LOCAL PRESS

Vucic surprised with Michael Kirby’s statement (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is surprised with the sentence by U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Michael Kirby that states that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of all internationally recognized countries, but that Serbian officials had never stated that this includes Ukraine and its entire territory. Vucic’s cabinet informs the public and the U.S. Ambassador, otherwise a great friend of Serbia, that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic personally reiterated, clearly and unambiguously, several dozens of times the stand on the respect of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, even Crimea, as an integral part of the Ukrainian state.

Kocijancic: Technical assessment of bridge agreed (RTS)

The working group for the disputes relating to the bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica reached an agreement in Brussels on having a technical assessment of the state of that bridge, stated Maja Kocijancic, the spokesperson of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton. She has specified that the working group had analyzed the entire legal framework in line with the Brussels agreement and discussed the modes of EU possibly assisting the projects for the bridge that are accepted by both sides. Kocijancic added that the Serbian and Albanian delegations had agreed to continue the joint work in the upcoming weeks.

Drecun: Extensive documentation on crimes against the reapers (TV Pink)

The Chairman of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun has stated on the occasion of 15 years since the murder of 14 Serb reapers in the village of Staro Gracko, Lipljan municipality, that there is extensive documentation in regard to the investigation conducted by the UNMIK police, as well as in regard to the persons who are suspected of perpetrating this crime, but that nothing is being launched. Drecun told the morning broadcast of TV Pink that “much is being concealed” and that “we cannot launch processes against those who are not available to us, but at least we can issue indictments”. Drecun wondered “what we did as a state and nation”, adding that after the first Brussels agreement and devotion to normalization of relations with Pristina, there is greater capacity of influence on the international plane to finally start processing those from the terrorist KLA ranks who perpetrated crimes against the Serbs and other non-Albanians.

On this day in 1999, 14 Serbs were killed from an automatic weapon, and the youngest of them was 17 at the time. Nobody has been held accountable for that horrible crime and the indictments have never been issued. One year later, the criminals also desecrated the tombstones of the murdered harvesters. In 2007 the UNMIK police arrested Mazlum Bitiqi from Lipljan on suspicion of having taken part in the crime, but soon after he was released due to lack of evidence.

Djuric attends memorial service in Staro Gracko (Tanjug)

The priests of the Raska-Prizren eparchy have served the memorial service for 14 Serb reapers who were killed in the field. The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has stated that Serbia will be with its people in Kosovo and Metohija and insist on finding and punishing the culprits from Staro Gracko. “Fifteen years have passed, and there is still no sign that those accountable for this horrendous crime will be brought to justice,” he noted. Djuric said that the objective of those who committed the massacre was to ensure that “there are no Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija”. He underlined that Serbs want to live in peace with their neighbors Albanians. He expressed wish to live in peace with Albanian neighbors and that Serbs never again want anybody’s families to suffer the burden of the community in Staro Gracko, resulting from the crime that must never happen again. The memorial service was attended by ministers Slobodan Petrovic and Dalibor Jevtic from the Kosovo government, Serb MPs in the Kosovo Assembly and mayors of some Serb municipalities.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dacic meets Jovanovska-Tipko (Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic had talks with Macedonian Ambassador to Serbia Vera Jovanovska-Tipko about the possibility of having a joint session of the two governments in Skopje, as well as the further steps needed in order sign several agreements, including the one on the economic cooperation. During the meeting that also touched upon the process of European integrations, cross-border cooperation and infrastructural projects of Serbia and Macedonia, Dacic and Jovanovska-Tipko have assessed the bilateral relations as very good. She passed the invitation of the Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki for Dacic to visit Macedonia this fall, and it has been accepted.

Vasko Naumovski is Macedonia’s new representative in name issue talks (Sitel)

Vasko Naumovski is Macedonia’s new negotiator in the name issue talks with Greece, Macedonian Sitel TV reported. The cabinet of Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov announced that Macedonia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Vasko Naumovski would replace former negotiator Zoran Jolevski, who became minister of defense. This is Macedonia’s fourth official representative in the name row with Greece. The first one was Ivan Vanja Tosevski, followed by Nikola Dimitrov and Zoran Jolevski.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Putin Visit to Serbia to Focus on Gas (BIRN, 22 July 2014)

At a time of intense diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin over Ukraine, Russia’s leader is to visit Serbia in October on a mission to shore up ties with his Balkan ally – and discuss the South Stream gas pipeline.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has confirmed that he will visit Serbia on October 19 for the 70th anniversary celebration of the Soviet Red Army’s liberation of Belgrade at the end of the Second World War.

At meetings with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, talks will focus on bilateral cooperation over the South Stream gas pipeline, part of which is to pass through Serbia.

Serbia and Russia are closes allies and – despite pressure from Brussels – Serbia has refused to join sanctions imposed on Russia in relation to its involvement in the crisis in Ukraine.

Belgrade has also refused to abandon its plans to participate in the Russian-managed gas pipeline.

Belgrade officials insist that the project is crucial for Serbia’s energy sustainability and cannot be sacrificed.

The South Stream pipeline will pump natural gas from Russia under the Black Sea, then through Bulgaria and Serbia towards Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. The Serbian section of the pipeline will run for 421 kilometres.

The European Commission has already forced Bulgaria to suspend its participation in the project, claiming that the Russian state-run energy giant, Gazprom, would have a monopolistic position over the pipeline, which would violate internal EU regulations.

The EU is keen to reduce Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.

Putin’s confirmation of the Belgrade visit comes at a time of unprecedented international pressure on Moscow from the US and some European countries over Ukraine, which has heightened dramatically since the downing of the Air Malaysia flight over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers on board.

Putin is widely blamed for arming the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine who likely shot down the plane by mistake.

Putin was last in Belgrade in March 2011, when he met the then President, Boris Tadic, visited the Serbian parliament, the Red Star football stadium and the Orthodox cathedral of St Sava.

PM Aleksandar Vucic: Serbia will not interfere in electoral will of Bosnian Serbs (The Journal of Turkish Weekly, by Fýrat Hamdi Büyük, 22 July 2014)

Before the upcoming elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb leaders started to visit Serbia in order to change the election balances of the Serbs that will be voting back in Bosnia. Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska (RS) and leader of the Serb Democratic Party, the main opposition party in RS, has now completed his official visit to Serbia.

After a meeting between the leaders, Dodik and PM Vucic spoke with Serbia’s National News Agency where the Serbian Prime Minister emphasized that Serbia will not interfere with the electoral will of RS citizens and that Serbia will do its best to respect the process fully.

This statement was not a surprise. After the victory of the Serbian Progressive Party in the snap elections in March, Vucic, as the newly elected prime minister, made his first official visit to Bosnia and the RS’s capital of Banja Luka where he told the press that Serbia loves RS but Serbia respects Bosnia’s territorial integrity even more. This statement was the first sign of Serbia’s changing policy under Vucic’s rule.

Vucic also stated that Serbia supports RS and will continue to do so in the future. “Serbia will always protect the stability of RS within the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Vucic added.

In the meeting, issues that were discussed included the economic and political relations between RS and Serbia, the renewal of the Dayton Peace Agreement that designed Bosnia’s complex state system and the possible results of the elections in Bosnia.

The upcoming elections carry vital importance for Bosnia. In the years of 2013 and 2014 there was much social upheaval, seen in the so-called ‘baby protests’ of July, 2013 and mass protests in February and March, 2014 that stemmed from the complex state system, economic condition of the country, unemployment and mass corruption. This is the first time in Bosnia’s history that such social upheaval with mass street protests have been seen.

The general elections in Bosnia will take place on October 12. Until that time, without Serbia’s full support of RS, the political campaigns and tempers of Bosnia’s Serb politicians will be questioned by the public.

EU makes statement on the adoption of Bosnia Herzergovina’s Law on Internal Affairs
(Balkans news, 22 July 2014)
Commenting on the adoption of the FBiH Law on Internal Affairs, EU Delegation to BiH/EUSR Spokesperson, Andy McGuffie, said: “The EUSR/EUD welcomes the adoption of the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina  Law on Internal Affairs last Friday by the FBiH House of Peoples. This law will further improve the professional police work at Federation level, protected from unwanted political interference. Laws on Internal Affairs play a critical role in entrenching the rule of law. They are key to minimizing the risk of undue influence over police operations and ensuring uniform standards related to appointments, organizational aspects and accountability principles. This law follows best international practice and is in line the international community’s long standing efforts to develop police legislation in BiH.”
Djukanovic Faces Grilling Over Journalist’s Death (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 23 July 2014)
The Prime Minister will ‘soon’ face questions from the state prosecutor about what he knew of the murder of the prominent journalist Dusko Jovanovic ten years ago
Montenegro’s Prime Minister faces an imminent grilling by the judicial authorities after the Supreme State Prosecutor on Tuesday said Milo Djukanovic would “soon” be questioned as part of a reopened investigation into the 2004 murder of a journalist.
“Djukanovic’s hearing will be conducted soon,” Prosecutor Veselin Vuckovic said, although he did not announce a precise date for the hearing of the Prime Minister.
Dusko Jovanovic, who was both editor-in-chief and owner of the daily newspaper Dan, and well known for taking a critical line towards the government, was shot dead leaving his office in Podgorica on 27 May 2004. Prior to his death, Jovanovic received numerous death threats.
Damir Mandic was jailed for 18 years in 2012 as an accomplice to the crime, but remains the only perpetrator to be convicted. The masterminds behind the murder are still at large.
The only step forward in a decade has been the recent announcement by the state prosecutor that the investigation has been reopened and that several people have been interrogated.
Prosecutors in Podgorica relaunched a probe into the unsolved murder back in February. It resumed with the questioning of several top policemen, including the former head of the Podgorica force, Milan Vijanovic, and senior officers Milan Tomic and Tihomir Gacevic.
The prosecution said it will request additional information from former Interior Minister Andrija Jovicevic, investigating judge Miroslav Basovic and Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Dusko Markovic, who was intelligence chief in 2004.
Earlier, the state prosecutor Vuckovic said the prosecution had checked every detail of the existing investigation into the murder.
“The prosecution will not stop there, it will go all the way until the murder is fully solved and all participants in the crime are identified,” Vuckovic said.
In late June, the OSCE representative on media freedom, Dunja Mijatovic, urged the authorities to end the apparent climate of impunity for attacks on journalists.
“I urge the authorities to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation in the case of Jovanovic to identify those behind the crime, and bring them to justice,” Mijatovic said.
Serbs in Croatia ‘Legitimately Wanted Own State’ (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 22 July 2014)
Former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic told his war crimes trial that Serbs in Croatia were justified in wanting an independent state like the Croats after Yugoslavia broke up
Testifying in his own defence at the Hague Tribunal on Tuesday, wartime Croatian Serb leader Hadzic said that local Serbs wanted to remain part of Yugoslavia, but if that wasn’t possible, they were legitimate in demanding their own state.
“We didn’t want to live in Croatia…And if they [Croats] could create their own state, we [local Serbs in Croatia] could do the same,” he said.
Hadzic, the former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina, a self-proclaimed Serb statelet in Croatia during wartime, is accused of a series of crimes including the deportation of tens of thousands of non-Serbs and the murders of hundreds more from June 1991 to December 1993.
He told the international court that one of the main reasons why the Republic of Serbian Krajina was formed was that local Serbs didn’t want to obey Croatian laws.
“If they [Croats] could have they own laws, we could have ours,” he insisted.
Asked by the prosecutor if the Republic of Serbian Krajina was a mono-ethnic state, consisting only of local Serbs, Hadzic responded: “There were Croat villages, there were Serb villages, but there were also a mixed one.”
According to Hadzic, his statelet was legitimate because “Croats voted to have their own state, [but] Serbs voted to stay in Yugoslavia”.
Croatia become independent from Yugoslavia in June 1991 after the majority of people voted in favour, but Serbs, backed by Belgrade, wanted to stay within Yugoslavia. War then broke out, mainly in areas dominated by Serbs and near the Serbian border.
The trial continues.