LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Do not ask us to forget (RTS/Politika/Novosti)

“Serbia has learnt the lesson and will keep striving for a normal and dignified life of its citizens,” Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic stated at last night’s central state commemoration on the occasion of 16 years since the beginning of the NATO aggression, in front of the former Serbian Army General Staff building. “We do not seek conflict with anyone, including NATO, but we will maintain our military neutrality,” Vucic pointed, adding that Serbia is not an enemy to those who had been killing its citizens, because that is the only way possible. He has stressed that Serbia wants to join Europe with head held high and a clean conscience, but not so that anyone could undermine its relations with Russia and the friends in the East. The Prime Minister has underlined that Serbia still remembers each and every bomb and missile, chaos, sirens, ruins, bridges and airplanes. “We remember, and everybody else should have in mind – we Serbs have a long memory and will never forget. Each of the 78 days, each of the victims will remain remembered,” Vucic said. He added that Serbia deserved to be lived for, and today it knows of only one battle – the battle for life. “That life is our victory. A decent and well-ordered country, every factory we build is our victory. Every Serb who can peacefully work in Kosovo and Metohija is our victory. Serbia in Europe is our victory,” the Prime Minister said.

Nikolic receives Dodik in Belgrade (RTS)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik talked in Belgrade on Tuesday about the economic, social and political situation in Serbia and RS. The two presidents agreed in principle to hold a meeting of the Council tasked to implement the Agreement on Special Parallel Relations between Serbia and the RS in June this year, the President’s press service stated in a release. As part of the preparations for the meeting, Nikolic will invite to Belgrade all representatives of relevant Serb political parties in B&H, reads the release. Nikolic informed Dodik that he is planning to visit B&H and the RS the same day, adds the release.

Dacic: Union of Serb Municipalities cannot be an NGO (RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has stated in Pristina that the Union of Serb Municipalities is a form of association that cannot be a non-governmental organization. After the informal ministerial conference on infrastructural projects in the countries of the region, Dacic commented on the idea of the Union as a NGO that was promoted by Pristina, and said that the only thing that the authorities in Pristina had been stressing was that the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija may not be organized on the principle of the Republika Srpska. With regards to the statement of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that Albania and Kosovo would be united by joining the EU, Dacic has stated it must not be allowed “to make one step forward and two steps back”. Such statements from Rama are directed at his electorate body, Dacic explained, and noted that any nation can say they will be united by joining the EU, so the situation ought to be calmed down.

Competition for prosecutors in northern Kosovo (Politika/Beta)

The Kosovo Prosecution Council will announce the competition for 15 Serb prosecutors for the prosecution in northern Kosovo according to the agreement on the judiciary reached in February by Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia Isa Mustafa and Aleksandar Vucic respectively. Due to legal obstacles, the Kosovo Prosecution Council was not able to announce simultaneously the competition for judges from the Serb community. The competition for prosecutors will last until 25 May 2015. The Vice President of the Kosovo Prosecution Council Isain Smajli voiced dissatisfaction with the fact that a competition is open on national basis, to which the Council’s Presidetn Sul Hoxha said that this obligation stemmed from the agreement with Serbia. At the session of the Kosovo Judicial Council, despite the insistence of its President Enver Peci, the decision on publishing a competition for Serb judges was not passed, along with the explanation that, according to the law on courts, nowhere is it predicted to separate the Basic Court in Mitrovica nor to create a department of the Appellate Court. They decided to examine this issue once again. The agreement between Mustafa and Vucic envisages the formation of one basic court and one basic prosecution for both parts of Mitrovica, for Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok, as well as for the Albanian majority municipalities Vucitrn and Srbica. The courts will apply the laws of Kosovo. The Basic Court will have four departments of the basic court in Zubin Potok, Leposavic, Srbica and Vucitrn. The president of the Basic Court will be a Kosovo Serb.

Milojevic: Judges from Kosovo will not lost their jobs (Beta)

The President of the Supreme Cassation Court of Serbia Dragomir Milojevic has stated that judges who do not compete for jobs and do not want to integrate into the Kosovo judicial system will remain judges of Serbia. Milojevic told a press conference that judges have the right to retire or to be transferred to some other court. “They certainly will not lose their jobs and they will remain to be judges of this country,” said Milojevic. He specified that underway is the preparation of the law for administrative retirement of judges who are allocated in Kosovo and that there are between 70 and 80 of them.

Pajtic and Sutanovac support Jeremic’s candidacy in the UN (Politika)

There is no reason why Serbia should not join the race for the post of the UN secretary-general – this is the undivided opinion of most of Politika’s collocutors. It is interesting that many of them, including those who have over the past years had no benevolent attitude toward Vuk Jeremic, opine that Belgrade could not have a better candidate than him. “It would be irresponsible to miss such an opportunity,” says the leader of the Democratic Party (DS) Bojan Pajtic. “Having a secretary-general represents multiple economic and political benefits for every country,” Pajtic tells Politika, adding it is on the authorities to support, regardless of the political past, the candidate who can receive most votes. According to him this person is precisely Vuk Jeremic. “He has the biggest chances considering experience and biography. Jeremic has the potential to receive support, and he already managed to win the post of the chairman of the General Assembly,” said Pajtic. His party colleague Dragan Sutanovac, who used to be one of the biggest critics of Jeremic while he was part of the DS, shares the opinion that Serbia should have a candidate and that the only one who has some chance is precisely Jeremic. “He also doesn’t have too great of a chance to win this race, but he still has the greatest chances compared to some other candidates, since he was at the helm of the General Assembly and the foreign ministry. It would be great if Serbia could receive this post,” Sutanovac tells Politika. He says that government officials should estimate whether they can join the race and what are the chances since this implies mature diplomacy. The Chairwoman of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Sonja Biserko also thinks that Serbia should take part in this race. “One should always participate, that is always some opportunity for a country,” says Biserko, adding that there are speculations that the new secretary-general should be a woman. She says Jeremic has experience in the UN. “Leadership skills and diplomatic experience are needed for this post. At least, this has been the case in the past,” said Biserko.

According to media speculations, the leader of the Social-Democratic Party (SDS) Boris Tadic is allegedly also interested in Ban Ki-moon’s post. Tadic is allegedly trying to receive the support of the government, he is travelling around the world and taking part in various international gatherings and believes he has a chance in this race. However, UN experts state that a president who lost elections as Tadic did has no chance of being elected to the post of the UN secretary-general.

New Greek government will not recognize Kosovo (Danas)

“Bilateral relations between the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Serbia are based on solid foundations, which were established in the context of joint historical, religious, cultural and social ties, many centuries ago. Close and cordial relations between Greece and Serbia have existed even before the opening of the Greek Embassy in Belgrade in 1880. Apart from Rigas Feraios, who was very active in the Balkans before the Greek revolution in 1821, we should also not forget the close contacts that the Heteria leaders had with Karadjordje, as well as with Milos Obrenovic. We must always remember that our two states have always fought shoulder to shoulder not only against the Ottoman Empire, but also in both Balkan wars in 1912 and 1913,” Greek Ambassador to Serbia Konstantin Ikonomidis tells Danas on the occasion of 25 March, the Greek National Day.

Will the new Greek government change anything in its stand toward Serbia, especially in regard to the Kosovo issue?

“As you know very well, Greece is one of the five EU member states that do not recognize the self-declared independence of Kosovo and we adhere to this position.”

How do you view the current Serbian foreign policy and its balancing between Russia and the EU?

“The defining of the Serbian foreign policy is under exclusive jurisdiction and responsibility of the Serbian government. This means that the EU accession remains to be Serbia’s main strategic goal. In that context, the decrees of the Negotiating Framework between Serbia and the EU, adopted in December 2013, clearly determine Serbia’s obligation to gradually harmonize its foreign policy with the joint EU foreign policy until the conclusion of the negotiating process.”

Do you expect that the first chapters in the negotiations on Serbia’s EU accession will be opened by the end of 2015?

“We firmly believe Serbia achieved significant progress towards EU integration over the past several years, expressing both will and resoluteness to continue with all necessary reforms in order to fulfill the criteria for becoming an EU member. Following the completion of the screening process, it is high time to send a clear, positive and strong political message of encouragement to the Serbian government and Serbian citizens that the accession process is on the right track. In that context, Greece fully supports the soonest opening of the first negotiating chapters in order to create the necessary momentum for accelerating reforms and maintaining a stable pace of Serbia’s accession process.”

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: NATO intervention was attack on Serbia and Serbian people (Srna) 

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said on Monday that, viewed from a historical distance, it is very much obvious that the NATO intervention, without a decision of the UN Security Council, was an attack on Serbia and Serbian people. Following a meeting with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic in Belgrade, Dodik stated that they had spoken about the air strikes against Serbia, the damage and the victims. Dodik pointed out that the NATO, by using depleted uranium, targeted not only soldiers and Serbian defense power, but also the generations yet unborn. As he said, this is manifested in a series of places in the RS and Serbia hit by missiles containing depleted uranium, which resulted in many malign diseases even in newborn children. “In this respect, we do not have the right not to know these things, and we do not have the right to keep silent about these things, because of the state, nation, people, and the future, as those who were capable of doing something like this can never speak of good intentions in this region, and this is what I conveyed to Nikolic,” Dodik told reporters.

Skrbic resigns as B&H Ambassador to Serbia (Srna/Nezavisne)

B&H Ambassador to Serbia Ranko Skrbic had told Srna that he had resigned to this post, to which he was appointed 18 months ago. In the explanation of the resignation it is stated that it was sent to the Chairman of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic over “substantive and conceptual disagreement with the current policy in B&H”. “I don’t want to be an exponent of this B&H policy, and even less do I wish to implement such outlined foreign policy towards Serbia, therefore I irrevocably resign to the post of the ambassador,” writes Skrbic. He recalls that with his appointment, for the first time since the establishment of bilateral relations between Serbia and B&H, a Serb from the RS was appointed to this post, and that this was and remains the highest honor and recognition. Skrbic stressed that he has tried over the past 18 months to justify the trust and contribute to strengthening of bilateral relations, both between B&H and Serbia and between the RS and Serbia, and in the best interest of all peoples that he represents. “Unfortunately, during the election campaign and the open campaign against me by opposition political leaders, and which continues to this day, they tried to maximally discredit my name, my position and role that I have as the B&H Ambassador,” said Skrbic. He notes that something like this has not been recorded in diplomatic practice in recent history and certainly contributed in creating an image of B&H as a country immature for democratic dialogue that continues to “wander” on the EU path and where some politicians “are trapped between hatred and vanity, and also incapable of assuming the leadership role in leading a society”. “This is also confirmed by the latest events regarding the formation of the B&H government where opposition parties from the RS are competing in unprincipled coalitions in order to enter at any cost government structures at the central level. Such policy poses danger both for the RS and B&H on the whole,” said Skrbic.

Bosnia: HDZ secretary-general not under investigation for war crimes (Dalje)

The Bosnia and Herzegovina State Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday dismissed claims by some media in Croatia that it was preparing a war crimes indictment against Milijan Brkic, secretary-general of Croatia’s strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). “The State Prosecutor’s Office is not conducting any investigations against Milijan Brkic. In other words, he is not under investigation nor is an indictment being prepared against him. Such allegations are absolutely incorrect and untrue,” it said in a press release. The allegations were published by Nacional weekly in its latest issue, and were carried by several news websites. Nacional quoted two independent sources as saying that Brkic could be covered by a sweeping investigation by the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Prosecutor’s Office aimed at shedding light on war crimes committed against Serb civilians in the Livno area of southern Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. The Prosecutor’s Office said that such allegations “speak of unprofessionalism on the part of some media and web portals” which never even contacted the Prosecutor’s Office. It said it had noticed malicious reports by some media and news websites regarding cooperation between the state prosecutor’s offices of the two countries. “The Bosnia and Herzegovina State Prosecutor’s Office and the State Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Croatia (DORH) have very good and professional cooperation based on the Protocol on Cooperation in Criminal Prosecution of Perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide. This cooperation is carried out according to the highest standards of international humanitarian law, is directed at establishing the rule of law and preventing impunity for war crimes, and is achieved with the full support of EU and UN structures,” the press release said. Brkic was not available for comment.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia Mourns NATO Bombing Victims (BIRN, by Ivana Nikolic, 25 March 2015)

Hundreds of people gathered in Belgrade on the 16th anniversary of the air strikes on Yugoslavia that ended the Kosovo war in 1999 to commemorate the victims of NATO’s bombing.

Several hundred people including top state officials gathered on Tuesday evening in front of the former Yugoslav Army headquarters, which was demolished during the bombardment, carrying Serbian flags and holding candles to pay tribute to those killed during the 78 days of air strikes.

The commemoration started with the Serbian national anthem, played symbolically at 7.58pm, the time at which the bombardment started, followed by a moment of silence. Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia will never forget those 78 days or the people who died.

“Today, in their name, we remember every bomb, every death, every piece of shrapnel, siren, fire, [bombed] bridge and [NATO] stealth plane. We remember, and all others should remember, that the Serbian memory is long and that we will never forget – none of the 78 days, none of the victims,” Vucic told the commemoration. He said that the only battle Serbia faces now is one for “a decent and a regulated country” and membership of the EU. “Every factory that we create is our victory; every Serb that can work peacefully in Kosovo is our victory. Serbia in Europe is our victory,” As well as ministers, army officers, Serbian Orthodox Church and Belgrade city officials, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik also attended the commemoration. Earlier on Tuesday, state officials including Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic laid flowers and wreaths in cities and towns across the country that were hit by air strikes. Serbs in north Kosovo also held a memorial service in Mitrovica on Tuesday to mark the anniversary. “Sixteen years ago, 19 NATO member countries started a war against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that claimed thousands of innocent victims, causing catastrophic destruction in the country,” said Mitrovic mayor Goran Rakic, according to Serbian news agency Tanjug. A few hundred local Serbs meanwhile staged a protest walk from the bridge that divides Mitrovica into Serb and Albanian sectors to a former police building that was destroyed during the bombing in 1999. During the 78 days of the NATO military campaign aimed at driving Slobodan Milosevic’s forces out of Kosovo, the Serbian government estimates that at least 2,500 people died and 12,500 were injured, but the exact death toll and the full extent of the damage remains unclear. It is estimated that the bombing damaged 25,000 houses and apartment buildings and destroyed 470 kilometres of roads and 600 kilometres of railway. So far only Serbia’s defence ministry has publicly revealed its data, saying that NATO forces killed 631 members of the Serbian armed forces, while a further 28 went missing. NATO has also never revealed its losses. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was the West’s response to the failure of talks to try to bring an end to the conflict in Kosovo. During the bombing, Yugoslav forces carried out an extensive campaign in Kosovo, resulting in the expulsion of the Kosovo Albanian population. The Hague Tribunal charged Milosevic and six other top officials with committing war crimes in Kosovo, although the former leader died before a verdict was reached. According to the Centre for Humanitarian Law in Belgrade, 759 people were killed during the period of the NATO bombing – 447 civilians, while the rest were members of Serbian forces and Kosovo Liberation Army fighters. The bombing ended on June 10, 1999, after the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which was followed by the withdrawal of all Yugoslav military forces from Kosovo and the arrival of 36,000 international peacekeepers. When Yugoslav forces  moved out, the Kosovo Liberation Army drove the majority of Serbs out of Kosovo.

Serbia Takes Part in Balkan Summit in Kosovo (BIRN, by Una Hajdari, Gordana Andric, 25 March 2015)

A regional conference of ministers from six Balkan states opened in Pristina on Wednesday – with Serbia taking part in a summit in Pristina for the first time. A regional ministerial conference opened in Kosovo on Wednesday, bringing together the Foreign and Infrastructure ministers of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Along with regional decision makers, Johannes Hahn, the EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, will also participate in the conference as well as Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner for Transport, who will join via video link. Ivica Dacic and Zorana Mihajlovic, Serbia’s Foreign and Infrastructure ministers, will participate without state symbols – in deference to the fact that Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s independence. There will also be no Kosovo state symbols at the conference. This formula was agreed in 2012 to enable Kosovo to host or take part in regional meetings without provoking a Serbian boycott or walkout.

Wednesday’s summit was the first time a Serbian delegation had taken part in such an event in the Kosovo capital. The conference of the “Western Balkans 6” will be dedicated to regional projects, with an emphasis on infrastructure investment. It follows the Conference of Western Balkan States, which the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel hosted in Berlin last August with the aim of promoting economic cooperation. Following the Berlin conference, regional ministers pledged to work together on economic issues that trouble the region.

World Bank approves $100 million for Serbia’s structural reforms (Reuters, 24 March 2015)

BELGRADE – The World Bank approved a $100 million loan to support Serbia’s structural reforms, the first of two budget support loans aimed at reforming the state-owned enterprises, the lender said in a statement on Tuesday. As part of its 1.2 billion euro three-year loan deal with the International Monetary Fund, Serbia needs to offload or reform over 500 unprofitable state firms that in 2013 generated losses totalling 51 billion Serbian dinars ($490 million). It must also trim deficit and cap debt. The World Bank’s loan is a part of a $619 million programme for Serbia this year, but the bank will disburse the funds only if Belgrade presses on with public-sector reforms required by the IMF. In the statement, Ellen Goldstein, World Bank Country Director for Southeast Europe said that unproductive state-owned enterprises represent a “serious drag” on the Serbian economy and a large burden for taxpayers. “Resolving these … enterprises will release public funds for better purposes, cut losses to the economy, and release productive resources into the private sector,” Goldstein was quoted in the statement as saying. The loan should also absorb the impact on the budget from payments of severance packages for workers from loss-making firms, and help Serbia which faces unemployment rate of around 20 percent to reform its employment service and support redundant workers in finding new jobs, the World Bank said. (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Ralph Boulton)