LOCAL PRESS

Dacic: IOC decision unacceptable and unprincipled (Beta)

“Serbia strongly condemns the decision to admit Kosovo to the membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” stated Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. We deem such decision unacceptable and unprincipled, while believing that this act is contrary to the Olympic Charter, which envisages that the applicant for the membership should come from an independent state recognized by the entire international community. With this decision the IOC has violated the hitherto practice according to which the admission required the membership in the UN. Such an act is the abuse and politicization of sports, and a universal organization dedicated to the development of understanding and friendship the IOC has taken the position of a political arbitrator, reads the statement. Previously, the IOC had stated that at the session in Monaco the Kosovo Olympic Committee was admitted to the full membership, which means that the athletes of the self-proclaimed state will be able to take part in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

SNS: Everything in line with the Brussels agreement (Danas)

“There is nothing disputable in Jablanovic’s election as the minister in the Kosovo government – everything is in line with the Brussels agreement, which was adopted by the Serbian parliament. Over the job that awaits him in Pristina, it will be unsustainable for Jablanovic to be a Serbian MP as well. He will proceed in line with the law,” the caucus whip of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Zoran Babic told Danas. To the objection that the Serbian Constitution and parliamentary resolutions, passed after the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence,  are being violated this way, Babic responds that “the most important thing is to ensure conditions for the life of people of Serb nationality in Kosovo”.

Hahn: I said everything in Belgrade (Politika)

Yesterday, Politika could not receive in Brussels an answer to a specific question whether recognition of Kosovo will be a condition for Serbia’s EU membership. To Politika’s question whether what Johannes Hahn told privately the Serbian President at the end of November in Belgrade can be interpreted in a way it was presented to the public by President Nikolic several days ago, the EU Commissioner’s cabinet referred us to what the press was told following their Belgrade meeting. Hahn’s cabinet recalls that the negotiations on Chapter 35 (that refers to Kosovo) should lead to comprehensive normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in the form of a legally binding agreement that will follow at the end of the negotiations on Serbia’s EU accession. “The EU, i.e. Commissioner Hahn always stress that our expectation is that Serbia will continue its engagement in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in order to ensure normalization of relations with Kosovo. Serbia has so far achieved significant progress and it should continue with the implementation of all agreements without postponing the dialogue, in a constructive manner,” it is stated in the response that Politika received from the cabinet of the Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. According to Novosti, Berlin has allegedly sent Belgrade 11 new conditions that Serbia would have to fulfill for the beginning of the EU negotiations. According to Politika’s sources, the letter from Berlin arrived in Belgrade a month ago, but at issue are no new conditions, but only a reminder of what Serbia had already committed itself with the Brussels agreement. Political science professor Predrag Simic opines that Berlin isn’t requesting from Serbia anything that it had not already requested, but that the timing is unexpected as it coincides with the cancellation of South Stream and hindered position of Serbia that has stemmed from it. He opines this can be understood as an attempt to persuade Serbia, when it is “left down” by Russia, to accept the principles on which it will continue negotiations with Pristina, and which appear now as principles for opening the first chapters. For Dusan Prorokovic, the Executive Director of the Center for Strategic Alternatives and former state secretary in the ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, there is no dilemma that Nikolic correctly interpreted Hahn’s messages. According to him, even in 2007 there was talk in diplomatic circles that recognition of Kosovo was necessary before Serbia becomes an EU member. “What Nikolic stated now I heard the first time during the negotiations conducted by the Troika (EU, Russia and EU) on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija in November 2007. Of course, this was mentioned in diplomatic circles in an unofficial form, but it was mentioned seven years ago,” Beta quoted Prorokovic as having said. He assessed that Nikolic’s statement can be linked to the geopolitical shifts that are occurring. He says this is not only linked to the South Stream, but also to other things. Former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic also used to say that Serbia would find itself before this “wall”. As he announced three years ago, “four EU foreign ministers said that Serbia cannot become an EU member without formal recognition of independence of Kosovo”. He told then Politika that Belgrade, if it had to choose between Kosovo and EU membership, will choose Kosovo.

Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija: Entrance of Serbs, with Belgrade’s permission, in the institutions of the self-declared state of Kosovo is one more crawling recognition of independence (Beta)

The Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija assessed that entrance of Serbs in the institutions of the self-declared state of Kosovo, with the permission of official Belgrade, is just another in a series of crawling recognitions of this parastate creation. The Assembly, “composed of representatives of the Serb people elected according to the Serbian Constitution and laws”, demands Belgrade to respect the results of the February 2012 referendum where citizens voted against entrance in the Pristina institutions and for preservation of Serbia’s integrity. The Assembly adds in the statement that it is not correct for the present government to underestimate so much the intellect of its own people who know very well that we cannot become EU members with Kosovo and Metohija. “Unfortunately, the current political set with Vucic, Dacic and Nikolic has replaced national ideology with the pro-European one over power, authority and money”, it is assessed in the statement of the Assembly. “The authorities, in order to mislead and deceive Serbian citizens, calls the institutions of the self-declared state of Kosovo provisional, even though this so-called state was recognized by more than 100 states, the greatest part of which they call Serbia’s friends,” reads the statement. The current regime has de facto recognized independent Kosovo because it established a border between Serbia and Kosovo, recognized IDs and passports of the self-declared state, along with the dismantling of all institutions of the state of Serbia in the province.

An increasing control of security services (Radio Serbia)

The Western Balkan countries have reached significant progress in the development of the institutional framework for the democratic supervision of security and intelligence services. Each country is creating a system of its own, but the exchange of experience helps it improve and adjust to European standards, it was said at a regional conference of the Committee for the Supervision of Security and Intelligence services within the Serbian Parliament. The Committee has organized this regional conference together with the Geneva Centre for Armed Forces Control, with a view to having experience exchanged and providing optimal responses to the challenges ahead of all, said the Committee chairperson, Momir Stojanovic. Parliamentary supervision is the most important link in the chain of the democratic control of security services. It should be constantly improved, which is something such gatherings contribute to. The importance of cooperation between kindred parliamentary bodies is reflected in the possibility of exchange of information on legal and procedural solutions in various countries, says Stojanovic. The gathering has been supported by Swiss Ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch, who stressed the importance of the strengthening of the institution of an ombudsman and a commissioner for information of public importance. An expert for parliamentary supervision Teodora Fuior, commended Serbia and the whole region and presented the Swiss experience, which the region can use in order to raise the level of democracy in society. The conference was attended by representatives of Slovenia, Albania and Croatia, who spoke about differences in the mandates of their respective parliamentary committees in charge of security and intelligence services – to what extent each of them includes politics or administration, if they can use their legal authorities in practice or if they have the support of courts. It was emphasized in the gathering that it was in the interest of the services to conceal their activities, while it is in the interest of the public to know how the money from the budget is being spent. The two interests should be reconciled with the help of independent institutions, in order that the rule of the law is strengthened and the continuation of reforms on the EU path be provided.

REGIONAL PRESS

Forming of cantonal government remains at standstill (Dnevni avaz)

Although the deadline for the election of delegates in the FB&H House of Peoples expires today, is not yet clear who will form the government in almost all ten cantons in the Federation.

The entire process of electing the convocation for the cantonal parliament is at the dead-end and the alleged negotiations on possible coalitions are now on shaky ground in almost all cantons, except in West-Herzegovina one. In the Canton Sarajevo, although negotiations between SDA and DF on the coalition are in the full swing, it is still unknown when the Assembly session would be held. The situation is almost the same in the Tuzla Canton, because no one from the representatives of the political parties that are in the new convocation of the TK Parliament knows the answer to the question of who will form the government. The inaugural Assembly session of the Central Bosnia Canton is scheduled for today, but it is doubtful whether it will take place, because the parliamentary majority is not jet formed. The constitutive Assembly session of Livno Canton, it is scheduled for Friday in order to finally complete the election of delegates for the Federation House of Peoples. The Bosnian-Podrinje Canton, reportedly reached an agreement on forming the Government, but without the DF, who doesn’t want to be a part of the government together with the SDA and Esad Radeljas, instead the SBB MPs will form a part of the opposition.

Covic: It’s all up to the SDA and DF, they must agree (Dnevni avaz)

Yesterday’s constitutive Assembly session of Posavina and Zenica-Doboj Canton was again interrupted, so the candidates for the FB&H House of Peoples haven’t been elected again.

Leaders of the SDA and the DF Bakir Izetbegovic and Zeljko Komsic held a meeting, yesterday at the Presidency Council, where they have discussed the constitution of the cantonal parliament.

Sifet Podzic, Secretary General of the DF, said that the meeting was held to coordinate things with the SDA. “We have some small problem, in the sense that both sides are asking for too much. We are trying to solve that and to coordinate all the other things, Izetbegovic and Komsic were mainly dealing with that. We gave guidance on what should be done in order to form the government as soon as possible,” said Podzic. Dragan Covic, leader of the HDZ B&H, said that the government formation at the canton level, and later at the FB&H level, depends solely on the SDA and the DF, as we are waiting for their agreement. “Izetbegovic has promised me that he will sort out everything with Komsic till Wednesday. They are essential to us because of Mostar and Central Bosnia, so we are waiting for the agreement of the two parties. Mainly the problem is the distribution of relations and functions. Izetbegovic has taken upon himself the responsibility to sort the things out. We have agreed that the last deadline should be Wednesday or Thursday,” said Covic.

HDZ B&H, SDA and DF begin negotiations (Dnevni avaz)

At the headquarters of the Democratic Front (DF) in Mostar the official negotiations started today between the DF, SDA and the HDZ B&H, which should be coalition partners in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC), and will be continued on Friday. As it was said after the meeting, the leaders of the cantonal committee discussed the program principles, and as they said on Friday it’s likely that a coalition agreement will be signed. “I hope that on Monday the meeting of the Assembly will be scheduled and that we will elect the leadership, after that we would form the government,” said the president of HDZ B&H KO Rafael Gagro.

Dodik: Bosic officially became a promoter of pro-Bosnian politics (Glas Srpske)

The SNSD believes that the election of Mladen Bosic for the new leadership of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H is bad news for the RS and it was an expected course of events, if one takes into account that months before the elections, the Bosniak political and academic circles labeled him as pro-Bosnian politician, the leader of the party Milorad Dodik told Srna. “The conceptual political shift of the SDS, that Professor Sacir – Filandra spoke about at the time of the election, and after Mladen Bosic’s speech in Sarajevo, it was clear that the Bosniaks in the RS have found themselves a partner for implementation of their platforms, and they did not hide it,” said Dodik. The SNSD leader stressed that “the election winners in the RS, the coalition around the SNSD did not agree to be cooperative for the ideas of Bakir Izetbegovic and the SDA, but then the ‘suitable’ Serbs emerged ready to crawl down to Sarajevo and bow in front of Izetbegovic junior”. “How much Bosic cares about the RS was evident today, when in his first addressing he didn’t even found necessary to mention RS. Bosic today became officially a promoter of pro-Bosnian politics,” said Dodik, who is the President of the RS. He said that “Mladen Bosic, SDS and their satellites, showed that their only goal was to enter the government at any cost, even at the cost of betraying their own electorate.” “The SDS, PDP and NDP did not win the mandates by saying that they would accept everything that they accepted after the elections. That they prefer to falsely represent themselves is evident in the fact that they stubbornly insist that they are a part of unexciting Alliance for Change,” concluded SNSD’s President Milorad Dodik.

Cooperation between Western Balkans’ customs administrations (Tanjug)

The directors of the customs administrations of Serbia, Croatia, B&H and Montenegro agreed Tuesday to continue with unabated vigor the implementation of an information exchange project aimed at protecting the security of citizens in the region. Deepening cooperation and reaching agreements on future joint activities by the customs services of the neighboring states is a prerequisite to successful implementation of the project, said the participants in the meeting in Belgrade. Serbia’s Customs Administration Director Milos Tomic said that cooperation with neighbors had resulted in much better prevention of all kinds of abuse. No customs service can fight illegal trade on its own, as it is a phenomenon including elements of organized crime, said Tomic. Zlatko Grabar, Croatia’s assistant minister of finance and Customs Administration director, expressed willingness to continue to offer professional support to neighbors on the road to EU membership. He pointed out that the tasks handled by the customs services in the EU were complex and demanding, and that was why good preparation in the pre-accession period was vital to successful operation within the EU Customs Union. Miro Dzakula, Director of the Indirect Taxation Authority in B&H, called for doing away with all barriers to customs cooperation, stressing that it would put the resources of the countries in the region together and connect people exchanging information to ensure a more effective response to challenges faced by customs. The Director of Montenegro’s Customs Administration, Vladan Jokovic, said that the customs administrations in the region were committed to fighting organized crime. “The meeting in Belgrade represents an additional encouragement to further strengthen regional cooperation in the fight against all forms of smuggling, customs fraud and other illegal activities,” Jokovic said.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Bosnia’s New Parliament Divides up Key Posts (BIRN, by Elvira M. Jukic, 9 December 2014)

Lawmakers in parliament’s House of Representatives have elected a president and vice-presidents from the ranks of the Bosniak, Croatian and Serbian parties that did best in the recent elections.

Sefik Dzaferovic, of the [mainly Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, was named president of the House of Representatives, one of two chambers of Bosnia’s state-level parliament, in a vote at the first session on December 9. The first vice-president was named as Borjana Kristo, from the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ. Mladen Bosic, of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, was named the second vice-president. The new 42-seat House of Representatives comprises 28 lawmakers from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the larger of the country’s two entities, and 14 from the other entity, Republika Srpska. The SDA holds 10 seats, the [Serbian] Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, six, the Democratic Front, DF, has five, as does the SDS. The Alliance for a Better Future, SBB, has four, as does the HDZ and its partners. The Social Democratic Party, SDP, has three seats. HDZ 1990 has one, as does the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Patriot Party, BPS, the Party of Democratic Progress, PDP, the People’s Democratic Movement, NDP, and the Party of Democratic Action, A-SDA. The SDA, HDZ and SDS, which hold the leading positions in the parliament, are the same parties that have ruled the country – more or less – since the first multi-party elections in modern history in 1990. They emerged as the relative winners in the October elections. While the SDA and HDZ, alongside the Democratic Front, have agreed to form the government in the Federation entity, the SDS has not succeeded in forming a government in Republika Srpska, where an SNSD-led coalition has gathered more support. Formation of the state-level government – the Council of Ministers – is still not clear in terms of its composition, as the SDA would rather have the SDS as its partner, while the HDZ prefers the SNSD. Nikola Spiric, a new lawmaker for the SNSD, said his party preferred to remain in opposition at state level and choose its own policies.  Since the October elections, the parties that won most votes have held various talks on the formation of cantonal, entity and state-level governments but no clear state-level coalition is yet in sight. Lawmakers of the House of Representatives on Tuesday meanwhile also chose members of the commission tasked with preparation of the election of the Council of Ministers. The first session of parliament’s other chamber, the House of Peoples, has yet to take place.

Bosnian leadership takes shape, pledging reform (Reuters, by Daria Sito-Sucic, 9 December 2014)

SARAJEVO – A political bloc in Bosnia edged towards a new national government on Tuesday committed to a raft of reforms backed by the European Union in an effort to unblock the country’s stalled bid to join the bloc.

A national government has yet to be formed since an October election, but the inaugural session of the new lower house of parliament on Tuesday saw the emergence of a majority seen as backing a German-British initiative to spur economic reform and unlock EU funds.

Significantly, the largest ethnic Serb party of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik was left heading for the opposition benches for the first time in nearly a decade, as lawmakers elected a speaker and his deputies. The party, which says it would rather see Bosnia dissolve, has for years been accused of blocking reforms at the national level.

“I want this parliament composition to make a major contribution to the stabilization of the political scene in Bosnia, to unblock the process of integration so as to boost economic development and employment,” said speaker Sefik Dzaferovic, elected from the ranks of Bosnia’s largest party representing the Muslim Bosniak community — the SDA.

Dzaferovic’s election indicated a government deal was near, based on a reform program agreed between the SDA, the moderate Democratic Front and a bloc of smaller Bosnian Serb parties. The HDZ party, the largest representing the Bosnian Croats, also indicated it would support the government, isolating Dodik.

Bosnia’s complex political system is a legacy of its 1992-95 war, ended by a U.S.-brokered peace deal that split power along ethnic lines.

The unwieldy system has slowed reform, stifled economic development and left Bosnia trailing its ex-Yugoslav peers on the road to membership of the EU.

The German-British plan seeks to use the October elections as an opportunity to regain momentum by dangling the carrot of EU cash and putting economics before political reform.

Dzaferovic said the government may be formed in January, and that the SDA would supply the prime minister. It could yet become bogged down in political wrangling over the formation of governments at other layers of Bosnia’s power system.

(Editing by Matt Robinson and Crispian Balmer)

Imam who condemns Islamic State stabbed in N-W Bosnia (Dalje.com, 9 December 2014)

An imam of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), known for his opposition to the recruiting of young men in BiH to fight for Islamic State, has been stabbed and seriously injured, Dnevni Avaz daily said on Tuesday, adding that police were investigating the attack.

Selvedin Beganovic, an imam in Trnovi near Velika Kladusa in northwestern BiH, was attacked last night, saying a masked person stabbed him in the left shoulder and hand. “When he tried to stab me in the stomach, I managed to defend myself and punched him, after which he stumbled and ran.”

In an open letter earlier, Beganovic condemned the calls on young men in BiH by Bilal Bosnic, an imam in the nearby village of Buzim, to join Islamic State and fight in the wars in Syria and Iraq. Beganovic was then verbally attacked by radical Islamists, who set his car on fire and threatened to kill his children, Dnevni Avaz said.

He said he believed that such persons were behind the stabbing.

Bosnic is in custody after being arrested in September with a larger group of his supporters on suspicion of inciting terrorism. The BiH State Prosecutor’s Office has said that an indictment might be filed soon.

Corpses of five people from Bosnian War discovered near Sarajevo. (World Bulletin, 10 December 2014)

Five bodies have been unearthed from what is believed could be a mass grave near the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

The five, whose remains were unearthed on Tuesday, are thought to have been Bosnian Muslims killed in 1992-95 during the Bosnian War.

Two of the bodies were the remains of women and three were of men, Lejla Cengic, a spokeswoman for the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Anadolu Agency.

“The exhumation will continue on Wednesday and be carried out with machines and manually. After wider searches, we will look for more bodies,” said Cengic.

DNA tests will be carried out on the remains, which will then be transported to a memorial service center in Visoko city for identification.

Bosnian families are still searching for 8,000 persons missing since the Bosnian War.