herzeg-Bosnia ‘Jadranko Prlic et al.’ is a result of poor political decisions of Croats in B&H. According to Dodik, four truths will remain after the ICTY closes down i.e. Serb, Bosniak, Croat and The Hague truth. Dodik brought up a question as to who killed 30,000 Serbs in the last war. Dodik claims that Slobodan Praljak’s suicide in front of the cameras and in the ICTY courtroom has shown the level of seriousness of that court. “Today it is clear that no Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE) formed the RS, and that the RS had a strong army of that time. It remained on the international scene as co-signatory of the Dayton agreement, by which it secured internal and international legitimacy. The whole issue with ‘Herzeg-Bosnia’ is in the fact that leaders of Croatia and Herzeg-Bosnia at that time gave up on ‘Herzeg-Bosnia’,” Dodik added.

SDS: First war crime in B&H was committed by regular Croatian army and paramilitary units of SDA and HDZ B&H (BNTV)

SDS said in a press release on Thursday that the first war crime in B&H, committed in Sijekovac near Brod, was committed by the regular Croatian army and paramilitary units of SDA and HDZ B&H, strongly condemning the statement by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in which he expressed regret that Serbia, unlike Croatia, was not convicted of joint criminal enterprise (JCE) in B&H. “Plenkovic’s statement is just plain hypocrisy behind which there is a political coward who praised the ICTY when it amnestied mass crimes against the Serb people in ‘Oluja’, ‘Maestral’ and other operations of the Croatian Army,” SDS said in the press release. SDS and Head of Mrkonjic Grad Municipality Divna Anicic said that Croats and RB&H Army forces should be prosecuted for crimes against Serbs, too.

Serb and Bosniak victims’ associations to file lawsuits against Croatia following verdict to ‘Prlic et al’ (EuroBlic)

Following the verdict of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by which ‘Prlic et al’ were found guilty for war crimes against Bosniaks and also confirmed the participation of then official Zagreb in joint criminal enterprise (JCE) and aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), representatives of Serb victims’ associations confirmed to the daily that they will sue Croatia and request compensation for torture they suffered in concentration camps in west Herzegovina. President of the RS Association of Prisoners of War (POWs) Branislav Dukic told the daily that at least 224 Serbs were imprisoned in Dretelj concentration camp alone and he added that the verdict to ‘Prlic et al’ created preconditions for Serb victims to see at least some justice be done. Dukic added that several thousands of Serbs were detained in Croat concentration camps in former Herzeg-Bosnia and Croatia. Director of the Documentation-Information Center ‘Veritas’ Savo Strbac agreed that the verdict enabled filing of joint and individual lawsuits against Croatia. President of the Bosniak victims’ association of POWs of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) Suljo Kmetas told the daily that victims’ associations will look into legal options to claim compensation from Croatia.

EUD, EUSR comment verdict in case ‘Prlic et al.’: We fully support ICTY and its verdicts (BHT1)

The EU Delegation (EUD) and the Office of the EU Special Representative (EUSR) to B&H stated on Thursday that the verdict of the ICTY Appeals Chamber in case ‘Prlic et al.’ has brought to the end the case, which started in 2004 and which dealt with tragic events. The statement reads: “Achieving of justice and fight against impunity are fundamental principles. We feel compassion with those who survived and who lost their loved ones. Even though we do not comment individual verdicts, we fully respect ICTY decisions and we support their work. We strongly underline the necessity of full cooperation with the ICTY and their successor Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT). The European Union hopes that all countries in the region are determined and dedicated to work with goal of reconciliation, regional cooperation and good-neighborly relations“.

UK Embassy: ICTY verdict sends message that all perpetrators will be held responsible for their crimes (Oslobodjenje)

The UK Embassy to B&H issued a press statement on Thursday in reaction to the ICTY final verdict against Jadranko Prlic et al, and stated that death of Slobodan Praljak should not undermine the fact that the accused in this case have used their positions of power to commit indescribable crimes. “The verdict of the ICTY sends a clear message that the perpetrators will be held responsible for their actions. We appeal to all sides to respect the decisions of the Court and turn to the future in the spirit of peace and reconciliation,” reads the statement.

Questions remain after Slobodan Praljak’s courtroom suicide (HRT)

After a shocking courtroom suicide at the International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague on Wednesday, questions continue to swirl about how Bosnian Croat general Slobodan Praljak managed to smuggle poison into the building. The courtroom has now been declared a crime scene and Dutch police are investigating the case. Toxicology results have confirmed that the mystery substance Praljak ingested was chemical but it has not been named. That information came from tests performed on the container believed to contain the poison. Upon hearing his 20-year sentence had been confirmed by the appeals chamber, Praljak began to speak. He said he was not a war criminal and drank something from a tiny bottle. “I took poison,” he said and sat down. An autopsy is being performed on his body. Dutch police are investigating how the poison got into the courtroom. The six defendants were transferred there from the special detention unit in Scheveningen. They were driven into the tribunal building’s underground garage and escorted inside by guards. It is possible that the substance was given to in jail, but all visitors must pass a security check. There are many other questions about whether security at the detention unit had been too lax if there were too few guards in the courtroom and why the court did not have a medical team on standby during the high-profile reading of the final verdict in this case. Praljak remained at the ICTY for nearly an hour and a half before being transported by ambulance to a hospital, where the court said he died. Croatian reporters on the scene said they believed medical technicians had tried to revive him before the ambulance ever left the court. Answers to questions surrounding dramatic events at the ICTY are likely to emerge in the coming days.

Parliamentary speaker reads out joint statement on ICTY verdict in the Sabor (HRT/TV1)

The Croatian parliament began its session the by reading out a joint statement about Wednesday’s ICTY verdict against 6 former Bosnian Croat military and political leaders. A minute of silence was also observed, although without the presence of the Glas or SDP opposition parties. Parliamentary speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said that the joint statement was the result of Wednesday’s discussion at which the all the clubs of deputies had expressed their agreement that the ICTY appeals chamber’s verdict did not respect historical truth, the facts or the evidence and so was unjust and unacceptable. He said: “In fact, the tragic act of General Slobodan Praljak taking his own life in this symbolic way, points to the whole injustice of the appeal chamber’s verdict. Allow me in the name of the Croatian parliament and in my own name, to express our sincere condolences to his family. The Croatian parliament expresses its condolences to the families of the victims of all the crimes committed in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Part of the opposition led by SDP and Glas movement representatives left the session and stressed that they do not want to honor a war criminal, rejecting the caucuses’ joint assessment that the ICTY’s verdict is unjust and unacceptable. They noted that they do not want to be an alibi for HDZ’s failed policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s.

SDP leader Davor Bernardic explained: „We are clearly against making propaganda out of tragedy or doing PR at the expense of the dead, or someone’s misfortune. That is something you cannot do in Croatia. Glas MP Goran Beus Richembergh explained that the last minute arrival of this text was also the reason why Glas MPs had not attended the session. He also confirmed that both he and his colleague Vesna Pusic had received numerous death threats since expressing their opinions about yesterday’s events in the Hague and that these threats had been reported to the police. He said that as a public official one had to be ready to take insults, but when those insults became direct threats to liquidate you then you must to react: „Not because of yourself, but because of the fact that that spirit of fascist-like behaviour, which has become visible and loud, must be put back in the bottle,“ he emphasized.

Croatia initiated establishment of the Hague Tribunal (HRT)

Former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic commented on Thursday on the accusations of certain Croatian officials against him after the ICTY’s second instance verdict in the ‘Prlic et al’ case, according to which he was selectively submitting documents from the presidential office to the ICTY during his term. Mesic said that Croatia and first Croatian President Franjo Tudjman have launched the initiative for formation of the ICTY and that the Croatian parliament passed the constitutional law on cooperation with the ICTY in line with that. He reminded that this law tasks each citizen to give the court all requested documents and to respond to all summons by the ICTY in capacity of witness, suspect or indictee, adding that he respected this obligation and behaved in line with it during his term. Mesic stressed that the ICTY’s final verdict in the ‘Prlic et al’ case has to respected and accepted.

Fajon: A lot of work before joining the EU, opposition to return to Parliament (CDM)

Montenegro is currently the most successful Western Balkan country in the process of joining the EU. However, there is still much work to be done by 2025, when Montenegro could become a member of the EU, MEP Tanja Fajon told CDM. She claims that Montenegro must suppress corruption that is present at all levels and restore citizens’ hope for the rule of law. When it comes to the opposition, she advised them to return to parliament because the boycott does not positively affect the European path of Montenegro. Fajon says that a large number of open negotiating chapters and the lack of major political obstacles – such as the Kosovo’s issue in the case of Serbia – create the impression that reforms in Montenegro are taking place without difficulty. “However, what is the most common problem is the implementation of adopted rules and laws. Without respecting the law in practice, we cannot talk about any progress. And without real progress, primarily felt by citizens, we cannot talk about a successful enlargement policy. Therefore, the main goal is to transform society, eradicate corruption, which is present at all levels, and restore hope to citizens in the rule of law,” Fajon is clear. Without that, she says, negotiating on various chapters, which are understood by the citizens as technical, in particular chapters 23 and 24, concerning the judiciary, fundamental rights and justice, are meaningless.

One thing is to adopt new laws, and the other one is to obey them de facto. Therefore, she said, a greater emphasis should be placed on the implementation of the adopted.

Baily: There must be responsibility for 27 April, but also the presumption of innocence (Meta)

The US Ambassador to Macedonia, Jess Baily, said that the US Embassy is closely following events related to the incident in parliament which occurred on 27 April, and that the police, prosecution and justice systems must act transparently, while respecting the highest standards in carrying out this process. “The police, the prosecution and the justice system must proceed transparently, with full respect for the highest standards of due process. The United States and the European Union have stressed that those responsible for April 27th must be held responsible for the events, but the process must also respect the presumption of innocence”, said Baily. He emphasized that parliament, in accordance with its role, is conducting important talks on the topic. “It’s parliament’s role to talk about democratic governance,” pointed out the US ambassador, after the meeting between parliament speaker, Talat Xhaferi and Laura Cooper, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the United States. When asked whether Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Hoyt Brian Yee will be the new ambassador to Macedonia, Baily said that he is currently the US Ambassador and that, as far as he knows, the White House has not nominated anyone for this position so far. “The one body that can tell you whether this is true or not is the White House,” said Ambassador Baily.

British Embassy: The violent attacks that occurred on 27 April must be investigated and there has to be a legal outcome (Meta)

The British Embassy in Macedonia stated that the violent attacks at the parliament on 27 April must be investigated and that there has to be a legal outcome. “The events in parliament on 27 April involved serious violence and deserve thorough investigation with consequent action through the courts if appropriate. It is important that institutional procedures and due process of law are adhered to with the maximum amount of transparency so that it’s clear to all that the law is being carried out impartially” announced the British Embassy for Meta when it commented the detention of 26 persons, including MPs for the attacks at the parliament. All 36 persons are charged with endangerment of the constitutional order and security. To some, the court ordered a 30-day detention and to some a house arrest.

EU Ambassador: All parties to set state interests and its future as priority (MIA)

Our position is clear and simple, we haven’t, and will not comment court processes, considering that the judiciary should be allowed to do its job, EU Ambassador to Macedonia Samuel Zbogar told reporters on Thursday. Right after the 27 April events we said that those involved in them must be brought to justice, the EU Ambassador said. “We expect that all parties, stakeholders will set the state’s interests and future as a priority,” Zbogar said.

VMRO-DPMNE will be blocking intersections the whole month ahead (Meta)

The Ministry of Interior informs that VMRO-DPMNE has announced that in the forthcoming 30 days, between 15-17 h, will be blocking several intersections. MOI stresses that the traffic police will take measures for traffic control and regulation in order to ease the chaos during the blockades.

Dimitrov – Tillerson: Our commitment to becoming part of NATO is great (Meta)

Macedonian Foreign Minister, Nikola Dimitrov met with US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson in the State Department, where they discussed the current political situation in the Republic of Macedonia and the region, and introduced him to the current situation in the process of overcoming the differences over the dispute the name with Greece, reported the cabinet of the foreign minister. “Macedonia is a friend and a partner of the United States. We are convinced that with your help and leadership and with the support of our European allies, we will soon become part of the NATO family. Our dedication and determination is great, and our goal is to take advantage of the opportunity that we have been given,” said Dimitrov. Informing about the reforms in Macedonia, Dimitrov emphasized that the government wants to build strong and democratic institutions and strengthen the rule of law, so that Macedonia can become a full member of the Euro-Atlantic community. Dimitrov reaffirmed the firm commitment of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia to gradually increase the defense budget in accordance with the Alliance’s requirements for the preservation of international security and the fight against terrorism. Regarding relations with neighbors and the situation in the region, Dimitrov stated that “the failure to solve problems entails political responsibility”. “US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, stressed that Macedonia is on track to be a success and an example for the region. He pointed out that the United States will continue to play a positive role for the stability and progress of the region and to look for ways to help. Tillerson supported the reform agenda, urging the government to persevere in its implementation,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Macedonia, Serbia to introduce joint duty clearance in 2018 (MIA)

Macedonia and Serbia will introduce joint duty clearance at the Tabanovce border crossing as of March 2018, heard Thursday an informal meeting of Western Balkans customs services in Skopje. The two-day event focuses on models and opportunities to link countries and accelerate customs procedures, in the framework of the initiative for economic networking of countries within the Western Balkans process, due to be completed by 2023. “Tabanovce crossing on the Macedonia-Serbia border is to be completed in March of next year, thus launching the joint duty clearance,” said Customs Administration director Gjoko Tanasoski prior to the meeting.

Besides joint duty clearance in the section of passenger traffic, the sooner reconstruction of Tabanovce railway station is to enable the same operations in the section of railway traffic.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the meeting outcome would facilitate flow of commodities, services, capital and highly-skilled labor force. “Governments support the idea of simplifying customs procedures and cutting the queues of trucks through the possibility of joint duty clearance at a single customs terminal,” added Zaev. Finance Minister Dragan Tevdovski said institutional strengthening of the Customs Administration and enhancement of the legal framework would facilitate business operations in regional terms. “Customs services will play an important role in the activities of creating a regional economic area through acceleration of procedures at national and regional level,” underlined Tevdovski.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Kosovo Businesses Doubtful About Planned Free Trade Zone (BIRN, by Die Morina, Filip Rudic, 1 December 2017)

After Kosovo’s Foreign Minister urged Serbia to help set up a free trade zone in the divided town of Mitrovica, local businesses say they question the likely benefits.

Declaring the northern Serb-run half of the town of Mitrovica as a free trade zone might help the reconciliation of ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo and stimulate the local economy at the same time, business leaders told BIRN, following Kosovo Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli’s invitation to his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic to consider the idea. “Dacic, come, let us declare north Mitrovica a free trade zone, because only by creating jobs can we reduce the influence of politics,” Voice of America in Serbian quoted Pacolli as saying during a conference in Washington. Kujtim Gjevori, who leads a sugar company in Kosovo, told BIRN if there was a “fair” will, it might help the process of reconciliation between the communities. “Healthy and equal business cooperation can affect the process of reconciliation of the two parties,” Gjevori said, adding, however, that he was “skeptical if something like that is possible. “I don’t believe the Serbian side would use such a thing for reconciliation, but for political points, or for keeping control of that part [North Mitrovica],” he continued. Lirijon Kadriu, who runs KIVO, a successful company in the town of Kacanik which produces packaging for Europe, said the reconciliation process needs much more than just business cooperation. “A successful economics and better social welfare could influence the process of reconciliation but it can’t be confined to business only,” Kadriu said. “All the conditions concerning an improvement to social welfare and a successful economy can affect relaxation of relations and the removal of politics,” he added. On the other side, while the politicians toy with the idea of a free trade zone, the chamber of commerce from the north of Kosovo says that it is more interested in the fact that it has not received much-needed payments from Serbia for months. “We haven’t received any salaries in nine months,” said Branimir Mihajlovic, an associate of the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo and Metohija, based in Mitrovica, which functions parallel to the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo, located in Pristina. Mihajlovic said he could not say whether declaring a free trade zone would benefit businesses and improve local relations, as his Chamber of Commerce was currently “on strike” and preparing to address the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo over the payment issue. “We have prepared a letter to [the director of the Office for Kosovo, Marko] Djuric and President Aleksandar Vucic,” he added. According to Mihajlovic, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce has started bypassing his association and started cooperating with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce directly, arranging joint activities.

Western Balkan region ‘high priority for the US,’ Trump aide McMaster says (ekathimerini, 1 December 2017)

US National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster met with foreign ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) at the White House during which they discussed ways to deepen cooperation on fighting terrorism and combating violent extremism. In a statement on Thursday, the White House said the talks focused on how Washington and the Western Balkan countries “could further deepen and expand coordinated efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and the rule of law across the region.”

McMaster stressed that the Western Balkan region “continues to be a high priority for the United States and underscored that the [US] administration remains fully committed to the region’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and European integration efforts.”

Meanwhile in comments made in Washington on Wednesday, FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov appeared to adopt a conciliatory tone ahead of upcoming talks between Athens and Skopje in Brussels on the lingering name dispute. Asked about FYROM’s “red lines” in negotiations with Greece, Dimitrov said: “I prefer green lights to red lines.”