LOCAL PRESS

Vucic to meet with US senators today (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet today (Friday) with US Senators Ron Johnson and Chris Murphy. Murphy, a Democrat, and Johnson, a Republican, visited Pristina on Wednesday. According to a report by the local paper Zeri, they urged an unblocking of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and said dialogue was crucial for the future of the entire Western Balkans. They also told Pristina a deal with Belgrade would imply solving difficult issues and that this would require sacrifice and hard work, the report said.

Commenting on the senators’ trip to Pristina, Vucic said he did not believe much had changed in the US stance on Kosovo. The US supports Kosovo’s independence, and our job is to “get the most we can get and lose as little as we have to lose” he reiterated.

Vucic: Unity of Serbs in Kosovo is not a matter of a party affiliation but a matter of survival (Prva TV)

Territories are important, but people are the most important, said President Aleksandar Vucic and pointed out that the intentions of agreements to unite all forces in Kosovo and Metohija are good. “First that people must be as strong, bold and united as much as possible to preserve national interests in Kosovo”. Vucic said he was pleased with the fact that the Civil Initiative Freedom Democracy-Justice, the leader of which is Ksenija Bozovic, would be part of the Serb Ticket at the elections. “I am happy that Ksenija and many others have joined (the Serb Ticket). The most important thing for us is unity, which is not directed against anyone else” Vucic said. By supporting the Serb Ticket, Vucic said, the Kosovo Serbs are opposing “the attempts of both the Albanians and the part of the international community and those who they support in Serbia, to destroy that unity.” “We must be as strong, as courageous and as unified as possible to preserve our national interests in Kosovo and Metohija… That is not a party issue, but one of state interest” Vucic said.

The Civil Initiative Freedom-Democracy-Justice, founded by Oliver Ivanovic, the Serb politician who was assassinated, stated earlier that it would participate in the parliamentary elections in Kosovo and Metohija “together with other political options on the Serb Ticket – Aleksandar Vucic.” Commenting on Albin Kurti’s statement that dialogue must exist under certain conditions, Vucic said that everyone seems to have some conditions. “We have no conditions, only the meaning and meaninglessness of the dialogue. It is pointless to talk to someone who tells you ‘we introduce fees.’ We have no conditions other than abolishing fees. in accordance with the norms of the 21st century and the agreements signed” said Vucic. “What sense does the new agreement make if the 2006 agreements like Cefta are not respected” the president asked.

Speaking about the talks between the authorities and the opposition on the Faculty of Political Studies, the president said those meetings were called a farce only by those who did not even want the deal, and that the opposition did not want the elections either, so they find a way out of “fleeing the faceoff”. Authorities are taking part in talks with the opposition on Faculty of Political Studies, he reminded, and the opposition does not want to go to the polls because they know, he pointed out, that “they would lose that faceoff”. If the opposition has such an approach, he says, he has nothing to add. “There is no great philosophy. Don’t worry. People in Serbia will find enough to choose from” said Vucic.

Djuric: Terribly important for the Serbs to be united around Serb List on Kosovo elections (B92)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said that it is “terribly” important for the Serbs to be united around Serb List on Kosovo elections. Djuric stated that the deceased Oliver Ivanovic’s party Civic Initiative “Freedom Democracy Justice” decided to join the Serb List in order to support its country, strongly condemning the pressure exerted on Ksenija Bozovic due to such decision. He assessed that the attitude of the opposition and part of the media is rather scandalous, as they exert great pressure on Ksenija Bozovic.  Djuric underlined that it is terribly important for the sake of Serbian interest that they act united, gathering around Serb List on the forthcoming elections.  He sent a message to the Serbs residing on Kosovo and Metohija that Serbia will continue to support them and stand by them.

Antonijevic: Progress in talks regarding campaign financing (Beta)

The director of the Open Society Foundation, Milan Antonijevic, stated on Sept. 5 that there was progress in the talks between the ruling and opposition parties, regarding the issue about financing the election campaign. After the meeting behind closed doors at the Faculty of Political Studies in Belgrade, Antonijevic told reporters that campaign financing was the most debated issue during this meeting and that he expected the authorities to take concrete steps in the foreseeable future. Antonijevic, who is one of the organizers of the round table discussion, said that the authorities and the opposition found common ground on the majority of the discussed issues and that this was an indicator of progress. According to Antonijevic, the other envisaged subject – representation of parties in the media during the election campaign – was not discussed due to the lack of time. Representatives of the ruling coalition, spearheaded by the Serbian Progressive Party, but not the main opposition bloc the Alliance for Serbia responded to an invitation by the organizers of the round tables, the Open Society Foundation and School of Political Sciences, to attend the talks. The Alliance for Serbia earlier released that it would not participate in the round table because the format of the meeting was not producing concrete results and because the authorities had not shown even the slightest willingness to meet any of the opposition’s demands. The Movement of Free Citizens, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Modern Serbia Party have taken part in the meeting. Representatives of civil society have also participated in the talks. The next round of talks has been scheduled for Sept. 9, when the ruling and opposition parties will discuss the voters’ lists and electoral administration, Antonijevic stated.

Brnabic: Opposition hiding fact that it does not enjoy popular support (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that a portion of the opposition favors a boycott of negotiations and elections, instead of dialog, to hide its lack of popular support. Brnabic reiterated that parliament was the proper place for dialog between the authorities and opposition and noted that the opposition was now refusing dialog even outside parliament. The Prime Minister told reporters in the Serbian cabinet that due to the opposition’s stance, the fourth round of talks at the Faculty of Political Science had turned into a farce. “They called on the President to come and brief parliament on the dialog between Belgrade and Pristina and when he came and sat in parliament for two days, they did not come to hear him and ask questions. They asked for dialog in some other place and now they don’t want that” Brnabic said. The Prime Minister explained that a government working group for cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had been formed to improve electoral conditions, at the request of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), with which the government has been working since 2017, as part of a program to improve electoral conditions in the Western Balkans.

Leader of New Party quits dialog on electoral conditions (Beta)

President of the opposition New Party Zoran Zivkovic on Sept. 5 left the fourth session of a round table between the opposition and authorities on electoral conditions. Zivkovic told journalists that he quit the talks because there was no progress. He said that he agreed with the ruling coalition that voter rolls were the least of the problems. Zivkovic said that the biggest problem was access to the media and electoral campaign funding. Zivkovic called on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to invite the OSCE to check the conditions for elections and the electoral process in Serbia, starting on Sept. 10. If Vucic and Brnabic comply, the New Party will call on the opposition to participate in elections, which need to be held by spring 2020 at the latest, Zivkovic said.

Movement of free citizens: No conditions for elections, EU mediation needed (Beta)

The leadership of the opposition Movement for Free Citizens said that, at the moment, there were no conditions for participating in elections. There is, however, a small space for conditions to be improved, if the EU assumes the role of a mediator and, through its authority, guarantees the implementation of the recommendations presented by independent expert organizations, the Movement said after a presidency session. According to the Movement, the findings of expert organizations show that democracy in Serbia is seriously threatened and that election conditions are intolerably poor. By participating in round tables, where these findings were presented, the authorities have admitted that there is a problem, but they have so far not demonstrated the minimum of political will to implement said recommendations and thereby create the basic prerequisites for the opposition’s participation in elections, the Movement said. The Movement believes that the protection of democratic values, freedoms and rule of law require the more active role of the EU, in overcoming the deep crisis that Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party are directly responsible for.

Jovanovic: I proposed forming transitional government at talks (Beta)

The president of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, Cedomir Jovanovic, stated that, during the round table discussion between the ruling and opposition parties, he proposed the forming of a transitional government. Jovanovic told reporters in front of the Faculty of Political Studies, where the talks are being held, that the opposition’s decision to boycott the elections would be catastrophic and that he viewed the forming of a transitional government as a solution. He said he disagreed with Minister Ivica Dacic, who said that there was no political crisis in Serbia and, therefore, no need for a transitional government. According to Jovanovic, the transitional government would be a good solution because there was no time for amending the law on elections. He said he was more interested in what the opposition leaders thought of that proposal than what Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did. “I would like to know what (the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, Dragan) Djilas thinks of it, as well as the Dveri movement and the Democratic Party, which have remained silent” Jovanovic stated. According to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the biggest responsibility still lies with Vucic. Jovanovic reiterated that he did not have to be a member of the transitional government, and announced that he would not participate in the elections if they turned out to be “a madhouse.”

Dveri leader: We will topple government on streets for rejecting opposition demands (Beta)

The president of the Serbian movement Dveri, Bosko Obradovic, stated that the opposition had nothing else left but to topple the government on the streets, because the authorities had rejected all their demands, primarily those about media freedom. Speaking at a news conference Obradovic, who is also the chairman of the Alliance for Serbia, said he was convinced the other members of the Alliance would bring the decision to boycott the next elections, like Dveri, the Freedom and Justice Party and the People’s Party had. “All that, I am certain, will first make the protests in Belgrade more massive, and then throughout Serbia. Our boycott, I am deeply convinced, will lead to the great rallying of the people on the day of the fake elections. Because, if the authorities do not want fair elections, then they will have street demonstrations. It is up to them to choose. They know that, if they release the media, they will lose the elections” Obradovic said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Deadline for implementation of agreement on formation of B&H authorities expires, SNSD leader Dodik announces SNSD’s political platform as response to blockade (ATV)

The deadline for implementation of the agreement of SNSD, SDA and HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) on formation of the B&H authorities expired on Thursday, September 5. Reacting to failure to comply with the agreement, Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik announced that the Main Board of SNSD will hold a session in mid-September to adopt a political platform as a response to the newly-emerged situation. Dodik specified that the newly-emerged situation includes a blockade of formation of the B&H authorities, due to which SNSD plans to submit the political platform, which would include an analysis of the current situation and a proposal of the next steps in formation of the future B&H Council of Ministers (CoM), to the Republika Srpska (RS) National Assembly (RSNA) for adoption. According to the SNSD leader, this platform is “a chance to find a formula to come out of the deadlock caused by individuals with short-sighted political wit”. The SNSD leader noted that he is performing his function of the Serb member of the B&H Presidency in a way of protecting the interest of Serb people who elected him to that post. He remarked that “political Sarajevo now has two members of the B&H Presidency” referring to B&H Presidency Chairman and Croat member Zeljko Komsic (DF) and Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA). However, Dodik specified that SNSD will submit the mentioned political platform to the RSNA if formation of the B&H authorities is not unblocked within the next couple of weeks. Dodik stressed that it is up to SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, as signatories of the agreement alongside him as the SNSD leader, to reach a joint solution. Dodik dismissed a possibility of accepting SDA’s conditions pertaining to the NATO path of B&H, specifically adoption of the Annual National Program (ANP) for the NATO. In his opinion, the RS’ stance on military neutrality is absolutely clear. Dodik further noted that the political platform that SNSD intends to adopt should be a result of extensive political consultations and, if leaders of SDA and HDZ B&H fail to come to agreement, the RSNA will be asked to take a stance on the platform. Speaking about issues that hindered formation of the B&H authorities, Dodik said that the ANP is not the only reason and that the coalition gathered around SDA has significantly weakened due to which SDA is doing all it can to maintain power. “The public of B&H witnessed that the agreement (on formation of the authorities) was undermined before the ink from the signatures dried”, the SNSD leader emphasized. He accused Izetbegovic of listening to “foreigners” and ignoring stances of the other two constituent peoples, Croats and Serbs. Dodik believes that after the failure of negotiations on formation of the B&H CoM, B&H plunged into a serious crisis, but that peace and security are not threatened. Dodik said that the document which will be offered to MPs for adoption will contain an analysis of the damage caused by the revision of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and proposal of measures to overcome the political crisis in B&H.

Izetbegovic: Most influential IC officials have been engaged in seeking formula for adoption of ANP, which remains stumbling block for authority formation (ATV)

The deadline for implementation of the agreement of SDA, HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and SNSD on formation of the B&H authorities, signed on August 5, expired on Thursday, September 5. SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic expressed hope that talks will continue. Izetbegovic noted that “most influential” officials of the international community (IC) have been engaged in seeking a formula for adoption of the Annual National Program (ANP), which remains a stumbling block for the authority formation. Izetbegovic urged SNSD to respect the Law on Defense of B&H. “If the Serb side wants military neutrality, then it should do that in line with procedures and laws. The lower level of the RS cannot command the state and the defense is a state competence”, the SDA leader stressed. In his statement, Izetbegovic announced that, if SNSD does not change the stance, SDA will have to ask PDP and SDS, which lost the elections in Republika Srpska (RS), to join formation of the B&H authorities.

Bakir Izetbegovic wishes for indefinite technical mandate (EuroBlic)

The statement of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic that he has other partners in case SNSD leader Milorad Dodik continues with obstructions additionally heated up political tensions between two party blocs in Republika Srpska (RS). Namely, in his statement Izetbegovic said that SDA functions very well with SDS and PDP in the Council of Ministers (CoM) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Delegate in the House of Peoples (HoP) of B&H Dusanka Majkic (SNSD) said that Izetbegovic’s statement means not only that he has no intention to form new B&H CoM but also that he plans to have B&H without authorities until the mandate expires. Majkic added that, if this is the real meaning of his statement, then “the existence of this country is brought in question. It is impossible to have only CoM in technical mandate and fake it as if we have the authorities. The Presidency (of B&H) will not work, the Parliament of B&H is not working, formation of authorities in the Fedration of B&H depends on it, what does this mean?” Majkic said and added that SNSD will not let everyone to go down “just because we are trapped by NATO integration. The RS must focus on its own path, no matter how strongly individual embassies applauded to such decision of Izetbegovic”. However, Majkic said that no decision on future steps will be made in a hasty manner because SDS and PDP wish for adoption of any kind of hasty decision that would be “a noose around Milorad Dodik’s neck. Well, they will not live long enough to see it. We said that our decisions will be carefully analyzed and confirmed by the RS National Assembly (RSNA) and those can represent a serious thing in frame of which a stance for future work in B&H can be defined”. Speaking about Izetbegovic’s statement on excellent cooperation with SDS and PDP, Majkic said that this reflects the current atmosphere because there is an agreement on the parliamentary majority at the level of the Parliament of B&H, yet the Parliament of B&H does not function and, secondly, there are ministers coming from SDS and PDP in the outgoing CoM who have no responsibility.

PDP leader Branislav Borenovic told the daily that he is not interested in quarrels between SNSD and SDA and he noted that the current convocation of B&H CoM will continue to work until a new one is formed “not because of Bakir Izetbegovic but because of the Constitution and laws of B&H”. Borenovic assessed that the current situation is mostly a consequence of the decision of SDA to support the election of the fourth delegate of SNSD for B&H HoP in the RSNA, by which they gave SNSD a full control in B&H HoP. “After that, SNSD appointed (outgoing Chair of B&H CoM Denis) Zvizdic and Izetbegovic in Collegiums of both Houses of the Parliament of B&H. Therefore, those three parties agreed to form B&H CoM and I am not interested in their current excuses and mutual attacks”, Borenovic concluded.

President of the Main Board of SDS Milan Milicevic stated that the new Presidency of SDS will present its stance on this matter and he added: “I personally think that the issue of B&H CoM and possible participation of SDS in its formation is not a priority issue for the party”. Milicevic reminded that former leader of SDS Vukota Govedarica already announced, as the official stance of the party, that SDS will support the Serb candidate for the Chair of B&H CoM. Milicevic said that SDS functions in the outgoing CoM because there is no other option at this moment and concluded by saying that the goal of SDS representatives in B&H institutions is to support every decision that would be in the interest of the RS.

EU Commissioner Hahn invites B&H Presidency members to meeting in Brussels on Friday (TV1)

EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said on Thursday that the formation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) authorities is of utmost importance for the process of the EU integration of B&H. ˝I expect the B&H Presidency to take responsibility and continue with the dialogue in order to appoint the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) without any further delay˝ said Hahn. He added that the formation of authorities is necessary for B&H to move further after the European Commission issued its opinion on the request of B&H for the EU candidate status. Hahn stressed that there is no credible alternative to the EU perspective of B&H and the halt in authority formation undermines the expectations of B&H citizens for a prosperous future. Hahn invited members of the B&H Presidency to a meeting in Brussels on Friday, in order to reach a compromise solution in regard to the B&H CoM formation, with him being present.

The unofficial information obtained by news portal Insajder says Serb member of the Presidency Milorad Dodik accepted the invitation, while the other two Presidency members, Zeljko Komsic and Sefik Dzaferovic respectively, declined the invitation. Komsic said that he agrees with Hahn, but that it is necessary to first adopt and submit the Annual National Program (ANP) to the NATO.

IC reactions regarding the formation of authorities (Oslobodjenje)

The EU Delegation (EUD) to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) called for implementation of the agreement on formation of the B&H authorities. The EUD called for formation of the B&H CoM, without further delay.

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) issued a statement on Thursday, reminding that integrity of institutions and laws at the state level should be fully respected in the process of formation of the authorities in B&H. “Being aware of the importance of formation of authorities at all levels, the OHR once again calls on all political actors to engage in dialogue to bring this process to a completion, in line with existing laws and legally binding arrangements”, reads the OHR’s statement. The OHR stated that it wants political leaders in B&H to again sit down and talk and respect the Constitution and laws of B&H, stressing that no one can jeopardize the integrity of B&H institutions in any future compromise or agreement.

The US Embassy to B&H pointed out that formation of the authorities and progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration are equally important, and that the US will be a strong partner to functional authorities committed to reforms. “These steps do not exclude one another. These are complementary processes that seek compromise and building a consensus among political leaders and parties” reads the statement issued by the Public Relations Office of the US Embassy. In statement to the daily, US Embassy’s Public Relations’ Office stated: “While the authority formation is crucial next step, continuous progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration is equally important for B&H and assists implementation of reforms which will be essential for its future prosperity. These steps do not exclude each other- these are complementary processes which demand compromise and building of the consensus between political leaders and parties. In achieving of this goal, political leaders have an obligation to abide by the Constitution of B&H, laws and other obligatory legal arrangements”.

Croatia

Conflict of interest proceedings launched against Plenkovic (Hina)

The Conflict of Interest Commission on Thursday launched proceedings against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and several of his ministers for breaching public office and ignoring the Commission’s request to submit documents related to trips to attend a European People’s Party (EPP) conference in Helsinki.

The Commission launched the proceedings against Plenkovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Davor Bozinovic, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolusic, former Minister of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Nada Murganic and former Administration Minister Lovro Kuscevic because they have not submitted the necessary travel allowance documents to the relevant bodies regarding their attendance at the EPP conference in Helsinki in November last year.

The Commission’s Chair Natasa Novakovic said that the procedure was launched following a majority vote over a possible breach of public office and failure to submit the relevant documents to the Commission.

Prime Minister Plenkovic failed to instruct his chief of staff and the ministers in question failed to instruct the relevant services to submit the requested data and documents to the Commission, which gives rise to the possibility that “these officials did not act conscientiously, responsibly and transparently” Novakovic said. Novakovic said that the procedure was not initiated because of the officials’ trip to Helsinki.

Republic of North Macedonia

Pendarovski: North Macedonia may face turbulent situations (Nezavisen vesnik)

“The security situation in the country is stable. There are no indications from inside or outside to endanger the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of North Macedonia. However, we must bear in mind that there is a period that may be turbulent as we await the country’s NATO membership and the possible opening of talks with the EU.” This was stated by President Stevo Pendarovski after the first constitutive meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of North Macedonia, held after three years.

The conclusion was that the Republic of Northern Macedonia in the next 40-50 days enters a period that can be turbulent both politically and in terms of security, because you know that in the last period we are expecting ratification regarding membership in NATO. And it is understood that in the middle of next month we expect the date for the start of negotiations with the EU, President Pendarovski said.

According to him, in the coming period, attention should be paid to the development of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. VMRO-DPMNE opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski was also invited to the Security Council meeting, but he did not know why the latter was not present. Members of the Security Council include Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi, Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska, Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, and directors of state security bodies. Trajan Gocevski, Veton Latifi and Nenad Markovic are also part of the Council.

Albania

Cakaj: Preliminary confirmation for Albania on accession negotiations opening (Radio Tirana)

Acting Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj, had a meeting with experts and students on integration showing Albania’s so far steps made on its path to integration with the European Union. Focusing on the achievements in the field of justice and the removal of corrupt prosecutors and judges from the justice system, Cajkaj stressed out that this is one of the essential pillars that increases the chances of integration. He showed that the integration conditions depend not only on Albania, but on other developments within the union countries themselves.

According to Cakaj, based on a principled assessment, both Albania and Northern Macedonia deserve to receive a positive response from the European Union structures in October.

“We have a preliminary political confirmation from the Commission. Albania stands at the forefront and hopes of opening negotiations with the EU. This is a process that depends not only on Albania, but also on other developments in Europe. We are working not only to open negotiations, but to be in the right position even after negotiations are opened. We cannot operate on questionable situations, but we are committed to opening negotiations in October. Albania and Macedonia should open negotiations at the same time, but there is also a European Union package that is based on the conditions achieved. In principle, there should be no division between Albania and Northern Macedonia for the opening of negotiations on 18 October. Albania has met the conditions and also has the potential to continue the path of integration” Cakaj was quoted as saying.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

U.S. Senator sends message to Montenegro: Your enemy is our enemy (Sputnik)

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said in Podgorica that forces undermining Montenegro’s joining NATO Alliance have to be defeated on 2020 Parliamentary elections. U.S. Congressional delegation is visiting Montenegro headed by Senator Lindsey Graham, who said that the forthcoming elections will present a major test to Montenegro, and will be “closely monitored” worldwide, as Sputnik carried out.  Montenegro’s next parliamentary Elections 2020 will be a test for both EU and US of whether Montenegro is firmly an established democracy. “Forces that want to undermine Montenegro’s efforts on its path to democracy and that undermine efforts towards its path to NATO are also forces working against us. And it is important that we defeat them here, not only for the future of Montenegro but also for the future of the entire region,” Graham said.  This message of the U.S. Sentor was “particularly sinister when it comes to that part of Montenegrin society and opposition that opposed Montenegro’s entering NATO”, Sputnik announced, adding that this was a message to them that the main American interest in Montenegro is that those forces cannot at any cost win the elections, or come to power, as well as that the 2020 elections will prove whether “democracy will rule in Montenegro forever”.

Analyst Bosko Vukicevic expressed opinion that such messages passed by the Senator of South Caroline to Montenegro yesterday would be considered a threat to the sovereignty in any civilized country, resulting in a sort of diplomatic breach of conduct due to U.S. Senators’ interference in the Montenegrin internal affairs.