LOCAL PRESS

Kosovo wins the battle for the IOC (Politika)

How urgent it was to admit the Kosovo Olympic Committee into the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is also seen by the fact that, even though the IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said yesterday that the debate on the request of the Kosovo Olympic Committee will be on the agenda on Friday, everything was completed during yesterday’s afternoon session. The information received by the Serbian Olympic Committee and on which it had notified the competent state bodies, as well as the Serbian public in one part, have turned out to be true. The Executive Committee admitted the Kosovo Olympic Committee into temporary (conditional) membership since all IOC members need to decide on the admission of permanent members. The Executive Committee also proposed that the Kosovo Olympic Committee be admitted into full membership at the next IOC session in Monaco in December this year. With its decision on admitting the Kosovo Olympic Committee as the temporary member of the Olympic family, the Executive Committee has enabled Kosovo athletes to take part, under their flag, in qualifications for competitions under the IOC jurisdiction, thus for the summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. There was no more optimism in the Serbian political leadership than in the Serbian Olympic Committee. Asked about the chances for Kosovo to really become part of the IOC, our interlocutors said it was a done deal so to speak, and that nothing more could be done to prevent this decision, since most of the IOC members support Kosovo’s admission. The Serbian Olympic Committee reacted to the news on Kosovo admission with the following statement: “The Serbian Olympic Committee strongly condemns the decision of the IOC Executive Committee to admit into temporary membership a national Olympic committee of the unilaterally declared Republic of Kosovo and, consequently, officially sent a protest to the IOC.” The Serbian Olympic Committee will act further on the matter, in accordance with the recommendations it receives from the competent institutions in the Republic of Serbia, reads the statement by the Serbian Olympic Committee. Kosovo has in recent years repeatedly tried to enter the IOC. All those attempts have been unsuccessful so far. In the meantime, the Kosovo Olympic Committee has fulfilled conditions for admission into IOC membership envisaged by the Olympic Charter. The condition for the Kosovo Olympic Committee and its sports associations to have complete authority over sports competitions on the territory where they are held has been fulfilled a long time ago. Over the recent years, with persistent lobbying and the support of friends abroad, Kosovo sports associations have been admitted into full membership in over five international sports federations, which is the minimum according to the Olympic Charter. In several other world sports organizations they are “observers” or associated members, and the decision of the IOC Executive Committee will open for Kosovo the hitherto firmly closed doors of the basketball, soccer, volleyball and other international sports federations, which has been refusing or postponing Kosovo’s requests before admission to the United Nations. The IOC has obviously not elaborated on the issue of whose territory this is, or whether admission of the Kosovo Olympic Committee into membership can threaten the rights of the Serbian Olympic Committee, which is prohibited according to the third article of the Olympic Charter. This article doesn’t state anywhere that UN membership is the condition for admission into the IOC, and practice to treat this as a condition has been abandoned at the beginning of the 1990s when countries that emerged after the breakup of the USSR, SFRY and CSSR had been massively admitted into the Olympic family. That is why the IOC has 204 members at present, i.e. 11 more than the UN. On the list of the countries that do not have a seat in the UN, but have in the IOC, are states and territories (more precisely their Olympic committees) that are under the protectorate of other states, regardless of whether they are moving towards independence or not. These include the Virgin Islands (protectorate of Great Britain), the Virgin Islands (U.S.A.), Hong Kong (China), Aruba and Cook Islands. There is no doubt that the great powers stand behind the decision on Kosovo’s admission into the IOC, the same powers that “were pushing” so hard for Kosovo’s independence. Throwing Kosovo into the Olympic family is only the latest in a series of attempts to push, through different channels, Kosovo into international organizations. With variable success, Kosovo is also pushed as the participant in various international gatherings where, according to status, it doesn’t belong, and all under the slogan of “normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina”. There have repeatedly been announcements from Moscow that it will block Kosovo in international organizations wherever they have the opportunity. Otherwise, the Brussels document mentions nowhere the possibility of Kosovo’s participation in international organizations. The only thing that Belgrade and Pristina had agreed is, let us recall, “not to block each other on the EU path”.

Regional conference begins in Belgrade (RTS)

An informal meeting of foreign and finance ministers of Western Balkan countries on economic management and ties started in Belgrade on Thursday. The meeting is attended by Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs Jyrki Katainen, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule, Special Representative of the Italian EU Presidency Andrea Orizio, and Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council Goran Svilanovic. Serbia is represented by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic and Minister of Economy Zeljko Sertic, and the participants are expected to issue a joint final statement. Ministers in the government of Albania have also arrived in Belgrade, while Kosovo will be represented by Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj and Minister of Economic Development Fadilj Ismajli. As announced earlier, the conference will be an informal ‘Gymnich’ meeting, and it will not address any status-related issues, particularly with reference to Kosovo. “We want all these conferences to have a goal and a conclusion, and we do not want to organize meetings where no agreements can be reached,” said Dacic.

Hoxhaj: Belgrade and Pristina to sign peace agreement (Tanjug)

Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj has stated that Belgrade and Pristina should sign a peace agreement before Serbia joins the EU. “This legally binding agreement the EU mentions is nothing else than a peace agreement for us,” Hoxhaj told the press before the regional gathering on economic management in Belgrade. He added that the normalization process between Belgrade and Pristina should end with Kosovo’s admission into the UN and that Belgrade should not block that. According to him, Pristina is ready to resolve all open issues with Belgrade within three to five years. Hoxhaj added that the dialogue with Belgrade should not be an endless process, but should have a clear goal and this is full normalization of relations.

The Albanian VIP lounge (Politika, editorial by Dusan Teleskovic)

The invitation to the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to visit Belgrade was a result of the sincere wish of the authorities in Serbia to relax relations between two great Balkan nations after 67 years. Did Edi Rama have the same motives when he accepted the invitation?

This question becomes self-evident after the news that Rama’s cabinet, contrary to good diplomatic practice, had requested to be given the ‘Key to City of Belgrade’ and to organize a rally in Presevo.

It turns out that brothers Edi and Olsi Rama had sent two “drones” to Belgrade: one at the football/soccer match that was allegedly controlled by Olsi, and the other, diplomatic, from Edi’s cabinet. The drones showed that the first step towards reconciliation of Serbs and Albanians will be much harder than the expectations of official Brussels, Belgrade and all those who consider this a visit important in the normalization of relations in the Balkans.

The fact that the host received, instead of politely worded wishes of an important guest, a complete plan of a visit with a request for the keys of Belgrade, has aroused suspicion among many. Is this an intentional provocation, deliberated with the same goal as the “drone” carrying the map of Greater Albania at the match? Or was the goal to simply annoy official Belgrade? Or did they think that the Serbs would be unable to tolerate such a challenge? Or was the idea to get Belgrade to give up the “historic visit”?

The “drone” at the match was supposed to provoke a fierce reaction after which the world would be sent an image of bloody heads of Albanian players, and Serbia would be depicted as a savage state that beats even innocent players.

Perhaps the diplomatic “drone” was supposed to provoke official Belgrade to cancel Rama’s visit?

It is easy to imagine the reactions of the West, already resentful over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit and the military parade. Many would readily believe the accusations about a “fraudulent European path of Serbia, which doesn’t want to even try to reconcile with its neighbors”. Constant repetitions of Albanian officials that Serbia is a “racist and chauvinist country” would undoubtedly receive confirmation in the eyes of those who turned a blind eye to allegations of Albanian officials that the map of a “Greater Albania” somehow constitutes a flag and their national symbol.

Some used to nearly faint at the thought of a “Greater Serbia”, but today they silently pass over a “Greater Albania”, as if such a state wasn’t actually created and upheld under the protectorate of Italian fascists during World War II.

That is why the move by official Belgrade not to cancel, but only postpone, Rama’s visit is as equally important as the conduct of Serbian national team players who protected Albanian national team players at the Stadium. Both team players prevented the bad image of the Serbs being sent to the world.

But, how do we explain to ourselves the move by official Tirana? Perhaps one could also consider the fact that the Albanian leadership is itself playing the role of the “drone” in this situation. And, if so, who has the remote control – and from what VIP lounge.

REGIONAL PRESS

Race for the B&H Presidency: Izetbegovic wins twice as many votes from abroad than Radoncic (Oslobodjenje)

The candidate of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) is Bakir Izetbegovic leading with a total of 230,069 votes in the race for the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) according to the latest preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results of the general election, which was published by the Central Election Commission, reports the Anatolia. Of 8,784 votes received by mail, leave, mobile teams, DCO and validated ballots, Izetbegovic won 1,558. Based on, so far processed number of 3,085 out of 3,262 or 94.57 percent of the votes from regular polling places, Izetbegovic leads with 228,511 votes won. The candidate of the Alliance for a Better Future and the President of SBB has a total of 188 688 votes, of which 187,986 from the regular polling places, and by mail, leave, mobile teams, DCO and verified ballots, he won 50 percent less votes than Izetbegovic – 702. The Democratic Front of Emir Suljagic: by mail, leave, mobile teams, DCO and verified ballots won 1,203 votes, which with 106,084 won at the regular polling places makes a total of 107 287 votes. In the race for the Croat member of the B&H Presidency leading candidate is from HDZ B&H, Dragan Covic, who has a total of 120,502 votes. Covic, of votes received by mail, leave, mobile teams, DCO and verified ballots won 1,727 votes and on the regular polling places received additional 118,793 votes. The HDZ 1990 candidate and the President of the party Martin Raguz won a total of 88,376 votes. In regular polling stations he received 87,176 votes, and by mail, leave, mobile teams, DCO and verified ballots received 1,200 votes.

Goljanin: PDP will not accept coalition with SNSD (Oslobodjenje)

The Party of Democratic Progress (PDP) is satisfied with the election results, because they kept seven and expect the eighth parliamentary seat in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (RS), said a member of the party Presidency Aleksandar Goljanin. He pointed out that the victory of PDP leader Mladen Ivanic, a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency of RS as a candidate of the Alliance for Change is now completely unquestionable. When talking to the press in Banja Luka, Goljanin pointed out that it is logical that the Council of Ministers is composed of the parties whose members are in the B&H Presidency. He said that the vice president of SNSD Igor Radojcic showed nervousness of the party at a press conference held on Tuesday, “composing the Council of Ministers before the final results.” Goljanin said he does not believe that the current majority in the RS will maintain a majority in the National Assembly of RS. He rejected the statement of a member of the SDA Presidency about a possible post-election coalition between PDP and SNSD as unrealistic. He stressed that no one from PDP would leave the party, in order to give the majority to the previous coalition in the RS. Commenting on the number of pre-election promises of the current government and the President of RS and SNSD, Milorad Dodik on new investments and infrastructure projects in the entity, Goljanin pointed out that the “South Stream” (pipeline) will not be built in the RS. He said that the route of the pipeline does not pass through the RS, but through Serbia, Hungary and some other countries.

After election analysis (Oslobodjenje)

After the party’s vote dismal result in the recent elections, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is facing a crisis as Zlatko Lagumdzija steps down as leader since 1997. Damir Hadzic and Nermin Niksic, two key figures in B&H SDP, have resigned decision-making posts in the party after its debacle in last Sunday’s elections. At a crisis press conference on October 16, the SDP said an extraordinary party congress would soon choose a new leadership. Zlatko Lagumdzija, the veteran party leader, confirmed that he would not be running for the post again. In a speech full of nautical references, he said the SDP was sailing “in a rough sea” but, with its existing crew on board, they would “bring the SDP into a peaceful harbor” following the recent election “shipwreck”. Niksic, general secretary of the SDP, and Prime Minister of B&H Federation entity, said he was resigning from decision-making positions in the party because of the election results. “I think I am co-responsible for the catastrophic result of the SDP,” he said. “All of us in the SDP must lay out our bills for what happened in the elections. A congress of the SDP needs to find a new leadership.”

Hadzic – currently vice-president of the SDP and Bosnia’s Communication Minister – said his resignation was “a moral obligation”. Returning to his leader’s maritime theme, he added: “Someone needs to bring this ship to a harbor”. Other members of the leadership of the party are expected to resign shortly. The date of the congress will reportedly be set next week. At the 2010 general elections, the Social Democratic Party won more than 265,000 votes for the state parliament and a similar number for the Federation entity parliament. It was thus the clear winner among the Bosniak population. Having been in opposition for years, criticizing the parties that had ruled for so long, SDP then represented the idea of change from the old ethnic-based parties.

Expectations of the SDP soon vanished after the 2010 elections, however. It failed to form a government for 16 months. When it did finally form a coalition of six parties, it did not take long for the coalition to fall apart. The party expelled the largest Bosniak party, the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) from the government and brought in a new partner, the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB). It also hatched political deals with the largest Serb party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) before later forcing out the SBB.

Zeljko Komsic, the SDP’s most popular senior member, who twice won a seat on B&H state Presidency, quit the party in frustration. At the general elections last Sunday, the SDP won only around 80,000 votes for the state parliament and ended up as the fifth-largest party in the B&H Federation. Many voters clearly deserted to Komsic’s party, the Democratic Front (DF) which was only formed in 2013 but won around 130,000 votes.

Lagumdzija has led the SDP since 1997. Many senior figures left the party saying it was impossible to work with him, including its first president, the late Nijaz Durakovic, Miro Lazovic, Ivo Komsic, Emir Suljagic and – lately – Komsic.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Path cleared for Kosovo’s participation at Rio Olympic Games 2016 (Reuters, by Steve Wilson, 22 October 2014)

The International Olympic Committee accepted Kosovo into the Olympic fold on Wednesday, clearing the way for the former Serbian province to send an independent team to the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The IOC executive board granted provisional recognition to Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It will propose full recognition for Kosovo at the IOC general assembly in Monaco in December – which should be a formality.

“The decision was taken by the Executive Board in the interests of the athletes in Kosovo and to remove any uncertainty they may have,” the IOC said in a statement. “It will allow them to take part in qualifications for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and in future editions of the Games.”

The move was opposed by Serbian Olympic officials, who had worked to block international acceptance of Kosovo.

Kosovo has a majority of ethnic Albanian inhabitants. Serbia, which considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood and religion, has refused to accept the breakaway province’s independence.

The IOC said Kosovo met the sports and technical requirements for acceptance, including the definition of a “country” in the Olympic Charter as “an independent state recognized by the international community.”

The IOC said Kosovo is recognized by 108 of 193 UN member states.

Normally, the IOC waits for the United Nations to recognize a nation or state before granting Olympic recognition.

Kosovo has not been accepted as a UN member. While more than 100 countries have recognized Kosovo, Russia and China have not. Most European Union members have also recognized Kosovo, with the exception of Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia.

“Such a move would be a precedent that has never happened in history, considering that no national Olympic committee ever became a member [of the IOC] before the country became a member of the United Nations,” the Serbian committee said in a statement Wednesday before the IOC decision was announced.

In order to be eligible for IOC recognition, a national Olympic committee must be affiliated with at least five international sports federations.

The IOC said Kosovo’s national Olympic body, set up in 1992, has more than 30 affiliated national sports federations, including 13 from Olympic sports. Six of those are full members of international federations, the IOC said.

The decision came on the first day of a three-day executive board meeting in Montreux, Switzerland. Kosovo’s status had been scheduled to be discussed on Friday, but the IOC moved quickly after news of the likely decision leaked out earlier Wednesday.

Officials in Kosovo welcomed the prospect of forming their own Olympic team.

“Acceptance by the IOC will be a fulfilment of a dream for many thousands of Kosovo athletes, who deserve to be treated equally in international sports,” Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Memli Krasniqi told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We look forward to cheer for them in Rio and beyond.”

The head of Kosovo’s Olympic committee, Besim Hasani, told AP he expects up to 10 athletes to compete in Rio, including in the sports of judo, boxing and wrestling.

Albania, Kosovo officials visit rival Serbia (AP, 23 October 2014)

BELGRADE, Serbia — A Kosovo foreign minister traveled to Serbia on Thursday for the first time since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Enver Hoxhaj described the visit as a historic event and a sign of improving ties.

Also present in Belgrade was Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati who arrived amid diplomatic tensions between his country and Serbia following last week’s brawl at a soccer game between the two rival Balkan nations.

The two senior officials were attending an EU-sponsored conference of Balkan foreign ministers to improve relations in the region still reeling from ethnic conflicts in 1990s.

The visit “should be understood as a first historic visit of a Kosovo foreign minister to Serbia, but at the same time it shoes how much the relations are relaxed between the two countries,” Hoxhaj said.

Albanian-dominated Kosovo has been at the center of a decades-long regional dispute. Serbia, which considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood and religion, has never accepted the former province’s unilateral declaration of statehood.

All three countries have moved to improve ties in order to advance in their bids to join the European Union. Serbia and Kosovo signed an EU-sponsored agreement normalizing ties in 2013. Albania’s prime minister is expected to visit next month, the first in 70 years.

“The common denominator of this region is not nationalism, but the need and desire for economic prosperity and for social and economic transformation,” Albanian minister Bushati said.

Hoxhaj urged Belgrade to withdraw its opposition to Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations, where Russia has backed Serbia’s claim on its former province.

Kosovo split after a 1998-99 war for independence that left more than 10,000 people dead. Serbia’s brutal crackdown in the province prompted NATO to launch airstrikes to stop the conflict.

Serbian paradox: Between Russia and NATO (Pravda, 22 October 2014)

Vladimir Putin came late for the meeting with Angela Merkel, because he was celebrating Serbia’s liberation from Nazi invaders. The president of Serbia decorated Putin with an order and called Russia Serbia’s great friend. This happened at the time when Serbia prepares for NATO and EU member. Pravda.Ru interviewed chief officer at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Polina Sokolova, about the paradox.

“Does this warm welcome from the Serbian administration mean anything or was it just a formality?”

“It was an indicative event, because Russia is experiencing a complicated foreign political situation because of the war of sanctions with the EU, the USA and other countries. Serbia, as a EU candidate, has been staying under pressure for long already. The West wants Serbia to join the sanctions against Russia. Putin’s visit to Serbia and the way he was welcomed there is indeed an outstanding event. No other European leader will dare to give Putin such a warm welcome now.

“However, I would not consider all this from the point of view of bilateral relations. If we look at the relations between Serbia and Russia paying no attention to the war of sanctions, then this is quite a traditional event. Yet, the military parade was something new, of course. It was the first parade in Belgrade in 30 years. I think it can be explained with the origin of the sitting Serbian administration. President Nikolic and Prime Minister Vucic come from the radical Serbian party that has the national and patriotic ideology, they respect WWII heroes. Therefore, the ideological roots of the Russian and Serbian administrations coincide.

“Serbia has been trying very well to keep its neutrality about the events in Ukraine. Serbia does not join the sanctions against Russia because it has very close brotherly and spiritual relations with Russia. Nevertheless, Bulgaria does not act like that, even though this country is close to Russia too. Bulgaria was playing a different role in the Second World War. For the Serbian administration and population, relations with the EU play a strategic role. No one expected that this government would sign the agreement on Kosovo so quickly. Serbia is one of the most developed of all Western Balkan countries. Economically, Serbia is well-prepared for the EU membership from the economic point of view. Serbia’s constitution excludes NATO membership, which is an obstacle for the country to join the EU. If Serbia does not join NATO, it will become the only country that joins the EU without joining NATO. It will be very interesting to see how the situation unfolds at this point. For the time being, I do not think it will happen. Serbia has bloody history of relations with this bloc. All these slogans – “Putin, save us from NATO” – express the emotional attitude of people, who suffered from the bombings of NATO in 1999. Serbia conducts talks with NATO, because the alliance is a framework structure, like the European Union. The alliance is responsible for the entire Balkan region on the way to European integration, which is their primary strategy for the future.”

“It was reported that Russia was actively investing in the Serbian economy. Is it true?”

“Russia is not in the top five of investors. The main investors are Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and France. Russia’s Gazpromneft acquired a part of the Serbian oil industry. This Russian company is the largest investor. Russian investment in Serbia has been growing lately. In commodity circulation, Russia is ranked third after Italy and Germany. One should bear in mind the fact that the commodity circulation between Serbia and Russia is unbalanced. Russian energy carriers account for seventy percent of Russian exports, because Serbia depends on Russian raw materials. Russia and Serbia have a free trade zone that has a very serious potential for development. Ukraine could follow Serbia’s example as a county that is a member of the free trade zone with Russia that moves towards the European Union. I do not think that the relations between Russia and the European Union will worsen considerably. The Ukrainian crisis will be resolved sooner or later. Russia’s relations with Serbia and other countries of Western Balkans may contribute to the creation of joint European space, including Russia and post-Soviet countries. This is basically the only way to solve issues of borders and statuses.

“In Serbia, there is no Political party that would support a U-turn from the European Union to Russia. Putin is extremely popular in the Balkans, but it goes about emotional people with certain views. They do not represent any type of force from the political point of view. There are three parties in Serbia that advocate the country’s movement away from the European Union to the Customs Union. These parties are called Doors, the Russian Party and Kostunica’s Democratic Party. Unfortunately, they did not make it into the parliament. Perhaps, balancing between Russia and the European Union is a necessary peculiarity of Serbian politics. Hopefully, cold war is history. I believe that Russia’s integration into global economy and global international relations is inevitable.”

Pravda.Ru

Dodik Party Stakes Claim to Run Republika Srpska (BIRN, by Elvira M. Jukic, 23 October 2014)

Milorad Dodik says his governing Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, intends to form the next government in Bosnia’s predominantly Serbian entity.

After meeting Johnathan Moore, the OSCE ambassador to Bosnia, on October 22, Milorad Dodik said his Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, would be forming the next government in the Republika Srpska.

The party has held the power in the mainly Serbian entity since 2006 and won most votes there in the general elections on October 12 – around 188,000.

Its main opponent, the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, won around 153,000.

The SNSD already said it would unite forces with its existing partners, the Democratic People’s Union, DNS which won around 53,000 votes, and the Socialist Party, which won around 30,000.

The partners of the SDS, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, and the People’s Democratic Movement, NDP, won 43,000 and 29,000 votes respectively.

Since all the votes are not yet counted, the exact number of seats won by the parties in the entity remains uncertain.

However, based on results from around 90 per cent of polling stations, many parties already know their possibilities.

Dodik told Moore in Banja Luka on Wednesday that he was not satisfied with the slow pace of counting the ballots, as it was fuelling speculation.

The president of the SDS, Mladen Bosic, meanwhile told Moore that he also expected the united opposition bloc to form a parliamentary majority in Republika Srpska.

Bosic told Moore that the elections had not been truly democratic and that the SDS had filed complaints alleging election fraud.

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ. The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.