LOCAL PRESS

Drecun: Strong network of radical Islam exists in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)

A strong network of radical Islam, extremism and terrorism exists in Kosovo and Metohija, and many members of this network are engaged as Jihadists on battlefields in Syria and Iraq, the Serbian parliament’s Committee for Kosovo and Metohija has noted today, the Committee’s Chair Milovan Drecun told Tanjug. “Based on the information presented to us by the competent services, we have concluded there is no concrete ascertainment on preparation of terrorist attacks on Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija,” Drecun said following the Committee’s session, which was closed for the public. According to him, individual cases are possible. He said that the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija examined at today’s session the level of risk and security for Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province over the presence of radical Islamists and Jihadists-returnees from Syria and Iraq. “The session was closed for the public because the material we received from the competent services was identified as strictly confidential,” said Drecun. He said that Committee members were very pleased with the information they had received from members of the Security Information Agency, the Serbian Interior Ministry and the Military Intelligence Agency. “They gave us comprehensive information and we had a completely open conversation, based on which we have concluded that they are absolutely monitoring the events, that they are engaged with all capacities, and that they are trying to act preventively and internally,” said Drecun. He said that an especially prominent aspect of the performance of these services is in connecting with relevant international institutions and services so they can monitor what is happening in Kosovo and Metohija. Asked whether it was true that KFOR was intensifying its presence in Kosovo and Metohija because of all that, Drecun said that it is not up to him to interpret this and that KFOR will announce officially the motive of possible intensification of military presence of its forces.

Jahjaga (not) coming to Belgrade (Danas)

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga received an official invitation to take part in the regional conference on economic cooperation in Belgrade, which will be held on 1 November, Danas was told at the cabinet of the Kosovo president, but wasn’t told whether she will come to Belgrade. “You will be informed in due time,” Kosovo president’s advisor Arber Vlahiu told Danas. Danas was unable to receive yesterday from the Serbian Foreign Ministry any official information on the announced regional summit, but more details will be known in the course of the day. Danas unofficially learns that at issue is a regional conference on economic and commercial cooperation of regional countries, where the foreign ministers should take part. Since the Kosovo government has not been formed yet, the invitation for participation in the gathering in Belgrade was sent to Atifete Jahjaga as the Kosovo representative. Danas also didn’t get an answer from the Kosovo institutions whether someone apart from the president will come to Belgrade. According to unofficial information in Belgrade, the meeting will be held on 23 October, but there is a possibility of postponing it if the EU representatives decide. The meeting will be held according to the “Gymnich formula” that implies participants to be represented by name and last name, without state symbols and others signs. Danas was unable to receive official information from the judicial institutions and the Interior Ministry regarding Hashim Thaqi’s precise status and whether he could theoretically visit Belgrade. Unofficially, Danas was told that the search after him is still in effect and that some sort of investigative procedure for war crimes is being conducted against him.

Hoxhaj coming to Belgrade with an “asterisk”? (Novosti)

If the representatives of the Kosovo provisional institutions accept Belgrade’s invitation to take part in the meeting on 26 October, which will be attended by regional foreign and economy ministers, they will not have the attributes of Kosovo’s “statehood” at this gathering. Namely, according to Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the meeting will be held in the so-called Gymnich format, without status determinants and state attributes. That practically means that only a name plate will be in front of Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj. An invitation has been sent to Pristina, but for the time being there is no confirmation on his arrival. Regarding speculations that Atifete Jahjaga might come to Belgrade, Serbian president’s advisor Ivan Mrkic tells Novosti that the president is not involved in any preparations for her arrival. “Representatives of the provisional institutions have already been in Belgrade, we meet with them at regional meetings and outside the country, but the rules are known. This must be either without state attributes or with an asterisk along the Kosovo plate. Novosti was unofficially told at the EU mission in Belgrade that they don’t know about the event organized by the European Commission on 1 November when Jahjaga might come to Belgrade.

Search for a mass grave near Djakovica (Politika)

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution, in cooperation with the War Crimes Investigative Unit with the EULEX Prosecution, have received information on the location of a potential mass grave of Serb civilians in the village of Piskot on the territory of the Djakovica municipality, killed during the armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija in 1998 and 1999. The Serbian Prosecution announced that eventual mortal remains on this location could belong to victms of the crimes of the KLA members in the Likovac camp. There is video footage from the camp in Likovac in the Srbica municipality, showing members of the KLA’s “Drenica group” and four kidnapped Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. The “Drenica group” intensified activities in May 1998 in this region, attacking several towns and villages, and kidnapping at least 30 Serb and 11 Albanian civilians, as well as several policemen. Members of the group set up checkpoints and kidnapped civilians and employees of the Interior Ministry in Glogovac, Klina, Lapusnik, Komorane, Pantina, Likosane, Rakos and Leocina. During that time, KLA camps for prisoners were formed in Likovac, Ovcarevo, Lapusnik, Trpez and Klecka. The victims in the camps were tortured and murdered. EULEX issued an indictment against seven members of the KLA “Drenica group” for war crimes in the Likovac camp in 1998. The accused include two top officials of Hashim Thaqi’s Democratic Party of Kosovo, former KLA commander for the Drenica region Sulejman Selimi and former Drenica commander Sami Ljustaku. EULEX Prosecutor Maurizio Salustro charged Ljustaku, Sabit Gezi and Sahit Jashari with murder, while Selimi, Hisni Thaqi, Zecir and Jahir Demaku are charged with torturing prisoners in the Likovac camp.

Brussels’ criticism over Kosovo (Novosti)

The report of the European Commission on Serbia’s progress has been drafted on some 70 pages and is generally positively colored, but three fields will continue to be treated as problematic: implementation of the Brussels agreement, the judiciary and human rights, as well as harmonization of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU, Novosti learns. Chapter 35 that also refers to the normalization of relations with Pristina will receive a plus-minus grade. Past efforts in the implementation of the Brussels agreement will be assessed positively, but a number of objections will be presented for the delays in the integration of the Serbian judiciary in northern Kosovo into the Pristina system. The European Commission will also request an urgent resumption of the dialogue. The report will not carry a direct request for Serbia to introduce sanctions to Russia, but it will request a higher level of harmonization of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU, and the recommendation will be “for Serbia to pay more attention to coordination with Brussels’ actions and decisions”.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H authorities have shown no willingness for negotiation process (Dnevni avaz)

At the headquarters of the European Union institutions, there are intensive preparations being made for tomorrow’s presentation of the annual progress reports for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey. The report will be presented to the European Parliament by EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule. In this regard, an unofficial meeting was held with journalists from the region and senior officials of the EU. Unlike in previous years, when the EU would use variations of words to describe the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), like “little progress” or “limited progress” this year we really need to be honest and say: B&H hasn’t made any progress. Of all the countries in the region, B&H has indeed become the “problem child.” This is really troubling – said an unmanned senior EU official. The official pointed out that the European Commission respects the complicated constitutional structure of B&H, but noted that this cannot be an excuse for B&H which hasn’t shown a genuine enthusiasm for embarking on the negotiation process. It’s something that, if it continues, can really destroy B&H. Although these warnings regarding B&H are, after a number of years, starting to become frustrating, Brussels does not intend to abandon the intensive cooperation with B&H officials.

In any event, the countries of the Western Balkans will have to focus in the upcoming period on fulfilling the obligations from the Chapters 23 and 24 and others related to rule of law.

Therefore, it is highlighted that countries like B&H should as soon as possible start their negotiations on the operating agreements, among others, with EUROPOL.

Mogherini: Political will is needed to solve the “FYROM” name issue (Republika/MIA)

Political will is needed to solve the “FYROM” name issue, newly appointed European High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said at her European Parliament hearing on Monday evening, using the Greek favored shorthand for the Republic of Macedonia. MIA correspondent from Brussels reports that from the 50 questions she received from members of Parliament, Mogherini was asked about Macedonia by Slovenian MEP Alojz Peterle, who also chairs the mixed Committee of the European and the Macedonian Parliament. Peterle asked the last question of the hearing, and he asked Mogherini how she views the future of the Balkan countries and their EU integrations. Answering the question, Mogherini, which is expected to take the place of Catherine Ashton at the helm of European diplomacy, said that she is happy she got a question about the Balkans region. In her comments she used the word “FYROM”, considered offensive in Macedonia. “We risk doubling our problems if we don’t work to integrate these countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina is priority number one, to secure the growth and a way out of the crisis following their elections. Talks between Serbia and Kosovo are proceeding well on the technical level, but they should do so on the political level as well. Albania has a unique chance to reform, and Montenegro is on the top of the list of progress toward the Union. Regarding “FYROM” and the name issue, I believe that we need to find the political will to solve it,” Mogherini said, adding that she hopes she hasn’t forgotten some country from the Balkans. Federica Mogherini also said that the EU should take care of the neighborhood, both the Balkans and Turkey, and that she considers the enlargement policy to be a good mechanism. In the hearing that lasted over three hours, the Italian diplomat answered mostly on questions about European relations with Russia and the situation in Ukraine. She kept repeating that the Union needs to remain tied with Russia, which is not a partner, but is a neighbor. Mogherini promised she will focus on defense and security policies, prevention of crisis and their management. She also said that the European Union should receive a permanent United Nations Security Council position, instead of France and the United Kingdom.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo to Probe Suspected Mass Grave of Serbs (BIRN, by Milka Domanovic, 6 October 2014)

The authorities will investigate the suspected mass grave near the town of Djakovica in Kosovo where Serbs killed by guerrillas during the late 1990s war could be buried

The Serbian war crimes prosecution and the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, have information that Serbs killed by Kosovo Liberation Army fighters at a detention camp in Likovc/Likovac during the war could be buried in the suspected mass grave, the prosecution said on Monday.

“The Serbian war crimes prosecution in cooperation with the war crimes investigation unit of the EULEX prosecution have information about the location of a potential mass grave in the village of Piskota in the municipality of Djakovica, where the remains of Serb civilians who died during the armed conflict in Kosovo from 1998-99 were buried,” the prosecution said in a statement.

The statement said that EULEX prosecutors have ordered an exhumation, autopsies and the identification of possible human remains at the site.

Crimes against prisoners held at the Likovc/Likovac detention camp form part of the indictment in the ongoing trial of several senior Kosovo Liberation Army ex-officials, including Sylejman Selimi, Pristina’s former ambassador to Tirana and security forces commander, and Sami Lushtaku, the mayor of the Kosovo town of Skenderaj/Srbica.

However the former guerrillas, known as the Drenica Group, are only accused of crimes against Kosovo Albanian prisoners. They have denied the charges.

Previously Selimi and three other KLA fighters were acquitted in another case related to the abuse in the Likovc/Likovac camp.

Serb ex-paramilitaries tried in Spain for murder (Agence France-Presse, 7 October 2014)

MADRID: Four Serb ex-paramilitaries, including one convicted for the killing of Serbia’s then prime minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003, went on trial on Monday in Spain accused of killing and dismembering a fellow gangster.

Vladimir Milisavljevic and three other members of the Serbian gang Zemun Clan are accused of killing Milan Jurisic in a Madrid apartment in 2009 and trying to destroy his body in an electric grinder.

Milisavljevic was sentenced in absentia in 2007 to 35 years in prison for his role in the shooting of Djindjic in Belgrade, along with other members of Zemun Clan.

The Zemun Clan was made up of former members of “Arkan’s Tigers”, a Serbian paramilitary group notorious during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

Another of the four men who went on trial on Monday, Luka Bojovic, who is believed to have been one of the leaders of Zemun Clan, is accused of beating Jurisic to death with a hammer.

Milisavljevic and another man, Sretko Kalinic, who is in jail in Serbia, are accused of then cutting up the body and storing body parts in a refrigerator.

“The following day they shredded the body parts with an electric grinder which broke down because of a bullet that Jurisic had encrusted in his body,” public prosecutors wrote in their accusation.

Prosecutors also accuse the two of sawing the victim’s bones before throwing them into Madrid’s Manzanares river.

Spain had demanded the extradition of Kalinic from Serbia to attend the trail but the request was turned down.

Police arrested Milisavljevic in February 2012 along with Bojovic and two other Serbian hitmen in Valencia in eastern Spain following an alert from Interpol. The trial at a court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid is expected to last until Thursday.

The four men are accused of murder, membership of an organised criminal group and possession of weapons of war.

Spain in 2013 authorised Milisavljevic’s extradition to Serbia for his role in the murder of Djindjic.

But before his extradition, he must first serve his sentence for any criminal cases in Spain.

Milisavljevic was found guilty of driving the getaway car for two people who carried out the shooting of Djindjic.

The pro-Western reforming prime minister’s killing in 2003 came just two years after he took office following the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic and disrupted Serbia’s recovery from the Balkan wars.

EU puts pressure on Serbia to stop South Stream gas pipeline (EUobserver, by Andrew Rettman, 7 October 2014)

BRUSSELS – The European Commission is to tell Serbia its accession prospects will suffer if it builds South Stream, a Russian gas pipeline.

It says in its annual enlargement report, out on Wednesday (8 October), that “the intergovernmental agreement signed between Serbia and Russia to build the South Stream pipeline is not compatible with the acquis [EU laws]”.

“Serbia should not commence work on constructing South Stream until this agreement is aligned with the acquis”.

It makes the same point in a “strategy paper”, also to get published on Wednesday, which will shape accession talks over the next 12 months.

An EU source said the paper names “economic …competitiveness” as one of three conditions for progress in negotiations.

“We will make reference to the … importance of unbundling, price transparency, and third party access to [energy] transmission networks”, the source noted.

Under EU law, energy firms are not allowed to own both the fuel and its means of distribution in one bundle. They also have to let competitors use their pipelines to stop monopolies inflating prices.

Russia signed the South Stream accord with Serbia in 2008 and had planned to begin construction this year.

It has signed similar agreements with EU states Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary and Slovenia, as well as a memorandum of understanding with Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb part of Bosnia.

The commission has warned the EU host countries they risk fines if they go ahead, prompting Bulgaria to halt construction.

Its leverage on Serbia, where South Stream is to bring €2 billion in foreign investment, is limited to the pace of accession talks.

“We are telling all candidate countries: ‘Listen: If you go ahead with South Stream, you are breaching EU legislation, which is not helpful, especially when you come to open the energy chapter in the accession talks”, a second EU official said.

Serbia has in recent years captured war crimes fugitives and began normalising relations with Kosovo in return for progress in its EU bid.

Its foreign ministry could not comment on Monday. But the EU leverage risks waning after incoming commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said there will be no new EU members in the next five years.

The outgoing enlargement commissioner, Stefan Fuele, also noted on Monday that EU countries are suffering “enlargement fatigue”.

The EU acquis aside, Russia’s war on Ukraine has increased concerns over the politics of South Stream.

The pipeline is to bypass the EU-aspirant gas transit state, damaging its strategic importance, and to increase EU dependence on Russian gas.

The EU’s incoming foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, said in her European Parliament hearing on Monday (6 October) the “political conditions are not right” for the project even if it complied with EU law.

An EU official told EUobserver that Brussels is unhappy Serbia did not join EU sanctions on Russia in what looks like a South Stream concession.

“We also have issues on Serbia’s non-alignment with EU foreign policy statements and actions”, the contact said.

Balkans hope for South Stream (Vestnik Kavkaza, 6 October 2014)

On October 16 Vladimir Putin visited Belgrade to attend the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the city’s liberation from fascists. The heads of Russia and Serbia are now negotiating the future economic relations between the two countries. Recently, the prime minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stressed that, although Serbia wants to become a member of the EU, Belgrade will not support the anti-Russian sanctions – and some European structures have repeatedly hinted that it should.

According to the words of the Serbian Ambassador to Russia, Slavenko Terzic, Belgrade intends to expand economic cooperation with Moscow. “In the economic sphere we have not yet reached the level we have in politics. I think there is great potential to develop the economic relations between our countries. Although we already have some good results”, Slavenko Terzic said.

The Ambassador said that there is a big stream of investments coming to Serbia from Russia: the purchase of the Oil Industry of Serbia company by Gazprom Neft, investments of Lukoil, the help of Russian Railways in the repair of Serbian railways, a loan of 800 million dollars that was given to Serbia by Russia in 2013, the potential privatization of the Simpo company, and the potential purchase of the metallurgical plant in Smederovo.

“As for the Serbian side, their investments in Russia are very modest,” ambassador Terzic admitted. “I would like to stress the possibilities of our construction companies. I would like for Serbian companies to have a chance to prove their high quality. And we expect that good opportunities for this will appear during the preparations for the 2018 World Cup.” He also stressed that agriculture in Serbia is very developed. The ambassador noted that the main component of exports to Russia is agricultural products: “Vegetables, fruit, meat, canned products and so on. At the moment the export of agricultural products to Russia is growing. And we are very glad about this.”

Another big joint project is the construction of the “South Stream” pipeline. “This is not only Serbian or Russian, but a European energy project. Serbia has no doubts about South Stream, we expect its construction by the end of the year.”

Speaking about the problems with the construction in Bulgaria, Terzic admitted that without Bulgaria it would be difficult to build South Stream. “I know the doubts of the Bulgarian government, but they are technical and connected to the elections. As far as I know, there is no resistance to South Stream, neither in government, nor in opposition circles. The president of Bulgaria, as far as I know, also supports it. Considering the importance of this project for Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria and Italy and other countries, we need a decision that would be in the interests of all those peoples. I think the final decision in Bulgaria will be made after the elections and we expect it to be in favor of South Stream, the Serbian ambassador said.

He believes it is a huge mistake to use vital energy projects in geopolitical interests for geopolitical conflicts: “We are facing winter, we need to consider the interests of those countries. As for Serbia, it is fully prepared for its creation, we have no doubts.”

Speaking about Russian and Serbian friendship, Slavenko Terzic remembered the words of Nicholas II to the Serbian ruler Aleksandar Karageorgievic: “Russia will never abandon Serbia and will always protect it.” “We believe that today Russia and Serbia are real allies politically, economically and culturally. We can consider it a contribution to the calm development of Europe and European civilization in general, to which we both belong,” the Serbian ambassador stressed.

Montenegro’s Capital Finally Gets New Mayor (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 6 October 2014)

Months after the local elections, Podgorica is at last to get a new mayor – but opposition parties claim the breakthrough is the result of a political stitch-up

Almost five months after the local elections, the Montenegrin capital is finally due to get a new mayor. After a session of the local assembly on Monday, the Education Minister, Slavoljub Stijepovi, will take the post.

After the governing Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, and the Social Democrats, SDP, agreed in September on Stijepovic’s election, the vote in the Podgorica assembly will be only a formality.

The two parties are allies at national level, but had been locked in dispute over the terms of a deal to set up a city government folllowing the municipal polls on May 25.

The parties only resolved the dispute and made a deal to form an administration in September.

The DPS’s insistence on the appointment of Stijepovic as the city’s mayor was one of the key reasons for the failure of previous negotiations with the Social Democrats.

As a condition for the establishment of the new city administration, the SDP sought an audit of all decisions of the former mayor, Miomir Mugasa, who run the city for 14 years.

Over its coming four-year term, the new city government has pledged to construct five swimming pools, a new theatre, a home for the elderly, new roads and more.

The pledges will difficult to achieve, owing to the capital’s financial troubles, and opposition parties have slated the pledges as “deceit of the citizens”.

During the election campaign, Stijepovic also promised citizens that he will be open to their suggestions, initiatives and problems and will be “available 24 hours a day, seven days a week

“I always keep my promise, with no exceptions,” Stijepovic said.

No single party won a majority in the local elections in Podgorica on May 25, which were marred by numerous irregularities at polling stations.

The DPS, led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, won 29 of the 59 seats in the assembly and only needed one more vote to form an administration. The opposition, comprising the Socialist People’s Party and the Democratic Front, together won 25.

The SDP, in alliance with the Positive Montenegro party, won five seats, which gave them the “kingmaker” role.

Although, during the election campaign, the SDP, led by parliamentary speaker Ranko Krivokapic, demanded a depoliticized city administration and recruitment of staff in public competition, the ruling parties in the city have already agreed on sharing out the most important positions.

Of 81 positions in the new city government, the SDP will get 19, including the post of deputy mayor. The opposition and many analysts have accused the DPS-SDP coalition of illegal appointing city managers and directors of public companies, but also of preventing potential candidates from competing on equal grounds for the new city administration.

“With what they have done they have completely undermined the principle of a professionalized public sector,” one local analyst, Boris Maric, said last week.