LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: How many will be ready tomorrow to understand Albanians? (Ekspres/Tanjug/B92)

Belgrade will never give up on negotiations with Pristina, but it cannot be a prisoner, afraid, and for that reason agreeing, but getting nothing in return, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an interview with the weekly Ekspres. “And I can say it, both Haradinaj and those behind him, in every street, in Belgrade, Pristina, anywhere, without any fear. Because I know where I stand and behind what I stand,” Vucic said. He said that his policy is a policy of life and stressed that in the negotiations with Pristina, too, “that life, our here and of Serbs in Kosovo, comes first.” Vucic thinks that the first and basic problem in the negotiations is “the fact that that we are dealing with people, with a power, for whom Kosovo’s independence is a done deal.” He also said that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj is only a spokesman, “and of Kosovo or of Albanian ideas, but above all of what America wants and wants to implement.” “Let’s not forget how brave Haradinaj would genuinely be if he did not have behind him, probably the biggest ‘rascal’ in the world, the one who, he, and not Haradinaj and the KLA, defeated us in 1999 and who is also the author and implementer of the Kosovo independence,” Vucic said. On the other hand, as he stated, we are to a large extent also alone. “This does not mean that we do not have friends in the world, Russia and China certainly are, but here in this field, in these negotiations, we must carry our ourselves most of it. We must stand in front of everyone else and say clearly what we want,” Vucic said. He recalled that John Kennedy said “not to be afraid to negotiate, but to be afraid of fear being the basis for negotiations”, as well as Kennedy’s sentence, which, Vucic believes, fits perfectly into Belgrade’s basic request – “there are no negotiations when you say – what’s mine is mine, and we can negotiate about what’s yours.” “Well no. Both to Haradinaj and to those who stand behind his alleged courage. No, because negotiations are not negotiations if they do not end with a compromise. Everything else would be coercion, unlawful, but also without long-term binding consequences. Henry Kissinger formulated this when said that there are no negotiations in captivity. And that, when there are, the other side must be aware that consent of prisoners can be forced, that it will be forced by coercion. And such contracts are not valid anywhere in the world,” the president of Serbia noted. “And that’s what I, what Serbia stands for in these negotiations. We want them, we will never give up on them, but to be captives, to be afraid and for that reason agree, to get nothing, well, that can’t happen. I can say that, both to Haradinaj and those behind him, in every street, in Belgrade, Pristina, anywhere, without any fear. Because I know where I stand and behind what I stand,” Vucic said.

When the interviewer said that “negotiations are lost by the one who first mention a number,” and asked “whether anyone mentioned any number,” Vucic replied, “no one.” “All of this has lasted too long for anyone to win or lose in such an amateur way. And it’s true we’re talking the whole time about value, about what is valuable to us in the whole story, and what to them, but that value, in both cases, is too big to be determined by any numbers,” the president noted. “I will not, in the end, let our value be worth anything,” he stressed. He pointed out that Kosovo is our value, something that is priceless, the place of our culture, monuments, history, but he stressed that he does not want to measure that value with lives. “Especially not the lives of Serbs from Kosovo, but also the lives of all other citizens of Serbia,” Vucic said. He said that he cannot allow this, not only as someone who thinks that life is above all, but also as a rational man, who knows how few of us there are and “how every dream about Kosovo stops at the moment when we there are none of us.” At the conclusion that he does intend to leave a lot of monuments (tombstones) behind him, Vucic said that this was the most disgusting question. “How many dead and famous who left behind. Sometimes it seems to me that the only measure that is acceptable here is that in graves and ossuaries. And feel like asking everyone, well do you really want that? For the few of us that there are to die? For some myth, imaginary fame, a new defeat, or for a too expensive victory after which there will be nobody anymore. And I’m afraid of that, most sincerely,” the president said. As she specified, he fears whether we will have enough strength, will, desire, and even time and chance to change that part in ourselves and start to love life and stop with the “ideology of death as the only certainty” Life, he noted, is more certain than death. According to him, for too long we have been turned only toward ourselves, without noticing that we are not there and that we are diminishing and disappearing. Recalling that about 17 million babies are born annually in China, in Russia more than one million and a half, and in America almost four million, Vucic said that those are those who will tomorrow await our children, “our sixty thousand babies, born in Serbia each year, to work with them, to cooperate, or perhaps to rule them.” “Little Albanians today, with whose parents we want to find a solution, tomorrow will be big Albanians with whom our children will either cooperate or, if we are crazy enough to miss this chance, maybe even fight. And those numbers are, like all numbers, merciless. There are more and more of them and less and less of us,” Vucic said. He reminded that the size, the number of people, determines both the size, the success of the economy, which determines the ability of defense and realization of interests. Assessing that for serious policy-making, the numbers cannot be overlooked, Vucic noted that of all foreign languages ​​in the US Chinese is learned the most, and asked how many Serbs are learning Chinese, Hungarian and Albanian? “How many of us will tomorrow will be ready to understand Albanians, or will we use every misunderstanding as an opportunity for a new conflict? I think about this when I talk about the need to raise the birth rate, but also the need to find a way to cooperate with Albanians, just like when I say, I ask for the abolition of economic barriers in the Balkans and for the creation of a common market. Because of the figures. And for a clear view into the future, which, I can tell you right now, is not good for anyone in this region unless we find a way to increase both naturally and economically,” said Vucic. As he added, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia… all these are just statistical errors on the big map of the world. “And only when we are spoken about as an area with twenty or more million people connected to a common market system, can we count on being equal partners. All of us. And if today something is our job, then it is just – thinking about the future, the preparation for the future, the search for a solution for it. And that I do not see this future without children, well sorry, I do not see it. And it is not exploitation of women, their oppression, renting wombs for money, it is just a naked fact. Yes, if we want anything, we have to be there. Or, call it my policy. A policy of life,” the president said. It, he emphasized, forces him to talk with everyone in the region, and this difficult role, to tell people in Serbia that they are disappearing, and that they have something about that. “And it will, in the end, be left behind me. That I invested in life. Not to death,” the president said.

Dacic: If Croats want diplomatic war, they’ll have it (Beta/Informer)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says his country’s policy toward Croatia will be based on the principle of reciprocity going forward. Dacic also stressed that Belgrade will respond in kind if Zagreb decides to withdraw its ambassador. “I hope that reason will prevail and that we will continue on the path of good-neighborly cooperation, the route set out by presidents Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Aleksandar Vucic. But if they want a diplomatic war, they’ll have a diplomatic war,” he told the tabloid Informer in an interview. In the article, published under the headline, “If Croats want war, well they’ll have war!”, Dacic recalled that Croatia first declared Serbian Defense Minister a persona non grata, to which Serbia responded with the same measure against Croatia’s defense minister, acting on the principle of reciprocity. “Reciprocal measure are customary practice in diplomacy. This is done everywhere. Of course, we’re not pleased with this, but we are forced to do it. We are merely reacting, responding to their moves. If there are new hostile moves taken by authorities in Zagreb, we are ready to react,” Dacic said. He described reciprocity as the mother of diplomacy, and observed that US and Russian presidents do the same. As for the possibility of Croatia slowing down Serbia’s EU path, Dacic said it was not certain Zagreb will in June block the opening of new negotiating chapters with the EU. “They tried this in the past, and it either didn’t work or didn’t last long,” Dacic said.

Drecun: Pristina’s insincere wish to form the ZSO (RTS)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun has told RTS on Saturday that the manner in which the Albanians wish to define the Statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is contrary to the Brussels agreement.

“We need to negotiate with the people who are at the helm of the provisional institutions in Kosovo and Metohija and it concerns us since with their internal quarrels they are reducing the capacity of these institutions to realize what has been agreed. If they are mutually quarreling, then we will not have a predictable side – the Albanians ready for serious compromises and realization of what has been agreed,” explains Drecun. “The Head of the EU Delegation in Pristina Natalia Apostolova, by supporting Pristina’s platform, departed the framework of her mandate. When she supports Kosovo as a state that is not Brussels’ stand but it is contrary to what Brussels is stating. The entire process of the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations under EU auspices are not talks between two states,” notes Drecun. He adds that the official stand is that Kosovo is not a state even though they are treating it this way, although not all states. “It is obvious that the EU is undertaking the initiative in the Balkans, primarily in this part where not all states are EU members. They want to demonstrate that something is being done by taking a firmer stand,” says Drecun. “Now we have an extension of the deadline by the Albanians. They will never become a member of the UN, I am not an optimist and the question is what will be written in that Statute. If it is unacceptable for us, then nothing will come out of it. Even if the Serbian side would accept it, then they would say ‘wait, let them first recognize us as a state, and then let us join the UN’, which will never happen,” said Drecun. “The ball is now in the yard of the US and EU,” says Drecun. He notes that the invitation to Haradinaj to visit Medvedja is a conceived provocation. “You know what kind of criminal Haradinaj is and you are inviting him to come. One Albanian sent the invitation at his own will. Well, we are inviting him to come to visit Serbia proper, to Belgrade in order to face him with the justice that he is avoiding. Somebody from the Albanian side is trying to raise tension, and the best response is for our people to visit Medvedja, headed by the Prime Minister. It is necessary to act more intensively from the political side,” concluded Drecun.

Stefanovic: Haradinaj to be arrested if he visits south of central Serbia (Tanjug/Kurir)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on Friday Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj would be arrested if he paid a visit to the south of Serbia proper. “An arrest warrant issued by our court is in force and he will definitely be arrested if he is available to police,” Stefanovic told Kurir in a comment on media reports that Haradinaj – who is sought by Belgrade for war crimes against civilians – was ready to visit Medvedja at the invitation of local authorities, as well as Presevo.

Ministers instructed to talk with foreigners about Kosovo (Novosti/FoNet)

Serbian ministers were instructed to focus on the Kosovo problem every time they speak to their foreign counterparts, especially with those representing countries that are believed to be willing to withdraw their recognition of Kosovo, Novosti writes. The measure is part of Serbia’s diplomatic offensive aimed at decreasing the number of countries that recognize Kosovo’s independence. Novosti writes that most government officials have so far worldwide actively supported Belgrade’s position on Kosovo but that they have agreed to intensify their efforts, especially because Pristina has, along with its allies, invested significant amounts into lobbying.

Novosti also writes that Serbia has not hired any lobbying firms to represent its interests regarding Kosovo, but that this option is not off the table. Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that 173 countries have contracts with US lobbying firms and that this is, obviously, the way the modern world works. Serbia used to have arrangements with several lobbying firms but they have not produced any significant results.

Patriarch Irinej: Issue of Kosovo and Metohija one of the central problems of the Serbian Orthodox Church and people (RTV/Tanjug)

One of the central problems that the Church and our people are facing is the issue of Kosovo and Metohija that has been under occupation for a long time, Patriarch Irinej said at the beginning of the regular May convocation of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Patriarchate of Pec. “By the will of the mighty of this world, our holy Kosovo and Metohija land has first experienced great suffering, greater than all previous sufferings in its history, to be finally separated from Serbia and declared an independent Albanian state, at least it is in attempt. Previously, persecution of the Serb people followed, by number larger than all previous persecutions and migrations, so that the central parts of Kosovo and Metohija remained totally without Serb inhabitants,” said Irinej. According to him, as stated by the Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbia is making great efforts to defend and preserve Kosovo and Metohija, but the European and American powerful people do not have an ear for justice and truth. “The greatest problem for us, when Kosovo and Metohija is at issue, is that a small number of us remains. More should have been done for the return of the people. Several dozens of Serbs live in Prizren, the situation is similar in Pec, Pristina, Urosevac, Djakovica…There is little desire for the of return the expelled to their homes, and those who wish have nowhere to return,” said the Serbian Patriarch.

Scott: No need for US to join Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Blic/FoNet)

There is no need for the US to join in the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, US Ambassador in Serbia Kyle Scott told Blic on Monday. “There is no need for the US to join in the dialogue because the dialogue that the EU is leading with the leaderships in Belgrade and Pristina is the best way,” Scott said.  He said Washington will be ready to join in if everyone wants that. “We just want to help,” Scott said.  “The situation in both Kosovo and Serbia should be viewed realistically and a compromise found but that is only possible in an open dialogue,” the Ambassador said.  He said most important things are employment and economic growth, both of will be achieved once Belgrade and Pristina normalize their relations.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dudakovic and 12 other members of 5th Corps of RB&H Army released from detention (BHT1)

Former commander of the Fifth Corps of the “Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RB&H) Army” Atif Dudakovic and twelve other people suspected of committing war crimes in Krajina during 1994 and 1995 were released from detention on Sunday. Namely, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) failed to accept the motion of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to order one-month detention of the thirteen suspects, but it did order restrictive measures against them. Dudakovic’s attorney, Asim Crnalic, said that investigation against his client is still in progress, given that indictment against Dudakovic is yet to be issued. Crnalic stressed that the defense does not know how much time it will take the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to prepare an indictment.  Crnalic also confirmed that the investigation into this case has lasted for 12 years, during which the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H has interrogated more than 400 witnesses. During the detention hearing on Saturday evening, prosecutor Vedrana Mijovic explained that the measure of detention is necessary because there are 15 witnesses left to be interrogated in the next 15 days, after which an indictment will be issued. The defense argued that the case is about some sort of an alibi, given the fact that these 15 witnesses could have been interrogated over the past 12 years. According to ATV, SRNA news agency came in possession of information, according to which the main evidence of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in this case is video footage, but that footage was not presented at Saturday’s hearing and it allegedly disappeared.

Dodik: Dudakovic’s release pending trial is proof of reasons for lack of trust in judiciary of B&H (N1)

Commenting the decision of the B&H Court to order restrictive measures and release wartime Commander of the 5th Corps of the RB&H Army” Atif Dudakovic and others pending trial, Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik stated on Sunday that it is not surprising that the Court of B&H decided not to order detention for Dudakovic and other suspects for war crimes against Serb civilians and soldiers. He explained that he is not surprised given the fact that “this is the way in which the processes are conducted” against those who committed crimes against Serbs. According to Dodik, it is clear that judicial bodies of B&H are constantly under the pressure and influence of Bosniak political and religious circles. “By compromising the judges and prosecutors who work on such cases, they usually get an acquitting verdict or no prosecution at all,” Dodik was quoted as saying. He added that this is a clear message for Serbs and the RS, as well as another proof of reasons for the lack of trust in judiciary at the level of B&H. Dodik added that such decision was expected as soon as Dudakovic walked into the building of the Court of B&H “without handcuffs”. “The Court could not rule otherwise simply because it is afraid of the Muslim public in Sarajevo, which would have exposed the Court to horrible pressures for sure. It just prevented something like that,” Dodik said. He reiterated that the RS is deeply disappointed over the decision of the Court of B&H, stressing that it is no longer possible to trust the judicial institutions. In his opinion, it would be the best to consider adoption of a law and to reject the Court of B&H and the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in the RS, as well as the B&H Intelligence-Security Agency that persistently works against the RS in order to destabilize it. “Regardless of what someone might think, including those foreigners who will now once again be telling us that judiciary should be allowed to do its job, it is a sort of hypocrisy, of course. There was clear evidence for 12 years and all it took was for someone to recognize Dudakovic in a video recording and say that he is the war criminal who ordered that everything that belongs to Serbs is set on fire,” Dodik argued. He added that this is an opportunity for everyone in the RS to raise their voice but, unfortunately, there will still be political divisions – which is not the case with Bosniak politicians, in his opinion.

RS reactions to Dudakovic case (RTRS)

The case of wartime Commander of the 5th Corps of the RB&H Army” Atif Dudakovic and others has sparked reactions in the RS. According to reactions, judicial institutions of B&H should resist all pressures coming from politicians and media outlets, while suspects should be proven guilty for the sake of Serb victims. DNS leader Marko Pavic argued that the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H has never had a case with more evidence materials and testimonies, and yet the initiation of this process was being stalled so much. Pavic stressed that DNS has always been advocating that those who committed crimes should be prosecuted, expressing his hope that the Court of B&H will be unbiased in this case. SDS leader Vukota Govedarica stressed that it is not a coincidence that Dudakovic and others were arrested a few days ago. He explained that there is certain number of evidence materials that have to lead to prosecution of Dudakovic for all the crimes he committed against both Serbs and Bosniaks. Leader of ‘Prva SDS’ (First SDS) Radomir Lukic dismissed the claims that those who were allegedly defending B&H from aggression did not do anything wrong and are therefore free of responsibility for war crimes. “Everyone who committed war crimes should be held accountable in an equal manner. Selective justice is not justice. Selective justice is the biggest injustice and causes deep disappointment. There will be a fair Trial Chamber that will do its judicial job the way it should,” Lukic said.

PDP Vice President Igor Crnadak stated on Sunday that he hopes the trial of Dudakovic and others, who are suspected of war crimes against Serb civilians in Krajina, will be fair and without pressures on witnesses – so that the truth about these crimes is finally established. “It is important for every crime to be acknowledged and for this process to move on until it is finished,” Crnadak was quoted as saying. Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Mladen Ivanic assessed as ‘big deal’ the fact that the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H has opened several cases against Bosniak generals suspected of crimes against Serb people over the past two or three years. “Although, not a single one of those cases has been given full epilogue. I think that huge responsibility lies with the Court of B&H, and that the game in which someone is released and then arrested every once in a while, would be a surplus”, Ivanic said. Daily noted that Ivanic gave this statement before the Court of B&H decided to order restrictive measures and release Dudakovic and others pending trial. RS expects the suspects to be detained and justice to be served for Serb victims, unlike the Bosniak public, politicians, media, NGOs and even the Islamic Community in B&H, who keep justifying Dudakovic’s involvement in the war and therefore numerous crimes against Serb civilians and soldiers, as well as against Bosniaks in the autonomous province of Western Bosnia.

SDA and its officials condemn arrest of Dudakovic and other (TV1)

Commenting on the apprehension of wartime Commander of the 5th Corps of the RB&H Army” Atif Dudakovic and others, Chairman of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic was quoted as saying that “we are committed to prosecution of war crimes.” “We expect judicial institutions to resist the pressures coming from the policies aimed at creating an artificial ethnic balance in terms of the war crimes committed. This is an attempt to change the historical facts and nature of the war in B&H,” Izetbegovic was quoted as saying. In his opinion, this “artificial balance” is being created after “The Hague verdicts for two joint criminal enterprises.” He reiterated that Dudakovic and others are innocent people that B&H is proud of, adding that he is convinced they will be proven innocent. “We have also been constantly warning of the elimination of Bosniaks from the top of judiciary, from the bodies dealing with war crimes. Strange things. There are no Bosniaks up there. Decades have passed since those events and now there is a sudden wave of apprehensions and processes. We cannot help but notice these things,” Izetbegovic said. Izetbegovic stated that the arrest is humiliating for both Dudakovic and other wartime members of 5th Corps, and added that there was no need for such humiliation.

Reactions of political parties from Federation of B&H to arrest of Dudakovic and others (ATV)

SBB B&H commented that this party is proud of the wartime path of Atif Dudakovic and other arrestees are honorable people, stressing that they will certainly easily prove their innocence. SDP stated that the method in which SIPA performed the arrest operation is unacceptable given that Dudakovic has always been available to B&H judicial bodies. B&H Council of Ministers Chair Denis Zvizdic stated that these arrests represent an unacceptable attempt of humiliation of members of Fifth Corps of RB&H Army, who defended citizens of Krajina. FTV reported that SDP, SBB B&H, DF, SBiH, Independent Bloc, and A-SDA criticized these arrests.

Minister Pendes: Encouraging message from meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO countries (Dnevni avaz)

B&H Minister of Defense Marina Pendes commented on Saturday the messages sent during Friday’s meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of NATO countries according to which it is time to launch talks on activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for B&H, Macedonia, and Georgia as well as that the matter of MAP activation for B&H can be left for the NATO summit in July. In this regard, Pendes welcomed the messages as encouraging. According to Pendes, this is perhaps not the message that B&H wished for, but it is realistic. The B&H Minister went on to say that NATO members will continue following B&H’s progress along with the process of consultations on this matter. The B&H Minister referred to this as encouragement for an even greater engagement and stronger efforts. She announced the intention to undertake all in her power to enable further progress of B&H in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration.

Komsic: Russia, HDZ B&H and SNSD working against B&H’s NATO path (Dnevni list)

In light of last week’s session of NATO Foreign Ministers and postponement of activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) for B&H, DF leader Zeljko Komsic stated it is clear that NATO will not give up on the Tallinn conditions i.e. registration of prospective military property. According to Komsic, the decision not to activate the MAP shows lack of dynamics in implementation of reforms, which speaks about weaknesses in work of the current composition of the Council of Ministers of B&H. Komsic further noted one knows who is the main culprit in the RS in terms of registration of property, and who is siding with them in the Federation of B&H in defense of Russia anti-NATO interests, which led the DF President to say it is necessary that NATO and the EU give additional support to forces that advocate civic model because it is the only way to accelerate the country’s Euro-Atlantic path. “Russia and HDZ B&H-SNSD are working together and their plans for undermining of B&H’s NATO path can only be prevented by joint resolve,” said Komsic.

Croatia ready to work with Serbia (Hina)

The Serbian government’s decision to declare Croatian Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic persona non- grata is not helping good neighborly relations, as Krsticevic has in no way acted against Serbia, while Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin brought Croatia’s sovereignty into question, Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric said in Brussels on Friday. “Relations between Serbia and Croatia are strained, which is why all statements by high ranking officials must be responsible and tactful. This isn’t the case when statements are made by Vulin. All of his statements are entirely contrary to good neighborly relations, and his latest statements were more than that. They threatened Croatia’s sovereignty and we based our last week’s diplomatic note on his statements that are bringing Croatia’s sovereignty into question,” Pejcinovic Buric said in Brussels. “We had no other choice but to react the way we have. Every sovereign country would have reacted in the same fashion,” said Pejcinovic Buric, who was attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. Pejcinovic Buric said Croatia planned to continue to work with Serbia on outstanding issues which are too important to be neglected. Our approach is very pragmatic, we need to work on outstanding issues, the Minister said.

“Croatia still reaching out to Serbia, but dialogue requires two parties” (Hina)

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Friday Croatia was still extending its hand for dialogue with Serbia, but added that dialogue required two parties. “We have extended our hand for dialogue, but it takes two parties to do that. This is not only a matter of discussing outstanding issues, but there must be a sincere wish for those issues to be resolved,” Grabar-Kitarovic said in Skopje where she was taking part in a meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, which was also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Grabar-Kitarovic said that Croatian and Serbian leaders “must show enough maturity to resolve outstanding issues,” underlining that Croatia was fully prepared to talk to Serbia “in the spirit of good neighbourly relations,” but in a way to preserve the dignity of Croatia’s state, its people and all Croatian citizens, including the Serb community in Croatia. She said that her planned return visit to Serbia, at the invitation of Serbian President Vucic, was still on. “Nobody has cancelled it. I am willing to continue cooperation, however, before that we need to make some concrete progress. Progress has been made after the last visit, let’s not underestimate it, because positive things have happened, but we must move forward in our bilateral relations,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.

She confirmed she talked to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday morning about the current state of affairs with Serbia, saying that Croatian leaders in general should talk more about relations with the neighboring countries. “I am confident that coordination is extremely important so that we could protect the interests of our country and show that Croatia is a mature European democratic state that treats all outstanding issues rationally, but from the position of the protection of national interests,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.

NGOs warns about non-prosecution of war crimes against Serbs (Hina)

The Documenta, non-governmental organization and the Serb National Council (SNV) warned on Friday that war crimes committed during and after the Croatian army’s Operation Flash in 1995 were not being prosecuted, crimes against Serbs were not treated as war crimes, and prison sentences were lenient. They demanded that the rights of civilian casualties of war and their relatives be recognized. SNV president Milorad Pupovac said that the Croatian society had never acknowledged Serb casualties in the Western Slavonia region before and after Croatia’s international recognition. He said that the military operations carried out there had resulted in numerous war crimes, including ethnic cleansing and the killings of civilians. He cited the case of 26 villages in the Pozega valley which the Croatian army evacuated in 1991, following an order from the crisis management committee, under the pretext that they would be protected, after which the villages were destroyed and the remaining residents killed. Pupovac stressed that no one had been brought to account for war crimes committed during 1995’s Operation Flash in Western Slavonia. “This constitutes a serious and grave blot on the Croatian and the international justice system,” he said and added: “That was the first clear example of the practice of ethnic cleansing.” Documenta director Vesna Terselic said that civil society organizations had been demanding for years that the rights of civilian casualties of war and their relatives be recognized and that the litigation costs of relatives be written off. Noting that the prevailing view of the government and in other spheres was that no war crimes had been committed in Operation Flash, SNV official Sasa Milosevic said that the SNV and rights organizations thought the opposite. He asked why war crimes committed against Serbs in that and other military and police operations were not being punished, why Serbs were being banned or prevented from returning to their pre-war homes and why those areas had been devastated. Milosevic stressed that many of the crimes against Serbs were not treated as war crimes, and even if they were admitted as crimes, investigations were sloppy and often unsuccessful. “Trials are very often ethnically biased. Sentences, provided they are imposed at all after many years, are lenient and actually do not serve as punishment,” he said. Milena Calic-Jelic, a lawyer with Documenta, said that 182 cases had been launched for damages, mostly concerning houses that were blown up outside the war zones. Most of the cases were initiated between 2003 and 2006 and most were rejected because a five-year statute of limitations had run out. Calic-Jelic warned that claimants who lost the cases were ordered to pay litigation costs which sometimes reached 13,500 Euro. She called for a write-off of such costs.

Croatia: NATO should keep two-track approach towards Russia (Hina)

NATO member states have a uniform position on the relations with Russia and intend to continue with the two-track approach, showing strength on one hand and leaving room for dialogue on the other, Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejcinovic Buric said on Friday.

She and other NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss the relations with Russia, the situation in Afghanistan and the south Mediterranean, and NATO enlargement. “Concerning Russia, the discussion showed the unity of the alliance. There is a previously defined approach, NATO’s two-track functioning about Russia which on one hand means showing strength and, on the other, leaving room for dialogue, which remains on the agenda and I believe this will be confirmed at the NATO summit in July,” said Pejcinovic Buric. As for the open-door policy, it is very important to Croatia that NATO is aware of the security and stability situation in Southeast Europe. “It’s important that NATO is aware of that, that very quickly, when the conditions are met, Bosnia and Herzegovina should be offered a Membership Action Plan, and that Macedonia be invited to join when it resolves the issue with Greece. These are all issues of great interest to us given that this is about our neighborhood, where stability and security is of the utmost importance to us,” the Minister said. Russia has openly threatened that it will cause problems if Macedonia is invited to join NATO. “We talked about the resilience of states interested in joining the EU and it’s inappropriate of Russia to act that way. We have agreed to step up strategic communication and publicly raise awareness of the role Russia plays there. I think it’s inappropriate of Russia to take such an approach to sovereign states which have the right to choose where to belong,” said Pejcinovic Buric. She also spoke briefly with new US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Darmanovic: Relations with Russia should be improved (MINA)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Srdjan Darmanovic, said that relations with Russia should be improved and that’s common opinion. After the Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Darmanovic said that Montenegro didn’t want to have bad relations with anybody.

“We’ve just always protected our right to free choice. In order to ameliorate the mutual relations, both sides must put in effort. We don’t think we can be the cause of the deterioration of our relations with Russia,” said Darmanovic. He explained that the topics of today’s session were Russia, North Africa and South Mediterranean, Afghanistan and Open-Door Policy. The estimation that Russian influence in unacceptable has been confirmed at today’s Session. On the other side, NATO is still willing to open the dialogue with Russia. “We want Russia to respect countries’ choices, without intervening into the internal affairs. We would be very encouraged if Russia showed such intentions,” said Darmanovic.

Montenegro perceived as an example of stability (Dnevne novine)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Montenegro’s NATO membership makes this country a positive example of stability in the Balkans and region, and it also contributed to expansion of democracy, safety, prosperity and stability across the Europe. In his interview with weekend edition of Dnevne novine, Mr. Stoltenberg said NATO membership opened possibilities for European integrations to many countries as well as that the open-door policy does not mean changes in NATO’s position towards the east. “It’s about sovereign and independent states, having the right to choose their own road. We intend to focus and support the Western Balkans and to support the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the regional countries,” Mr. Stoltenberg told Dnevne novine. “Last year, Montenegro became the 29th member of NATO and its membership represented a significant turning point for our Alliance, which thus confirmed its open-door policy and successful Alliance expansion. We’re pleased to have Montenegro as our member state with all rights and obligations as any other member state and right to vote in shaping policies of the Alliance in future. We appreciate concrete and significant contribution of Montenegro to joint safety and collective defense system. We also appreciate the country’s decision to spend 2% of its GDP on defense by 2024,” added Mr. Stoltenberg. He also reckons Montenegro’s NATO membership boosts security across the Balkans. “NATO doors are opened for all European countries willing to undertake obligations stemming from membership and contribute to Euro-Atlantic security,” explained NATO Secretary General. As for the recent statement of Jean-Claude Juncker that the Western Balkans need the EU path to avoid the risk of a new war, Mr. Stoltenberg noted that the EU membership, just as the NATO one, consolidates the democratic institutions, rule of law and good neighborly relations.

Brdo Brijuni Process leaders meeting (MIA)

This year’s event known as the ‘Brdo Brijuni Process Leaders’ Meeting’ was held in Skopje on Friday. President of the Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov welcomed the guests, along with Presidents of the countries that launched this process; Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Chairman of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, Montenegro’s President Filip Vujanovic, Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Albanian President Ilir Meta also attended the event. President of the European Council Donald Tusk and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov were special guests of the event. The officials discussed strengthening of regional cooperation and solving of open, bilateral issues; improving of mutual relations of countries of the region, in terms of political, economic relations, infrastructure and security as well as the new EU-Western Balkans Strategy, were put in the spotlight of the event. Addressing the participants, Ivanov said that the purpose of the meeting lies in connecting countries of the region. Ivanov added: “If the region is connected, then it can become a developed EU region. We must connect in economic sense of the word and we expect that the EU will keep on supporting projects that refer to transport and energy sectors”. Ivanov underscored that the Brdo-Brijuni Process will continue to play a key role in the EU integration of the Western Balkans. According to Ivanov, heads of security services from the region informed him that serious challenges such as the migrant crisis still exist. Ivanov stated that new regional initiatives, such as the Berlin Process, will not replace the Brdo-Brijuni Process. Pahor expressed content with the fact that the EU adopted the enlargement strategy towards the Western Balkans, which will be the topic of talks at the Summit in Sofia. Addressing media, Tusk stated that messages that he heard from Korea on Friday and what he experienced in the Balkans in the last days, should be a positive reminder for everyone that “impossible can become possible”, which in his opinion, totally depends on courage and will of individuals.  Tusk stressed that there is no stability and peace in the region and Europe without the Balkans. The meeting in Skopje was held behind closed doors. Focus of the talks was better cooperation of countries in the region in the area of politics, economy and security in accordance with the new EU Strategy for the Western Balkans. Tusk also said it is possible that the history of the Balkans, which is like a horror movie without end, reaches the happy ending. He added that Western Balkan countries has to be focused on infrastructural projects, digitalization and energy interconnecting in order to ensure better and more prosperous local economies.

Addressing media, Grabar Kitarovic said that further enlargement of the EU includes membership of all Croatian neighboring countries. Grabar Kitarovic assessed that the EU’s future reports should emphasize efforts in sensitive fields including prosecution of war crimes and search for missing persons in countries that went through war. She commended the EU, the European Commission (EC) and the European Council for focusing on South East Europe again, being aware of the fact that the EU’s further enlargement certainly implies the membership of all neighboring countries. Izetbegovic held several meetings with leaders in the region and Tusk on the sidelines of the summit. Tusk sent a message to the Western Balkan countries that they are naturally connected to Europe and that they do not need an alternative to that. A key message conveyed at the meeting was that Western Balkan countries that are non-EU members are guaranteed the prosperity, stability and peace through the EU integration process. Participants also stressed importance of avoiding the populist and nationalist statements that lead to new divisions and trigger a new rhetoric of instability. They also reminded that respect for national sovereignty of countries of the region is priority, and that mutual trust and understanding between the countries has to exist.

Tusk in Macedonian said that the EU stands behind Macedonia (Meta)

President of the European Council Donald Tusk, after a meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, told a news conference in Government in the Macedonian language that the EU stands behind Macedonia, just as Macedonia supported the European Union in the Salisbury incident.

He said that many things have changed in the country since 2015, when he was here on the occasion of the migrant crisis. “Since then, the so-called western Balkan route is closed and it must remain that way. Let me thank you for your support then and for your continued follow-up on this issue. The EU will help you in your efforts to implement the reforms. You have all the necessary ingredients to succeed. You have reached an agreement with Bulgaria, and I hope that you will achieve the same with Greece. You have my unconditional support. I believe in you”, said Tusk. Tusk, who is from Poland, said he feels a change in the political mentality in Skopje and a genuine political will to move towards Euro-Atlantic integrations. “At the same time, I note the bold leadership of Prime Minister Zaev aimed at the future. The EU is and will remain the most trusted partner for the entire region, the EU is the largest investor, the largest donor and the largest trading partner for the entire region. This also applies to your country. About 80 percent of your exports go to the EU, and 13 percent in the Western Balkans. Only 1.5 percent in Turkey, 1 percent with Russia and 1 percent with China. Apart from trade and investment, I am convinced that the EU is the biggest hope for a better future for your citizens. I am saying this from my own experience as a Pole, today within the EU we can nourish our national identity while we are part of a larger community in which we can all prosper”, said Tusk.

Sekerinska: Last year we reached rock bottom and were on the brink of civil war (Meta)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Radmila Sekerinska launched her official visit to the United States by taking part in a round table organized by the American Atlantic Council on the topic “The Balkans and NATO membership through the prism of Macedonia: High stakes in terms of global security and the fate of democracy in a small country.” Sekerinska talked about the Balkans and the challenges it has faced in the past, the political crisis in Macedonia and the new reform processes, as well as the return of the country on its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. “In these 10 months we have seriously focused on domestic reforms and on improving good neighborly relations. We focused on issues at the heart of Euro-Atlantic integration – free media, rule of law, interethnic relations and institutional resilience. We ask you to support Macedonia to receive an invitation to join NATO this year, because such a breakthrough can have a positive impact, which will create a new hope in the Balkans,” she said.

Turning to the events in parliament that occurred on the present day last year, Sekerinska said that last April, Macedonia “reached rock bottom”. “The incident could have completely spun out of control and threatened to take the country a step closer to civil war. We had formed a majority in Parliament and everyone expected a new, reform-oriented government to be elected, and the people who wanted to stay in power saw that violence was their only way of staying. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful,” she said.

Meta in Struga: Albanian language law is not a favor but obligation (ADN)

The President of Albania Ilir Meta held a meeting in Struga where he was received by the Mayor of the Struga Ramiz Merko, municipality council members, religious community representatives, politicians and residents. During his meeting with the Chairman Merko, Meta spoke about the role of Albanians in Macedonia and the momentum gained by both countries in the EU Integration path as well as about the great potential Struga has to become a developed, touristic, cultural and economic regional center. “Struga is an exceptional city for all Albanians, wherever they live. It is one of our most beautiful cities with extraordinary patriotic traditions, which has contributed throughout the history of our nation as well as for the independence of Albania. Both countries, Albania and Macedonia have just received the positive recommendation by EC for the opening of negotiations with EU and we need to strengthen all our efforts in the weeks to come to get a positive decision by the council of all member states in June,” Meta is reported to have said, also commenting on the position of Albanians in Macedonia. “We believe that Macedonia has made significant progress during the last year and this reflects a great deal on the position of Albanians. For the first time we have a parliament speaker elected among Albanian parties. There is also a willingness from the majority to start the implementation of the language law as soon as possible, which will deliver on a very long-awaited topic. This is not to be seen as a favor done to Albanians but rather as an obligation, a necessity”. Meta is also reported to have spoken about the bilateral relations with Greece. “The solution for the name will help Macedonia focus on other processes not only related to the integration into NATO, EU but also to a more stable economic development. This is to the best interest of Albania as well because Albanians here are an important factor and luckily, a positive factor for stability, contributing in the EU and NATO integration. It is, in my opinion, important that there be cooperation on a local level as well, especially with regards to the cooperation of communes,” Meta stressed.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Serbia-Croatia Feud is Moving Into Risky Territory (BIRN, by Milan Simurdic, 30 April 2018)

Other powers will surely benefit from the growing polarisation between Croatia and Serbia in the region.

When, two months ago, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic finished his first official visit to Zagreb, a question lingered in the air: would the trend towards dialogue and cooperation finally prevail in the tainted relations between Serbia and Croatia or not? Judging by the present state of affairs, the pessimists were right; it would not. Recent diplomatic relations between two countries have included mutual refusals of notes, withdrawals of ambassadors for consultations, a trade blockade by Zagreb and a Serbian cancelation of a presidential visit to Zagreb.

Add the termination of the visit to Serbian by Croatian MPs to Belgrade, Croatia declaring Serbia’s Minister of Defence a persona non grata, and Serbia’s identical tit for tat Serbian response, and it is hard to imagine that the two protagonists are, on the one hand, an EU member state and, on the other, a state hoping for EU membership. “Relations with Croatia continued to be mixed”, the European Commission noted in its recently Serbia progress report. Had that overview been prepared more recently, the assessment would probably have read: ”No progress reported” or ”a deterioration in relations”, in Brussels language, despite the fact that good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation are the key words of the European integration of the Western Balkan countries.  One can hardly talk about good neighbourly relations under circumstances of blockades. These are risky moves, unprecedented in 22 years of turbulent ups and downs in relations between Belgrade and Zagreb. From a formal point of view, the relations are now at the lowest point. On the other hand, that part of relations between the two states that is less visible – economic, cultural, scientific, even sports cooperation and, most of all contacts among ”ordinary people” – is normal and almost free of tensions. It might then be said that relations run on two tracks: at the state level, taking a zig-zag direction, and at the non-state level, whose direction is normal, assuming the form of an encouraging counterweight.

At present, the constellation of the lead protagonists is not a promising when bilateral dialogue is concerned. In Belgrade, power resides with Vucic as President, whereas in Croatia, the Prime Minister holds the aces. Vucic has a stable parliamentary majority and public support, which is not the case with Plenkovic. The two women in leading positions actually only implement other people’s decisions, Ana Brnabic as Serbia’s Prime Minister and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, as President of Croatia. With that in mind, it can be said for sure that there will be no major developments in relations without a direct Vucic-Plenkovic dialogue. The interest in dialogue appears asymmetric. Vucic advocates dialogue, while leaving disputes to his associates. That is what is expected from him, as the European agenda for Serbia requires the settlement of disputes with Croatia. Plenkovic for his part acts rigidly; relations with Serbia are where he demonstrates firmness, recently announcing an initiation of war indemnity claims against Serbia. A tough attitude to Serbia is politically cost-effective in Croatia, and to a lesser extent, vice versa.

Whether encouragement for dialogue will come from the headquarters of the centre-right European Peoples party or from one of the most influential parties within this group, like the German Christian Democrats, is irrelevant. With a negative trend in progress, damage control will require a mediator.  Comparing the international position of the two, Zagreb is at the table, whereas Belgrade is on the table. Croatia has consolidated and reinforced its position through EU and NATO membership. Serbia is only on the way towards European integration. The two states are tightly interconnected by numerous links; political developments are followed in real time; responses are momentary and frequently hasty. Furthermore, only a thin line divides internal from foreign policy. Frequent elections in both countries, either at regular intervals or held mid-term, are used to gain support by insisting on issues, not on the solution to them. Bilateral relations are often lost in these elections. For Serbia, relations with Croatia are important, but not the most important in the region. The same applies to Croatia. Belgrade prioritises dialogue with Pristina and cooperation with Bosnia. Croatia’s main task is resolving problems with Slovenia, and relations with Bosnia are equally important. On its way to the EU, Serbia must speed up resolving its open issues with neighbours as a key criterion for Brussels. Instead, the problems are mounting. There are three major issues: borders, minorities and succession. Resolving each of them will require running a marathon, not a sprint. As if there have not already been enough problems, the ”Seselj factor” has emerged. If the engagement of the Serbian Radicals at the beginning of the 1990s was a tragedy, Vojislav Seselj’s political presence in Serbia without any sanctions, following the final ruling of guilt of war crimes, is a farce doing harm to the credibility of the ruling party, and to Serbia’s image in the world.

Another consideration is equally important. In Serbia, an intention to prevent the process of European integration by stoking tensions with Croatia should not be ruled out. In a Europhobic trend, fuelled by the absence of progress in the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as by Serbia’s slow advance in EU negotiations and by the EU’s enlargement fatigue, a new anti-EU platform is emerging. This is why the process of Serbia’s integration is of the utmost importance. The pursuit of identical values and the integration of all countries of the region in the EU would by all means have a positive impact. Contrary to that, taking different directions, would turn the region to a chessboard of a more intense geopolitical competitions with rising tensions. New lines of divisions in the region, with Belgrade and Zagreb having the lead roles, would lead to new disputes. In that case, others might benefit. For sure, that would not benefit any of the countries of the region, including Serbia and Croatia.

Milan Simurdic is a Serbian political scientist and a former  diplomat. He served as Belgrade’s Ambassador to Zagreb between 2001 and 2005 and to Norway between 2010 and 2015.

The opinions expressed in the Comment section are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of BIRN.