LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic: Serbia prepared to respond to every threat (RTS)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic met with his Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov in Budva, on the eve of the summit of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, and voiced Serbia’s support and friendship with Macedonia which faces a strong internal political crisis. “The time ahead of you is very sensitive and you have to be ready to deal with security risks adequately. Serbia has its ground safety zone and is prepared to respond to every threat. Everyone who dares to cause any unpleasant situation in Serbia can count on the unity of our army and police forces,” the Serbian President said, the government media relations office said in a statement. Ivanov told Nikolic about the current situation in Macedonia and measures the Macedonian government has taken. “Thank you for the words of support, it means a lot to us that we have a friendly country in the north,” Ivanov noted. The two presidents agreed that bilateral cooperation is very good, in the spirit of good neighborliness, friendship and close ties between the two peoples, the statement reads.

Romania most vulnerable (Novosti)

Following the announcements of Romanian Prime Minister Viktor Ponta that Romania could change its stand regarding Kosovo’s status, the Serbian state leadership is preparing a strategy how to stop the wave of new recognitions. The focus will be placed on Slovakia, Greece, Spain and Cyprus, the EU member states that, along with Romania, haven’t recognized Kosovo. Along with them, the target of pressures from the big powers, the sponsors of Kosovo’s independence, are the African, Central American and Caribbean countries that are “most vulnerable” over the difficult economic situation. Pristina has announced that Nigeria, after the formation of the new government, could recognize Kosovo. That is why Serbia’s lobbying on these meridians will be especially intensified in the following period. This topic will also be on the government agenda soon in order to prevent Pristina from receiving a convincing majority among the member states of the UN General Assembly. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic tells Novosti that Serbia is doing everything to explain to international partners its positions regarding Kosovo and Metohija: “Five EU member states do not recognize Kosovo and we have assurances that it will remain this way. We are aware of the pressures of the influential countries that recognize Kosovo on states that haven’t done so, but Serbia is also conducting a strong diplomatic offensive that will be additionally intensified.” Foreign political analyst Dusan Spasojevic tells Novosti that even if Romania changes its position, this should not pull the remaining “four”: “Still, such a decision by Bucharest would be bad for the traditionally good Serbian-Romanian relations. We should talk and convince the Romanian and officials of other countries that don’t recognize Kosovo.” According to Novosti, apart from Romania, Slovakia is also under fierce pressures, and Novosti was told in the Slovakian Embassy that they remain with the stand that they do not recognize Kosovo. The expectation is that the new Spanish ambassador, who will soon hand accreditations, will also reiterate that this country will not change the stand. The Embassy of Cyprus told Novosti: “The position of Cyprus, which doesn’t recognize Kosovo, remains firm. In our opinion, this issue could be re-examined only if a mutually acceptable solution and agreement is reached between the two sides, based on UNSCR 1244.”

Can the prime minister under investigation recognize Pristina (Politika, by Biljana Cpajak)

Viktor Ponta is announcing again that Bucharest will re-examine its relation towards Pristina. But the Romanian Prime Minister who lost presidential elections and against whom a criminal investigation had been launched over corruption, claims that he didn’t say that he will recognize Kosovo, as the Pristina media reported. The question is whether Ponta will have a chance to make with the new president of Romania, as he points out, a new estimate of what has changed in Kosovo since 2008, since Klaus Iohannis asked the prime minister to submit his resignation.

Regardless of whether Ponta will survive politically, considering the accusation that he is involved in forging, money laundering, conflict of interest and tax evasion, this is not the first time that the relation towards Kosovo is mentioned. In the fall of 2013, Ponta hinted in Washington D.C. that recognition might follow in 2015.The question is imposed how much Belgrade, with its steps in the dialogue with Pristina, actually influences the stand of the five EU member states that haven’t recognized Kosovo – apart from Romania, Cyprus, Spain, Greece and Slovakia. Also, what Serbian move could be especially risky – is it the opening of the first chapters in the negotiations, which would be also confirmation that Belgrade implemented the agreed in the dialogue, or, perhaps, a signature on the agreement on normalization of relations before EU membership?

Serbia cannot impact very much the decision of the countries that haven’t recognized Kosovo, analysts say. Non-recognition of Kosovo’s independence is a result of the political interests of these states, it is assessed. Dusan Prorokovic, the executive director of the Centre for Strategic Initiatives and former state secretary in the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, stresses that the decisions by the remaining EU member states that haven’t recognized Kosovo do not depend from Serbia, “but from their internal dynamics and some things that will be happening on the international plane”. Serbia, he says, has already contributed for a series of countries to “reconsider” recognizing Kosovo. “The beginning of the process of normalization of relations with Pristina was a signal for that. Most of the voices were heard at that time – from Slovakia, via Romania, to even Greece – that one can consider recognition of Kosovo’s independence,” recalls Prorokovic.

As regard the latest voices from Romania, he, however, thinks that they don’t have much to do with the negotiations in Brussels. The rumor in diplomatic circles is that Germany is conditioning Romania’s accession in the Shengen zone with recognition of independence of Kosovo. Prorokovic also recalls that Ponta is an outgoing prime minister after he lost presidential elections. “He lost political legitimacy, relies on the pro-American card and prepared to fulfill any American condition – from tightening relations towards Russia to recognition of Kosovo, because this is his only hope to remain in the premier post for some time longer,” says Prorokovic, adding that this is not the mood in the Romanian public opinion, because Romanians are motivated to oppose recognition of Kosovo with the huge problem with Transylvania. He doesn’t see any kind of a new shift among the remaining from the “five”. “The same target, the same distance and there are no signals for them to think about recognizing Kosovo,” he says. Aleksandra Joksimovic, the director of the Foreign Policy Centre, also thinks that the stand of the five EU member states doesn’t depend much from what Serbia is doing but from their own interests. “Belgrade signed the agreement on normalization of relations with Pristina two years ago, and nothing happened”, she points out, explaining that the reasons are different over which these states do not recognize Kosovo. “Spain, for example, has direct interest not to recognize Kosovo over Catalonia. Romania also views Moldavia and some of its problems so that it views recognition of Kosovo as something that could potentially have some implications that it would not like. There are those who say that even if Serbia would recognize Kosovo they wouldn’t – for example Cyprus and Spain. It is not that these states do not recognize Kosovo only because they cherish friendly relations towards Serbia but because they are protecting their interests, and something like this could be least said for Slovakia that is more or less doing this out of friendly respects towards Serbia,” says Joksimovic.

Can these respects and interests be erased by the binding agreement on normalization, especially advocated by Germany and for which Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic says that “at this moment nobody in Brussels knows what it will exactly state”, but that he thinks that Serbia will not be faced with the request to recognize Kosovo because Europe itself doesn’t have a united stand towards that issue?

Prorokovic is convinced that in that case “the door would be opened even for Russia and China to recognize Kosovo, let alone the EU member states”. “If this agreement is signed, then the fate of Kosovo will be identical to that of the DDR. Thus, it will be admitted into the UN, Serbia will be left aside to be silent, Serbia will not recognize it formally, but will open the door for all others to recognize Kosovo,” he says. Joksimovic is however more cautious: “Let us wait to see, there is still a lot of time until then.”

Stojanovic: Three attacks planned in southern and central Serbia (Novosti)

Terrorists from Kosovo and Metohija are planning to carry out three terrorist attacks in southern and central Serbia between 25 and 28 June. The planned attack should resemble a classic terrorist act of Radical Islamists, but the real goal is the removal of dangerous witnesses who could provide crucial evidence against former KLA leaders, positioned in the interim Kosovo institutions, General Momir Stojanovic, former head of the Military Security Agency and current Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Controlling Security Services. “As long as the key witnesses are not removed, former KLA members will not allow the establishment of a new court for war crimes in Kosovo and Metohija. It is mentioned that the court could be established in September, which would mean that they have two-three months for the removal of witnesses,” says Stojanovic, adding that this was also the background of the recent clashes in Kumanovo, where they consciously sacrificed certain Albanians in order to liquidate inconvenient witnesses. This, accidentally or not, coincides with the call of the Islamic State members from B&H and Kosovo to followers in the Balkans. “The Honor is in Jihad, message to Balkans”, published by El Haxhat, is a propaganda center formed so messages of Islamists would reach the Western audience. “The question is whether religious fanatics can be instrumentalized for separating parts of Serbia’s territory. If they can, it is very dangerous. According to intelligence data, around 300 residents from Kosovo and Metohija and around 90 from the Raska region has so far fought on the side of the Islamic State, while around 30 members of the Chetnik Movement fought in Ukraine. They maintain contacts that they make in the battlefield upon their return to Serbia. When one adds to this the large number of Islamic State fighters from B&H, one can say that the Balkan region is a security challenge.”

McAlister: Serbia-Kosovo talks in Brussels on 23 June crucial (Beta)

The Rapporteur of the European Commission (EC) David McAlister said in Belgrade that the next round of the talks between the Serbia and Kosovo government representatives on 23 June will be crucial both for normalization of relations and opening of the negotiating chapters for Serbia this year. “In order to open the first chapters this year, both sides must show progress and the next round of the Brussels dialogue will be crucial for the normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations,” McAlister told the Serbian Economic Summit. He said that the agreement reached on the judiciary in northern Kosovo was big progress and that it should be implemented. “Both Belgrade and Pristina should make additional steps in the normalization of relations in order to show devotedness and credibility,” said McAlister, adding there are many more open issues. He pointed to the importance of regional cooperation as one of the key elements for EU integration in this part of the Balkans. The gathering examined the issue of whether the Western Balkan countries will join the EU separately or whether they will wait for several of them to fulfill conditions.

Jovanovic: Vucic had adequate collocutors in Washington (Radio Serbia, by Suzana Mitic)

The visit of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to the U.S. and the very invitation for the visits, are important in themselves as an indication of the growing significance of Serbia as the political factor in the Balkans, from the standpoint of the American policy. It is the result of several factors, including the wave of reforms that are under way in Serbia and the undoubted friendly and constructive policy toward the neighbors, former ambassador and foreign minister of the FR Yugoslavia Vladislav Jovanovic told International Radio Serbia. While not exactly the great turning point in the relations of the two countries, this visit can be described as a significant step in the stabilization of the bilateral relations and opening the chances for their development in other sectors, such as the economy, culture etc., says Jovanovic. The visit of Prime Minister Vucic took place at an important moment for our country, before the opening of the first chapters in the negotiations with the EU, hence asking the U.S. to support the acceleration of that process, Jovanovic reminded. According to him, the American influence on the EU is notable, but in this case both the EU and the U.S. interested in seeing Serbia make progress in the integrations, although in the U.S. it also entails the desire to have Serbia and other Balkan countries keep strengthening their ties with NATO. Asking for the support openly usually means taking the obligation to offer some favor in return, Jovanovic explains. Therefore, the talks certainly focused on the most important segments of the American policy toward Serbia, and what is the central in our policy toward the West in general, notes our collocutor, who also underlined that one should distinguish between the “outer image”, i.e. what was publicly said, and the “inner image”, i.e. what was said in the direct conversation, and which so far has not been fully accessible for the public. It would have been better of the meeting with Vice President Biden had taken place, pointed Jovanovic. Still, being that he and the Secretary of State could not take part in the talks for the justified reasons, Jovanovic believes that their proxies were well chosen. President Obama’s advisor for the national security, assistant secretary of state, and senator McCain are of the key influence on the policy of the current U.S. administration, and according to our collocutor, they are known as the “hawks”, especially regarding the policy toward Russia. Jovanovic says that is why it was in their interest to touch upon the topics they found important, i.e. weakening Serbia’s relations with Russia; the issue of Kosovo; and strengthening of the relations with NATO. There is no doubt that the Serbian Prime Minister repeated the well-known position of the state, said Jovanovic, adding that those stances may not have fully satisfied the American side, but it was also kept out of the public eye.

With regards to Serbia, its expectation from America, as Jovanovic explains, included the support in the European integrations, larger economic presence and investments, better understanding for what Serbia has done in the implementation of the Brussels agreement, and the expectation that the U.S. exerts pressure on the Albanian side to not sabotage and procrastinate its own obligations from that agreement.

REGIONAL PRESS

Democratic Front: SDA, as usual, is lying (Oslobodjenje)

The Democratic Front (DF) sharply condemns the lies pronounced from high officials in the SDA after Fadil Novalic lost our support in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) Parliament. Namely, after on Thursday ministers from the SDA, on the orders of Dragan Covic, performed an economic coup d’état by adopting the illegal regulation on exercising powers in state companies, they distributed to the media false information on an alleged attempt by the DF to install party people in administrative structures. In this information there is as much truth as the current ruling structure within the SDA has a state-building consciousness: none. The SDA’s new policy is unconstitutional surrender to Dragan Covic of all economic resources on the territory of the former para-state of the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna, in other words the creation of a third economic entity. That this lie and deception is the only weapon of the current SDA leadership became clear to all honorable members of the party after the cursory congress and brutal theft by which the party became the only relevant political force in the country whose leadership must prove its legitimacy in court. Instead of concerning himself with the production of new deceptions, we call on the FB&H prime minister to take responsibility and find a new majority in the FB&H Parliament or submit his resignation. More than two months after he was selected, he was not sufficiently capable of sending a four-year work program to the government for adoption, much less propose concrete solutions to exit the economic disaster for which the SDA is most responsible, as they have ruled our country for 23 of the past 25 years. The worst option for the interests of our country would be that FB&H has a minority government. That was undoubtedly the goal of the HDZ, which the SDA obediently fulfills, because with this the success of the historic British-German initiative – because of which the DF agreed on a minimal number of positions in government at all levels – is hindered. As opposed to the new SDA leadership, we always put the interests of B&H ahead of the interests of the party, and because of this we will launch all available legal mechanisms to prevent the implementation of this economic coup d’état.

HDZ leader announced talks with Radoncic for Wednesday (Srna)

Leader of HDZ B&H, Dragan Covic, sticks to the position that another partner is needed in the FB&H Government to replace Democratic Front (DF). Covic said he arranged meeting with the leader of the Alliance for Better Future (SBB) Fahrudin Radoncic for Wednesday. “We’ll talk about everything, including the possible partnership in the government, but I need to hear his opinion on everything first,” Covic told media. Covic maintained that new partner is needed instead of DF, despite the statement by president of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic who said this coalition still exists and new partners are not needed. The DF ministers left the Government last week and Covic said, for him, partnership is over. But SDA leader Izetbegovic later said he still believes in this coalition. Covic has rejected accusations DF-at the expense of the HDZ and said that DF only proved that he was right when he said that the partnership with the party is not working.

Southeast Europe leaders gather in Budva within Brdo-Brijuni Process (Hina)

The third summit meeting of southeastern European leaders as part of the Brdo-Brijuni Process launched in 2013 by Croatia and Slovenia with an aim of strengthening regional cooperation will begin on Monday in the Montenegrin coastal city of Budva. The Brdo-Brijuni Process envisages the gathering of regional leaders once a year with a respectable office-holder from influential member-states in the European Union. Thus, at the first summit held in the Slovenian mountainous resort of Brdo Pri Kranju in 2013 it was French President Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was guest of honor at the second summit meeting in Dubrovnik in 2014. This year, Austrian President Heinz Fischer is guest of honor at the Budva event. In attendance at the summit will be Slovenian and Croatian presidents, Borut Pahor and Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic as co-chairpersons, as well as Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic as the host, and presidents, Gjorge Ivanov of Macedonia, Tomislav Nikolic of Serbia, Bujar Nishani of Albania, Atifete Jahjaga of Kosovo and Mladen Ivanic, who is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s presidency chairman. The two-day summit will focus the EU enlargement, the situation in the region, particularly in Macedonia and economic topics.

Commissioner Hahn urges all party leaders to respect commitments made on 2 June (MIA)

The EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn has spoken to SDSM President Zoran Zaev on the phone and clarified one issue relating to the cross-­party dialogue facilitated by the EU, further to the agreement reached in Skopje on 2 June, the European Commission says in a statement. “The Commissioner reiterated that he fully and unequivocally supports the assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR about the 2014 Presidential and early Parliamentary elections in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He repeated the observations of ODIHR that the elections were efficiently administered, but that there were a number of serious concerns, notably regarding inadequate separation between party and state activities, allegations of voter intimidation and media bias in favor of the governing parties.

The European Commission has also regularly voiced concerns about the accuracy of the voters’ lists. All these issues need to be urgently addressed in accordance with the OSCE/ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations,” MIA reports from Brussels citing the statement. It also says that the European Commission has on several occasions reiterated the need to investigate all potential wrongdoing arising from the wiretaps, including those related to election fraud.

“The Commissioner urged all party leaders to respect commitments made on 2 June to overcome the current crisis, and to continue talks to find a rapid and lasting agreement which must address legitimate concerns about the rule of law and restore public trust in the state institutions. This is in the interest of all citizens of the country.” The EC has invited Nikola Gruevski, Zoran Zaev, Ali Ahmeti and Menduh Thaqi to visit Brussels on 10 June for a meeting aimed at concluding the framework agreed on Tuesday to resolve the political crisis in Macedonia that is expected to result in early parliamentary elections in April 2016.

US State Department welcomes Commissioner Hahn’s successful mediation in Macedonia (Republika)

The US State Department welcomed the successful role of European Commissioner Johannes Hahn in mediating the agreement reached earlier this week between the leaders of the four largest political parties in Macedonia, to normalize the political situation in the country. Commissioner Hahn, who is in Washington, met with Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday, to discuss European neighborhood policies, including the agreement he brokered in Macedonia. “With respect to Macedonia, the deputy secretary welcomed Commissioner Hahn’s successful mediation efforts earlier this week and praised Macedonia’s government and opposition leaders for reaffirming on June 2nd their commitment to Euro Atlantic principals, interethnic relations, and good neighborly relations and good neighborly relations in preparation for early elections by the end of April 2016. The deputy secretary underscores that while the path forward will not be easy for Macedonia, the United States together with our European partners will be actively engaged to support Macedonia in meeting these challenges and ultimately the goal of Euro Atlantic integration”, Marie Harf, State Department spokesperson, said at the regular daily press briefing. In Washington, Hahn also met with Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, White House advisors and members of Congress. He also spoke about the agreement that was reached at the Atlantic Council, a leading think tank that supports Euro Atlantic integration. One of Commissioner Hahn’s remarks, that the elections in Macedonia received generally positive reports, sparked an angry backlash from the Social Democrat Union (SDSM), whose leader Zoran Zaev accused Hahn of bias. Zaev announced that he will not attend a follow-up meeting planned to take place in Brussels on June 10th, to flesh out the details of the agreement that was signed. Following a phone conversation between Hahn and Zaev, SDSM informed that there is now possibility to go ahead with the meeting.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Belgrade to Unveil Gavrilo Princip Monument (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 8 June 2015)

A monument dedicated to Gavrilo Princip, whose murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand helped to spark World War I, will be inaugurated in the Serbian capital later this month

The Belgrade authorities said on Sunday that they plan to unveil the monument dedicated to the Bosnian Serb assassin on June 28, the 101st anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.

“By erecting this monument, Belgrade will appropriately honour a man who by his action become a part of Serbian history and sacrificed [himself] for freedom,” Goran Vesic, the manager of the city of the Belgrade, told media on Sunday. Princip’s shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 is widely considered one of the incidents that helped spark the 1914-18 conflict. Some Serbs believe that Princip was a hero and a freedom fighter against the Austro-Hungarian empire, although in other former Yugoslav countries, he is widely seen as a terrorist. The initiative to erect the new statue was proposed by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and the Belgrade city assembly is expected to approve the plan on Monday, Vesic said. He said the monument will be two metres high. Its exact location has yet to be announced. The Serbian government initially announced that it would install the monument on the centenary of WWI last year, but the plan was postponed. The monument will arrive in Belgrade within the next ten days – a gift from Bosnia’s Serb-led entity Republika Srpska, which last year also erected a statute of Princip in East Sarajevo. Its installation will also mark Vidovdan, or St Vitus’ Day, one of the most important state and religious holidays in Serbia. Each year, the state marks the anniversary of Serbia’s battle with Ottoman Turkish forces in Kosovo in 1389. The battle, which Serbia lost, is seen as a crucial moment in Serbian history and has inspired much of the country’s epic poetry. This will also be the first year that Serbia and Republika Sprska mark June 28 together.

Report: Macedonian Opposition Leader Reverses, Will Attend Crisis Talks (RFE/RL, 6 June 2015)

Macedonia’s chief opposition leader indicated late June 5 he would attend talks in Brussels next week to resolve a political crisis rocking the Balkan country, only hours after pulling out of the talks, Reuters reported. Zoran Zaev earlier in the day said he would not attend because he questioned the impartiality of the European Union, which is mediating the talks aimed at sealing a deal for early elections to end a standoff over damaging wiretap disclosures against the government. Zaev said at the time he pulled out that remarks made by the EU’s chief mediator, enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn, contained “biased elements.” He singled out for criticism Hahn’s statement that a report by European election monitors on Macedonia’s last parliamentary poll in 2014 was “in general a positive report.” Zaev said that statement was “inappropriate” ahead of the June 10 crisis meeting. The opposition maintains that the parliamentary election was rigged, and has been boycotting parliament ever since. Because of the opposition’s allegations, one of the main outstanding issues to be resolved in the Brussels talks is how an early election expected by April 2016 will be organized. After Zaev aired his criticism, the European Commission issued a statement June 5 saying Hahn and Zaev had spoken by phone and “clarified one issue.” The commission said Hahn was only repeating the observations of election monitors in his earlier statement, but the monitors also had raised “a number of serious concerns” about the parliamentary vote. Apparently after talking with Hahn, Zaev’s Social Democrat party issued its own statement saying the commission had confirmed that the Brussels meeting would look at “organizing a government to prepare elections.” The commission statement made no mention of organizing a new government, one of the opposition’s chief demands. But the Social Democrats nevertheless indicated the conversation between Hahn and Zaev made the opposition more favorably disposed toward attending the talks.

Pope Francis urges peace on visit to Sarajevo, ‘Jerusalem of Europe’ (CNN, by Laura Smith-Spark, Nic Robertson and Faith Karimi, 7 June 2015)

Sarajevo, Bosnia – Pope Francis brought a message of peace and reconciliation as he visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on Saturday, in his latest trip to a country with a large Muslim population. The daylong visit included a meeting with the members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency at the presidential palace, and an open-air Mass at a stadium which tens of thousands of joyful worshipers attended. Bosnia has faced past tensions among Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Two decades ago, ethnic and religious hatred raged during the nearly four-year siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. Up to 150,000 are estimated to have died in the war, many of them in ethnic cleansing, a term first coined in the Bosnian conflict. The Pope was greeted with cheers and applause as he moved through the crowds at the stadium in an open-sided “popemobile” ahead of the Mass. In his homily, he spoke of the suffering, misery and destruction brought by war — and urged all those there to work toward peace, despite the efforts of those who seek to foster conflict for their own gains. “Even in our time, the desire for peace and the commitment to build peace collide against the reality of many armed conflicts presently affecting our world,” he said. “They are a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war.” The people of Sarajevo know well what pain war can bring, he said. “Today, dear brothers and sisters, the cry of God’s people goes up once again from this city, the cry of all men and women of good will: war never again!”

‘The Jerusalem of Europe’

Pope Francis lunched with Bosnia’s bishops before traveling on in the popemobile, through streets lined with waving and cheering supporters, to the capital’s imposing Sacred Heart Cathedral. There he was greeted by the archbishop for Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, and other Roman Catholic figures, before hearing accounts of wartime suffering from a priest and members of religious orders. At the cathedral, Pope Francis abandoned his prepared speech and spoke of the importance of remembering the country’s suffering to forge a lasting peace. He talked about forgiveness and the lessons of history. “You have no right to forget your story,” he said. “Do not take revenge, but make peace.” After two priests and a nun recalled the torture and abuses suffered in the war, Pope Francis urged the gathered priests and nuns to never lose sight of the cruelty of those years. “In your blood, in your vocation, there is the blood of these three martyrs,” he said. “Think of how much they suffered.” Later, the Pope attended an interfaith gathering at the International Student Center in Sarajevo that he called a “sign of a common desire for fraternity and peace.” A city that was once a symbol of war and destruction has become a place where diversity no longer represents a menace but a sign of richness and opportunity, Pope Francis said. Addressing political leaders at the presidential palace earlier, ahead of the Mass, Francis recognized the capital’s difficult journey toward peace. “I am pleased to be in this city which, although it has suffered so much in the bloody conflicts of the past century, has once again become a place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence,” he said. He highlighted the mix of distinct religious, ethnic and cultural groups that have led some to call Sarajevo “The Jerusalem of Europe,” saying it “represents a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions, a status which requires the building of new bridges, while maintaining and restoring older ones.” And he said steps to extend peace and good relations among Croats, Serbs and Bosnians, as well as Muslims, Hebrews and Christians, took on a significance beyond the country’s borders. “These initiatives offer a witness to the entire world that such cooperation among varying ethnic groups and religions in view of the common good is possible; that a plurality of cultures and traditions can coexist and give rise to original and effective solutions to problems; that even the deepest wounds can be healed by purifying memories and firmly anchoring hopes in the future,” he said.

Tight security

During his visit, the Pope will drive through a historic center that includes cemeteries for some of the victims of the conflict. He’ll also meet youth from across all religions and leaders of Muslim, Christian Orthodox and Catholic faiths. Many will hope that in his meeting with political leaders, Francis was able to send the message that for the country to move forward, issues of corruption and high unemployment must be tackled. Security was tight in Sarajevo ahead of his arrival, with a heightened police presence. Roads were closed and cars cleared from the streets along the pope’s route. The estimated tens of thousands who gathered for the Mass at the Kosevo Stadium also went through security screening including bag checks. Security concerns have been heightened since a police officer was killed in April in the town of Zvornik, in what authorities said was a suspected terrorist attack.

Following in John Paul II’s footsteps

This is not the first time a head of the Roman Catholic Church has made a stop in Bosnia.

Pope John Paul II visited Sarajevo in 1997 in a trip that made headlines long before his plane landed. Shortly before the Pope arrived, police found mines, plastic explosives and detonators under a bridge on which John Paul’s motorcade was to pass on its way from the airport. Authorities removed them before his arrival. In September, Pope Francis visited the mostly Muslim nation of Albania. He also traveled just over a year ago to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank city of Bethlehem, where he met with Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, as well as top religious figures.

Pope Francis Condemns War Profiteers on Visit to Bosnia (guardianlv.com, by Alison Klippenstein, 7 June 2015)

Pope Francis’ visit to war torn Bosnia has seen him speak out about his concerns for a third world war, as well as condemn war profiteers and those who fight against world peace. Speaking in the country’s capital, Sarajevo, Francis urged the people of Bosnia not to forget the suffering they have experienced during the country’s conflicts, but to use them as an example for tolerance and diversity around the world. Francis’ 11 hour visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday, June 6, saw the pontiff meet with representatives of Bosnia’s Jewish and Muslim communities, visit the presidential palace and hold mass in the Olympic stadium for a crowd of approximately 65,000. The trip is a first for the Pope, who was elected by papal conclave in 2013, and only the second time a pontiff has visited the war torn country. Pope John Paul II visited the country in 1997. Bosnia and Herzegovina endured a horrific three year long war following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1997. The bitter conflict, fueled by religious opposition, saw over 100,000 dead and half of the country’s population seeking refuge. The conflict was characterized by some of the worst human rights violations the 20th century had seen, including ethnic cleansing, systematic rape and the indiscriminate bombing of citizens. One of the largest of these atrocities occurred in July 1995, when 8,000 Muslims were massacred by ethnic Serbs. Pope Francis urged the survivors of the war to remember their pain and suffering and to use it as an example of strength for the rest of the world. He asked them to set an example for diversity, tolerance and peace. During the Bosnian visit, where only 15 percent of the residents identify as Catholic, he urged all Catholics to stand beside their countrymen as witnesses to their faith and to the love of God, as well as working towards a society that “walks towards peace, coexistence and collaboration.” Francis is well known, and well loved, for his diplomacy and is a hard working advocate of world peace. Roman Catholics around the world would not have been surprised to see the pontiff use his Bosnia visit as an opportunity to condemn war profiteers, slam corrupt governments and encourage interfaith dialogue. Speaking to a crowd of reporters in Sarajevo, the Holy See recalled the history of Jerusalem and likened the troubles to that in the Balkans. As Bosnia continues to face divisions between its people some 20 years after the end of the war, the pontiff commented on how both Bosnia and Jerusalem are countries full of different cultures and religious viewpoints and how they share histories of conflict and violence. He referred to Sarajevo as the “Jerusalem of the West” and explained that the purpose of his trip was to spread peace and promote reconciliation. The papal visit did not come without complications. Security measures were tight amidst claims that Islamic State members had called for Muslims to take up Jihad and attack the Balkans. Despite this, 100,000 citizens of Bosnia lined the streets of Sarajevo to enthusiastically welcome the Pope’s motorcade to the city. Those citizens then listened to the religious leader during mass, which was conducted mainly in Italian, and heard Pope Francis’ sermon slam those who incite war for political and financial gain. He also attacked those who profit from war through arms dealing. Pointing out the true nature of war he highlighted the disasters of displacement and destroyed properties, as well as the personal cost to those involved, adding that war mainly affected children, women and the elderly, whose lives become shattered when forced to live in refugee camps. Pope Francis, in using his visit to Bosnia to condemn war profiteers, also showed his concerns for what he called a ” kind of third world war being fought piecemeal.” In his condemnation of war profiteers and his insistence that the citizens of Bosnia turn their negative experiences into a lesson for diversity and peace, fans of peace keeper Francis will not be surprised by the reports coming out of Sarajevo regarding the Pope’s visit. All eyes now turn to see if he can work the same magic with Russian president Vladimir Putin when they meet at the Vatican on Wednesday, June 10.

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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.