LOCAL PRESS 

Brnabic thanks Slovakia for principled position not to recognize Kosovo (Politika/Tanjug) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked with Slovak Ambassador to Serbia Fedor Rosocha.

The two officials assessed that good political relations open additional space for the improvement of cooperation, especially in the areas of innovation, research and development, digitalization and modern technologies, as well as renewable energy sources and environmental protection. Brnabic expressed special gratitude for the principled position and persistence of Slovakia not to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. She pointed out that without countries such as Slovakia, it would not be possible to persevere in the efforts to continue the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and reach a compromise solution. Brnabic also expressed her gratitude for the help that Slovakia sent to health institutions in Serbia and noted that the number of citizens tested for coronavirus in that country is impressive.

Selakovic to Morton: Serbia fully committed to normalization of relations with Pristina (RTV/Tanjug) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic met with Minister for European Neighborhood and the Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Wendy Morton.

Selakovic said that Serbia is interested in deepening bilateral relations and cooperation with the United Kingdom, saying that a more intensive high-level political dialogue would contribute to that. In this regard, he expressed satisfaction with the fact that Minister Morton visited Belgrade shortly after the telephone conversation, hoping that British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab would soon do the same, and that the British Prime Minister would visit our country after forty years. Our interest is for the relations between Serbia and the United Kingdom to be strengthened, both politically and economically, said the Minister, emphasizing that it is necessary to direct efforts towards improving economic and trade cooperation, where there is a lot of untapped potential. Selakovic pointed out that Serbia’s membership in the EU remains our strategic commitment and one of the most important foreign policy goals, and that the new government remains on the pro-European path, expressing gratitude to the United Kingdom for its support to our country’s European integration. According to him, Serbia is fully committed to the normalization of relations with Pristina, which for Belgrade means achieving a sustainable compromise solution, but that the big problem is that Pristina, even after 2,784 days since signing, refuses to implement the Brussels Agreement in the part concerning the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities, which makes up forty percent of that agreement.

Of key interest is preserving stability in the region and intensifying co-operation with the Western Balkans, Selakovic said, stressing the importance of the “mini Schengen” initiative, launched by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, which will make the region more competitive for investment and provide economic and political benefits. Morton assessed that quality relations between Serbia and neighboring countries are key for the future of the region. We look forward to continuing bilateral cooperation on common priorities and challenges, including the UN Priority Conference on Climate Change, which the United Kingdom will host in 2021, she said.

Ambassador Nabhan: By opening a chamber of commerce office in Jerusalem Serbia gains nothing, can only lose (TV N1/Beta) 

The Ambassador to the State of Palestine to Serbia Mohammed Nabhan said that with the announced opening of an office of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Jerusalem,

Serbia would gain nothing, but could only lose, and he called on the Serbian authorities not to go ahead with this plan. “I urge them not to do this, given our friendly ties and the ongoing processes in the Middle East. We have been negotiating with Israel and we shall keep

negotiating and we shall find a solution regarding Jerusalem and other disputed issues. Let friends, who support us, wait and support these negotiations and not complicate the negotiations beforehand,” the Ambassador said to TV N1. Ambassador Nabhan stressed that the announced opening of the office of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Jerusalem represented “a reward” to Israel, which had recognized Kosovo’s independence, while “the State of Palestine, which has not recognized Kosovo, is being punished, for which Serbian politicians should have an explanation.” As regards Palestine’s future position towards the Kosovo issue, he says that it is based on UNSCR 1244 and that it will not change.

Lajcak: Highest-level meeting of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in the works (Beta) 

EU Special Representative for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak has said before the EU Parliament that a new highest-level meeting within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is in the works, adding that the main topics will be property issues and resolving property claims.

In the evening on 2 December, during EU Foreign Policy Committee’s video link discussion on the Western Balkans, Lajcak said that the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo has to produce “a comprehensive agreement that will once and for all solve all existing problems in accordance with international laws and acquis communautaire.” According to him, the negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina already boast full progress in the matter of missing persons in Kosovo.

REGIONAL PRESS 

PIC SB: B&H is single, sovereign state made of two entities that have no right to secede from it; Russian Embassy: Foreign protectorate is incompatible with sovereignty of B&H (N1)

A two-day session of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC SB) ended on Wednesday. PIC Political Directors concluded that the General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) remains the basis for a stable, safe and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H).  In its Communiqué, the PIC SB stressed that B&H is a single, sovereign state made of two entities that have no right to secede from it. One of the topics of the session of PIC SB was the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and the PIC SB heard briefings by certain officials on the topic of reconciliation in B&H. In that context, the PIC again called primarily on B&H politicians to move away from the rhetoric of divisions, denial of genocide, glorification of war criminals and revision of history for the sake of reconciliation which, according to the PIC Political Directors, everyone in B&H needs. The PIC SB called on political leaders to live up to their commitment to publicly honor all victims of the war and to once and for all cease rhetoric that would undermine reconciliation efforts, including the glorification of war criminals, genocide denial and historical revisionism. According to the Communiqué, the PIC SB also heard briefings by the President of the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) and a representative of the ‘Pod Lupom’ Coalition for Free and Fair Elections and welcomed their assessments of the conduct and outcome of the 15 November local elections in B&H. The PIC SB encouraged all citizens of Mostar to participate in the upcoming local elections in this city. Weaknesses that allow manipulation of out of country voter registration in particular must be urgently addressed and resolved, and allegations of fraud must be investigated. The PIC SB noted that it is necessary to implement reforms in B&H, especially in the area of judiciary, highlighting the need to amend the Law on the B&H High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC). The PIC SB urged the B&H authorities to advance decisively on reforms related to the rule of law and the fight against corruption, as well as adopt and implement the action plan on the 14 key priorities of the European Commission’s Opinion.  Some of main conclusions adopted at this session are that decisions of the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H are mandatory and final and the DPA has to be respected. It was also concluded that the Office of High Representative (OHR) will not be closed until conditions for it are met. Reporter commented that the OHR has never been under stronger political pressure, since certain parties have been strongly advocating shutdown of this institution. The PIC SB reminded all sides in B&H of their obligations to fully respect decisions of the High Representative. They also said that entities do not have the right to secession from B&H, and that they only legally exist based on the Constitution of B&H. The Russian Embassy in B&H expressed regret over the fact that it was again unable to join the PIC SB’s Communiqué because, as the Embassy stated, a whole series of messages of part of the international community in B&H are on the verge of interfering in internal matters of sovereign B&H. “The document itself, unfortunately, again looks more like a political tool for promoting an agenda that often has nothing to do with the implementation of the peace agreement, and is even contrary to it. This form of communication with the institutions of a sovereign state is questionable from the standpoint of generally accepted norms of international law,” the Russian Embassy in B&H underlined. The Russian Embassy in B&H added that it believes that the key is an independent solution of domestic parties to all problems facing B&H on the basis of compromise and consensus, calling one to work on the establishment of true national reconciliation, strongly rejecting foreign interference in B&H’s internal matters. “We recognize the importance of reforms, including in the justice sector. However, we start from the premise that the independence of state judicial institutions from external and internal influences is a fundamental legal postulate. We are convinced that this should be a purely internal process. Any attempt to exert political pressure on the institutes of justice in B&H is categorically unacceptable. It is necessary to guarantee them the possibility of independent and impartial activity” the Russian Embassy in B&H stressed, adding that the 25th anniversary of signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement is a turning point for assessing the role of the international community in a sovereign, modern B&H. “We are forced to state with regret that the role of the international community in the internal life of B&H is on the verge of interference and sometimes even crosses that line” the Russian Embassy in B&H stated, underlining that foreign protectorate is incompatible with the sovereignty of B&H. The Russian Federation did not support the PIC SB’s Communiqué, confirmed representatives of the Russian Embassy in B&H. “We refer to the need for abolishment of the external protectorate, as soon as possible, which is incompatible with B&H’s sovereignty, that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) represents, and which does not only fail to contribute to the processes of stabilization in the country but it frequently becomes the source of local problems,” reads the statement of the Russian Embassy.

HR Inzko: Some things have been repeatedly said for last 15 years such as message that B&H should focus its attention towards Brussels and EU instead of DPA (BHT1)

High Representative Valentin Inzko was a guest for BHT1 via video link. Inzko discussed the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board’s (PIC SB) meeting and its messages for B&H political leaders. When asked whether it seems that the ambassadors at PIC always have the same messages for B&H, that it seems there has been no work done on reforms and who benefits from that, Inzko answered that some things have been repeatedly said for the last 15 years such as the message that B&H should focus its attention towards Brussels and the EU instead of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Inzko said: “Some still deny territorial integrity and sovereignty of B&H and we wish some things would stop repeating themselves. What was new, was a deep discussion on reconciliation in B&H. We have stated that reconciliation, although difficult, was needed in many European countries and has been successful in the end.” He stated several examples of successful reconciliation attempts between European countries who were in conflicts with each other. Inzko added that there is reconciliation and cooperation at a low level such as between citizens of B&H and certain municipalities were very good at this, but at a higher level in politics, the higher one goes there is less reconciliation. “We have a feeling that certain politicians make a living out of that, by saying that there is no reconciliation and that the differences are insurmountable”, commented Inzko. “We also talked about this for a long time. There can be no reconciliation as long as war criminals are glorified, while people who are in prison are glorified and who were convicted before the International Court and other courts,” stated Inzko. When asked to comment on what will happen if B&H politicians continue to ignore messages of the PIC SB, Inzko said that the consequences are very clear and stated: “I gave them a six-month deadline. If there is no change in politics until that date, I am ready to address EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs so they can initiate a mechanism (that will show) that these kinds of people are not desirable in the EU, that such people can no longer travel there and to eventually freeze their bank accounts.” The presenter pointed that this PIC SB session was in focus of the public because of outbursts of SNSD leader Milorad Dodik at the UN Security Council when Dodik criticized Inzko. When asked about PIC’s reaction to that, considering Inzko had support of other ambassadors such as the German ambassador who condemned Dodik’s outburst as intolerable, Inzko said that Dodik said a lot of things at the UN Security Council such as claiming that PIC is an illegal institution and that it is not mentioned in the DPA. Inzko added that many countries are members of PIC such as the US, England, Germany and Russia and that PIC has existed for a long time. Inzko added that PIC made some important decisions such as confirming that the High Representative has Bonn Powers and “therefore, Mr. Dodik’s statements are inappropriate and do not correspond to facts.” Inzko said that any bigger company has its steering board, that the UN has a Security Council and so does he have his Security Council which is the PIC. Inzko stated: “It would be better for Dodik to think about how to fulfill conditions of closing down the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and those conditions are very simple: to register state property which belongs to B&H in the land register and to register military property in the land register which also belongs to B&H such as the Ministry of Defense and to solve the 5+2 agenda. He should not criticize me or different international organizations which is useless and waste of time and only further prolongs the presence of the international community.” Answering the question why he does not use Bonn Powers when it comes to breaking the law, Inzko said: “We have used Bonn Powers some 800-900 times. We changed people from office if they supported war criminals and whether it was a case of corruption or a violation of DPA. This was the case in the first 10-12 years. I also used Bonn Powers around 80 times and most of the times it was when I enabled certain politicians to return to politics who were mostly Serbs like Mr. Sarovic or Jovicic who was later the Republika Srpska (RS) Minister of Internal Affairs. But those big decisions such as the ones during the first 10-12 years are now used less.” During the first 12 years, there were issues such those concerning B&H flag and currency, license plates, the anthem and Border Police, added Inzko. “That was the first phase. The second phase is the one when the international community said that we start a new chapter and this new chapter is a chapter of domestic responsibly and solutions. Be the judge yourself how successful that was for the last 10-12 years. I personally believe that a third phase needs to start next year and that we need to use some of the successful elements from the first phase,” stated Inzko.

Position of B&H on 25th anniversary of DPA one of main topics at AFET’s online session; EU HR Borrell urges political leaders in B&H to carry out reforms needed for country’s progress (FTV)

The position of B&H on the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) was one of the main topics discussed at the online session of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on Wednesday. The session was addressed by high-ranking EU officials, who assessed that B&H should finally move from Dayton towards Brussels. According to the EU officials, B&H belongs to the EU and reforms – including of the Constitution of B&H – are necessary in order to achieve that. They also warned that B&H politicians use the past to cause tensions and divisions, 25 years since the DPA was signed. On this occasion, Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated: “Reconciliation requires work and commitment of all of us. There is no doubt that, in 25 years, B&H has made progress towards building stable democracy. However, the path has not been completed yet.” Borrell urged the political leaders of B&H to carry out their responsibilities and implement reforms necessary for the country’s progress. Borrell stressed that challenges remain, especially when it comes to promoting reconciliation and regional cooperation. “Only by standing strong together, joining hearts and minds in finding common ground will the journey towards the EU be able to advance. We will keep on supporting all the Western Balkans partners on their path to become Member States of the Union. This is the final objective. The citizens of the region desire this. Today, 80 percent of the population of B&H want this and it is up to the elected representatives at all levels to make it happen,” Borrell concluded. Senior EU officials once again stressed that the Western Balkans is the heart of the Europe and that the EU will not be complete until all Western Balkan countries become part of it. European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Oliver Varhelyi said that the time has come for B&H to move from Dayton towards Brussels and noted that B&H will have to amend its Constitution in order to harmonize it with the EU membership. Varhelyi expressed hope that B&H will become the EU candidate as early as next year. Varhelyi said that the EU believes that the Western Balkan region is of key significance for the stability, security and freedom of Europe. “At the same time, it is our task to help you overcome the existing difficulties which are consequence or heritage of the war in B&H. B&H has applied for membership in the EU in 2016. The time has come for the country to move from the Dayton to Brussels,” Varhelyi emphasized. EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and former High Representative in B&H Miroslav Lajcak emphasized the importance of the international community for B&H.  “We need to look forward to a common future within the EU. It is fair to say that challenges we are facing in B&H will not be solved by themselves. We really need to work in a coordinated way at the level of the entire international community. But, of course, main responsibility lies with the local, elected politicians and we will help and support them,” Lajcak underlined.

Covic: Agreement between Bosniaks and Croats is crucial (Dnevni avaz)

HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, asked about his appearance before the UN Security Council, where he criticized the OHR, which according to the author raised comments that “B&H embarrassed itself”, said that he had not noticed that his speech was criticized, but the public, especially “the political Sarajevo” may have been suppressed by the fact that he was more verbal than ever before in presenting the concerns of the Croat people. He underlined that such open, respectful discussions are very important and they underline the necessity of dialogue among the high-level officials about the upcoming challenges. Covic elaborated that he informed international officials about the necessity to change the electoral legislation and failure to implement the agreement, which defined the further steps in this regard. “I have expressed outrage with the trend of illegal characterization of the Croat people as a minority and informed about the calls of Bosniak parties for violation of the Dayton Agreement now and in 2002. I have also underlined ignoring of legitimacy of member of B&H Presidency and illegality and illegitimacy of B&H CEC and failure to carry out agreements signed before international officials, such was agreement from Mostar” said Covic. He noted that he also underlined importance of EU and NATO integration and all future changes that would help B&H to become secure and prosperous country, adding that these are only some of the issues that the Croat people and their legitimate representatives are facing. “Reactions to my address from the international community, were very positive. Therefore, I see no reason for part of the public to report otherwise, to distort the image of what I said publicly and that I have underlined. These are all the facts and reality of B&H,” said Covic. He underlined that the mentioned meeting presented the realistic image of BIH, and necessity of dialogue of international officials with legitimate representatives of the peoples. Asked about the “story about the third entity” and statement of Milorad Dodik, according to which Bakir Izetbegovic promised third entity to Covic, HDZ leader noted that it is nothing new that Croat people is attempted to be accused of various conspiracy theories, plots and plans, while the real truth is that for decades the Croat people is trying to find model to protect their rights and their identity in B&H. He underlined that legitimate Croat representatives advocate respecting of the Constitution and rights of constituent peoples. “We insist on an open dialogue and consensus of legitimate officials and Euro-Atlantic path of B&H. I see nothing disputable in this. What is disputable, are failure to respect signed agreements, aggressive violation of rights of a constituent people, illegitimate representatives…Those are the things that obstruct us and the sooner we understand this the better we will all be”, said Covic. Commenting the 25th anniversary of Dayton Peace Agreement, Covic said that unfortunately DPA has not stipulated brutal violation of rights of a constituent people, which destabilize dialogue and progress on a daily base. He underlined that it is necessary to face these facts and turn towards the issues such as socioeconomic progress and EU and NATO path, and not to have political programs of certain parties based on “usurping of constitutionally guaranteed rights of Croats in B&H”. “Their politics of hatred is unsustainable. On the other side, politics led by legitimate representatives of Croat people is a politics of European values and standards, dedicated to peaceful and prosperous coexistence and progress,” said Covic. Asked about changes of Election Law and his optimism that they will be carried out in first half of 2021, Covic said lately European and international officials demonstrated increased interest in this matter and there are more and more people who understand importance of the changes that will guarantee legitimacy of elected representatives. He stressed that this would lead to relaxation of political dialogue and enable officials to focus on daily issues important to citizens. Stressing that all reforms demand political dialogue, Covic stressed: “In this particular case, it is crucial between representatives of Croat and Bosniak people”. He called on Bosniak representatives to respect and implement signed agreements. Covic said that on Monday he held a meeting in Mostar with SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic, last week he met SDA leader Izetbegovic and on Tuesday with SNSD leader Dodik, adding that they also discussed NATO integration and especially the upcoming elections in Mostar. Asked about expectations from election of Joe Biden, Covic noted that USA are longtime partner and friend of B&H and we can expect dedicated attention from the new Administration. He underlined that stability, peace and development of B&H are important for EU and US partners and he trusts that the cooperation will continue in this direction. Covic elaborated that it is necessary to openly underline issues in B&H, most notably the violations of rights of the Croat people.

Kristo addresses PACE rapporteurs for B&H (Vecernji list)

Deputy speaker of the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) and member of Delegation of the Parliament of B&H to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) Borjana Kristo (HDZ B&H) took part in a video-conference with PACE Monitoring Committee’s rapporteurs for B&H. They talked about implementation of the (PACE’s) Resolution 2201 – ‘The honoring of obligations and commitments by B&H’ and about recently held local elections in B&H as well as about the forthcoming local elections in Mostar. Commenting on the Resolution 2201, Kristo said that, unfortunately, the situation has not changed, arguing that ‘we’ still have imposition and adoption of illegal decisions, aspirations towards Unitarianism, which is against the constitutional structure of B&H, as a state of three constituent peoples. Kristo also noted that members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H were appointed illegally, by ignoring provisions of the Law on Elections of B&H, which has led to a situation in which the CDEC has lost the legality and legitimacy and which is why any decision of one such body cannot be accepted as legally valid. Kristo further noted that political rights of Croats were usurped for the third time in 2018 when Croat member of the Presidency of B&H was elected owing to Bosniak votes. As a positive issue, Kristo cited the issue of adoption of changes to the Law on Elections of B&H that have enabled local elections in Mostar after 12 years, also reminding of necessity of implementation of the second part of the Mostar agreement about legitimate representation of peoples. In that context Kristo said that reform to the electoral legislation in the spirit of implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H is a priority, adding that finding solutions in the matter would relax political relations in the country thus achieving progress on the Euro-Atlantic path, which is currently at a standstill. The daily also reports that PACE Monitoring Committee’s rapporteur for B&H Zsolt Nemeth said that the electoral system is the core of democracy and that it is necessary to change the Law on Elections of B&H in order to find a solution to the Croat issue in B&H.

Magazinovic resigns from post of Chairman of SDP Main Board due to unprecedented scandal in Srebrenica (O kanal)

Due to the unprecedented scandal in which SDP members face charges for committing electoral frauds in Srebrenica, SDP’s representative in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sasa Magazinovic announced on Wednesday that he resigned from the function of the Chairman of the SDP Main Board. Magazinovic specified that his resignation is exclusively a moral act of showing respect towards Srebrenica and to SDP. Magazinovic noted that he feels huge pain over what happened in Srebrenica and he said that the mistakes in that municipality are huge while the fight to correct them should be “far greater”. According to Magazinovic, it is necessary to learn to be responsible and not to pretend something does not concern them. Magazinovic stressed the need not to ignore issues and that there is a duty to protect Srebrenica and to take care of genocide survivors, who went through horror, as well as to secure rule of law in every sense.

Magazinovic posted on his Facebook profile that his decision is personal and is not a part of something which could be interpreted in any other way. Magazinovic pointed out that he will do his part for SDP with equal intensity as he did so far. Magazinovic stated that his name never stopped him, as any person of a healthy mind and heart, from feeling pain of what happened in Srebrenica. Leader of SDP Nermin Niksic confirmed that Magazinovic remains in SDP and that there will be reorganization in their party after analyzing the results of the 2020 local elections in B&H. Niksic stated that he talked to Magazinovic and that Magazinovic confirmed that this is his personal act and that it is not an action directed against SDP. Niksic underlined that besides an analysis of the local elections, SDP will also carry out reforms within its own ranks. However, Niksic stressed that he will not allow political opponents to use this situation to take SDP down.

Discussion about government program and composition continues today (CdM)

Members of the parliament of Montenegro will continue today discussion on the program of the Government. The session will begin at 11 am and will probably last until 7 pm. Numerous critics followed Krivokapic’s exposition yesterday. Although they stated publicly their remarks to the exposition and personal composition of the government, members of the coalition For the Future of Montenegro, Peace is our Nation and Black and White said they would support the new government. Reactions of Nebojsa Meodjevic were the most fervent. At the very beginning of the session, he asked for a break, so that prime minister-designate “gets the chance to update and finish his exposition”. Aleksa Becic, however, pointed out that there was no legal basis for such an action. Medojevic said that Krivokpaic might be acting under the influence of the rulers from the shadow, but that he “can’t be called a dictator”. Head of the DF club, Slaven Rdaunovic, said that the new government “is the government of compromise”. Dragan Ivanović, head of the SPP club, said he would support the government. Member of Democrats, Boris Bogdanovic, stated that everybody was in charge of ensuring peaceful transition of the government. Milos Konatar, from Black and White coalition, said: May this be a warning not to be behave badly in relation to healthcare system, like the previous government did. On the other side, members of the opposition announced they would not vote for the new government, which they denounced as “anti-Montenegrin, theocratic and discriminatory”. Head of the BP club, Ervin Ibrahimovic, said they were aware that making a program was a huge challenge. President of Social Democrats, Ican Brajovic, said he would attack every proposal they disagreed with and support what is good for Montenegro. DPS member, Aleksandra Vukovic, said that Montenegro was becoming a wonder state and that only miracle would make those who didn’t believe Krivokapic to convince them to trust him. DPS member, Jevto Erakovic, touched on the Krivokpaić’s statement that Montenegro “is a scorched state”. “That anti-civilization term really bothered me, as it designates the code name of offensive Serbian troops in Bosnia, Bihac, only several days after the massacre in Srebrenica. You certainly know what that scorched state meant to you,” Erakovic said.

Djukanovic: Krivokapic’s exposition was fraught with contradictions (CdM)

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has stated that the address of Krivokapic was fraught with contradictions. President believes that Montenegro can’t be seen as scorched economy. “Montenegro is considerably ahead of other economies in the region. It didn’t happen out of the blue,” Djukanovic said. About expulsion of Serbian Ambassador Bozovic, the President said: “I have nothing to add to that issue. Ambassador’s duty is to act in accordance with international enactments,” Djukanovic said. According to him, the Ambassador has met all the requirements for the decision of the Ministry.

Varhelyi: Less and less chances that Macedonia will start EU talks this year (Republika)

EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Wednesday that there is less and less chance that Albania and Macedonia will get EU negotiating frameworks by the end of the year. I still hope, but unfortunately it is less and less certain that we can adopt a negotiating framework this year, Varhelyi told the EP during a debate on the situation in the Western Balkans, 25 years after the Dayton Agreement. He pointed out that the European Commission and the German presidency of the EU are still working with the member states in an attempt to find a solution for the new European integration step of Skopje and Tirana. Varhelyi said that Macedonia “must make additional efforts to meet Bulgaria’s concerns” in order to find a solution that is acceptable to both countries. Due to disagreements over the national and cultural identity of Macedonia, Bulgaria is currently blocking Skopje on the way to opening the first negotiation chapters. On the other hand, some member states, led by the Netherlands and France, believe that Albania has not achieved a sufficient level of reform in the key area of ​​the rule of law to give it “green light” for the negotiating framework.

Milososki: Bulgaria is supported by two other EU member states in its veto of Macedonia (Republika)

Former Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki cites diplomatic sources in Brussels to say that Bulgaria has blocked both the EU conclusions on Macedonia and the proposed negotiating framework. Milososki adds that Bulgaria’s move was met with criticism from some member states but also with tacit approval from others, who oppose enlarging the EU. Some of the member states expressed their sympathies toward Macedonia and the need to open accession talks with Macedonia, reminding that the country first received approval for this by the Commission in 2009. But it seems that Bulgaria is not alone in the dispute it has imposed on us, but it has discreet diplomatic support from at least two EU other member states. Eventually the German presidency cut the discussion short because there was no consensus and the issue of enlargement will be reopened on 7 December at the COREPER meeting, Milososki said.

He added that the member states also opposed the opening of EU accession talks with Albania, but because of its lack of progress in fighting crime and corruption, and also opposed splitting the two countries from the enlargement group.

Today new blockade at government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice (Republika)

The leader of VMRO DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, announced a new blockade in front of the buildings of the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice for today, Thursday, December 3, from 5 pm to 6 pm. “We warn the Macedonian people, the citizens of Macedonia to closely monitor what is being prepared, what is being negotiated. Let’s not be silent. We demand Zaev’s resignation, freedom of the people,” said Mickoski.

Venice Commission publishes preliminary opinion regarding Electoral Law (Radio Tirana)

Venice Commission publishes the preliminary opinion regarding the Electoral Law

The Venice Commission has published its preliminary opinion on the Constitutional amendments and changes to the Electoral Code. In the report, ‘Venice’ describes the procedures for approving the changes as “extremely hasty”. The Venice Commission also calls on the political parties instead of entering into a constructive dialogue “as soon as possible”. “The Venice Commission does not recommend further changes on issues affecting the elections, urging the parties to enter into a constructive dialogue and do their utmost to implement the electoral law in a timely manner; “they should start as soon as possible, and in a transparent manner, to clarify the impact of the changes, and the election administration should be provided with sufficient means to implement them” the Commission said in a preliminary opinion.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES 

Yes, Serbian Air Defenses Did Hit Another F-117 During Operation Allied Force In 1999 (The Drive, by Thomas Newdick, 1 December 2020) 

New details regarding the incident confirm long-standing rumors of an F-117 being damaged by a surface-to-air missile over Serbia. 

The story of how one of the U.S. Air Force’s prized F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack jets came to be shot down over Serbia during Operation Allied Force on March 27, 1999, is, by now, familiar. The loss of “Vega 31” and the subsequent recovery of pilot Lieutenant Colonel Dale Zelko is an episode that we have looked at in detail before at The War Zone. What’s less well known is that another F-117 was hit by a Serbian air defense system during that same campaign, but details of what happened have only recently become available. In the latest edition of The Afterburn podcast, which you can listen to in full here, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Charlie “Tuna” Hainline, a former F-117 pilot, confirms what had, for many years, been a rumor: that a second stealth jet was hit by the Serbians, but managed to return to base. While noting that much about the incident in Allied Force remains classified, he still provides some fascinating details of what appears to be a previously unconfirmed event. Hainline flew the A-10 operationally before switching to the F-117 after the once-secret program had “come out of the black,” and soon after Operation Desert Storm. He also explains that he flew a single mission over Iraq in early 1993, during the policing of the no-fly zone over that country. On that occasion, it seems that “Tuna” targeted some Iraqi air defense systems and had his first experience of being on the receiving end of hostile ground fire, but his jet emerged unscathed. At the time of the Operation Allied Force, in 1999, Hainline was on his second F-117 tour, assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron, the “Flying Knights,” and deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. From here, the missions were of fairly long endurance, and “pretty grueling,” typically around six hours between takeoff and landing. At least two hours were normally required to reach the tanker track, which was located over Hungary, followed by a precision bombing mission involving roughly 30 to 45 minutes of total flying time over the former Yugoslavia, and then returning home via another tanker “top-up.” With just two laser-guided bombs in its internal bays, the Nighthawk normally dropped both weapons on a single target. During Allied Force, these target sets frequently included communications installations, including radio masts, which had to be struck at the base to “tumble” them. Hainline mentions other targets, too, among them bridges, factories, buildings that intelligence suggested were associated with high-value individuals, and petroleum, oil, and lubrication (POL) facilities.Hainline’s “interesting night,” as he puts it, involved a mission with two F-117s, flying on roughly parallel target runs, around 10 miles apart. “Tuna” doesn’t provide the date, but it was certainly after the Serbians had shot down the first F-117, according to Hainline’s account. Unconfirmed sources had previously stated that this incident occurred on April 30, 1999.

On the night in question, Hainline recalled “quite a bit of AAA [anti-aircraft artillery] and at times quite a few missiles being fired.” These surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) included examples of the same Soviet-made SA-3 Goa that had previously brought down “Vega 31,” but there were other missile types in use at the time, too, according to “Tuna.” During their frontline career, Nighthawks almost always flew combat missions with support from jamming aircraft, including EF-111 Ravens and EA-6B Prowlers.  Not only did they lack any defensive countermeasures, beyond their stealthy shaping and radar-absorbent material, of their own, but F-117 pilots were nearly oblivious to the status of threats in their vicinity during their runs over hostile territory due to lack of onboard threat-detection equipment. Even radio reception was degraded due to antennas being pulled in to “stealth-up” the aircraft over enemy territory. Electronic attack support had been notably lacking in the case of the “Vega 31” shootdown, although it’s unclear if it was lacking for the mission Hainline described. According to most accounts, the night “Vega 31” was shot down was the only evening where EA-6B Prowlers were not present to wreak havoc on hostile radars. On this occasion, over Serbia, advance warning of hostile SAMs was provided to the F-117 aircrew by Air Force F-16CJ “Wild Weasel” pilots, whose jets were equipped with the HARM Targeting System (HTS) for the suppression of enemy air defenses mission. So it was, on the outskirts of western Belgrade, heading north, that one of the “CJ” pilots called a SAM launch — right at that moment, Hainline was on his target run, with only around 30 or 40 seconds before his bomb was supposed to drop on an antenna. “Tuna,” who knew he was a little offset to the west of the SAM launch, providing a modicum of safely, recounted what happened next to The Afterburn: “I kind of looked to my right over Belgrade, and [saw] this huge missile coming up — it looks like a Saturn V thing. I knew my number two guy was over there somewhere. Then I see another launch — this big glow, and even from that far away you can see a lot of detail. The plume, the smoke going, and then just this ball of fire coming up towards you.” Hainline called upon the training he’d received for just such a situation, which required him to keep the autopilot engaged since manual turning or banking movements could have a negative impact on the jet’s radar cross-section, potentially presenting the missile with a juicier target. “As I’m heading towards this target, one missile explodes and the other one kind of goes up into space,” Hainline continued. “I don’t know if it hit him,” he added, referring to his wingman. Hainline continued on his bomb run and managed to get his bomb away cleanly and hit the objective. He then headed back to the tanker track, but the expected rendezvous there with the other F-117 didn’t happen. A period was now spent circling around, during which Hainline persuaded the tanker to remain on station. The aircraft then worked to conserve fuel as much as possible, waiting for the other Nighthawk to arrive. Finally, the boom operator on the KC-135 Stratotanker spotted an F-117 pulling closer through the darkness, with no lights on. “His airplane wasn’t in really good shape,” Hainline remembered, and soon after the other F-117 had plugged into the boom, the jet fell away, leaving “Tuna” and the tanker crew wondering if it was now flying on only one engine, or if some other problem had presented itself to the pilot. Hainline called out instructions to the tanker, requesting the crew put the flaps down to reduce speed and allow the other Nighthawk to reconnect. Despite fuel spilling out around the receptacle, the damaged F-117 managed to fill its tanks and both stealth jets then headed back to base. En route back to Germany, Hainline said the other Nighthawk “kind of disappeared again,” but both jets eventually made it back to Spangdahlem. Hainline’s efforts to ensure his wingman made it home safely were rewarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross, a commendation for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.” While the recognition that another F-117 was damaged by Serbian air defenses during Allied Force is noteworthy, Hainline emphasizes the fact that SAMs were a real concern for the “Black Jet” in any combat scenario. He describes how the F-117 would be routed to avoid “double-digit” SAMs — referring to the Russian-made SA-10 Grumble, also known as the S-300, and more advanced types — since the jet was considered “low observable, not invisible.” Even comparatively old systems, such as the SA-3, remained a genuine threat, as confirmed by the downing of “Vega 31” earlier in the campaign. Beyond talking about his time in the F-117 and this incident over Serbia in the podcast, Hainline reflected on other aspects of his flying career, including a period as an F/A-18 Hornet exchange pilot and carrier qualification with the U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron 106, the “Gladiator.” It is well worth a listen. Suffice to say, that mission over Belgrade in 1999 was perhaps the most hair-raising in Hainline’s impressive career. It also goes to show that there are still more stories to be told about the mysterious Nighthawk, the operations of which continue to be obscured by a veil of secrecy.