LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Serbia won’t protect war criminals (TV Happy)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that the Serbian authorities won’t protect war criminals but added that he wants to talk rationally to the Bosniaks. Serbs and Bosniaks need to understand each other because “Serbia understands their grief over Srebrenica and the Bosniaks understand that pain of the World War II and the victims in the Drina River area”, he said in a live appearance on TV Happy. Vucic commented recent calls from Sarajevo for the arrest of alleged war criminal Bosnian Serb Dusko Kornjaca who was found living in Serbia, saying that official Belgrade does not have the right to arrest him. He added that the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) know that is formally impossible under the law and “are using the tycoon TV station N1 to make the call”. “No one in Serbia will ever protect war criminals. Serbia and B&H have an agreement but it’s clear under that agreement that Bosnia-Herzegovina won’t extradite anyone that Serbia issued a warrant for nor will Serbia extradite anyone wanted by B&H,” he said and added that this is why official Sarajevo won’t extradite Bosnian Army war-time commander of Srebrenica Naser Oric who has been indicted by Serbia for war crimes committed during the war in B&H. Vucic said that, with full understanding of the position of the Republika Srpska (RS), he would talk to the new High Representative in B&H Christian Schmidt, but that he would openly tell him his position – that Serbia is not happy with the way he was appointed, that he is against the Bonn powers and that any action against RS officials would be disastrous for the region’s security. Vucic said there would be no new rounds of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels by the end of the month. “Talks are always noble and can always bring good,” Vucic underlined, adding that he is always ready to go to Brussels. The Open Balkans initiative is a fantastic idea that implies that we do not have to listen to anyone, that we make decisions on our own and respect our neighbors – Albanians and Bosniaks, Vucic said. “We will no longer run after anyone and beg them to join the initiative… Everyone knows that mutual cooperation is the best. Those who do not want to join will have an opportunity to see our results,” Vucic said. Asked about US support to the initiative, Vucic said Washington had been backing it from the very beginning but that the EU had always been reserved. “We can be the engine of the fastest growth in the EU in the future. The Balkans will have the highest growth rate next year,” Vucic said. Serbia is strategically committed to join the EU, but we need to live in the meantime, Vucic said.

Vulin: Dzaferovic should extradite Oric (Politika)

Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin addressed Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic and told him that B&H should extradite war commander of the so-called Army of the Republic of B&H, Naser Oric, to Serbia and also reveal who tried to kill Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Srebrenica. Vulin said that Dzaferovic likes to confront Serbia with what he thinks is true, but “he never confronts himself with what is the Serbian truth”. “More than 3,000 killed Serbs in Podrinje deserve the truth and criminal Oric deserves punishment for the evil he committed”, Vulin stated. According to him, Dzaferovic likes to play a victim, but when the acting is over, the truth remains, and the truth is that Oric has an INTERPOL warrant issued in Serbia and the truth is that he was not held accountable for many crimes that he committed. “The truth is that Vucic was in Srebrenica to pay tribute to the Bosniak victims and that no Bosniak leader paid tribute to the Serb victims. It is also true that they tried to kill Vucic in Srebrenica, without anyone apologizing for that until today, nor was anyone held accountable”, Vulin emphasized.

SPC Synod dismisses Gojko Perovic (Tanjug/RTS)

The Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) dismissed Gojko Perovic from the position of rector of the Cetinje Seminary and all duties in this school, it is stated in the decision of the Synod, which Tanjug had insight into. According to this decision, which was signed by the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, Gojko Perovic will be at the disposal of his competent diocesan archbishop. The explanation of the decision states that Perovic was removed on the basis of the report of Metropolitan Chrysostom of Dabar-Bosnia, in which, as it is stated, certain negative actions of the management of the Seminary were determined. Chrysostom, who is a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops for conducting educational affairs, visited the Cetinje Seminary, and upon his return, in accordance with the agreement reached at one of the earlier sessions of the Holy Synod of Bishops, it was decided that Perovic would serve as rector until the end of August.

Petkovic posts picture of minor in bloody towel (N1)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Peter Petkovic published a picture of a young boy hiding his face behind what looks like a blood-stained towel, saying that the boy was attacked by Albanians. Petkovic said in a Twitter post that he spoke to 12-year-old Mihajlo who he claims was assaulted by Albanians in the center of Kosovska Kamenica. Petkovic said that the boy was injured and had to be hospitalized. According to Petkovic, the boy’s father said that Mihajlo was assaulted by a group of Albanian boys who also shouted insults while he was walking home from a shop. Petkovic said that the international community should be ashamed because of the attack and the everyday hardships facing Kosovo Serbs.

Dacic: Deal in unmediated talks with opposition by end of month (TV Prva/Beta)

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic said on Monday that a lot of progress had been made in the unmediated inter-party dialogue on election conditions and that a text specifying “what everyone agrees on” would be drafted within a week. As an example of strides resulting from the dialog, Dacic told TV Prva that representatives of the opposition were appearing in Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) programs in various time slots that didn’t exist before. According to him, this type of dialog with the opposition entails negotiating the conditions for applying to elections to submit candidacies, who will certify the signatures, the voting roster and voting monitoring. “We have agreed to try to make a deal everyone agrees on by the end of the month,” Dacic said, adding that he expected some proposal from representatives of the European Parliament within that time, too.

REGIONAL PRESS

Russian Embassy in B&H: Schmidt was not legally appointed to post of HR (RTRS)

The Russian Embassy to B&H has issued another statement on its Facebook page that the Russian Federation does not recognize the legitimacy of High Representative (HR) in B&H Christian Schmidt, explaining that its position is based on the fact that, when Schmidt’s candidacy was proposed, the principle of consensus was not respected, nor his appointment was approved by the United Nations Security Council (UN SC).  The Russian Embassy to B&H also underlined that the principled stance of People’s Republic of China, that also does not recognize Schmidt’s legitimacy, is based on international law, whose support structure is the Organization of the United Nations. RTRS reports that in its comment, the Russian Embassy to B&H refers to a number of documents, including the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), resolutions by the UN SC, documents by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) and by the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board (PIC SB), as well as to the practice envisaging designation procedure. “Steering Board (earlier at the level of foreign affairs ministers and then at the level of political directors, now they find that level of Ambassadors in Sarajevo is sufficient) carried out – exclusively via consensus – selection of candidates for the High Representative, who was then confirmed by the Resolution of the UN SC. It was this procedure- and we underline this- that our western partners always insisted on. And it is clear why. Each time, they had to get the approval of the UN SC in order for the HR to be able to use entire arsenal of his competencies,” reads the statement by the Russian Embassy to B&H. RTRS reports that, according to the Embassy, the said procedure was complied when Paddy Ashdown was appointed a new HR in B&H, whose candidacy Moscow at first opposed, but, as the result of diplomatic work, it was a part of the agreement. “As for the approval of the UN SC, our western colleagues were the ones who ‘woke up’ when they saw that Christian Schwarz-Schilling does not have an adequate resolution of the UN SC. Then they designed the form of exchanging of letters between the UN Secretary General and UN SC President, as ‘placebo’, in order to secure his legitimacy at least in this way. Now, this precedent was twisted and used as an alleged evidence that there is no need for resolution for Christian Schmidt”, reads the statement. RTRS reports that the Russian Embassy to B&H called this a “special operation”, stressing that the Embassy consistently underlined that the HR and his Office have detached themselves from the Dayton agenda, that Dayton instrument is used “as a cover” for implementation of selfish geopolitical agenda, which does not reflect the aspirations of entire B&H society. RTRS reports that, commenting on accusation that the Russian Embassy to B&H is trying to destabilize the situation in B&H, the Embassy responded that the latest example self-willed change in the B&H Criminal Code, has clearly shown who is destabilizing the situation, not only in B&H, but also outside its borders’.

Oric states if they talk about respecting law, Serbian officials should not provide shelter for persons indicted or sentenced for war crimes, but prosecute them (N1)

N1 reports that after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Interior Aleksandar Vulin called for B&H to extradite former B&H Army Commander Naser Oric to Serbia, and to disclose the names of persons involved in the attack on Vucic in Potocari in 2015, Oric said for N1 that every time his name is used in such context “they show they have no respect either for local, or international law” because Oric has been acquitted of all charges in the second-instance judgements in The Hague and B&H “unlike Serb officials who were sentenced in second-instance judgements. If they talk about respecting the law’’, Serbian officials should abide by the law by not hiding and providing shelter for persons indicted and sentenced for war crimes, but prosecuting them in accordance with the international standards. “I am an innocent man, and even if someone tried to kill Aleksandar Vucic, we will know that when Serbia opens for public the trial to two Security-Information Agency (BIA) members, who admitted they were illegally in Potocari in 2015. Serbia has a long history of murders and attempted murders of its heads of the state, from the ‘Thessaloniki Process’ to the assassination of Zoran Djindjic. If Aleksandar Vulin wants to know who attempted ‘to kill’ Vucic, he should start with some people he signs the payroll to,” Oric was quoted as saying.

EC: Serbia must meet clear standards on dealing with war crimes in domestic judiciary as part of its accession negotiations (O Kanal)

The European Commission (EC) stated that Serbia must meet clear standards on dealing with war crimes in the domestic judiciary as part of its accession negotiations. The EC stated for O Kanal: “The EC carefully monitors development of events in the domestic solving of war crimes as part of the negotiation chapter ‘Judiciary and basic rights’. This includes the need that Serbia gets involved in significant regional cooperation and good-neighborly relations in solving of war crimes.” According to the answer from the EU, it is expected that Serbia and B&H will fully cooperate in prosecution of war crimes suspects and execution of sanctions for war crimes and they called on political leaders to pay tribute to the victims and promote reconciliation in the Western Balkans.

Podzic: Only reason why B&H AF were not engaged in extinguishing wildfires is failure to reach political decision in B&H Presidency, failure of Dodik to vote on this issue (Al Jazeera Balkans)

B&H Defense Minister Sifet Podzic commented the statement made by Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik, who said that helicopters of the Armed Forces (AF) of B&H were not functioning well, which is why he did not approve engagement of these helicopters in extinguishing of fires across B&H. Podzic emphasized that the B&HAF has both helicopters and crews ready for this and the only thing that needs to be done is for Dodik to sign the decision. “The only reason why helicopters were not engaged in extinguishing of fires is the failure to adopt a political decision in the B&H Presidency, i.e. refusal of the member of the Presidency from the ranks of Serbs, Mister Dodik, to vote for engagement of helicopters. Confirmation to all this, which I previously said, is the fact that helicopters were used during this year for extinguishing of fires in the areas of Travnik, Kupres, and that within ‘MEDEVAC’ mission we finished multiple interventions”, Podzic told the reporters. He added that helicopters were checked out a few days ago by Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo, Brigadier General Eric Folkestad, who visited the 2nd Helicopter Squadron of the B&HAF based at Rajlovac. Folkestad then said that “the aircraft and the crews are capable and ready to fly”.

Abazovic: Attack on TV Vijesti team is a product of atmosphere that certain structures have been creating for months (gov.me)

“The attack on the TV Vijesti journalist team is a product of atmosphere that certain structures have been creating for months, and which aim to completely destabilize the state in favor of organized crime and corruption,” said Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic regarding the attack on the TV Vijesti journalist team, which reported from a protest rally in Cetinje.

Abazovic emphasized that journalists and media workers often work in difficult conditions that spill over from the political sphere into their profession. He pointed out that such unpleasant events indicate the need for a constant political aspiration for the democratization of society and the promotion of freedom of speech and different opinions. The state must guarantee the smooth work of journalists and media workers and take concrete steps in that regard. That is why it is necessary to change the legislative framework and tighten the penal policy when it comes to attacks on journalists, the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.

Kobre and BIA to give final assessment of risks regarding Joanikije’s enthronement (Pobjeda)

Experts from Kobre, a military police division of the Serbian Army, arrived in Montenegro three days ago to inspect the field together with Security-Information Agency (BIA) agents and the top of the ANB, and give a final assessment of the security risk concerning the enthronement of the SPC Metropolitan in Montenegro Joanikije Micovic on 5 September in Cetinje, Pobjeda has learned from sources in Belgrade and Podgorica. According to the newspaper, BIA operatives were in Cetinje on Sunday in order to scan the situation and check on the plans of the people opposing Joanikije’s enthronement. “They acted independently, there were no members of ANB, but of course, in agreement with the ANB management,” Pobjeda says.

Zaev: We probably have bigger hearts than other countries, that is why we will take more Afghan refugees (Republika)

We probably have bigger hearts than other countries, and feel greater humanity than others after what our region has been through, said Zoran Zaev during a press conference on Monday, when asked about the outsized number of refugees from Afghanistan his government offered to accept compared to nearly all other European countries. Zaev has arrangements in place for 650 refugees and said that Macedonia will be open to taking on 1,800 in total. He insisted that there are no expectations that some of them refugees will seek political asylum in Macedonia, and that some have already announced they will leave in 15 days. All who arrive will be given an initial stay of 90 days.

Bilateral issues shouldn’t be an obstacle to validate the progress of any country on the EU road, Pendarovski tells Charles Michel (Republika)

While visiting Ukraine to attend events marking the 30th anniversary of country’s declaration of independence, President Stevo Pendarovski held on Monday a meeting with European Council President Charles Michel, during which he reaffirmed the position that holding the first intergovernmental conference as soon as possible is Macedonia’s top priority and stressed that the European Union must intensify efforts to make relations with Western Balkan countries more dynamic. President Pendarovski reaffirmed the position that bilateral issues should not be an obstacle to validate the progress of any country on the EU road and that in that context a solution should be sought for our country. In addition, the two interlocutors referred to the situation in the European Union and in our country, and exchanged views and information on developments in Afghanistan.

Simovski: Only the parliament can change the census law (Kanal 5)

The State Statistical Office isn’t authorized to postpone the census. Parliament is the only institution that can change the census law, SSO head Apostol Simovski told Kanal 5 on Monday evening. Simovski, says that the campaign for the boycott of the census is active again, and he warns that there will be consequences for the people who will refuse to register in the census.

“We must all understand that this is a mandatory activity. This is a legal obligation, this is not a right, this is an obligation and we must be part of this process. And that is so everywhere in the world, we are no exception. Anyone who tries, for whatever reason, provided that we observe all the prescribed protocols for the implementation of the census, if someone refuses to be registered, and all protocols are observed, then they will bear the consequences. The law provides for misdemeanor liability and there are no dilemmas or pardons for anyone,” he told Kanal 5. The State Statistical Office, stressed Simovski, maintains the positions that it can conduct the census and that all citizens will be safe, because all measures proposed by the Commission for Infectious Diseases will be applied. Regarding the census takers, Simovski stressed that one third of those registered had already been vaccinated, and half of the rest, said that they would get vaccinated if vaccination is organized for them. As for the methodology, Simovski said that it is fully accepted by Eurostat, which issued a statement that the methodology is fully compliant with Eurostat and UN standards.