LOCAL PRESS

Serbia has become an exporter of security (Tanjug)

Serbian Defense Minister, Bratislav Gasic received a farewell visit from the Head of the UN Office in Belgrade, Peter Due. Gasic thanked Due for the great efforts, enthusiasm and support in the development of relations between the Ministry of Defense and the United Nations, especially in the field of engagement in peacekeeping missions. Cooperation with the UN is of great importance for the continuation of reforms in the Ministry of Defense, said the Minister of Defense. The presence of UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija is of importance for Serbia and the Serbian population, because UNMIK, KFOR and other international institutions are the main guarantor of security. Gasic and Due talked about the participation of Serbian Army members in multinational operations. There are currently 329 members of the Army of Serbia who participate in seven UN and four EU missions. The interlocutors agree that Serbia has significantly increased its participation in peacekeeping operations and that it has become an exporter of security. One of the conclusions was that the military ambulance is the most important strategic capacity for participation in missions. Involvement of 68 persons at the 2 level hospital of the UN Mission in the Central African Republic was especially emphasized. Minister Gasic reminded that, under the “stand by” arrangement with the UN, Serbia has made available it’s medical team for evacuation by air, which can be engaged in accordance with the needs and requirements of the UN.

Djuric: Serbia will know to protect Trepca (RTS)

Appearing as a guest on a Radio and Television of Serbia’s broadcast, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric says that the response by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to the Koha Ditore reports that Trepca could be transferred to the ownership of Kosovo if they adopt the amendments to the Law on public companies, is some sort of warning to the provincial government not to do this. “We must try to avoid further complications, and we will know to protect our property and our people,” said Djuric. He noted that Trepca is the backbone of the Serbian economy in northern Kosovo and Metohija and that around four thousand people are working there. “For us it is impossible to imagine for someone from Pristina to try to take over control over that and this would not be implementable in any way either, while politically it may quite complicate the matter…There is still a chance for this situation not to escalate and to head in some undesirable direction for all of us,” said Djuric. He specifies that special risk in regard to the mentioned law is that it authorizes the Kosovo government to transfer any public company into the property of the so-called state of Kosovo and then to administer it. “We will not accept something like that, considering that Trepca is located in northern Kosovo and Metohija, that the main part of its ore deposits are located beneath central Serbia, this decision is completely non-implementable and creates political complications and an attempt at exerting additional pressure and bringing unrest among the Serbs,” said Djuric. According to him, the Serbian government has exempted from privatization, according to its system, the public companies for which it has documents proving they are Serbian, because this issue is yet to be discussed in Brussels. “If we see that the other side is drawing unilateral moves, all options are on the table concerning this from our side as well,” underlines Djuric. When it comes to Vucic’s visit to Kosovo pomoravlje, Djuric says it meant a lot, especially in the psychological sense, and that the reactions of the people on the ground were phenomenal. “The people highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s decision to visit places that had previously been rather neglected,” said Djuric. He adds that the Office for Kosovo and Metohija will open a bureau in the Kosovo pomoravlje aimed at resolving problems of ordinary people, from which their life and survival depends. Djuric pointed to the significance of strengthening the economy and launching private initiative, noting that the Serbian government is very much devoted to improving the situation in the economy. One idea, as he put it, is to launch a range of products that are manufactured in the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija and to help sustainability of the Serb community with them. Djuric also said that all those responsible for the crimes in Kosovo and Metohija should be punished, noting that Serbia sentenced several hundreds of people who perpetrated crimes. “I would like to see that at least one KLA terrorist is held responsible. We still do not have an answer where are 1,711 missing Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija,” said Djuric. Commenting the statement by the newly elected Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo before becoming an EU member, Djuric said these are unrealistic statements that are not an indicator of the best understanding of the situation in the region.

Ljajic: Telekom property in Kosovo and Metohija part of the negotiating process (Tanjug)

“The topic of the Telekom Srbija property in Kosovo and Metohija is a very complex subject, so it was decided at the first meeting on the issue in Brussels that it should constitute a separate part of the negotiations. “It will definitely be a separate topic of the negotiations. It is indisputable that Telekom has a significant amount of infrastructure in Kosovo, in which considerable financial resources were invested, and it is entirely certain that it is going to be a very difficult, but important, topic for us during the Brussels talks, and we wish to open and resolve it in a satisfactory way,” Serbian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic told Tanjug. The Kosovo public company for postal and telecommunications services (PTK) was created in 2000 after an UNMIK decision with all the property and infrastructure of the Serbian postal company PTT Srbija and Telekom Srbija being transferred to it later. The total postal and telecommunications property in Kosovo that existed in June 1999 is owned by two Serbian companies, Telekom Srbija and PTT Srbija. Telekom Srbija was registered as a company providing telecommunications services for landline and mobile telephony based on a license granted by the Serbian regulatory body in 1997 that covered the entire territory of the country, including Kosovo. The Serbian government owns 58 percent of Telekom, Serbian citizens own 22 percent and the company itself owns 20 percent of its shares.

Dacic: IPAP – step forward in relations between Serbia and NATO (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has confirmed that the procedure of adopting the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) between Serbia and NATO was successfully ended yesterday. He has emphasized that this document clearly and transparently highlights the goal and priorities that Serbia wishes to achieve in its cooperation with NATO. According to Dacic, this partnership ought to enable extending help to a partner state in the reform and modernization of the security systems. “The adoption of the IPAP represents a significant step in our relations with NATO and will set the conditions for the regular and structured dialog, including the political level. I expect the IPAP to make the coordination of the bilateral cooperation easer with the NATO member-states and other partners,” Dacic emphasized. The Individual Partnership Action Plan is the highest form of cooperation with NATO, through the Partnership for Peace Program, and which does not entail the membership in the Alliance. Last year, the procedure failed due to Albania’s refusing to accept the Serbian partnership.

Stoltenberg: Serbia valuable partner (RTS/Tanjug)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the adoption of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with Serbia, which improves cooperation between Serbia and NATO. “I welcome the Individual Partnership Action Plan agreed between NATO and the Republic of Serbia. This important step will allow us to further strengthen dialogue, understanding and cooperation between us. The Republic of Serbia has been a valued member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme since 2006.  NATO fully respects the Republic of Serbia’s policy of military neutrality and works closely with many countries on such a basis.  The new agreement concluded on 15 January will allow us to enhance our cooperation on issues of common interest and to our mutual benefit.  For instance, in working together to promote stability and security, in addressing the security challenges that we face today, and through NATO’s provision of defense and security sector reform expertise.”

Mihajlovic: Serbia wants a just solution (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Media Relations Milivoje Mihajlovic has stated that the key message of the visit of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Kosovo and Metohija is that we had enough of conflict and that Serbia wants a just solution, which enables the survival of the Serbs and peace in this region and throughout the region.

Mihajlovic told the morning broadcast of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that this visit was important, because the talks in Brussels would resume within 15 to 20 days and that it contributed to the normalization of relations. The Head of the Media Relations Office assessed that this visit encouraged the Serbs who live in this region and showed that Serbia is present in full capacity in Kosovo and Metohija. Mihajlovic assessed that even the Albanian community largely understood the offer of Prime Minister Vucic and the ministers in the Serbian government and that all these messages were weighed and sent to both the Albanians and Serbs. He recalled that the highest birth rate is in the Serb regions in Kosovo and Metohija and this is why a maternity hospital was opened in Pasjane. Speaking about the Serb enclave in Brezovica, i.e. in Strpce, Mihajlovic assessed that the Prime Minister’s visit will increase the interest of the Ministry of the Economy and other ministries for reconstruction and the ski center. He pointed to the fact that the natural ski slopes on Mt. Sar are the best in Europe and that there are possibilities for developing agriculture in the Strpce municipality. He announced that Serbia’s priorities, as the OSCE chair, will be to improve this organization and to try to contribute to peace and to raise Serbia’s reputation in the world. Asked about the Ukrainian crisis, Mihajlovic said this was the biggest challenge and that one should not have an illusion that the OSCE will resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but that it can offer a contribution, especially Serbia that chairs this organization. He voiced assurance that the relations between Serbia and Croatia will improve in the following period when the president of Croatia will be Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic. “The Serbian government insists on good relations in the region and wishes to be a pillar of stability of the region,” said Mihajlovic. Speaking about Hashim Thaqi’s visit to Podgorica, he pointed out that part of the Montenegrin public thinks this is a provocation, and that Thaqi is trying to strengthen his position in Kosovo and throughout the Albanian corpus. He opines that this visit will not damage relations, because, on the contrary, every conversation improves relations.

EULEX still cannot find Janjicijevic’s murderer (Tanjug)

North Mitrovica municipal assembly member Dimitrije Janicijevic (35), was murdered a year ago to this day, but his killer is still at large. Janicijevic was killed by gunshots outside his family home in Kosovska Mitrovica. The Kosovo police deputy regional director Besim Hoti told Tanjug that the investigation of the case is being conducted by EULEX, while the Kosovo police are merely cooperating with the mission and the prosecution office. EULEX declined to comment on details of the investigation that is underway. The slain Janicijevic, a representative of the Independent Liberal Party (SLS), was running for mayor of North Mitrovica.

REGIONAL PRESS

Zvizdic fulfills requirements to chair Council of Ministers (Oslobodjenje)

The Central Electoral Commission of B&H (CIK B&H) has issued confirmation that Denis Zvizdic has fulfilled the conditions prescribed by the law on the Council of Ministers for appointment as chairman of the Council of Ministers. At today’s session in Sarajevo, the CIK B&H confirmed the results of indirect elections and allocation of mandates for the House of Peoples of the Federation of B&H. The CIK B&H announced that, according to the certified results of the indirect elections, 54 delegates were elected to the House of Peoples, 17 each from the Bosniak and Croat peoples, 13 from the Serb people, and seven from the ranks of the others. Four places for Serb delegates remain vacant. The CIK B&H adopted a conclusion that they will submit a report on the implementation of the general elections of 2014 to the Parliamentary Assembly, which will include the implementation of direct and indirect elections, but also contain a recommendation on amending the electoral law in urgent procedure, exceptionally for these elections, concerning filling Serb delegates in the FB&H House of Peoples who are missing.

Collegium refuses for MPs to consider Dzaferovic’s dismissal (Fena)

Collegium of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H (B&H PA) and the Extended Collegium of this House did not accept to include the initiative for dismissal of Sefik Dzaferovic from the position of the Chairman of the House in the agenda of session of the House of Representatives which was held yesterday. Chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) stated that only members of two caucuses voted for the initiative, members of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), which launched the initiative, and members of the Union for the Better Future (SBB) B&H. SNSD requested Dzaferovic’s dismissal after the Vice President of the Federation of B&H Mirsad Kebo announced he would deliver documentation to the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H which refers to responsibility of Dzaferovic and others linked to war events in Vozuca.

Dzaferovic reiterated that it is a lie and a monstrous construction and he called the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H to decide on the matter as soon as possible, announcing that if criminal procedure is filed against him, he would step down from the position of the Chairman. He emphasized that if it turns out Kebo’s statement is a lie, he will demand a criminal procedure to be launched against Kebo. President of SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives of B&H PA Stasa Kosarac stated that SNSD proposed Dzaferovic’s dismissal. ”Given that the Chairman represents the House, he cannot do it in a House which we from Republika Srpska participate in, because he is suspected of covering up and not processing criminal offence of war crime,” explained Kosarac. He said that Serbs were convicted to 1.200 years in prison up to December 31 2014, and Bosniaks to around 180 years in prison and Croats a little bit less and he added that SNSD has a universal approach to war crimes, but they cannot trust the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H which has not processed those responsible for war crimes against Serbs. Deputies can also request at the session of the House of Representatives of B&H PA for this initiative to be considered, which this caucus will do, said Kosarac.

Steinmeier and Hammond today in Sarajevo (Srna)

The foreign ministers of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Britain Philip Hammond will visit B&H today to discuss progress in the accession process to the EU and the new EU initiative. Steinmeier and Hammond will meet with members of the B&H Presidency, Foreign Minister, and leaders of political parties, announced the Embassy of Germany and Great Britain.

It is planned to address the members of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H, as well as a roundtable with representatives of the business sector in B&H, at which they will discuss the urgent need for socio-economic reforms, in accordance with the Agreement on growth and employment in B&H.

Grabar Kitarovic: Everyone in Croatia is a Croat Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic (BHT1)

Croatian President-elect Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said that she did not make any distinction between Croatian citizens because she considered them all to be Croats, explaining her position on a third entity in B&H and calling on Serbia to face the reality and recognize Kosovo’s independence. “The way I see it, Croats are also people of Christian Orthodox religion and people of Serb ethnic background. They are Croats in the sense that they are Croatian citizens,” Grabar Kitarovic said in one of the excerpts of the interview aired on Thursday night. Commenting on her position on Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and different reactions elicited by her statements under which a third entity could be a solution for the country’s set-up, Grabar Kitarovic said that she was not the one to advocate such a solution because that was only one of the possibilities for the country’s internal structure. “That is not my position,’ she said, explaining that she believed that it would be a good solution if the ethnic groups in B&H agreed on it. “I would like an end to reports that I am advocating a third entity because that is not true,” she said. She added that it would not be a problem for her to meet and talk with the RS President Milorad Dodik, noting that most people in that entity wanted to draw closer to the EU and NATO. “I look forward to meeting with him and I really want us to discuss concrete problems,” Grabar Kitarovic said, adding that she particularly wanted to open the issue of the return of Croats expelled from the RS. Asked about relations with Serbia, Grabar Kitarovic said that she would want the country’s government to regulate the status of the Croat minority in Serbia as part of the process of integration with the EU. “I wholeheartedly want Serbia to embark on the path to the EU,’ she said. Asked if Serbia should recognize Kosovo, she said that it should. “Kosovo’s independence is simply the reality. I believe that everyone in Serbia is aware that Kosovo will not be a part of Serbia again,” Grabar Kitarovic said, adding that she hoped that Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic would visit Zagreb. In a letter of congratulation to Grabar Kitarovic, Nikolic expressed confidence that he would cooperate very well with his new Croatian counterpart. “I believe that our cooperation in the period to come will contribute to the development of relations between Serbia and Croatia and to peace and cooperation in the region,’ reads Nikolic’s message.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Hundreds demonstrate in Montenegro against Kosovo official (AP, 16 January 2015)

PODGORICA, Montenegro — Hundreds of Serb nationalists have demonstrated in Montenegro against Kosovo foreign minister’s visit, chanting “Kill! Kill!” as he met Friday with his Montenegrin counterpart Igor Luiksic.

Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci was the highest-level Kosovo Albanian official to visit Montenegro since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Montenegro has established diplomatic ties with Kosovo despite opposition from Serbia, which has refused to recognize the statehood of its former province.

Serb nationalists accuse Thaci, a former ethnic Albanian rebel leader, of war crimes against Kosovo Serbs during the 1998-99 war for independence.

Serbia and Montenegro were a single state until Montenegro split in 2006.

Hungarian Minister Proposes Greece-Macedonia-Serbia Gas Pipeline as South Stream Alternative (Novinite.com, 15 January 2015)

The construction of a gas pipeline from Greece via Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary would be an alternative to the cancelled South Stream project, according to Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s Foreign Minister.

Speaking after a Wednesday meeting with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zoran Mihajlovic in Belgrade, Szijjarto noted that an alternative gas supply route could go from Greece through Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary.

Stressing that the cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline project had been bad news to Serbia and Hungary, he noted that the countries had no choice but to come up with a new solution.

Szijjarto, as cited by B92 News, informed that he would discuss an alternative gas supply route with Turkish officials in about 10 days.

He said he would discuss with European officials early next week the possibility of the European Commission including a project aimed at improving energy security in its investment package.

In-fighting delays formation of Bosnia govts (Balkan Insight, by Elvira M. Jukic, 16 January 2015)

Three months on from the October elections, the formation of new governments at different levels in Bosnia remains hostage to political infighting and procedural problems.

After numerous procedural difficulties, Bosnia’s Central Election Commission, CIK, has finalized the appointment of delegates to the House of Peoples, one of two chambers of parliament in the Federation entity, commission officials told Balkan Insight.

Final certification is expected on Thursday after the CIK reviews the appeals it received on Wednesday afternoon.

The assembly of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzgovina has already scheduled its session for Thursday, to move on with the process of formation of a new entity government.

According to the Federation entity constitution, the assembly should now nominate an entity president and two vice presidents who then appoint the premier-designate.

Election officials have been complaining that since the October 2014 elections, the formation of governments across Bosnia’s numerous administrative levels has been held up by infighting and procedural problems.

Bosnia’s other entity, the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska, formed its government in December 2014.

The biggest problem, as in the past, in in the Federation.

Since the elections, cantonal assemblies in the Federation have chosen speakers and proposed lists of delegates for the Federation assembly.

At the same time, they have negotiated the formation of new cantonal governments. But, out of the ten cantons, only one, Gorazde, has got a new government so far.

In addition to complex negotiations about formation of ruling coalitions at different levels, the Federation faces the problem of not having enough Serbian deputies from all ten cantons to properly constitute the House of Peoples.

By law, the House of Peoples has to have 17 Bosniak, Croat and Serb deputies, as well as seven representing “Others”, meaning citizens who do not belong to any of Bosnia’s three constituent ethnic groups.

The CIK has been forced to organize a second and then – for the first time ever – a third round of selections of Serbian delegates, taking Serb deputies from those cantons where there were enough of them to fill in for cantons that have less than required, or none at all.

“We have elected 54 out of 58 delegates but the Serbian caucus will still be incomplete,” Maksida Piric, of the CIK, told Balkan Insight.

“We are concerned that they [the House of Peoples] will go with an incomplete list [of Serbs]… which would not only violate House of Peoples rulebook but send a very ugly message to the Serbian people,” Slavisa Mihajlovic, a Serbian deputy to the House of Peoples from the strongest Bosnian Serb party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, said.

Another problem for the SNSD is that in the incomplete Serbian caucus in the House of Peoples, the biggest number of delegates comes from the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDP, which has six delegates while the SNSD has three.

This means that any decision will depend on a potential agreement between these parties, which do not have friendly relations.

Delays in the formation of the House of Peoples in the Federation entity, as well as ongoing political maneuvers, have also slowed the formation of Bosnia’s state-level government.

On Wednesday, Bosnia’s tripartite Presidency said it had received all appropriate documentation from Denis Zvizdic, who has been nominated by the main Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, as premier-designate.

On Wednesday, the SDA said it expected that the process of nominating Zvizdic to be finalized by the end of the week.

However, Bosnia’s imbalanced and complicated political scene leaves ample space for further delays.

“If the SNSD gets into the Federation government – it already holds power in Republika Srpska – we will have a situation in which a party that is in both entity governments is excluded from the state-level government,” analyst Almir Terzic noted.

He referred to the fact that the SDA-led coalition at state level has excluded the SNSD and negotiated a coalition agreement with the bloc of Serbian opposition parties.

Terzic stressed that through its delegates in the Federation and state-level House of Peoples, the SNSD will be in position to block decision-making processes.

“A tough and difficult period for governments both at Federation and state level lies ahead of us,” he warned.

Bosnia Told: Embrace EU-Requested Reforms or Expect Turmoil (ABC News, 16 January 2015)

SARAJEVO — British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier have warned Bosnian leaders that they must get on with reforms requested by the EU if they want to avoid social upheaval.

Hammond told Bosnia’s parliament Friday the EU offer to unlock financial aid to the troubled Balkan country and upgrade its status with the bloc in exchange for legal, social and economic reforms was “unrepeatable.”

Hammond said Bosnia’s tanking economy leaves no time for delay or obstructionism, urging the country’s leaders to “put behind long years of wrangling and stagnation.”

Failure to do so, he said, would trigger “grave political consequences” heralded by last year’s massive protests over high unemployment that turned into rioting in which more than 100 people were hurt and government buildings set on fire.

Bosnia’s Muslim top cleric slams Mohammed cartoon (AFP, 15 January 2015)

The spiritual leader of Bosnia’s Islamic community on Thursday slammed the new issue of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for again featuring cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that many Muslims find offensive.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the abuse of freedom of speech and artistic expression used to humiliate, with premeditation, other people and what is sacred to them,” Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic said in a statement.

The objective in publishing new cartoons, he said, was to “present the honourable face of the Prophet Mohammed in an odious and lying way.”

Kavazovic last week condemned the deadly attack January 7 against the French weekly that left 12 people dead, stressing freedom “is stronger than fear…and indestructible.”

A total of 17 people were gunned down during two jihadist assaults in and around Paris last week.

This week Charlie Hebdo published a “survivors” issue featuring an image of the Prophet Mohammed weeping, which sold out Wednesday before more copies in an eventual print run of five million hit newsstands in France.

The move provoked angry reactions in a number of Islamic countries, where any representation of Mohammed is prohibited.

In Bosnia, the reproduction of the cartoon was not banned, but local media and Internet sites did not publish it.

Muslims make some 40 percent of Bosnia’s population of 3.8 million, the vast majority supporters of a moderate Islam.

Orthodox Serbs and Catholics represent 31 and 10 percent respectively of the Balkan country’s population.

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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.