LOCAL PRESS

Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Pristina politicizes air traffic issues (Tanjug)

Representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of Serbia and Kosovo conferred in Rome on normalization of postal and railway traffic and other issues important for the advancement of economic activities in Kosovo and Metohija. The talks were held between Marko Djuric, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and Edita Tahiri, Minister in charge of the dialogue with Belgrade representing the Pristina interim institutions. Tahiri refused to discuss the issue of air traffic and Belgrade-Pristina airline as an economic issue, and insisted that this can be discussed only as a political issue as part of the dialogue in Brussels, the statement reads. Such a stance by Pristina politicizes an issue which is important for the citizens and the economy, Belgrade officials said. The meeting, which was held under the auspices of the Eurochambers, agreed that a conference for businessmen from Serbia proper and Kosovo and Metohija should be held in Gracanica on 9 May.

Dacic thanks Zambia for not recognizing Kosovo (Beta/Tanjug)

Serbia and Zambia are interested in renewing and improving their traditionally friendly relations, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Zambian Foreign Minister Harry Kalaba concluded. Dacic thanked Zambia for its principled position of not recognizing the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. It is also the position of most African countries, and Serbia appreciates that, he noted. In response to journalists’ questions, Dacic stated that Serbia wants a clear situation with the EU when it comes to conditions Serbia needs to fulfill to become a member state. In addition to official requests, there are some conditions coming from certain countries, in particular from Germany, Dacic added. “We do not want any conflicts with the EU, we just want to clarify whether there are any additional requirements. Ant it turned out that there are additional requirements that were not stated in the Brussels agreement,” said Dacic adding that representatives of the EU and Germany should discuss this further. The press asked Dacic about the announcement that Hashim Thaqi will participate in a conference on the Balkans that should be held in Belgrade in late April. Dacic said that he only heard about it from the media because a conference is organized by an NGO, not the Serbian Government. We have no official information about this, said Dacic adding that he will not attend the conference and that he believes there is no need for Thaqi to come to Belgrade. Minister Kalaba also remarked that his country has not recognized Kosovo, and would not make any decision “until the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has been finished.”

B&H Foreign Minister:The aim is to further improve relations with Serbia (Tanjug)

The relations between B&H and Serbia are good, and the aim is to improve them further in months and years to come, said B&H Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak. Speaking at a joint press conference after a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Belgrade, Crnadak said that he will work on strengthening the ties between Serbia, Croatia and B&H as the foundation of stability in the region. He pointed out that 18 percent of all investments in B&H come from Serbia, adding that the economic cooperation is to be intensified. Crnadak said that the meeting focused on open issues and the holding of a joint session of the Serbian government and the B&H Council of Ministers. The plans also include a comprehensive agreement on the European integration, aimed at speeding up the EU accession process, he added. Asked if the official stance of the B&H government regarding the country’s NATO membership is that it should be tied to Serbia’s membership, which is the position of the Republika Srpska, Crnadak said that these are two separate issues. B&H’s cooperation with NATO is good and there are no dilemmas about it, but joining NATO is a different matter over which there is currently no consensus in the country, said Crnadak. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic stated his country sees B&H as one its most important partners, adding that B&H’s stability is of great importance for the region. Serbia wants sincere neighborly relations with B&H and intensification of economic cooperation, Dacic said at a joint press conference following a meeting with his B&H counterpart Igor Crnadak. “There are some open issues from the past, but we should resolve them through a dialogue, like all other civilized countries,” Dacic noted. The Serbian Minister then voiced belief that EU membership would greatly contribute to the stability of the region as a whole, and welcomed the decision to unblock the Stabilization and Accession Agreement with B&H. “As for B&H’s future, Serbia supports everything the peoples and entities of B&H agree on,” said Dacic. He qualified Serbia-B&H economic cooperation as good, as last year’s trade stood at 1.4 billion Euros, but added that the results could be even better.

Mihajlovic: Thaqi acceptable in Brussels, but not in Belgrade (B92)

The Head of the Media Relations Office Milivoje Mihajlovic told B92 that the motives of the conference, where Hashim Thaqi is invited, are questionable. He stressed that this has not been discussed at government sessions, and that the question is what kind of gathering is this when people whose biographies are burdened with allegations from Dick Marty’s report are being invited. “Thaqi is an acceptable interlocutor in Brussels, because this is part of a peace process on which the future of the entire region depends. Belgrade is another thing and I am not sure that something like that can be organized anywhere in the world without consultations with the state. I cannot speak about the motives of this information, but I believe that everything will be resolved in the following days,” says Mihajlovic. Asked whether Thaqi’s arrival in Belgrade is one of the new conditions mentioned by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Mihajlovic says that most of the old and new conditions for Serbia’s EU path are linked to Kosovo. “The German conditions adopted in their parliament are not on the same track of the Brussels agreement, but are on the side track, but they exist and they are a political reality of the German point of view. These additional conditions are a burden and obstacle, and there had been additional requests that were heard from various sides, both informally and formally,” he said.

Vukcevic: If Thaqi comes, he will be arrested (Blic)

“The investigation against Thaqi has been interrupted because he is unavailable to the Serbian investigative bodies. Interpol headquarters decided to revoke the warrant for Thaqi’s arrest in other countries with an explanation that he is one of the top Albanian officials, but the warrant remains in force in Serbia, which is why Thaqi could be arrested here,” Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic told Blic.

Seselj files complaint against Brammertz (Tanjug)

Serbian Radical Party (SRS) leader Vojislav Seselj filed a complaint over Serge Brammertz abusing his powers and demanded he be removed from his position as chief prosecutor of the tribunal. Seselj told a press conference that he had filed the complaint at the ICTY office in Belgrade. In the complaint, delivered to journalists, Seselj is requesting the Trial Chamber to institute disciplinary proceedings against Brammertz over his attempts at obstruction of justice.
Seselj is requesting that Brammertz be removed from his position by the UN Security Council, and to be excluded from his ICTY trial. Seselj said that one of the reasons he had filed the complaint against Brammertz was because the chief prosecutor got big money from Croatia to try and get involved in his case. Seselj claims Brammertz received the money during his stay in Zagreb when the Croatian government passed a resolution against him over his statements about the establishment of the Republic of Serbian Krajina.

Russian Foreign Ministry: “Pan-Albanian” rhetoric will not contribute to preservation of climate of stability in Balkans (Tanjug)

The renewed “pan-Albanian” rhetoric is unlikely to contribute to preserving the climate of stability and good-neighborliness in the Balkans, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a comment to remarks of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Kosovo’s unification with Albania. “Moscow paid attention to the 4 April remarks made by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama who said that the Albanians could unite in the classical sense, i.e. by altering borders in the region if the European integration of Albania and Kosovo was not accelerated,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stated. “We assume that no matter what considerations or motives could stand behind Rama’s words, the recurrence of the pan-Albanian rhetoric is unlikely to contribute to preserving the climate of stability and good-neighborliness in the Balkan region, which is vital for Russia and other European countries,” the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

REGIONAL PRESS

Zvizdic, Pusic meet: B&H Council of Ministers focused on socio-economic reforms (Oslobodjenje)

The B&H Council of Ministers is focused on implementing socio-economic reforms with the goal of improving the business climate in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), which would ease doing business and open new jobs, said Denis Zvizdic, Chair of the Council of Ministers, during today’s meeting in Sarajevo with Vesna Pusic, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs minister of Croatia. Chairman Zvizdic informed Minister Pusic that the planned reform activities are compatible with systemic reforms that are expected from B&H in European integrations. He stressed that there is complete agreement of all political entities in terms of B&H’s Euro-Atlantic integrations. Minister Pusic said that B&H’s Euro-Atlantic integrations are a common interest of both countries and that Croatia would continue to support B&H on its European and NATO aspirations. Chairman Zvizdic said that the transfer of experiences and the acquis are of exceptional importance to make the process of accession as passable as possible. “The accession process itself means entering an era of labor and environmental policies, and this is something that will relax relations within B&H. Our process of adjustment has lasted 12 years and we are ready to help you on this path,” said Minister Pusic.

Minister Pusic added that the EU expects positive developments in B&H and that it is very important that B&H show institutional credibility in the accession process.

Cvijanovic at a working lunch with Michelle Obama (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic, who is visiting Washington, took part in a formal working lunch, the First Lady’s Luncheon 2015 on Wednesday, an annual event organized by the US president’s wife and spouses of senators and congressmen for female leaders in political, economic and cultural life. Participants of the event, which took place at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, the usual venue of the National Prayer Breakfast, included successful women from different walks of life. The host was the wife of the President of the United States, Michelle Obama. This marks the start of the RS Prime-minister’s visit to Washington. Currently she is meeting with NGO representatives and analysts and the topics of their conversation are economic, political and security issues, the RS Government’s PR office said in a press release. During their Washington visit, the prime minister and Finance Minister Zoran Tegeltija will also attend a spring gathering of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Head of the EU Delegation: True progress in sphere of social and economic reforms needed (Srna)

Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said on Wednesday, at his first press conference in Sarajevo since taking the office, that it was necessary to achieve true progress in the sphere of social-economic reforms, so that the citizens of B&H could truly benefit from the EU membership. “B&H will and can become a member of the EU, and when this will happen depends on the efficiency of domestic authorities in implementation of reforms. It is necessary to take important steps, without further delay, in this direction, through the partnership of the EU and B&H,” said Wigemark. He pointed out that so far he had had the opportunity to speak only with the Chairman of B&H Presidency, Mladen Ivanic, on the occasion of presenting his credentials, when he officially assumed the office of the EU Special Representative and Head of the Delegation of the EU to B&H, adding that in the coming period he would hold a series of meetings with officials in this country. “The EU currently represents the largest global economy, the market with over 500 million people, and is the most successful process of reconciliation in modern history. All member countries have transferred a part of their sovereignty, for the sake of establishing a single unit which everybody will benefit from. It is the EU’s wish that B&H becomes a member of our family,” said Wigemark. He emphasized that a whole B&H’s process of EU integration started anew at the end of 2014, and the greatest step was made on February 23, when the statement on the commitment to EU integration process was adopted. “EU’s answer to this is entering into force of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) scheduled for June 1, which has been suspended over the past seven years. The advantages for B&H are obvious, and the ties with the EU are of key importance for B&H, bearing in mind that 72 percent of export during 2014 was to the EU market,” Wigemark noted. The first concrete step that the new Head of the EU Delegation expects is in the context of the realization of conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, i.e. the launch of consultations with the EU and international financial institutions relating to the preparation of reform plan, taking into consideration the recommendations stated in the Growth and Jobs Agreement, which should serve as a framework. “We will have the team and necessary framework for stronger social-economic reforms, since experience has shown that such reforms improve the quality of life of ordinary people, and at the same time move the country closer to EU membership,” said Wigemark. He emphasized that, in the context of entering into force of SAA, one should begin with key elements, and the key element is that the EU establishes bilateral relationship with B&H. “The EU negotiates exclusively and only with states. Of course, in this context, the entities and cantons have their constitutional and legal role, and are extremely important in this social-economic context,” said EU special representative. He added that the EU integration process requires true political will, functional institutions, and efficient coordination on the issues pertaining to the EU. “However, I want to add that functional institutions and efficient coordination do not mean giving up competences. The real question here in the existence of political will,” Wigemark pointed out. As the third important element of the commitment to the implementation of crucial reforms in B&H, head of the EU Delegation mentioned strong financial and technical assistance of the EU, i.e. access to the EU funds for infrastructure, the sphere of energy, communications and transport. “The next step, following this one, would be submission and acceptance of credible request for EU membership. There is no doubt that there is a lot of work ahead of us, but the EU and all of its 28 members are united in a firm stance that citizens of B&H deserve a better life,” emphasized Wigemark. The head of EU Delegation said that last year’s Growth and Jobs Agreement has established a good general framework, as everybody is aware of the necessity of implementation of reforms, and added that a meeting will be held at the beginning of May with representatives of authorities in B&H, the EU and international financial institutions, when agreement on certain issues should be reached. Wigemark noted that representatives of authorities are already on their way to Washington, for a meeting with the International Monetary Fund, where certain topics will be tackled, after which the May meeting will follow, when agreements reached on the issue of reforms should be officially announced.

U.S. Embassy urges NSRS delegates to respect Dayton Accord, Inzko sending warnings (Patria)

The High Representative Valentin Inzko called on delegates in the RS Assembly (NSRS) to demonstrate commitment to the Dayton Peace Accord and refrain from adopting a declaration that would negate the authority of the B&H Constitutional Court. The draft declaration, which should be discussed at today’s session of the NSRS, is especially concerning because with it the intent is expressed to not implement the forthcoming decision of the Constitutional Court in a case concerning the law on RS holidays, as well as review earlier decisions taken by the Constitutional Court. This directly violates the B&H Constitution, contained in Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Accord, which explicitly states that the decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H are ‘final and binding’. In addition, the draft declaration represents a direct challenge to the independence of the Constitutional Court, in as much as it represents an unacceptable attempt by the NSRS to exert political pressure on the court in deciding a particular case. Such actions raise serious questions about the willingness of RS organs to respect the basic principles of the rule of law, which is the very heart of the B&H Constitution and the Dayton Peace Accord. The Constitutional Court is the only institution in B&H that has the capability to resolve disputes between B&H institutions and various levels of government and it has contributed in great measure to the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord and advanced the rule of law in B&H. The international community on several occasions has reminded the government of its constitutional obligation to implement all decisions of the Constitutional Court. Respecting the rule of law and adherence to the provisions of the Dayton Accord, and especially of the constitutional and legal framework of B&H, represents a precondition for the stability and development of B&H. The U.S. Embassy in B&H urges members of the NSRS to show their commitment to the Dayton Peace Agreement by refraining from adopting any declaration that would disregard the authority of the Constitutional Court of B&H. To explicitly express intent not to implement the pending decision of the Constitutional Court in the case concerning the Law on Holidays of RS, as three articles of the declaration currently under consideration do, clearly runs contrary to the rule of law. Any call for reviewing previous decisions of the B&H Constitutional Court would be similarly inappropriate, as the B&H Constitutional Court is an original and integral part of Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement — the Constitution of B&H. The U.S. Embassy views respect for rule of law by all parties in B&H as critical to the democratic process. Without this important legal framework and the stability it offers, other measures to address the economic and political challenges the country faces will be even more difficult.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Expert slams EU’s handling of Kosovo corruption case (EurActiv/Reuters, 15 April 2015)

A French law professor criticised yesterday (14 April) the European Union’s handling of corruption allegations involving an EU mission in Kosovo, the bloc’s biggest civilian mission abroad. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini asked Jean-Paul Jacqué to investigate last November, after allegations emerged in the media that the EU mission had covered up evidence of bribe-taking by senior staff in cases of murder and corruption. Maria Bamieh, a British prosecutor with the EU team, said last November that she would sue the mission, accusing it of victimising her as a whistleblower after she voiced suspicion of corruption in its highest ranks.

A preliminary investigation by the mission, known as EULEX, found no evidence of corruption among EULEX staff. It has dismissed accusations of a cover-up. While he was not asked to look into the substance of the allegations, Jacqué criticised mission chiefs, who initially decided not to open an internal investigation into the allegations and later asked a special group to undertake an inquiry. “An investigation should have been opened at the outset. This would have prevented the issues that later arose in connection with the use of secret and special procedures, which fuelled suspicions of a cover-up that fortunately turned out to be unfounded,” Jacqué wrote in his report.

Effectiveness of the mission questioned

He also raised questions about the effectiveness of the EULEX mission, which has been extended until next year. “The continued presence of EULEX is only feasible if comprehensive reforms are made to improve its effectiveness and thus its credibility. There is no point staying just to keep doing the same thing,” he said. Mogherini said she had sent the report to the European Parliament and to EU governments. EU experts were looking at how to address Jacqué’s recommendations, she said in a statement. Bamieh had worked for the mission since its deployment in Kosovo in 2008, one of dozens of foreign prosecutors and judges handling cases of war crimes, organised crime and corruption deemed too sensitive or complex for Kosovo’s own judiciary. She was suspended last October on suspicion of leaking documents to the press to support her accusations. Kosovo was put under United Nations control in 1999, after NATO bombed Serbia to halt the killings and expulsions of Albanian civilians during Belgrade’s counter-insurgency drive. In 2008, when the country of 1.8 million people declared independence from Serbia, EULEX took control of court cases from the UN.

Eulex report exposes EU failure in Kosovo (EUobserver, by Andrea Capussela, 16 April 2015)

The EU has just published an independent report on its rule of law mission in Kosovo, Eulex.

It concerns a scandal which erupted last year, when an official of the mission publicly accused it of having covered up a case of judicial corruption within its ranks. The report points to several weaknesses in the mission’s management, but convincingly dismisses the main charge. This, however, is not the reason why the report is interesting. As I have argued elsewhere, that scandal was a distraction from the real problems. To their credit, the author of the report – Jean-Paul Jacque, a French law professor – has chosen to confront those problems, reaching damning conclusions, and the EU has chosen to publish his report in full.

The largest mission

Eulex is the largest, costliest, and most ambitious mission ever deployed by the Union. At peak, it employed three times as many officials as the 11 other ongoing missions combined. It was also given an unprecedented mandate: besides monitoring and advising domestic authorities, its investigators, judges, and prosecutors have the power to confront serious crime. The rationale of these choices is that political corruption, organised crime, and poor governance are so pervasive in Kosovo that they threaten the stability of the Balkans and Europe’s internal security. In 2008, when Kosovo became independent and the EU deployed Eulex, the new state risked being captured by a largely unaccountable political-economic elite, which partly overlaps with Kosovo’s criminal elite. To avert this outcome and to allow reform, the administration of justice in the most delicate sectors was entrusted to Eulex. But , as I argue in a book which came out just a couple of weeks ago, the international community has failed to prevent this state capture. Eulex’s poor performance and grave mistakes, in particular, confirmed the untouchbale status of the criminal segments of Kosovo’s elite, and, thereby, indirectly assisted them in strengthening their control over the country. In stark contrast with the line followed by most Western powers, and some analysts, Jacque’s report corroborates this analysis. He notes that corruption remains “omnipresent” in Kosovo, adding that, while Eulex could not have been expected to root it out completely “it should, nevertheless, have been possible to lay the foundations of a system capable of fighting corruption”. As no such foundations have been laid, Jacque, rightly, concludes the mission ought to be either reformed or withdrawn.

The need for success

His reform proposals are less persuasive, however, because his analysis largely neglects Eulex’s structural defects: a visibly irrational allocation of resources; poor internal accountability and external oversight; and weak judicial independence. One of Jacque’s suggestions – reducing the autonomy of the prosecutors – might actually exacerbate the last problem, as it could expose them to even greater influence by Eulex management. This was always a serious impediment to fighting high-level corruption because Eulex management is politically vulnerable to manipulation by Kosovo’s elite. This, I suppose, is the main reason why the mission disregarded several well-documented cases of alleged corruption involving the elite (a paper accompanying my book describes the seven cases of which I have direct information). Such vulnerability is not just due to the management’s weak accountability, but also to the West’s approach to state-building in Kosovo. The political repercussions of their decisions to intervene militarily, in 1999, and then to support Kosovo’s unilateral secession from Serbia, led those powers to be less interested in achieving real progress in the new state than in pretending that it is a state-building “success story”. They need Kosovo to succeed, or to appear to succeed, in order to justify their past, controversial actions. This is one important reason why Eulex – a promising and well-conceived form of intervention – achieved such unsatisfactory results. The Jacque report is important, therefore, because it contradicts the false narrative of the “success story” and sheds some light on Kosovo’s real problems. But does its publication, admirable though it is, mark a policy shift on the part of the EU? The credibility of the EU, Europe’s internal security, the stability of the Balkans, Kosovo’s development, and the practice of state-building would all benefit from such a shift.

New teeth?

But I wonder whether Washington is ready to support it, and whether the EU can make the shift, because if Eulex is to be given real teeth, it would require a change of approach at the highest levels in Brussels and because Kosovo’s elite will fiercely resist a new Eulex mandate in order to protect its criminal interests. Whether Eulex will be reformed or withdrawn, its overall performance over the past seven years ought to be rigorously audited. Drawing lessons from the Kosovo precedent and holding those responsible for its failure to account are the necessary first steps to equip the EU with the capacity to deal with other weak and failing states near its borders. If the Russian aggression ceases in Ukraine, it, like Kosovo, will require outside help to reform its political-economic system. The stakes in Ukraine are even higher and the EU can scarcely afford to repeat the mistakes which Eulex made.

Andrea Capussela is an Italian former official in the International Civilian Office, which supervised Kosovo until 2012, whose book, State-Building in Kosovo: Democracy, Corruption and the EU in the Balkans, came out earlier this month

Serbia is interested in the South gas corridor (Azertac, 15 April 2015)

SOCAR’s head office hosted a meeting of the president of the company Rovnag Abdullayev with the delegation led by Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on 14 April.

Mr. Abdullayev noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Serbia are developing at a high level. Abdullayev said that the bilateral relations are successful in political, economic and humanitarian spheres and informed about the availability of favorable prospects for fruitful cooperation. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić expressed satisfaction with the visit to Azerbaijan and stressed the importance of development of economic ties between the two countries and noted the great interest towards the South gas corridor. The SOCAR president noted that the South gas corridor occupies an important place in the energy security of Europe and noted that the Shahdeniz-2 project is the first and a very important stage in the opening of this corridor. According to him, the development of fields discovered in Azerbaijan including Umid, Absheron and other promising structures is also associated with the future of the South gas corridor. The Serbian Prime Minister noted that over the past years Azerbaijan has become famous as a reliable supplier of oil and gas. He noted that his country lays great expectations on the supply of natural gas extracted in Azerbaijan via the South gas corridor to Serbia. The Premier said that natural gas extracted at Shahdeniz and other fields will become a priority in meeting Serbia’s demands. The sides exchanged views on a number of other issues of mutual concern.

‘Albanian Paramilitaries’ Claim Macedonia Govt Attack (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 14 April 2015)

A shadowy group calling itself the National Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for a blast at the Macedonian government building – the second such attack in recent months

Kosovo newspaper Koha Ditore on Monday published a press statement signed by ‘Commander Kushtrim’ and the National Liberation Army claiming responsibility for the attack that left a small crater in the ground near the government building on Friday but caused no injuries.

Macedonian police said they were investigating the attack but offered no details about the type of the weapon used, or who might be behind it. The blast resembled a previous attack on October 28 last year when two projectiles blew holes in the roof and walls of the government building. That case remains unsolved. The same unknown organisation and the same commander claimed responsibility for that attack as well. It said that it was unhappy with the implementation of the 2001 Ohrid Peace Accord, which ended an armed conflict between Albanian militants and the Macedonian security forces. It also said on social networks that it had caused explosions near two police stations in the towns of Tetovo and Kumanovo in western and northern Macedonia on December 9 last year. No one was injured in these incidents either. The two towns were at the centre of the 2001 armed conflict. Many observers have warned recently that the could be attempts to destabilise inter-ethnic relations amid the ongoing scandal over mass surveillance scandal after the opposition accused the Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of spying over 20,000 people. It’s been alleged that ethnically-charged incidents could be used to divert attention from the scandal that is crippling the government’s credibility. The Ohrid Accord which ended the 2001 conflict foresaw constitutional changes providing greater rights and institutional integration for the ethnic Albanian minority who make up about a quarter of the population of the country. The accord resulted in the Albanian fighters in the then National Liberation Army disarming and later forming a political party, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, which today sits in government. DUI representatives contacted by BIRN declined to comment about the latest blast.

It’s not just Iraq that has been destroyed by Western intervention (Spiked, by Tara McCormack, 13 April 2015)

It is now widely accepted that the 2003 intervention in Iraq was disastrous, with many commentators arguing that the lack of any kind of forward planning and military policy exacerbated religious and ethnic tensions there. But little seems to have actually been learned from the invasion, as the recent US-backed, Iraq government-led use of a Shia militia to conduct a scorched-earth attack on the ISIS-controlled city of Tikrit demonstrates. Tens of thousands of Iraqis fled after the West’s invasion in 2003, and the ensuing internal conflict. Today, new waves of refugees are fleeing both ISIS and the Iraqi government’s counterattacks. Iraq is a state that exists in a formal sense only. America has helped create a facade of democracy in Iraq – installing leaders favoured by the West. The recent rulers of Iraq have had no relationship to the people and therefore inevitably rule through extreme coercion, corruption, religious division and pork-barrel politics. The advantage for America and its allies is that this allows them to wash their hands of responsibility by blaming the ongoing catastrophe on the Iraqi elite. However, it is not just Iraq that has been destroyed by Western intervention. Although there is far less public discussion about the European Union’s interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, these cases clearly demonstrate the problems with intervention and the limitations of external rule. Both cases are notable because, like Iraq, they are widely presented as successful examples of intervention and post-intervention governance. Yet both Bosnia and Kosovo are collapsing internally. As has happened in Iraq, the EU has set up facades of democracy in both states, in which corrupt EU-chosen political elites rule. Not only was Bosnia created by America and the EU, following the break-up of Yugoslavia and the bloody civil wars that followed, but it is a country that continues to be controlled by the EU through the office of the High Representative. The High Representative has just recently announced that, 20 years after the end of the Bosnian war, the office is still vital. This is because, without EU rule, Bosnia would no longer exist. The anti-government riots that broke out last spring revealed that the state itself can barely function at all. Even the Guardian, one of the most belligerent cheerleaders of Western military intervention in the Yugoslav wars, painted a devastating picture in a recent editorial. Bosnia is a moribund country with high unemployment, high levels of corruption and a totally disillusioned and disaffected citizenry. This should come as no surprise. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, the EU set up a system in which rule was sustained through ethnic groups, led by EU-favoured politicians. The only way in which the West could cobble together a Bosnian state was effectively to bribe Muslim, Serbian and Croatian political elites.