LOCAL PRESS

Djuric: Serbia in the EU as partner and not as a punching bag (TV Pink)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric told TV Pink that it was important for Serbia to show character towards the international community and enter the EU as a partner and not as a punching bag. For years of difficult reforms and the process of adaptation of its entire political and economic system, Serbia has shown its affinity for the EU, stressed Djuric, assessing that the conduct of our highest officials should be in line with the interests of our state. As for the opening of Chapter 35, on the implementation of the Brussels agreement, he said that Serbia had fully met its obligations from that agreement, which cannot be said for the other side, i.e. Pristina.

Vucic to unveil monument to King Milutin in Kosovo (Danas)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is supposed to travel to Kosovo and Metohija this week for the Serbian New Year and the unveiling of the monument to King Miultin in Gracanica, which is late several months, and which is actually the finalization of the election campaign for the Kosovo mayor of Gracanica, in which the MP of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in the Serbian parliament Vladeta Kostic is the main candidate of the Serbian government, Danas has unofficially learned from well-informed sources. The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric stated yesterday that the upcoming visit of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to the Kosovo pomoravlje region will be “an important signal” for some 40,000 Serbs who live in this region. “Not a single state official has visited these areas since the early 1990s. Vucic decided to visit precisely this region,” said Djuric. He noted that Vucic should open a maternity hospital in Pasjane. Djuric also noted that Vucic will visit Strpce, the center on Mt. Brezovica, and Gracanica.

North Kosovska Mitrovica budget sufficient only for municipal authorities’ salaries (Politika)

This year’s budget for four municipalities in northern Kosovo and Metohija, which was cut by as much as six million euros after the decision of the Kosovo Assembly, is seriously threatening the functioning of these local self-administrations, so the assemblies may be even disbanded, as it is often heard among the Serbs. Namely, the Kosovo government, with Isa Mustafa at the helm, has knowingly violated the coalition agreement and allocated significantly less money than promised to the Serbs in the municipalities of Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok. It allocated northern Mitrovica only four million euros, ignoring the fact that this sum was allocated last year only for the Administrative office that has 55 employees and put in order several parks and paved some streets from “capital investments”, Politika’s interlocutor says. Almost none of the Serb representatives in northern Kosovo wished to discuss the budget for 2015. Only two interlocutors, one of whom requested to remain anonymous, responded to Politika’s journalist’s persistent calls and messages. “We have been consciously tricked. Initially, we drafted the budget to around eight million euros, which was rejected in Pristina, and we noted in the new request that we needed five million for capital investments and salaries. It turned out that four million is ‘sufficient’ for our municipality to function, which is only 50 percent of what we had initially requested. With this money we can possibly cover the salaries of 115 employees in the municipality and 19 deputies in the assembly, where three million will be spent. The question is how we will settle capital investments, goods and services with the remaining money – million euros. Presumably, the best move would be to disband the assembly, because how do we explain to citizens that the municipality is functioning only for the sake of hundred people who sit and receive salaries,” a source close to municipal structures, which were elected at the local, Kosovo elections in November 2013, told Politika. Vucina Jankovic, the Mayor of Zvecan, whose budget for this year has been reduced by two million euros (four was requested), was not willing to talk. Politika was interested what will be the priority with the money that was allocated to them by Pristina and what will they give up since many projects had been announced. “We can talk on Monday, when we officially receive the documentation stating for which purposes the money has been envisaged. It is true that we planned several projects, but this is all I can say,” shortly responded Jankovic, who became mayor at the elections that were held in line with the Brussels agreement.

With the admission of five new non-permanent members, balance of power has changed in Security Council (Novosti)

The balance of power in the United Nations Security Council has shifted in favor of Serbia since the beginning of this year, because more than half of the members of this body do not recognize independence of Kosovo and Metohija. According to the current division of cards in the Security Council, eight of the 15 members are on Serbia’s side. As of 1 January, new five, of a total of ten non-permanent Security Council member states – Angola, Venezuela, Spain, New Zealand and Malaysia – Angola, Venezuela and Spain do not recognize Pristina, so the number of those who oppose secession of Kosovo has “increased” to eight. Another three non-permanent Security Council member states, whose mandate expires at the end of this year, Chile, Jordan and Nigeria, support Belgrade’s policy. Novosti’s interlocutors say that it is good that there has been a change of balance of power in the Security Council at a moment when the Serbian leadership is announcing the possibility of adopting a new platform on Kosovo. According to Ivan Mrkic, President Tomislav Nikolic’s foreign policy advisor, it is significant that Serbia will have this year more interlocutors who understand its positions: “That is primarily good over the atmosphere that will be permeating all meetings where the topics will be Kosovo and Metohija or reports or UNMIK’s work. For us the key was and remains the fact that two permanent member states do not recognize Kosovo, they have the right of veto and in that case cannot be outvoted regardless of the balance of power in the Security Council.” Pavle Jevremovic, Serbian former ambassador at the UN, opines that Serbia should use the fact that it has majority in the Security Council: “This is an opportunity to strengthen diplomatic activities, and to lobby for our national interests.”

Serbian doctors took care of injured UN peacekeepers (Politika)

The past week was turbulent for the Serbian medics in the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republican (MINUSCA), the Serbian Army said in a release. During several successive interventions, they took care of some ten lightly and heavily injured UN soldiers. Serbian military surgeons had the biggest challenge. The team included lieutenant colonel Ivan Lekovic, general and vascular surgeon, orthopedic surgeon major Sasa Mladenovic and anesthesiologist lieutenant colonel Zeljko Gunj. They successfully, in a very short time, stabilized a soldier with multiple penetrating gunshot wounds, with bone fractures and interrupted blood vessels. After bringing the soldier into a stable condition, the patient was transferred to the French military hospital where a several-hour-long complex surgery of tissues and blood vessels was successfully completed. For a little over ten days of work, the doctors in the Serbian military hospital in the Central African Republic had taken care of more than 150 patients, members of the military and civilian part of the mission.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: Not all Muslims are terrorists (Oslobodjenje/Nezavisne novine)

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik condemned every form of extremism, terrorism, and violence, saying that RS is stable, and that its agencies, in cooperation with the other agencies in B&H, are doing everything to preserve security for all citizens. Pointing to the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe, the president of RS appealed to political leaders and citizens in Europe to do everything they can to calm passions and return life to normal. “Regardless of the fact that the majority of members of these terrorist militant groups come from radical Islam, I say clearly that not all Muslims are terrorists, and in this sense passions should be calmed in terms of creating any kind of collective perceptions and judgments,” Dodik told Nezavisne novine. On the occasion of the recent terrorist attacks and extremist activities in France and Germany, Dodik said that Serbs, Bosniaks, and all other citizens of RS should jointly preserve peace and mutual respect. “I tell the citizens of the RS that we should have full tolerance toward various religious groups and together build and preserve the peace that is sacrosanct,” said Dodik. He warned that everyone who breaks the law will face consequences and no form of threat to public order, peace, and the security of citizens will be tolerated. “Everyone in B&H should do everything they can to prevent any opportunity for conflict and everyone should renounce support to any radical or militant movements and individuals, and in this way we together will focus our forces on eliminating any form of danger of terrorist attacks being carried out,” said Dodik. He said that in Serbia there are no visible indicators and activities that would point to the fact that security and peace could be threatened. “And in this regard, as president of RS, I am absolutely prepared to do everything necessary with our agencies to additionally and preventively act, so the population is serene,” said Dodik.

New evidence of crimes against Serbs (RTRS)

FB&H Vice-President Mirsad Kebo said that last night he was given new evidence of war crimes against Serbs which will prove crimes and probably widen a list of those responsible for these crimes. Kebo explained that new evidence of crimes against Serbs, which will stimulate other peoples’ leaders to discuss this issue not as a political subject but as a humanitarian one, last night at around 19:00 hours was given to his man of confidence in one town in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H). He confirmed that he forwarded to B&H Chief Prosecutor Goran Salihovic over 2,000 pages of documents in connection with crimes committed against Serbs in Vozuca near the city of Zavidovici. “I got materials from citizens who want the truth. They indicate that individuals holding high offices in B&H knew about war crimes, but did not report them,” Kebo told last night Radio and TV Republika Srpska (RTRS). Kebo stressed that submission of this evidence does not have any political or personal background, but that he met his constitutional obligation by asking the B&H Prosecutor’s Office to check the validity of evidence. Kebo said that the documents mention the names of the former commander of the 3rd Corps of the Republic of B&H Army, Sakib Mahmuljan, and the Head of the Zenica Public Safety Centre, Sefik Dzaferovic, who has been elected the Chairman of the B&H House of Representatives. “I also submitted to the B&H Prosecutor’s Office photographs of a secret seat of the Iranian Intelligence Service which was active in Zenica, where an eavesdropping center for this part of Europe was located, where Iranian intelligence officers stayed, and which was visited by Bakir Izetbegovic, Sefik Dzaferovic and others,” Kebo said. Kebo called on people whose names are mentioned in these documents to consider their moral responsibility and resign from political offices in B&H.

SDA: Kebo in service of destroyers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Fena)

The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) strongly condemns the lies and insinuations of the outgoing FB&H Vice-President Mirsad Kebo made against the prominent commanders of the Army of B&H and against the top SDA officials, announced the SDA party. “With losing the function and power Kebo is also losing the last remnants of human and patriotic honor, becoming the obedient of intelligence and political centers who want to stop the formation of structure in the country, destabilize the agreed coalition, and thus destabilize the situation in the country” reads the SDA statement. The SDA believes that the ultimate goal is to equalize the opposing parties, cast a shadow on the character of the fight which patriotic forces of B&H lead, and put the stigma of Islamic radicalism on the Bosniak people in the wake of growing Islamophobia in the world. The SDA raises the question of who and with what purpose put at Kebo’s disposal the war archives of the Army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of B&H, inserting falsified documents in them?! “Keba’s mentors are counting on a short memory and naivety of the nation, but they are wrong. If the SDA leadership repeatedly made the mistake by persistently keeping a moral caricature as Mirsad Kebo at high positions in the party and the state, people never did and have never confirmed it. Every time when the people were asked, Kebo was losing,” stated the SDA and added that it will be remembered that Mirsad Kebo was the only one in the history of parliamentary democracy who managed to lose the election as the head of the list. The people recognize and refuse to forgive the poltroons, snitchers and traitors. Masks and wigs are finally down. All Kebo was secretly doing for years at the end of his career, in a panic fear of losing the power, he made public. And that is how it should be, that is the only right way that the SDA and Bosniaks should part from the non-human that Mirsad Kebo is, says the SDA press release.

Subjects from a joint statement in exclusive jurisdiction of entities (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said that a proposal of the B&H Presidency on what should be done regarding European integration caused a confusion since it says that B&H should do it, and all six subjects in this document are in the exclusive jurisdiction of the Entities and Cantons, and not B&H. “We wanted certain explanations, and the RS President together with the Senate brought a conclusion that, the Chairman of the B&H Presidency, Mladen Ivanic be called to explain to political parties why an opposite direction was taken, why opinions of political leaders and parties were not heard and why the existing positions of official RS institutions were not taken into account,” Cvijanovic told reporters in Brcko. She reiterated her position that B&H can send a positive message, express its good will and encourage institutions and political subjects in the country to tackle the issue of European integration, but that B&H simply has no jurisdiction to take any steps. “This is the essence of our letters and warnings,” Cvijanovic said. She stressed that the SNSD has been active for a number of years in RS and B&H as one of the most consciousness political parties when it comes to B&H’s European road. “We are thus showing what should be done, at which pace we should go, which obligations we should meet, and warning other political subjects of RS’s commitments and positions at a level of important institutions,” Cvijanovic said and added that the RS Parliament presented its positions on how to resolve the issue of a coordination mechanism and the issue of the Sejdic-Finci ruling.

On December 31, the B&H Presidency harmonized a proposed wording of a joint statement on the commitment of the B&H leaders to launch necessary reforms in the process of B&H’s accession to the EU. The proposed statement accepts conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, and the statement was forwarded to B&H political party leaders.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

EU Condemns Serbia PM’s Criticism of BIRN (BIRN, by Gordana Andric, 10 January 2015)

The EU condemned a statement by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of being paid by Brussels to publish lies to undermine his government.

The European Commission said on Saturday that it strongly rejected “baseless claims” by the Serbian PM that BIRN is being funded by Brussels to spread lies to destablise his administration.

Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for the European Commission for neighbourhood policy and enlargement negotiations, said that Brussels was “very much surprised by the recent claims by Serbian PM Vucic that the EU is paying individual organisations to wage a campaign against the Serbian government”.

“We strongly reject these baseless claims. The EU stands by independent and courageous journalism and freedom of speech across Europe and beyond. Freedom of expression is a basic principle of democracy,” Kocijancic said.

“The EU expects the Serbian authorities to ensure an environment supporting freedom of expression and of media. Media criticism (such as that of BIRN) is essential to ensure the proper accountability of elected governments; governments should in turn be ready to act on such criticism in a constructive and transparent fashion, rather than trying to stifle it,” she added.

Vucic on Friday denounced BIRN’s journalists as “liars” over their investigation into state-owned energy company Elektroprivreda Srbije, EPS.

“It’s important for people to know [who published the investigation]… They have got the money from Mr. Davenport [head of the EU delegation in Belgrade, Michael Davenport] and the EU to speak against the Serbian government,” Vucic told a press conference.

“Tell those liars that they have lied again. That’s all I have to say,” Vucic said.

Vucic on Saturday responded to Kocijancic’s statement by accusing the Brussels official of trying to silence him.

“I am shocked by the fact that Maja Kocijancic in the name of the EU is trying to shut me up, to forbid me to even answer the question of the journalists,” Vucic said in a letter to Kocijancic.

Vucic also alleged that BIRN was lobbying for unnamed foreign companies to win a contract to renovate the most important mine in Serbia.

“Those who won your [EU] grants following strict procedures, tried to force the government of Serbia to accept bidding from one Western company, which was 23 million euros more expensive than the offers of a Serbian company,” he said.

On Thursday, BIRN published an investigation into how state-owned Elektroprivreda Srbije, EPS, awarded a contract to renovate the Tamnava mine to a consortium that had no experience of such work, significantly increasing the cost.

The Tamnava mine was flooded in May, and the consortium led by Serbian company Energotehnika – Juzna Backa was hired to pump the water from the pit.

The BIRN investigation revealed that the Juzna Backa consortium was linked to Nikola Petrovic, the director of another state company Elektromreze Srbije and a close associate of Prime Minister Vucic.

The next day, Vucic denounced BIRN’s reporters as “liars”.

But Slobodan Georgijev from BIRN Serbia rejected Vucic’s allegations.

“We stand behind the text that we published. Our text is 100 per cent accurate, everything is clear, we never publish things about which there is no evidence,” said Georgijev.

Gordana Igric, the regional director of Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, meanwhile said that the authorities were targeting BIRN with smears reminiscent of the Slobodan Milosevic regime in the 1990s.

“This kind of propaganda against independent and critical media reminds me of the 1990s,” Igric said.

“The fact that this is again going on in a time that should be much different raises confusion, because the official policy of the Serbian government is that it aspires to join the EU, while additionally it heavily relays on financial aid from that same EU,” she said.

The Independent Association of Journalists in Serbia, NUNS, also issued a statement accusing Vucic of putting pressure on BIRN and media freedom in general.

“Calling BIRN’s journalists liars with the accusation that they have received money to ‘speak against the government’ is a vocabulary that belongs to past times and is unacceptable for a democratic society and a state that, as Vucic himself often says, wants to become part of the EU,” NUNS said.

Croatia’s first woman president-elect promises fight for Croats’ rights in Bosnia, Serbia (TASS, 12 January 2015)
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic based her election campaign mainly on economic issues with the focus on measures to step up energy security, fight unemployment and prevent young people from leaving abroad

BELGRADE – Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who won in the last Sunday’s run-off of presidential election in Croatia, a western Balkan country, pledged to local citizens to make the homeland “one of most prosperous in the European Union.”

Grabar-Kitarovic, who based her election campaign mainly on economic issues with the focus on measures to step up energy security, fight unemployment and prevent young people from leaving abroad, raised the same issue on Monday. The country is in a hard economic and social situation, she said, noting that more than 300 thousand unemployed citizens live in Croatia now.

The president-elect promised “to fight for Croatian national interests.”

“We will revive partnership with our friend Germany, resolve unsettled issues with neighbours and will fight for the rights of Croats not only in our homeland,” she said, noting that she would back Croats living In Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Croats in Vojvodina, a Serbian autonomous province.

Croatia’s incumbent President Ivo Josipovic earlier congratulated his rival on victory in the second round of the presidential election.

“She has won in a democratic competition,” Josipovic said, adding that the victory was won “by a small margin.”

According to the Croatian Central Election Commission (CEC), with 99.42% of the votes counted, Grabar-Kitanovic has got 50.42% of the vote and Josipovic – 49.58%

Croatia Presidential Candidates Talk Tough on Serbia (BIRN, by Sven Milekic, 9 January 2015)

Both candidates for the presidency took a tough stance on Serbia in a televised debate after an election campaign in which issues from the 1990s war were overshadowed by Croatia’s economic woes.

Incumbent president Ivo Josipovic, who is supported by centre-left government parties, and his challenger Kolida Grabar Kitarovic, the candidate of the centre-right opposition Croatian Democratic Union, both had words of warning for EU hopeful Serbia during the debate on Nova TV on Thursday evening.

The debate saw sharp exchanges over the legacy of the 1991-95 war after an election campaign that was dominated by economic issues.

When asked if she would block Serbia’s EU accession talks if Belgrade fails to deal with its wartime past, Grabar Kitarovic responded that she “would condition Serbia with giving information about missing persons” from the 1990s conflict.

Many in Croatia believe that former Yugoslav People’s Army officials and intelligence agencies in Belgrade have information about where Croats killed during wartime are buried.

Grabar Kitarovic also said that she would insist that Serbia treats its Croat minority in the same way that Serbs are treated in Croatia.

“I advocate the rights of minorities in Croatia and I will ask the same from Serbia, which doesn’t respect them at the moment,” she said.

Josipovic said that he would not block Belgrade’s accession talks, but insisted that Serbia must go through the same process as Croatia did to join the EU.

“None of our neighbours can enter the EU if they do not take the same path that we did,” he said.

Both candidates have spoken in similar terms during the campaign about the foundation of independent Croatia, but during the debate, Grabar Kitarovic accused Josipovic of cooperating with the NGO Documenta, alleging that it was trying to prove that the conflict in Croatia was a civil war, not the result of aggression from Belgrade.

The issue of war veterans has remained a constant theme during the campaign because a group of disabled ex-servicemen from the 1990s war have been protesting non-stop for almost three months in front of the war veterans’ ministry, demanding the removal of minister Predrag Matic.

Until Thursday, both Josipovic and Grabar Kitarovic voiced support for the veterans.

But during the TV debate, Josipovic accused the Croatian Democratic Union of being one of the organisers of the protest, along with Josip Klemm, who runs a security company that employs war veterans and is alleged to be one of Grabar Kitarovic’s supporters.

“The main organiser is the man who employs veterans and keeps them on the minimum wage,” he alleged.

Cabinet proposes judicial laws, tax incentives (New Europe, 11 January 2015)

With a view to harmonising Montenegro’s taxation system with the EU acquis and removing unnecessary business barriers, the Montenegro Cabinet has approved the Law Amending the Law on Value Added Tax. Given the importance of advancing business environment end competitiveness of the Montenegrin economy, the government also proposed the introduction of tax incentives for investments in high–profile tourism projects and construction of five stars hotel, as well as the construction and equipment of facilities for electricity production, Montenegro’s government said in a press release. The cabinet also approved the Proposal for the Law on Courts and the Proposal for the Law on the Judicial Council and the rights and duties of the judges. Regarding the Law on Customs, the government approved amendments aimed at improving tax discipline and more efficient tax and other levies payment which will cause a greater influx in the budget. With a view to creating conditions for achieving development goals of Montenegro’s strategic industries, the cabinet proposed amendments to the Customs Law allowing exemptions from tariffs on equipment and materials for the construction and equipment of five stars hotels, energy and agricultural manufacturing facilities.

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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.