LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic with representatives of associations of families of the missing persons (RTS)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic informed representatives of the Coordination of Serbian Associations of Families of Missing, Murdered and Killed persons from the former Yugoslavia that he is committed to efforts aimed at shedding light on their fate. Nikolic and representatives of the Coordination pointed out that it is necessary to systematically regulate, the issue of missing persons through appropriate legislation. Representatives of the Coordination informed Nikolic about numerous problems encountered in trying to discover the fate of their loved ones, but also that perpetrators of terrible crimes against Serbs during and after the wars of the 1990s should be punished. They pointed out that a huge problem is the fact that even after so many years since the end of the war the number of missing Serbs had not been properly established. It was pointed out that victims, their families and justice have been additionally humiliated through inadequate court proceedings for crimes against Serbs in Croatia B&H and the lack of prosecution of those responsible for the murder and kidnapping of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija after June 1999, when the interim UN administration was set up in Kosovo. They stressed that it was a shame that the Republic of Serbia’s Special Court for War Crimes had passed a total of only 15 years in prison on those who had planned and perpetrated crimes against Serbs. A total of 11,175 missing persons, including about 3,700 Serbs, are still being searched for on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The search is ongoing for at least 1,900 Serbs and close to 400 members of the former Yugoslav People’s Army in Croatia, 1,700 Serbs and another 95 Serbian citizens in B&H and 530 Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.

Three moves before chapters (Novosti)

If Serbia would fulfill immediately at least three from the 11 conditions it had received from the EU headquarters, the first negotiating chapter could open at the end of January, Novosti learns. According to the signals arriving from Brussels and Berlin, if Belgrade would remove the Peace Park on the bridge in Kosovoska Mitrovica in the coming weeks, hand over to Pristina the management of the “Gazivode” hydropower and the “Valac” substation and agreed with Pristina on the dialing code for Kosovo and Metohija, Chapters 35, on normalization of relations with Pristina, and 32, on financial control, would open parallel to this. Novosti learns that the fulfillment of these three conditions from the Brussels-Berlin package could “melt” the unofficial stand of European leaders, according to which the decision on opening negotiations will not be even on the agenda of the European Council on 19 December. But, as things stand now, the deadline is too short, and tasks too difficult in order to quickly find solutions that are satisfying both for Belgrade and Pristina. According to Novosti’s information, the talks on telecommunications, i.e. the dialing code for Kosovo and Metohija, completely hit the wall. Pristina doesn’t agree for Belgrade to cede to it the dialing code, and it also doesn’t agree the solution offered by Brussels – for Austria to apply with the International Telecommunications Union for the code that it would then cede to Kosovo. “We are ready for agreement in line with the rules of the International Telecommunications Union. But, together with Brussels as the mediator, we have here four sides that must be satisfied,” Serbian Telecommunications Minister Rasim Ljajic told Novosti. As regards the energy package, the Zubin Potok municipality established in mid last month, according to the Brussels agreement, the company “Elektrodistribucija sever” (Power Distribution north). The company’s Director Boban Novakovic explains that the company has the status of a company in establishing, because the formation has not been completed for “political reasons”. “I haven’t received any official response from the Kosovo Agency for Business Registration. The key problem is the issue of property, since the authorities in Pristina consider that the substation in Valac and “Gazivode” should be handed over to them for management and should be owned by Kosovo. We, however, think that the issue of property has not been resolved and that it should be resolved in political talks.” When it comes to the removal of the Peace park, the Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milova Drecun tells Novosti that this condition is not part of the Brussels agreement: “I don’t know how can it be subsumed under the implementation of the agreement, when the park didn’t exist when the agreement was reached in Brussels.”

Stojanovic: If we are only décor, I will leave the Kosovo government (Politika)

It has been just over a year since Branimir Stojanovic was elected the Mayor of Gracanica, and he has already progressed to the deputy president in the new Kosovo government. The election as Isa Mustafa’s deputy was also a surprise for many MPs of the Serb (Srpska) List in the Kosovo Assembly, because his name was not appearing in the first plan when such an important post in the Pristina government has been discussed. Stojanovic, who resigned to the post of the Mayor of Gracanica right after he was elected in the Kosovo Assembly, tells Politika that his priority will be to coordinate stands of the two ministries held by the Serbs with other ministries in the Kosovo government, because, as he explains, we cannot achieve the planned tasks without each other. His goal is to ensure a better and safer life to all Serbs, whether in the north or south of Kosovo, and he sees Belgrade as the most important ally in this enterprise. Stojanovic decisively claims Srpska representatives will not be a décor in the newly formed government of Pristina and that he will first leave the Kosovo government if this happens.

You managed pretty well at the post of the Mayor of Gracanica, and then, according to many, you were suddenly nominated as the Kosovo deputy prime minister.
“I don’t know whether this is interpreted as a surprise, but I know it wasn’t planned. However, after the last talks in the Serb List and consultations with Belgrade representatives, we realized we need to take steps in order to cope with the difficult processes. We need to form the Union of Serb Municipalities, the Special War Crimes Court, to resume the dialogue, and to resolve ongoing, not small problems that have been pushing the Serbs to the margin.”

Do you believe in the guarantees that you received from Albanian coalition partners, primarily from Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Hashim Thaqi, that the Union of Serb Municipalities will be established by May 2015?

“Yes, we received written guarantees that the Union will be formed and I wish to believe that it will be so.”

The Albanian public opinion, but also the former government in Pristina, persistently claims that this will not be a union, but an association, because the Kosovo Constitution and law on local self-administration recognize it as such. How will you resolve this when it is known that Pristina is not willing to amend the constitution over Serb requests?

“In line with the Brussels agreement, the formation of the Union is inevitable, i.e. the drafting of the Statute, so I will not doubt this, regardless of the rumors that the initialed agreement will not be implemented.”

Have all conditions been fulfilled that the Serb List set in order to become part of the newly formed Kosovo government? The impression is that you have lightly passed over the disputable privatization in Serb regions?

“The coalition agreement hasn’t clearly formulated everything, I expect difficulties. I know there will be opposing stands, but the agreement gives a good basis for further action. When it comes to disputable privatization, this is a problem that afflicts not only the Serb community but also the Democratic Union of Kosovo, i.e. the current prime minister and Albanian community.”

Considering that two Serb ministers are from northern Kosovo, and you are from central Kosovo, does this mean that the residents of northern Kosovo will have advantage in the resolution of problems?

“Serb interests are most important for all of us, regardless of where in Kosovo and Metohija our compatriots live. The fact is that over the past years Serb representatives have done nothing or little for the Serbs in provisional Kosovo institutions.”

It would not be nice if you would also be labeled as only décor in the new Kosovo government. What will change?

“A complete and merciless struggle for Serb interests awaits us. For the first time, all of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have been united, and the moment we become only a décor or form, I will leave the government.”

Are you concerned that it could occur in the next four years of your mandate that Belgrade gives in and the Serbs become completely integrated into Pristina’s system?

“The basic need of the Serbs is for Belgrade to be present here. It is crystal clear to everybody, both the Albanians and the international community, that the presence of the state of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija can never diminish even an inch.”

Schokenhoff: The goal is sovereign Kosovo (Novosti)

Andreas Schokenhoff, the deputy caucus whip of the Demo-Christian Party (CDU) in the Bundestag, said that he expected Belgrade would act on the Serbs in northern Kosovo to recognize the integrity of the Kosovo state: “Therefore, it is important that there are no nationalistic forces in the government that refuse this dialogue. Time is needed, nothing will be done overnight, but the point of the dialogue is that Kosovo is a sovereign state that must independently assume international responsibility. That is why the difficult dialogue process needs to continue,” said Schokenhoff.

REGIONAL PRESS

Special sessions of the National Assembly of RS: Elected delegates to the House of Peoples (Oslobodjenje)

Members of the National Assembly of RS at a special session held yesterday in Banja Luka chose delegates who will form the Serb Caucus in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H (PSB&H). In the House of Peoples for the delegates of PSB&H, parliamentary parties proposed 15 candidates. In the next four years, the interests of the RS and the Serb people in B&H will be represented by these five delegates: Nebojsa Radmanovic and Sredoje Novic from SNSD, Darko Babalj and Ognjen Tadic from the SDS, and Dragutin Rodic from the DNS. After the elections to the National Assembly the names of the delegates will be re-directed to the Central Election Commission (CEC) for approval, after which they will be mandated. If the candidates of parties that make the parliamentary majority in the RS are confirmed, i.e. the coalition around SNSD will have a majority in the House of Peoples of the State Parliament. According to earlier statements by the President of SNSD, Milorad Dodik, that majority, because his party is not part of the ruling coalition at the state level, could be serious impediment to the adoption of the laws which create the preconditions for the reforms in B&H and accelerate the opening of negotiations for membership in the European Union. During yesterday’s session, delegates who will form the new convocation of the National Council of the RS were elected. In the RS Council of Peoples Zivko Marjanac from the SP and Lazo Maric from the SDS were elected, while the remaining six delegates will be selected by a draw in the CEC because the lists of candidates received the same number of votes in the entity parliament. The Bosniak Caucus in the RS Council of Peoples elected Kemo Camdzija, Mujo Hadziomerovic, Kasim Salkic, Anita Hodzic and Samir Bacevac, all from the SDA, Elvedin Hamzi from the Party for B&H, Muhamed Ibrahimbegovic from the Party for a better future, and Enes Suljkanovic. Croat Caucus in the RS Council of Peoples will be consisted of: Predrag Gluhakovic, Davor Cordas, Zeljko Stipic, Nada Tesanovic, Ivo Kamenjasevic, Goran Milosevic, Mijo Perkunic and Tomoslav Tomljanovic. In the Caucus of the others elected ones are, Dubravka Macanovic, Radenko Rikic, Aleksandra Delasaso and Jovana Cavkic.

For the RS Council of Peoples 28 delegates are being elected, eight from every group of the constituent peoples, Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks, and the remaining four are from among the others. Central Election Commission certified on Tuesday 23 candidate lists containing the names of 78 candidates for delegates to the RS Council of Peoples. The names of the elected delegates to the RS Council of Peoples will be forwarded to the Central Election Commission for the approval. Yesterday’s session of entity Parliament was marked by a heated debate between the MPs from the Alliance for Change and the Homeland coalitions. They expressed their disapproval of the decision not to elect the Vice-Presidents of the National Assembly. The MP from the Homeland coalition Adil Osmanovic said that the question of why the Vice-President was not elected has been asked twice, and that the only answer they got is that there is a lack of the political will, adding that it is an unacceptable explanation. “I do not see any reason, if the parliamentary majority is crystal clear, not to elect the Vice-President, one from the opposition bloc and two of the constituent peoples, Bosniaks and Croats,” said Osmanovic. Dragan Cavic has also announced the possibility of initiating the procedure of constitutionality and legality of the parliament if it continues to ignore the decisions that Parliament must have the Vice-Presidents from the other two constituent peoples, Bosniaks and Croats, and one from among the largest opposition party. This would, he said, protect the work of the RS parliament. Head of SNSD Caucus Radovan Viskovic on the other hand believes that Parliament works in accordance with the law and that the Vice-Presidential candidates who were proposed at the first session did not get enough votes.

Ivanic and Izetbegovic speak with political directors of PIC Steering Board (Oslobodjenje)

Members of the B&H Presidency today welcomed members of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) Steering Board at the political director level. Mladen Ivanic, chair of the B&H Presidency, and Bakir Izetbegovic, member of the Presidency, informed the political directors of the current political and socioeconomic situation in B&H, and the process of constituting governments at all levels. They informed the political directors of the program goals and priorities for the four-year mandate period. The members of the B&H Presidency stressed that at all levels of future government, the priority must be implementing socioeconomic reforms that will ensure economic stability and rapid development of the economy. The political directors congratulated the newly elected convocation of the B&H Presidency on its mandate, and expressed the expectation that forming new governments at all levels would happen in the shortest possible time period, the B&H Presidency said in a statement. They agreed with the Presidency members that the focus should be on resolving accumulated problems and strengthening the rule of law. They pointed out that they believe in B&H’s European future, and that they were encouraged by the Presidency’s readiness to approach problem resolution and implementation of necessary reforms. They also discussed the establishment of a coordination mechanism in the EU integration process and the registry of 63 locations of military property.

High Representative Valentin Inzko appeals to politicians to resolve economic crisis (Srna)

High Representative for B&H Valentin Inzko said on Wednesday in Sarajevo that the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) appealed to B&H politicians to fix the economy in the country. Inzko said in a press conference following the two-day session of the PIC Steering Board held in Sarajevo that he drawn the Steering Board’s attention to how dire the economic situation in B&H is, and supported this with examples such as the unemployment rate being 44 percent, reaching even 60 percent amongst young people, and over 40,000 companies in B&H having at least one of their bank accounts blocked. “This is an illustration of the true and widespread poverty in B&H, and it will take a lot of work to reduce it and improve the economic situation,” said Inzko and added that he “has already discussed this issue with some of the future ministers,” i.e. those he believes will become ministers. Inzko said that the immediate, short-term priority is to move quickly in the process of government formation, and that the Cantons are expected to speed up the nomination of delegates to the Federation of B&H (FB&H) House of Peoples. He added that the PIC Steering Board also pointed out the need for accelerated reaction relating to the catastrophic flood damage. “We have not always had sufficient political initiative and decisiveness of the administration to begin with the work, which is necessary for the realization of the financial resources raised at the donor conference in Brussels,” said Inzko.

As he said, the international community is ready to help, but for this it needs political partners in B&H who will deliver this assistance on the ground directly to the citizens. He emphasized that the PIC Steering Board called for making more effort in the sphere of judiciary, to tackle corruption and deliver more efficient war crimes prosecutions. “These are not new initiatives – they are calls for the incoming authorities to do what should have been done long ago. The International Community stands ready to assist Bosnia and Herzegovina get back on track, but we must now see clear signs from the new authorities that they are committed to getting down to the hard work,” emphasized Inzko. He said that he had pointed out to the PIC Steering Board members that the patience of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is now close to zero. The only thing that will help dissolve the frustration in the country is rapid and effective action by the incoming authorities. Inzko did not wish to comment on the separate opinion of Russia in the communiqué section dealing with the Euro-Atlantic integration issue, but he emphasized that this was a “better Russian position” than the one at the previous meeting of the PIC Steering Board held in May, on which occasion the complete communiqué was not supported. Commenting the communiqué section reminding the authorities of B&H about their obligation to provide the High Representative and his office with a timely access to officials, institutions and documents, Inzko noted that some documents which had been signed by Republika Srpska and Serbia in the scope of their special parallel relations were not available to him. He believes there are reasons that offer grounds for optimism, the first being “that the progress that has been made since the elections in forming authorities has been significantly better than the one following the previous elections”, and the second being the reinvigorated approach and ongoing efforts in relation to the current EU initiative, which aims to revitalize the reform process in B&H and the country’s progress towards the EU. Principal Deputy High Representative David Robinson said that PIC members highlighted during the session the failure of HDZ B&H and SDA to come to terms relating to the problem of voting by the citizens of Mostar. “We find this a significant failing and we hope that the parties will come together soon to discuss this. We will try to come up with a provisional solution for Mostar, until a permanent solution is found, so that the citizens do not suffer”, said Robinson

Serge Brammertz spoke before the UN Security Council: The Prosecutor’s Office in B&H is going in the wrong direction (Dnevni avaz)

The Chief Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal (ICTY) Serge Brammertz said during his speech before the UN Security Council that “the Prosecutor’s Office in B&H is not going in a positive direction.” By submitting his regular report to this body, Brammertz said that this year has visited B&H twice and spoke with the representatives of the Prosecutors Office and the Court of B&H, politicians and victims. He praised the recent joint action of prosecutors’ offices of B&H and Serbia, where 15 people were arrested for war crimes in Strpci. “This is a very positive development that shows how much more can be achieved through successful cooperation. We strongly invite prosecutorial authorities in the region to continue their activities,” said Brammertz. He informed the Security Council that the B&H is faced with the problem of lawsuit being broken in to the individual lawsuit. “Previous attempts to change this practice, were unsuccessful. But it has to change. More generally, the Supervisory Board for the implementation of the national strategy to combat war crimes and state-level judiciary have expressed concern that the Office of the State Prosecutor’s Office is not moving in a positive direction. They are afraid that the quality is sacrificed in order to increase the quantity of charges. Also, they believe that a lot more indictments for the crimes against humanity must be issued,” said Brammertz. He added that “although the list of challenges is still long, good management and leadership capacity within the Office of the Prosecutor may still steer the things back on to the right path”.

Refugee workers protest outside the UN headquarters (Srna)

Nikola Puzigaca, Head of the Association of Workers and Disabled Workers who fled Croatia in the 1990s, stated that a delegation that went to Geneva for peaceful protests outside the UN headquarters to mark Human Rights Day is returning to Banja Luka disappointed. “We are utterly disappointed with the policy of both the domestic and foreign authorities and wonder whether Croatia is the only country in the world to which the principle of human rights protection does not apply,” said Puzigaca. None of the UN officials addressed the workers, so the delegation handed over the documentation they had prepared to the representatives of the B&H Embassy to the UN, he said. Puzigaca stated that in the coming days, the issue of the rights of workers who fled Croatia and now hold B&H citizenship would be decided upon by the Association of Workers and Disabled Workers who fled Croatia and the Association Ugor from Jelah near Tesanj in the Federation of B&H. Puzigaca underlined that a lawsuit against Croatia was ready to be filed to the human rights court in Strasbourg. Workers who fled Croatia and now hold B&H citizenship, departed for Geneva on Tuesday for peaceful protests in order to express their dissatisfaction over their unexercised rights in Croatia and vowed not to give up until their problems were solved. During the protest which took place on Wednesday, the disgruntled workers expressed their anger over the unexercised rights in the area of labor and employment relations, the fact that they had been left out from enterprise privatizations in Croatia, over unpaid pensions, and housing and personal property rights.

Explosions at police stations in Kumanovo, Tetovo (Vecer)

Strong explosions occurred close to the police stations in the Macedonian towns of Tetovo and Kumanovo, Vecer writes. According to the local media, the explosion in Kumanovo went off close to the 11 October School. It is believed that the blast was caused by a hand grenade thrown in a shaft. No injured people were reported. An explosion was heard in the area of the police department in Tetovo but the police said it was no blast and no attack at the police station.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia dismantles human trafficking ring (Press TV, 10 December 2014)

Serbian authorities have arrested nearly 50 people allegedly involved in a human trafficking ring that took immigrants from Asian countries to the European Union.

Three local smugglers and 46 illegal immigrants from Syria and Afghanistan were taken into custody on Wednesday over a plot to unlawfully transport them to the European Union, the Serbian government said. Police found the immigrants stuffed in two vans with German license plates near the southeastern town of Knjaževac. The smugglers had entered Serbia illegally from Bulgaria. Criminals smuggle people, weapons and drugs to Western Europe and Russia via the so-called Balkans route, which passes through Serbia. Romania, Hungary and Croatia share borders with Serbia. Authorities say human trafficking is a difficult crime to investigate because victims are often afraid to come forward. Inter-ethnic cooperation is also found to be flourishing in the trafficking world. Human trafficking is one of the world’s fastest growing criminal activities. More than 20 million people worldwide are victims of this form of modern day slavery. Officials estimate that worldwide, the human trafficking industry generates an estimated USD 150 billion each year.

Western integration not Bosnia’s only option, says Russia (Reuters, by Maja Zuvela, 10 December 2014)

SARAJEVO – Russia broke with the West on Wednesday on an initiative to encourage reform in Bosnia with the carrot of European Union membership, saying that integration with the West was not the Balkan country’s only option. Britain and Germany have proposed unlocking EU cash and putting economic measures before political reforms in a bid to raise Bosnia out of a period of deep stagnation and move it along the path to EU accession. The initiative won the general support on Wednesday of the Peace Implementation Council, a supervisory body of foreign powers including the United States, EU, Russia and Japan set up after Bosnia’s ethnic war in 1992-95. Only Russia objected, peace envoy Valentin Inzko told a news conference after a meeting of the Council’s Steering Board. “The Russian Federation is of the opinion that Euro-Atlantic integration is not the sole perspective for Bosnia…,” Inzko, an Austrian diplomat, said after a two-day meeting of political directors of the Steering Board, quoting from a Russian footnote appended to the Board’s statement. Russia’s ambassador to the former Yugoslav republic could not immediately be reached for comment. The objection reflected what Western diplomats say is a recent hardening of Russian policy towards the Balkans. Moscow is nurturing ties with fellow Orthodox Christian Serbs in Bosnia who reject deeper post-war integration with Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, and are generally more hostile to membership of the EU and NATO. Power in Bosnia since its 1995 peace treaty has been split along ethnic lines, stifling reform and economic development. Russia also raised eyebrows in November when, for the first time in 14 years, it declined to support the extension of a Western peacekeeping force in Bosnia, first led by NATO but now by the EU. Russia abstained in the U.N. Security Council vote.

“They had a different opinion and I respect that,” Inzko said. “You are aware of what is happening on the global scene … that European politics has its direction and that Russians, who are not there… They thought they should not support it”. On a visit to Sarajevo last week, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini urged Russia not to drag the Western Balkans into its deepening rift with the West over Ukraine.

(Editing by Matt Robinson/Mark Heinrich)

Student Protest Blocks Macedonian Capital (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 10 December 2014)

Over 12,000 students opposed to government-planned external, state-supervised exams for graduates attended a mass protest on Wednesday in Skopje. Students shouted “University is the voice of freedom!”, “No justice, no peace!”, “Can you hear us now?” and “Autonomy!”, and carried banners reading: “We are students, not clients,” and “I want to stay in this country.”

The march that clogged the centre of Skopje for over two hours took off from the university campus, passed the parliament building and ended in front of the government building.

Organizers and participants said they had trouble connecting to their mobile networks and accessing the internet. Many members of the press had the same problem. The protest was staged by a student organization, the Students’ Plenum. In parallel with the main protest in Skopje, student marches were held in several other towns across Macedonia. This was the second students march against the government plan for “external testing”. At the first march, held in late November, more than 2,000 people attended. Students mainly from the state-run Sts Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, and from other universities, oppose proposed amendments to the Law on Higher Education that envisage all students taking a “state exam” before they complete their studies as a form of improving the quality of their education. They say the amendments are unconstitutional and pose a threat to university autonomy. The change would “limit the right to education, guaranteed by the constitution,” the Students Plenum wrote in a letter to the Education Minister. The plan was a “direct breach of university autonomy guaranteed in article 46 of the constitution”, done by “revoking and discrediting the ability of the educational institutions to determine grading methodologies on their own”, they added. On Tuesday, Education Minister Abdulaqim Ademi insisted that despite the protests, the authorities remained “determined to introduce a mechanism for control of the quality of education”, adding that “it will not harm universities’ autonomy”. Ademi said he was not informed of any alleged pressures being applied to students and high school pupils to stay away from the protest. In fact, student leaders have told political parties to stay out. In a press statement they told party youth organizations they are welcome to join, but only as students and concerned citizens. They also asked them to keep party emblems and slogans out of the protest. Keen the play down the scale of the rally, the ruling VMRO DPMNE party and pro-government media insisted on Wednesday that protest was attended by only about 3,000 people, all organized by the opposition. Although some high-school students joined the protest, after being invited to do so by the Student’s Plenum, few turned up. The opposition mayor of the Skopje municipality of Centar, Andrej Zernovski, previously accused the government of pressuring high school professors in his municipality to stop pupils from leaving classes. VMRO DPMNE officials dismissed allegations that some school classroom doors were locked to keep pupils from exiting class and joining the protest. The protest march of Macedonian students has been supported by students in neighbouring Serbia. They announced their intention to hold a solidarity gathering in front of the Macedonian embassy in Belgrade on Thursday. “Long live the fight of Macedonian students. We are students, not clients. One world – one fight,” the Serbian student leaders wrote in support of their Macedonian colleagues.

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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.