LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic speaks with Palmer (Tanjug/Novosti/RTS) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke with the US State Department’s Western Balkans special envoy Matthew Palmer via a video link on Monday, discussing numerous regional issues, the general situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic, economic recovery measures and a resumption of the dialogue with Pristina. Vucic briefed Palmer on measures Serbia had undertaken to protect its population from the coronavirus and on the course of the vaccination in Serbia. Palmer congratulated Serbia on the exceptional success in the vaccination and on the aid it has provided to countries in the region in the form of vaccines, the presidential press office said in a statement. The parties also discussed the overall situation in the region and agreed that peace and stability in the Western Balkans were essential to political and economic progress of the entire region. “Serbia is, and will always be, firmly committed to peace, prosperity and the well-being of all people living in the Western Balkans. In that sense, our country is a consistent advocate of dialogue, solidarity, projects and cooperation aimed at connecting peoples, cultures and economies, which will, all together, contribute to overall stability and better life for all,” Vucic said. After the conversation with Palmer, Vucic said it had been open and substantial, as always. “We discussed many significant matters, as well as all differences that exist between us,” Vucic said, noting that finding solutions that would mean better and more intensive bilateral relations with the US was one of Serbia’s foreign policy priorities for the future. Palmer said stability and security in the Western Balkans were among the priority interests of the US and commended Serbia’s constructive role in regional initiatives such as Mini Schengen and numerous infrastructure projects that would significantly improve the quality of life of all people in the region as well as further improve and strengthen regional economic ties. Vucic particularly noted Serbia would continue to push for reaching real and sustainable compromise in a resolution of the Kosovo and Metohija issue, including protection of the interests of the Serbs there as well as preservation of the state and national interests of Serbia. Palmer said the US supported the EU-led process and that he expected the dialogue to be resumed soon. He noted the significance of the implementation of the Brussels agreement, reaffirming a US commitment to dialogue and discussions on contentious issues.

Palmer and Godfrey: US position is that mutual recognition should be reached in the process of normalizing relations (Beta)  

The US Department of State special envoy for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer and US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey on Monday said they believed an agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina would open the way to the EU

for both Serbia and Kosovo. An agreement on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will open the way to the EU, and the US wants both sides to be partners, Palmer said at a video meeting with Godfrey on Facebook, during which they answered citizens’ questions.

Palmer and Godfrey reiterated that there was no solution for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue without negotiations, which at one point require a compromise. The US position is that mutual recognition should be reached in the process of normalizing relations, said Palmer and added that Serbia and Kosovo should recognize each other as partners. Answering questions by citizens, both officials said that the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) continued to operate in Belgrade and cooperate with the Serbian authorities on various projects.

Selakovic thanks Nigeria for a decision not to recognize Kosovo’s unilaterally declared 

independence (Beta/Novosti) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said at Monday’s meeting with Nigeria’s Ambassador to Serbia Eniola Olaitan Ajayi that bilateral relations were good, but that the two states needed to step up a political dialogue. Selakovic said he expected Nigeria to reestablish its diplomatic presence in Serbia, reopening its embassy in order to solidify the bilateral

relationship, the Serbian Foreign Ministry quoted Selakovic as saying in a press release.

Selakovic thanked Nigeria for a decision not to recognize Kosovo’s unilaterally declared

independence, adding that Serbia was committed to multilateral cooperation through closer cooperation, the exchange of information and support in international organizations.

Mandic: A Serb to head Niksic after almost 80 years (RTS) 

One of the leaders of the Democratic Front (DF) Andrija Mandic has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that negotiations on the formation of the local authorities in Niksic will soon commence, hoping the negotiations will be completed soon. He says that the head of the list “For the Future of Niksic” Marko Kovacevic has called all potential coalition partners, the same with whom, he says, the DF is in coalition at the republican level. “Let us sit down and agree taking over of power from the DPS in Niksic, from where the entire story was coming,” Mandic told RTS. He says the information that a Serb will head Niksic after 76 years is correct. “From 1941 to 1945 these mayors were appointed by the military authorities, is may be said for nearly 80 years. Luka Mijuskovic was an official of the Radical Party and the Communists killed him in 1945, since then to this day perhaps somebody was aware of her/her roots but didn’t declare as a Serb,” recalls Mandic. He says that Marko Kovacevic is a very important branch in the Serb tree. “After a long period of 20 years of Milo Djukanovic’s discriminatory policy aimed against the Serbs, that political project has been completely destroyed,” notes Mandic. “Montenegrin youth is aware of its roots, aware of which nation it belongs to and that everyone in Montenegro should work for it to be successful, richer and to get rid of crime and corruption,” says Mandic. According to him, analyzing all previous parliamentary elections, what was won in the republic mostly corresponded to the percentage and content that the parties won in Niksic. “Because of that regularity, it was said that Niksic is Montenegro in small because the political mood and processes could be registered in Niksic first,” says Mandic. When it comes to the authorities at the republican level, one of the DF leaders adds that the parliamentary majority in Montenegro is very stable. “It is important to preserve for the DPS, who has been tyrannizing citizens all these years, not to return to the political scene. We have left minority parties aside, by mistake of the Prime Minister, and we must correct that in order to send a decent message that the government is open to minorities and that they can improve their status and meet high standards,” said Mandic.

Office: Fifth church in Kosovo and Metohija robbed in ten days (RTS) 

In the village of Gornja Gusterica in the municipality of Gracanica, the Church of Sveta Nedelja was broken into and robbed last night. Money was stolen from the church, the front door was broken into and other material damage was inflicted, and the burglary was noticed by the residents of this village in the morning and the authorities were informed about it, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated. It is emphasized that over the past 10 days, this is the fifth church in Serb areas in Kosovo and Metohija that was targeted by vandals and robbers, which clearly indicates that the Serbian religious heritage is continuously endangered, and thus disturbs the peace of Orthodox believers. Last weekend, the temples in Klokot and Partes were broken into, and three days ago a church in the village of Drajkovce and a church in the village of Donja Bitinja in the Strpce municipality. As the Office for Kosovo and Metohija had warned before, it is indicative that such cases are intensifying on the eve of the anniversary of the March pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija, when 35 religious facilities were destroyed. It is inadmissible that in the XXI century on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, whose politicians in Pristina and international representatives declaratively stand for European values, religious tolerance and co-existence, the most terrible violations of religious rights and freedoms take place on the ground, the statement reads. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija appeals to all representatives of Pristina’s provisional bodies and international institutions, who have undertaken the duty and obligation to ensure peace and security of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija and to protect Serbian property and religious heritage, to urgently resolve these cases and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Assembly of Free Serbia calls on opposition to present one negotiating platform (Beta)  

The Assembly of Free Serbia on 15 March urged “all honest opposition parties, movements

and citizens” to support a proposal for a single platform for the future dialogue on electoral

conditions with the authorities, adding that several negotiation platforms and the disunited participation of the opposition suited “only the current autocratic regime”. They said that “two expert negotiators” should represent the opposition in the dialogue. “That would demonstrate the unity and strength of all the social elements that want a normal state. We had the opportunity to see a different negotiation format during last year’s simulation of negotiations and the illegally held elections,” reads a press release from the Assembly. The release adds that electoral conditions are not a party matter, but rather concern the citizens and their rights to “vote freely, to be informed by professional media, and free of blackmail and pressure at polling stations”.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Izetbegovic asks Inzko to send original text of Dayton Agreement and verified translations to B&H HoP (Nezavisne)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Peoples (B&H HoP) speaker and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic sent a letter to High Representative Valentin Inzko, asking him to deliver the original text of the Dayton Peace Agreement in English, as well as “official and verified translation to Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian language” to the House of Peoples. Izetbegovic noted that for the past 25 years, B&H has been functioning based on the DPA and its annexes, including the Annex IV which represents B&H Constitution. “An original example of the Agreement in English as well as translations into Bosnian, Serbia and Croatian have never been officially handed over to B&H parliament. Unofficial translations of the Agreement are often used for different and wrong interpretations of its provisions, which causes unnecessary disputes among political actors and in general public,” Izetbegovic underlined in his letter.

Cvijanovic, Cubrilovic and Viskovic meet EUFOR Commander Platzer; Cvijanovic emphasizes importance of continuation of good cooperation between EUFOR and RS institutions (ATV)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic met on Monday in Banja Luka with new commander of EUFOR Operation Althea, Major General Alexander Platzer. Cvijanovic welcomed Platzer and wished him successful professional engagement. The RS President emphasized importance of continuation of good cooperation between EUFOR and institutions of the RS and expressed hope it will be intensified in upcoming period. Interlocutors also discussed current issues, including security challenges, epidemiologic situation and other topics. RTRS reports that Cvijanovic and Platzer also discussed the epidemiological and security challenges. Speaker of the RS parliament Nedeljko Cubrilovic supported the EUFOR’s efforts in peace implementation and thanked for the projects implemented by the EUFOR in the mine clearance process. RTRS reports that RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic also talked with Platzer, and stressed that the RS is committed to peace, economic development and the European integration.

Dedic says B&H Constitution must be changed to make changes to Law on Elections of B&H, advocates direct election of B&H Presidency in entire B&H (Oslobodjenje)

In an interview to the daily, professor of constitutional law and member of SDA Presidency Sedad Dedic commented on talks between HDZ B&H and SDA on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H and claims of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic that the changes can be made without changing the Constitution. Dedic reminded that B&H had the obligation to harmonize its constitutional organization with obligations deriving from international instruments 15 years ago already. Dedic explained that the legal obligation to change the Constitution of B&H is not only related to rulings in cases Sejdic-Finci, Pilav, Zornic or Ljubic but it was created primarily by accepting an entire set of international instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights and its protocols. “The ruling in Ljubic case cannot be isolated in a vacuum and be viewed and interpreted in this way, but it must be interpreted in the context of the European Convention and rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, which means the obligation to change the Constitution of B&H in order for every citizen to be able to vote for whomever they want and for every citizen to be able to be nominated for any position, as it is the case in all modern democratic states,” Dedic explained and added that legitimacy on which HDZ B&H insists can be achieved only if it is based on legality and legality can be achieved only by changing discriminatory provisions of the Constitution of B&H.  “As professor Zlatan Begic commented in an interesting way, this HDZ B&H’s story and interpretation of legitimacy means that a political party is actually privatizing the right to represent an entire people and that this is purely a fight for political positions where all those citizens who do not identify themselves with a leader and with a party are actually deemed as illegitimate”, Dedic noted and added that Begic also argued that the constituent status of people must be treated as an interim measure until peace and safety are achieved. Dedic said that other relevant political players must be included in talks between HDZ B&H and SDA in order to search for legal solutions that would protect rights of everyone. Dedic reiterated that SDA will suggest that every citizen should be able to vote for whomever they want and every citizen should be able to be nominated for any position but, apart from this, it is important to make sure that Bosniaks and Croats in the RS are represented by Bosniaks and Croats, while Serbs in the Federation of B&H (FB&H) are represented by Serbs. “It is also important to solve the existing asymmetry which slows down the legislative process in such way to reduce the FB&H House of Peoples down to the same competencies which the RS Council of Peoples already has, i.e. to protection of vital national interests with a clearly defined catalogue of vital national interests,” Dedic said. Apart from this, Dedic said that he believes it would be very important to elect future President or Presidency of B&H directly in elections in the territory of entire B&H as a single electoral unit, in which case candidates would have to fight for votes of all citizens of B&H and this would force them to harmonize their plans and stances with interests of citizens. Asked whether he expects B&H to try to solve the outstanding issues with Serbia and Croatia, Dedic said that neither B&H nor SDA will ever be a destructive side, but there are limits which must not be overstepped and he argued that it is important to keep in mind to create a better ambient for better lives of citizens, i.e. for acceleration of accession to the EU. “Should this not be the case and should Europe not assist B&H one way or the other, then I am afraid tensions will continue to heighten because we are recording a high number of activities of Croatia and Serbia which are opposite to European legal and political heritage, starting with illegal use of water potentials, illegal waste disposal, illegal use of B&H’s property in Croatia and Serbia, violation of B&H’s right to sea, etc.,” Dedic concluded.

If talks on changes to B&H Election Law are transferred to interdepartmental working group, process will take months and changes will probably not be adopted on time for 2022 General Elections (Nezavisne)

The talks on changes to the B&H Election Law will probably continue through work of the interdepartmental working group for election legislation reform which is expected to be established soon. However, argues the daily, this will surely slow down the process, and it is very likely that legislation changes will not be adopted on time for the 2022 General Elections. At this moment, representatives of Croats are the one who insist most on changes to the Election Law, as they want to make sure that Croat representatives in B&H Presidency, B&H House of Peoples and the FB&H House of Peoples are elected by Croat voters. On the other hand, Bosniak political representatives are insisting on amending B&H Constitution first. They also want the entire process of changes to be led by B&H parliament and the interdepartmental working group. The decision on establishing of the interdepartmental working group has not been made yet, and the entire process could take months. Another problem lies in the fact that Bosniaks and the international community insist on appointing representatives of the Central Election Commission (B&H CEC) to the interdepartmental working group, and this idea is being rejected by Serb and Croat representatives who believe that the current CEC members were appointed illegally. The daily reminds that Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) accused CEC member Suad Arnautovic of promoting unitarist Bosniak policies after he recently wrote an article suggesting that B&H should have a single-chamber Parliament and single President. Political analyst Tanja Topic stated that working groups usually mean that the job will never be done. According to her, representatives of the international community have been “Balkanized”, and they agreed to move different processes from institutions to informal meetings in restaurants. Topic underlined that important processes must be returned to institutions, but the international community also needs to remember that in years of elections, everything in B&H stands still.

Court of B&H rejects proposal of Prosecution; Novalic and Milicevic to continue with their official duties (BHT1)

The B&H Court has rejected the motion submitted by the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H which requested that restriction measures are imposed against the defendants in the ‘Respirators’ affair, including Fadil Novalic, Jelka Milicevic, Fahrudin Solak and Fikret Hodzic. The Court of B&H rejected the proposal to ban Novalic and Milicevic from performing their duties in the FB&H government and visiting the premises of the FB&H government. The Prosecutor’s Office of B&H filed a motion for imposing restrictive measures until reaching of the first-instance verdict in the case in order to protect dignity of work of the FB&H institutions.

District Prosecutor’s Office orders investigation against NATO in regards to 1995 bombing (ATV)

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Doboj ordered investigation against NATO due to 1995 air strikes on Doboj and Teslic. The District Prosecutor’s Office Doboj has launched an investigation on 3 March about individuals from NATO aviation suspected of committing criminal offenses against civilians during bombing of Doboj and Teslic in August, 1995. It was underlined from abovementioned institution that they passed order to conduct investigation against unknown perpetrator or perpetrators due to grounded suspicion that they committed a criminal offense against civilians during NATO aviation’s bombing of military and civil targets in Doboj and Teslic. President of the Association of the RS Army Veterans (BORS) Milomir Savcic hopes for wider investigation. Savcic stressed that it would be good to clarify the role of NATO in wartime period. According to Savcic, NATO conducted air strike operations with goal to provide support to forces of Muslim-Croat Federation in the war against the Republika Srpska (RS) Army. Reporter noted that this case was reconstructed after it was destroyed in 2014 floods. ATV learns that a prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H had insight into this case. According to ATV, more than 100 civilians died during NATO aggression on the RS and the population is still suffering consequences of depleted uranium bombing.

Kovacevic: I’ll invite Koprivica to meeting on Tuesday to agree on local government formation asap (CdM)

The leader of the For the Future of Niksic list Marko Kovacevic has announced a meeting with the leader of the Peace is Our Nation list Momo Koprivica, in order to agree on the formation of the local government. He has also announced the participation of the representatives of the Black on White list in the negotiations on the possible government formation. “At that meeting, I will propose that Tatjana Djurisic Becanovic, who was the leader of the Black on White list in our city, join us in the negotiations. It is necessary for us to finish this part of the work as soon as possible in order to start working together to recover our city, because the residents of Niksic expect that from us,” Kovacevic concluded.

Medojevic on election results (CdM)

The leader of the Movement for Changes Nebojsa Medojevic says that the local elections in Nikšić have showed that the legitimate demands of the Democratic Front (DF) for the Government to be reconstructed were justified. “We defeated the President of the state, the Prime Minister and the speaker of parliament, embassies, the Vijesti concern and their NGOs, the National Security Agency, the police and all the untouched structures of the old regime,” Medojevic posted on Facebook. According to him, in just 6 months since the parliamentary elections and 3 months after the “big fraud in the formation of the government,” the DF has shown that it has its own political space which it has been successfully defending since 2012.

Djukanovic: With the result in Niksic, the DPS announced a soon return to state power (CdM)

The Democratic Party of Socialists improved the result in relation to the parliamentary elections and thus announced its stable role on the Montenegrin political scene and the imminent return to state power in Montenegro, said Montenegrin President and DPS leader Milo Djukanovic. He also said that the elections in Niksic were not his political end and that the DPS was still the strongest party. “From the party’s point of view, we have no reason to be dissatisfied. Extreme nationalism was defeated. Several months after the victory of the ruling coalition, the euphoria of the winners is still on the scene, so that a small number of voters were able to rationally distinguish the quality of government, and I think that will follow in the coming months,” said the Montenegrin President.

Bushi displays the emblem of the terrorist UCK organization in his office (Republika)

Deputy Interior Minister Nazim Bushi displayed an engraved sign of the UCK/NLA terrorist organization in his office. The group sparked the 2001 civil war attacking Macedonian officers and taking over a string of villages on the border with Kosovo. Hundreds were killed in the war that raged for months. Bushi shared photographs of his office with the personalized engraved sign. The provocative move comes days after his fellow DUI party official Artan Grubi refused to bow at the monument to police officers who were killed fighting the UCK. Grubi did not bow to the monument of the fallen police special forces members, during the ceremony to honor the Tiger police unit. Grubi was part of the official delegation of the government and while other ministers bowed their heads, he noticeably refused to do so. The Tiger unit took heavy casualties both during the 2001 civil war and during the 2015 Albanian terrorist attack on the city of Kumanovo. Grubi represents the DUI party, which was developed from the UCK/NLA terrorist movement that sparked the 2001 civil war, and has personally espoused Albanian nationalist causes.

Palmer: US expects high standards for 4/25 elections (Tirana Times)

The Special Representative for the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of State Matthew Palmer gave an interview on the 30th anniversary of the re-establish of the diplomatic relations between the US and Albania, where he talked about the ongoing support the US has given to Albania throughout the last decades and discussed also the future challenges of Albania, especially the upcoming elections and the need for a high standard process. “There have been many positive steps in the democratic space in Albania and there is still a lot of work to be done. We were very pleased to see the Albanian parliament adopt the legislation, in line with the ODIHR recommendations for electoral reform. We want to see the new legislation implemented and the April elections conducted to the highest international standards,” declared Palmer. Focusing on the justice reform, Palmer noted the progress that has been made, mentioning as an example the quorum achieved for the Constitutional Court or the fact that the Supreme Court is reviewing cases. “The United States is committed to working with our Albanian partners to ensure that judicial reform does not lose its strength and that the progress made continues, that the current trend continues,” said Palmer. Part of the interview was dedicated also to the EU integration process of Albania. On that issue, the Deputy Assistant Secretary expressed his hope that Albania would hold the first IGC conference. “We would very much like to see the holding of the first intergovernmental conference (IGC) for Albania. We think this is something that Tirana has deserved, as has Skopje. We would like the European Union to keep its promise and organize the first conference for both countries,” said Palmer.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary discussed also the COVAX initiative and underlined that the US is giving up to 4 billion $ to support it. According to Palmer, in the coming weeks and months, “the supply of vaccines will increase exponentially and there will be enough vaccines for everyone.”

Meta: Terrible crisis has plagued Albania, do not expect perfect president (ADN)

Head of State Ilir Meta made it clear this Monday that citizens should not expect a perfect President at a time of such a huge crisis that has engulfed the country. At the press conference following the clashes between him and Tirana Municipality Police three days ago, President Meta called on citizens to be ready to defend their freedom. Moreover, Meta stated that he has the names that incited conflict at FRD offices but he won’t publish them because he wants to avoid irritation of citizens. “You think the president should react after the election, you are wrong. We will not react like the people of Kyrgyzstan. We will react sooner because we are in the middle of Europe. We know very well what free elections mean. We are not making their names public, because there are tens of thousands of irritated Albanians. There is no force that stops the president from guaranteeing free elections. In addition, the President of the Republic commented even on the clashes between SP and DP supporters on Sunday in Elbasan, stressing that such experiments with paramilitary groups should not exist. “Such experiments with paramilitary groups should not exist. And if one does not worry about these scandalous actions, of course, the President worries because he knows of dozens of such cases. And it happened that the elections in Shijak were violated, the elections in Dibar were violated. Here the election violators are promoted. The people must get ready to defend their freedom from anyone. Do not expect a perfect president in this terrible crisis that has plagued the country and democracy,” said Meta.

Basha: Citizens will bring change with vote on 25 April (ADN)

Albanian nationals will be the ones who will bring about change in their country declared Monday the Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP) Lulzim Basha as he informed that this is the message he received in every home he entered and every street he went through in Vora and Kamza of Tirana County. After the meetings in Vora, Kamza and Marikaj, the Opposition Leader stated that the citizens confirmed Albania demands change and that the country can no longer stay under the rule of Prime Minister Edi Rama, at the same time Head of the Socialist Party (SP). Moreover, Basha vowed that with the people together for change, change will come for Albania and work will immediately begin with the nationals to integrate Albania into the European Union. “Today in Vora, Kamza and Marikaj, every citizen I met confirmed to me that Albania wants change, because Albania urgently needs change. From every citizen I met, I heard the same conviction: after 8 years with Rama, the country cannot continue like this. The same conviction that we need to change and the time is now. That is why we are united to bring about this change and to start work for the Albanian citizens and to bring Albania into the European Union. On 25 April, all together, we will bring change and Albania will win,” emphasized the Chair of Democrats.