LOCAL PRESS   Vucic: Serbia approves oath-taking of Serbian judges and prosecutors in Kosovo (RTS/TV Prva)   Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that he gave permission for swearing in of the Serbian judges and prosecutors to join the judicial system of Kosovo, agencies reported. “As far as I am concerned, I gave approval as the president, and the Serbian government granted approval after the today’s session,” Vucic said at the airport Batajnica, where he attended the last preparations for the central ceremony of marking the Day of Liberation of Belgrade. He said to TV Prva there were some internal things that the Serbian authorities had to take care of and that they were finalized at the government’s session on Thursday. Vucic said that Serbia was delayed “for two entire days” with implementation of something what it had long accepted while Pristina failed to meet its obligations from the Brussels agreement signed in 2013, i.e. formation of the association of the Serb municipalities. “Today, it makes exactly 1,643 days since they have not implemented the Brussels agreement, not a single letter of it. I can see that Thaci met with the people from the Quint and he said that Serbia was late at something. I don’t know how they manage to avoid looking others in the eyes,” he said. “Those who are the guarantee for meeting the obligations will not even think about warning them, but it is important that Serbia is a reliable partner and it will fulfill its promises,” Vucic said.   Djuric: Ready on Friday for new court and prosecution in northern Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)   The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said on Thursday that the Serbian side would be ready on Friday to create a new court and prosecution office with the Serb majority in northern Kosovo and Metohija, whereby Serbia will be prepared to completely fulfill obligations regarding the agreement on the judiciary. “Yet, what is completely fascinating for me is the fact that part of the international community and Pristina are lamenting over a delay of two or three days, but do not see that they are 1.643 days late for the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, so they are bothered with a three-day delay of the agreement on the judiciary,” Djuric told Tanjug.   Dacic calls on Serbs in Kosovo to support Serb List (Beta)   The leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Ivica Dacic called on Thursday the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as internally displaced persons with the right to vote, to turn out in as large as possible numbers on Sunday, 22 October, and to vote for the Serb List. The SPS quoted Dacic as having assessed that these elections are of huge importance for the Serb people and decide on their destiny in the region of Kosovo and Metohija. “The victory of the Serb List is the only guarantor of the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Let us not allow anyone break the unity of the Serb people. I call all Socialists and all people who have the right to vote to unite so our people in Kosovo and Metohija could exercise rights belonging to them,” said Dacic.   Backovic: I am not certain ICTY has accomplished its mission (Tanjug)   The UN Security Council on Wednesday held its final session on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which ends its 24-year mandate in December. Addressing the UN SC members, Serbian envoy and Assistant Justice Minister Cedomir Backovic said he was not certain the Hague-based court had accomplished its mission even though its mandate was about to end.  

1. Izetbegovic says his father Alija bequeathed Bosnia to Erdogan (Beta)

  The Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, said on Thursday, during a ceremony commemorating the 14th anniversary of the death of his father Alija Izetbegovic, that his father had entrusted Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the duty to take care of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “He recognized in him a future strong leader, and bequeathed him with caring for Bosnia-Herzegovina. I think that Erdogan has been carrying out that bequest very well. Just look at this new action of his, to build a road between Belgrade and Sarajevo,” said Izetbegovic.  He added that many of Alija Izetbegovic’s messages still appear to be current. “I would pay attention to his activity, because he did everything to save the former Yugoslavia, B&H, to save peace, that there is no war, to accept solutions, even unfair and painful for the Bosnian-Herzegovinian patriots, but to stop the killing in this country. And during the war to save the substance of B&H,” said Izetbegovic.   Detained in a monastery over the report of neighbor, Albanian (Politika)   Every year, at least twice, I arrive for the St. Soul’s Day, but my neighbor Rexhep Visoci now thought up of spiting me, Politika was told by Milanka Terzic, who is presently in the Pec Patriarchate under constant surveillance of the Kosovo police. She explains why she was arrested ten days ago when she was entering Kosovo and Metohija, under charges that she committed a war crime in 1999. She says her neighbor, an Albanian, had falsely accused her because she refused to sell him the property where the house of her family was burned to the ground. “I still don’t know what happened to me. They took me out of the bus at the Jarinje administrative crossing, and then they took me, like some criminal, to police stations and courts, under the indictment that was issued in 2016. I have been coming for 18 years to Kosovo, Begov Lukovac, Istok and Djurakovac, where they usurped my apartment, and nobody has ever been cross with me, not to mention to arrest me as some international threat,” says Milanka Terzic (64), retired teacher. Based on the indictment of Basic Court in Pec that she committed war crimes against the civilian population, she was assigned one-month police surveillance, as some kind of house detention. She adds that the indictment also includes her late husband who died in 2001, her son who was 19 in 1999. She claims that her Albanian neighbor, with his son Agron Visoci, promised that he would avenge himself since she refused to sell him the property, and now he is also intimidating Romas who are in the neighborhood. Recalling 1999, Milanka says that Albanians broke one of her son’s hand, almost beating him to death, and that she barely avoided being kidnapped on 18 March while rescuing documentation from the elementary school. She had to leave with her husband and four children on 11 June 1999 Metohija, but they never wanted to sell 12 hectares of property. This is the reason why she was detained, she adds.   REGIONAL PRESS   Dodik: Five million BAM to opposition for attempted overthrow of RS institutions (Srna)   The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik has stated that, according to information he received from the most relevant intelligence institutions in the region, the opposition, which continuously attempts to ruin the institutions of the RS government until the elections, will receive five million BAM. Dodik has said that one of the goals stated in this information is exactly what SDS leader Vukota Govedarica requested - the dissolution of the RS Assembly and the news that the RS institutions do not function. He has recalled that he had previously pointed out information of the intelligence community from the region concerning the planned opposition’s activities. “We know how this goes, which is why we were able to prepare ourselves for such action, so they failed to achieve a goal,” Dodik told reporters in Ribnik. He has asked why SDS representatives did not block a meeting in the House of Representatives of B&H parliament and protested over the embarrassing B&H Court’s decision in the case of Naser Oric, the commander of Muslim forces in Srebrenica. “Why did not you do it? Why did you come to the RS to do it?” Dodik asked. He has stressed that the opposition has the right to choose the method of operation, and that the government acted with dignity and political bravery when it continued the session, although it could have ordered the opposition representatives to leave the parliament building due to inadequate behavior. Dodik has said that the RS Assembly is functioning and that it has made important decisions, such as the Resolution on Military Neutrality. Dodik says that US Ambassador to B&H, Maureen Cormack, should finally stop interfering in RS’ internal affairs, because nobody is either naïve, stupid or afraid of her in the RS. He has stated that RS did not say that B&H should not decide on this, but it only made its own position on the issue, the position that applies to the RS and its representatives in all the institutions that decide on this. Dodik has said that it is known that the HDZ, SDA, SDP have advocated the NATO joining policy, while the RS has advocated the policy of non-joining, but that no one said that this issue will not be discussed before the competent institutions at B&H level. He has reiterated that the RS interprets Cormack’s message in a way that the RS must not have its own position, and said that the "recidivism of the former US administration" incites the opposition to such activities that could be seen in many other countries. According to him, RS will not accept any "measure of possible retaliation" from anyone from the international community, because RS is entitled to its position. “We do not dispute the issue is decided at B&H level in some way at a certain time, we are not stupid, but this is our view, we have the right to have a stance, and when you have a stance, you have a state. This state has its stance, this state’s name is Republika Srpska,” Dodik has stressed. He has said that B&H should not have been created, that it is a state that failed, mostly thanks to the internationals. “B&H will break up one day in a quiet manner. Whatever the RS does, it does waiting for the time to show it can exist on its own, it has its own territory, the government, the people that trust it, the budget, the institutions that function,” Dodik has said. He has said that the RS is the only one that could continue to live on its own at the moment, while B&H could not, as well as the Federation of B&H, except, perhaps, a few cantons.   Inzko reacts to Dodik’s statement against Deputy HR Berecz (Vijesti/TV 1)   Commenting on the statement of RS President Milorad Dodik given after the session of the RS Assembly on 17 October in which he mentioned a possible arrest of Deputy High Representative (HR) and Head of the OHR's Regional Office in Banja Luka Marianne Berecz, High Representative Valentin Inzko explained on Thursday that Berecz was not present in the premises of the RS Assembly before, during, or after this session. In a statement to Vijesti.ba portal, Inzko said that the RS President has no right to issue an arrest warrant against anyone, referring to Annex 10 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) in B&H that reminds of privileges and immunity that professional members of the HR’s staff enjoy under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Dodik sent another message to the international community on Thursday. "Enough with those foreigners. This people should be rid of foreigners. The OHR can think what it wants. We are neutral in the military sense. No one will push us into NATO or some other organizations without Serbia. Is that clear?," Dodik said.   Kojic: ICTY fails to meet goals (Srna)   The Director of the RS Research Centre of War, War Crimes and Tracing Missing Persons, Milorad Kojic, believes that the ICTY has failed to meet the goals over which it was established - that all those who committed war crimes are brought to justice, that justice is satisfied and the reconciliation of the peoples after the conflict is achieved. “The ICTY’s intent is to characterize the war in B&H in a way that the Serbs committed crimes, and that the Bosniaks are not responsible for any crimes,” Kojic told Srna. He has assessed that the ICTY, with the rulings it had passed down, even more divided the peoples of B&H. “Unfortunately, the practice established by the tribunal has continued in judicial institutions at B&H level. The goal was to continue with the prosecution of Serbs, which is evident from the sentences pronounced,” Kojic added. He has recalled that no Bosniak war official or commander was prosecuted at ICTY, while only Serbs were held responsible in this institution. “The ICTY ends its work, and a mechanism for international criminal tribunals will operate as a second instance body. Delivery of the verdict against General Ratko Mladuc is scheduled for November, and the statements by the chief Hague prosecutor Serge Brammertz that the trial of Mladic will close the story, shows that the only goal was to condemn Serbs for all events in this region,” concluded Kojic. The Hague Tribunal will formally cease its work on 31 December.   Plenkovic sends letters to EC President and B&H CoM Chairman regarding Peljesac Bridge project (TV 1)   Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has sent letters to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Chairman Denis Zvizdic regarding the project of construction of the Peljesac Bridge. He informed them about all activities that Croatia has taken with regard to the project of road connecting, reminding that the project is being implemented in consultations with the European Commission (EC) and through a dialogue with B&H. Plenkovic confirmed support that Croatia provides to B&H on the path towards the EU. Zvizdic replied that construction of the Peljesac Bridge has to be accompanied with the agreement on B&H’s access to an open sea, noting that this is the issue on which experts should give a final word. He concluded that B&H will insist on the EC’s mediation. “We are taking about two rights here - Croatia demands the right to construct the Bridge, while B&H demands the right to have an access to open corridor. Once this border is defined it will be known if one right is colliding with another,” Zvizdic explained, adding that political statements cannot resolve the dispute but the state commissions for border issues should be engaged on the matter.   DF to return to parliament on Wednesday (CDM)   The Democratic Front (DF) is to return parliament. Namely, one of DF leaders, Andrija Mandic, says that the judgment against his colleague Milan Knezevic is a blow to that political alliance. Therefore, at the Question Time in The Parliament next Wednesday, DF MPs will ask Prime Minister Dusko Markovic about the continued persecution of that political alliance. At the press conference after the sitting of DF caucus, Mandic announced that the court judgement, according to which Knezevic has been sentenced to seven months in prison for the attack on a policeman, “was one of the most shameful decisions made by the Montenegrin judiciary”. “This decision legitimizes the violent action of the Montenegrin regime that was carried out on 17 October 2015 and the following brutal crackdown on protesters on 24 October 2015,” Mandic said. According to Mandic, the verdict is aimed at achieving another goal – to call into question the functioning of DF, to strip the alliance of an MP and to prohibit Milan Knezevic from being engaged in politics. Mandic also said that it was important that every citizen hear “questions we have for the prime minister and the minister of justice”. As he said it can be done only in the Parliament of Montenegro, adding that “they do not want to be subjected to any kind of censorship”. According to Mandic, DF is in deep media isolation. It has allegedly become a hostage of ill-intentioned editors and media”.   Heated debates and slow progress at SEC, rejected four complaints lodged by VMRO-DPMNE (Meta)   Heated debates among the members of the State Election Commission between members of SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE marked today’s session by SEC during which, out of 43 lodged complaints, only 7 were discussed. All 7 complaints, which were chosen by a lottery were lodged by VMRO-DPMNE. Out of 7, 4 were rejected by the Commission, and the remaining 3 are still in a procedure. 33 complaints lodged by VMRO-DPMNE still remain and another one lodged by TMRO, the Alliance of the Albanian and Levica. Regarding the 7 complaints that were discussed until now, the members of SDSM at SEC, Violeta Duma and Igor Milev, including some other members, have objected that these many technical and essential mistakes i.e. the municipalities are incorrectly stated or are named non-existing parts of the Election Code. This is also agreed upon even by those which lodged the complaints – VMRO-DPMNE, but they also demanded that despite the disorderly complaints, the Commission to be discussing the complaints as an act of service. SEC has rejected the complaints lodged by VMRO-DPMNE for two voting station in Prilep, and at single voting stations at the municipalities of Centar, Gjorche Petrov, and Chair.   Zaev – Shcherbak: Aspirations for the EU and NATO is not an obstacle for relations with Russia (Meta)   The Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the country are not and should not be an obstacle for the development of bilateral relations between Macedonia and Russia, especially since both countries share a position on a sustainable security system in the world. This is the joint assessment of today’s meeting between Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Macedonia, Oleg Shcherbak. The government’s statement said that the Russian Ambassador welcomed the energetic commitment of Prime Minister Zaev and his contribution to the democratic processes that will move Macedonia forward and he expressed respect for the policies that lead to Euro-Atlantic integration of Macedonia, as well as the promotion of relations with other countries. At the meeting, they jointly assessed that “the open and committed policies of Prime Minister Zaev and the new government create conditions for intensifying the cooperation between the Republic of Macedonia and the Russian Federation”.   INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES   Putin accuses West of subjecting court to pressure during Kosovo crisis (TASS, 20 October 2017)   SOCHI, The West subjected the International Court in The Hague to pressure over recognition of Kosovo’s independence and thus unsealed Pandora’s box, bringing about the crises like the current one in Catalonia, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday as he spoke at a plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club. "I don’t think creation of mono-ethnic states is a panacea against possible conflicts," he said. "On the contrary, following the divisions and declarations of sovereignty the setting up of mono-ethnic states may lead up to fighting for the implementation of interests of these new statehoods and, in most probability, this is exactly what’s going to happen." He believes that united states within big borders have more chances for balanced governmental policies. Putin cited Russia as an instance of this, recalling that its Moslem population stood at about 10% of the total and the country joined the Organization of the Islamic Conference to have better understanding of the moods of that section of society. The Russian President recalled how Kosovo’s independence was recognized. He took out some papers and read off them: "On October 8, 2008, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 63/3. The question was whether a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo’s interim institutes conformed to provisions of international law." "It addressed the question then to the International Court in The Hague and on June 22, 2010, after two-year-long consideration the court passed consultative conclusions where it said the February 17, 2008, declaration of Kosovo’s independence had not violated general international law," Putin said. He recalled that all the assessments and conclusions of the court in The Hague concerned not only Kosovo’s case but, rather, all the applications of international law in what concerned the declaration of independence by a constituent territory of a foreign state. "This expansive interpretation of a legal norm unsealed Pandora’s box," he said. He also quoted conclusions by the International Court position by position, which led up to the general conclusion that Kosovo’s declaration generally fell in line with provisions of international law. Putin also cited the instance of how Western countries put pressure on the court in a bid to attain recognition of the declaration and the recommendations they made in connection with the situation. "What did the U.S. recommend to the court? The Department of State wrote that the principle of territorial integrity didn’t rule out emergence of new states on the territories of existing estates," Putin said. "And although it admitted that declarations of independence might violate the internal legislation of one or another country, this didn’t mean encroachments on international law were taking place." "But important problems have surfaced now," he said. "Now that they’ve surfaced in Catalonia, for instance, no one seems to be pleased with them. No one! And that’s what I call a showing of double standards." Putin voiced Russia’s hope the Catalan problem would be resolved within the framework of Spanish legislation but he stressed this was an entirely domestic affair of a concrete country.