LOCAL PRESS

Brussels (dis)agreements (RTS)

In anticipation of the resumption of the dialogue in Brussels, the Serbian side claims that Pristina is procrastinating on purpose, because the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities, the most important issue for Serbia and the Kosovo Serbs, should be on the agenda. Property, the Peace Park and the Union of Serb Municipalities, which makes 40 percent of the Brussels agreement – the disputable issues of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue from the unsuccessful June round will be resolved by the end of the July, so hopes the Serbian side. Time is running out, yet stands are not approaching. The Kosovo negotiators are trying to resolve the issue of property with the talks on energy. Pristina still doesn’t accept anything less than that. It is procrastinating consciously over the most important topic for Serbia, said the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric. He says that Pristina also refused one simple sentence that states that the issue of property is left for some future talks. “We have clear proof on property and we are asking for the issue of property to be the topic of the dialogue as soon as possible,” said Djuric.

Pristina’s intention to resolve with one move the property over the entire power distribution system in Kosovo and Metohija, including the Gazivode hydropower station and the Valac substation, is unacceptable for Serbia. Within reach of the first agreement, the two sides reached agreement on telecommunications. When they initial it, Kosovo and Metohija will receive a regional area code 383 – the status neutral for the geographical area – 038 for Pristina and 011 for Belgrade, from the other direction, at the price of a local call and without roaming for mobile telephony. Telekom Serbia with 200 employees remains in Kosovo and Metohija. “Telekom Serbia will receive a permanent license for fixed telephony in the region of Kosovo and Metohija and the license for using mobile telephony, unhindered use of the entire infrastructure and recognition, which is a precedent, of the ownership status for the entire property of Telekom Serbia in Kosovo,” said Djuric.

Greece doesn’t recognize Kosovo (Danas/Novosti)

“The statements by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kocijas to the media in Pristina are clear. Greece doesn’t recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo,” Greek Ambassador to Serbia Konstantinos Ikonomidis says in response to the question whether the statement by Minister Kocijas that Athens will support Kosovo’s membership in international organizations implies a step towards recognition of Kosovo. Ikonomidis points out that the “Greek stand on this issue remains unchanged”. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic tells Novosti that Serbia expects Athens not to change the stand regarding the status of the southern Serbian province, despite the big pressure that is being exerted on the five EU member states that do not recognize it. “We do not find it disputable for Kosovo to take part in regional forums and international bodies, but always with stressed status neutrality. Pristina’s membership in the Council of Europe and the United Nations remains unacceptable for Serbia,” said Dacic.

Vucic: Policy toward migrants insufficiently accountable (Radio Serbia)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has assessed that the solution for the problem of the wave of migrants cannot be found in the rising of walls, but rather in the joint policy of the EU and transit countries. The collective center for the reception of migrants has been opened in Presevo, where they will receive the necessary documents, food and medical assistance. During the visit to that center, Vucic has stated that at issue is a problem that is not just for the moment, and expressed fear that it will have to be dealt with during winter, too. In the past week 800-1000 people have been arriving daily to Presevo, according to the data of the Red Cross. The newly opened reception center has eight reception points and a special air-conditioned room for the mothers with children. The Prime Minister has noted that the EU is already assisting Serbia by means of joint controls, thermal cameras, computers, medicaments and other provisions, but that is not enough. “On a daily basis, until yesterday, we had the expenses of 15 thousand euro, and with the growing number of migrants it will be too much for the Serbian budget, so the stronger support from the EU is necessary”, said Vucic. He has assessed that the surge of migrants does not affect the overall security situation in Serbia, and remarked that “they do not come to make incidents, but to escape the misery and war, and to seek better life, not trouble”. While expressing hope that Serbia will treat those people correctly, the Prime Minister reminded that their desire is to go to some other place as soon as possible. Minister of Labor and Social Policy Aleksandar Vulin, who is also the president of the working group for the problem of mixed migrations, has pointed at the opening of the center that Serbia has shown to be an organized state. Minister Vulin has emphasized that Serbia is a responsible state that takes care of every human being in its territory. “It is less important why they are here, as it is not our job to judge anybody, but it is our duty to provide the medical assistance, food and water,” he said. The minister has criticized the recent report of the Amnesty International, which read that the migrants on their way through Serbia were being abused. That is untrue, Vulin said, adding that nobody in the police or any other agency had abused or taken money from the migrants. He has invited all Balkan countries and the EU to jointly approach the solving of the problem of migrants.

Head of the UNHCR office in Serbia Hans Friedrich Schoder has expressed satisfaction with the opening of the center in Presevo and announced that the UNHCR will keep helping Serbia. He has noted that thanking to the center the migrants will have much better conditions for the processing of their applications, as well as the accommodation and first aid.

The president of the Presevo municipality Ragmi Mustafa has thanked everyone who helped in opening this center, and he assessed that the state, people and various organizations had been of excellent help to the migrants. According to him, the opening of the center is important for having all the migrants in one place, where they will have decent conditions, instead of trying to being scattered around streets, backyards, shops, restaurants. Mustafa added that the migrants are well received and were met with hospitality from the citizens and local self-government. The inhabitants of Presevo say that migrants’ arrival has not changed their way of life, because the ordinary citizens have almost no contact with them.

B&H Presidency visiting Serbia (B92/Tanjug/Fena)

Members of the B&H Presidency are welcome to Serbia and will be perfectly safe, Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has said. Members of the tripartite Presidency “will be absolutely safe from the moment they enter Serbia until they leave the country”, Stefanovic said at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs late on Wednesday, adding this is the responsibility of the police. “We fully guarantee their safety and that they will not experience anything similar to what happened to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic at the commemoration in Potocari,” Stefanovic stressed. All three members of the Presidency, Mladen Ivanic, Dragan Covic and Bakir Izetbegovic, have accepted the invitation of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to visit Serbia. This was confirmed for Fena in the Presidency where officials said that the visit should take place on July 22. According to the information available to Tanjug, the meeting should take place in the Karadjordjevo resort, northwest of Belgrade. Stefanovic also said on Wednesday that “Serbia has no information whether anyone has been arrested for assaulting Vucic” in Potocari. “For now, we do not have any information, nor has Serbia been informed whether anyone has been arrested,” Stefanovic said, adding that the July 11 attack was committed by “a great number of individuals”. The Minister told the Committee that he has received assurances that identification of perpetrators is being conducted, as well as other actions that would lead to their arrest. “We hope and want to believe that the state authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina will act the same as Serbia would. Serbia would never allow anything happen to any of its guests, let alone attempted lynch and murder,” Stefanovic stressed.

REGIONAL PRESS

Decision on a referendum adopted (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) parliament has adopted a decision to call a referendum on the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office. According to the decision, a referendum question reads: “Do you support unconstitutional and unauthorized imposing of laws by high representatives to B&H, particularly the imposed laws on the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office, and implementation of their decisions in the area of RS?” Forty-five MPs voted for the decision, 31 refrained from voting and no one voted against. The referendum will be held on the first Sunday upon the expiry of 50 days after the decision enters into force. The decision will enter into force on the 8th day after it is published in the RS Official Gazette. MPs from the Domovina (Homeland) Coalition did not attend the voting and called on the IC to prevent the holding of a referendum. The 10th, special session of parliament was held at the request of the RS President Milorad Dodik.

Parliament has not exceeded bounds of its jurisdiction (Srna)

With the passage of the decision on calling a referendum on B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office, the RS parliament has not exceeded the bounds of its jurisdiction or violated the Dayton Peace Agreement, the RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic told Srna. “We have not violated the Dayton Peace Agreement or any Article of the Constitution,” Cubrilovic said, commenting on the position of the OHR which says that the holding of a referendum is in “violation of the General Framework Agreement on Peace and is outside the jurisdiction” of the RS. He said that this decision neither destroys B&H nor is outside the jurisdiction of the RS. The High Representative to B&H, Valentin Inzko, expressed his regret over the fact that a majority of members of the RS parliament adopted a proposal to organize a referendum on the judiciary at the B&H level and the powers of the High Representative, which, in his opinion, is beyond the competencies of the RS parliament.

Hadziomerovic: Bosniak Delegates will raise the issue of protection of vital national interest;

Suljagic: Adoption of a decision on a referendum in the RS is a call to war! (Fena/ Dnevni avaz)

However, for the parliamentary decision to come into force, it must be confirmed by the RS Council of Peoples, but will not get the approval of the Bosniak Members, Fena rerports. The head of the club Mujo Hadziomerovic confirmed to the agency that the Bosniak delegates raise the issue of protection of vital national interest to the decision on the referendum in the RS and pointed out that the Bosniak club will use all legal means to challenge the decision on the referendum because, as stated, it causes “tremendous damage”. During two days of sharp parliamentary debate, the opposition in the RS emphasized that even they are not satisfied with the work of state judicial institutions; they are against the manipulation of citizens by this referendum, as they say, by Dodik and the RS authorities. Dodik decision on a referendum is called historic, and the opposition believes that the RS authorities it serves as a means of pressure on the international representatives in the continuation of structural dialogue and that the referendum will not be, as it is not held even in 2011, concludes Fena.

Vice President of the Democratic Front and the Deputy Defense Minister Emir Suljagic told Dnevni avaz that, without a doubt, it is an assault on the sovereignty and integrity of B&H. Milorad Dodik has obviously started the process for the consequences of which I’m not sure he’s ready. There is no doubt that this decision is a call to war – Suljagic told Dnevni avaz.

At the moment the ball is in the international community. If the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the international community do not do what they were ordered by the Dayton Peace Agreement, I am sure that in this country there are people and facilities, and institutions that will be ready to defend its integrity and sovereignty, considered Suljagic. He once again reiterated that the RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik was “obviously ready to challenge with organized mass violence to stay in power”. I do not know to what or to whom Dodik would account if there is violence. And, as I said, scheduling the date of this referendum will undoubtedly provoke violence. If this decision is not changed, unfortunately, this will happen – said Suljagic.

OHR: Those supporting referendum against Dayton are pushing RS into isolation and crisis (Fena)

The High Representative regrets that a majority of delegates in the RS parliament have adopted a proposal to organize a referendum on the state level judiciary and the authorities of the High Representative, which goes beyond the competences of the RS parliament, Office of High Representative (OHR) stated, adding: To ask citizens to vote against essential parts of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) is irresponsible and shows the readiness of a powerful elite to continue to drive the RS and B&H into an ever deeper crisis. In this regard, the High Representative would like to remind the public of two crucial points:

1. The Laws on the B&H State Court in 2002 and on the Prosecutor’s Office in 2003 were adopted by the B&H Parliamentary Assembly, including SNSD delegates. Furthermore, the Constitutional Court, itself a Dayton institution, has ruled twice in favor of the State Court’s legitimacy, constitutionality and compatibility with the DPA. The OHR would welcome efforts to make the State level Judiciary more efficient but underlines that any improvements must come again through the BH Parliamentary Assembly, a Dayton institution.
2. The mandate, including the executive powers, of the High Representative as established by Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement and endorsed repeatedly by the United Nations Security Council is a crucial element of the peace agreement.

Entity authorities should desist in their pursuit of a referendum which is in violation of the GFAP and outside their jurisdiction and focus instead on delivering the promises they have made to voters to improve conditions within the RS. Finally, as said yesterday at the meeting of Ambassadors of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board, the international community retains the necessary instruments to uphold the GFAP, statement from OHR reads.

Russian Embassy: Referendum B&H’s internal matter (Nezavisne)

The holding of a referendum in the RS on state-level justice institutions is a matter of B&H’s internal politics, the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo has said. A statement on Thursday said that it is known the Serb entity, the RS, has objections to the justice system in B&H. “Not only the various political forces but also many representatives of the international community recognize its inefficiency,” said the Embassy, and added that “it is necessary to overcome the reasons behind the problem, instead of directing all forces to fight its visible consequences”. The so-called structural dialogue on justice system reforms has not given results, and the concerns of the Serb community in B&H remain without answers, the Russian Embassy said.

U.S. Embassy: Nothing good can come from this referendum (Oslobodjenje)

The U.S. embassy in B&H announced that it “fears” the consequences that the referendum on the B&H Court and Prosecutor will have for the RS citizens and all of B&H. In a statement on the occasion of the adoption of a decision on calling a referendum in the RS parliament, the U.S. Embassy says it has engaged the “relevant U.S. government departments and agencies to determine an appropriate response to those responsible for creating this political provocation”.

The Embassy adds that they are “in close coordination with the EU Mission and OHR on next steps”. “The U.S. Embassy is alarmed at the direction in which this planned referendum is taking the RS as an entity, and the threat it poses to the security, stability, and prosperity of B&H. We oppose this referendum and any preparation for it as a violation of the Dayton Peace Accords, and because we fear the repercussions it will have for the people in the RS and for B&H as a whole,” the embassy says. The U.S. Embassy believes “nothing good can come of this referendum,” and says that the future of B&H and all its citizens lies in the continued integration with the EU. “That objective is clearly attainable, and we want to work with the people of the RS to improve their quality of life by making it a reality. It is now up to the entity’s leadership to choose between progress or political and economic isolation,” the Embassy says.

Leaders of Macedonian parties reach agreement (Republika)

Leaders of the four biggest parties in Macedonia have reached an agreement meant to allow the country a way out of the political crisis. “I can tell you that we have reached an agreement which was signed by the leaders of the four largest parties, and I am satisfied with what has been achieved,” EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn told reporters after talks with leaders of VMRO-DPMNE Nikola Gruevski, SDSM Zoran Zaev, DUI Ali Ahmeti, and DPA Menduh Thaqi. Hahn stressed that they agreed on early elections and that the focus will be on further implementation of a report on other recommendations of the European Commission. Shortly after the meeting Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and the leader of the opposition SDSM expressed their views on to the agreement, saying: “The political crisis in Macedonia is resolved, the European perspective of the Republic of Macedonia will remain open, and the economy is liberated from the chains imposed by the political crisis and will continue to grow, which means new jobs and new investment.” He thanked everyone who helped throughout the process, particularly the representatives of the EU and the U.S., three MEPs and especially Commissioner Hahn. Prime Minister Gruevski explained that in accordance with the agreement, as a system solution starting now and applying to all future parliamentary elections, 100 days before each parliamentary election the government will withdraw, and a new one formed in charge of carrying out the election. Gruevski explained that in this case it means that the VMRO-DPMNE will propose the interim prime minister for a period of 100 days, starting from January 15, 2016 until elections on April 24. “So that no one would have an alibi and excuses for election results, we have agreed that starting from October 20 until elections the SDSM will, with prior consultation with the VMRO-DPMNE and DUI, propose the technical minister of the interior, which means a person who is in no way affiliated with any political party,” he added. According to the agreement, the SDSM will also propose to the minister of labor and social policy. The ministries of finance, agriculture, forestry, water management and information society will get “deputy ministers with the right of veto”. Zoran Zaev expressed his satisfaction with the agreement and said that it confirmed everything his party and coalition partners were saying in their project “Truth for Macedonia”. It is envisaged that the special prosecutor will be elected on September 15 who will be in charge of an investigation “in relation to the contents, evidence and arguments from the eavesdropped telephone conversations”. “The new public prosecutor with completely autonomous powers will receive the material that should be process in a transparent way, in parallel with parliamentary committees, and the content will also be available to the public. Most important of all is that the facts and evidence will have legal consequences,” said Zaev. He added that the opposition will in early September return to the national assembly and actively participate in the implementation of all segments of the agreement.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Bosnia’s Serbs vote for referendum on national court (BBC, 16 July 2015)

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has long called for a referendum on whether Bosnia’s court has authority over Serbs

Lawmakers in Bosnia’s autonomous Serb region of Republika Srpska have voted to hold a referendum on the authority of the national court over its people. Regional President Milorad Dodik had proposed the referendum, arguing that the court is biased against Serbs.

Bosnia-Herzegovina was divided into two entities after the 1992-1995 war: the Serb-run Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. Critics fear the referendum will undermine Bosnia’s tenuous stability. Of Republika Srpska’s 83 MPs, 45 voted in favour of the referendum while 31 abstained and the rest did not take part. Mr Dodik said the vote was “about whether we are going to go the way of preserving the constitution and defending our international right, or the way of degrading Republika Srpska.” In his speech to the regional parliament, he complained that the country’s prosecutors had been more lenient towards “the few Bosniaks” charged with war crimes compared with Serbs. But the move was criticised by the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko, who is responsible for ensuring the Dayton peace accord, which ended the war, is adhered too. Mr Inzko said it was “irresponsible and shows the readiness of a powerful elite to continue to drive the Republika Srpska and BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) into an ever deeper crisis.” Bosnia became an independent state after the war, but half its population – around two million people – had been displaced, and its infrastructure and economy was left in tatters. Its political set up is complicated, with the two regions having their own governments, parliament, police and other bodies – linked to a central Bosnian government and rotating presidency. The country has been encouraged to seek membership of the European Union to strengthen its stability, but it has been unable to escape high levels of corruption, unemployment and political divisions that have put off foreign investors. President Dodik threatened to hold a referendum on the legitimacy of the central justice system back in 2011 but was held back by pressure from the international community.

Commission hammers out Macedonia compromise (EurActiv with AFP, 16 July 2015)

EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn brokered a deal between the Macedonian government and opposition yesterday (15 July) to end a political crisis which had paralysed the country for months. “I can tell you we have an agreement, an agreement signed by the leaders of the big four parties and I am grateful,” Hahn said after 12 hours of negotiations in Skopje ended successfully in the small hours of Wednesday. He hailed the agreement, which paves the way for early elections next year, as offering “a lot of hope to the country.” The main Macedonian parties had agreed on 2 June to hold parliamentary elections before the end of April 2016, two years early, but the Skopje talks were necessary to hammer out the details, including for an interim government and the rules of the balloting. Macedonia’s last elections were held in April 2014, with the next one due to be held in April 2018. However, the country has been enduring a deep political crisis with the government and opposition exchanging serious allegations.

‘Crisis is resolved’

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski explained that under the new deal, his government will be replaced 100 days ahead of the election by a transition team charged with organising the vote

“The political crisis is resolved,” he declared. Zoran Zaev’s main opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) which had till now refused to participate in parliamentary proceedings, will return to the national assembly from September, he added. Zaev himself said “we have secured the resignation of Nikola Gruevski. He won’t organise the next elections.” The opposition socialists have been boycotting parliament, claiming electoral fraud and refusing to recognise the results of last year’s polls. The centre-left opposition accuses Gruevski of wiretapping some 20,000 people, including politicians and journalists, as well as of corruption, a murder cover-up and other wrongdoings. The conservative government, in return, has filed charges against Zaev, accusing him of “spying” and attempts to “destabilise” the country. The crisis further deepened in May when police clashed with an ethnic Albanian armed group, whose members were mostly from Kosovo, in the northern town of Kumanovo. Eighteen people were killed in the clashes, including eight police officers. Fearing a repeat of a six-month conflict in 2001 between Macedonian armed forces and ethnic Albanians demanding more rights for their community, the international community stepped in after the Kumanovo incident and initiated political talks among political leaders. The EU’s Hahn called it “an excellent day” for Macedonia which “will open the door very wide to a EuroAtlantic perspective.” And US State Department spokesman John Kirkby commended the country’s leaders for reaching an agreement, saying the compromise “serves the interest of the people of Macedonia by strengthening Macedonia’s prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration.” Macedonia, a former Yugoslav republic of 2.1 million inhabitants, has been in a decade-long stalemate in the process of accession to both the European Union and NATO due to a veto by Greece. Athens denies its neighbour the use of the name Macedonia, claiming to have a historical right to it.

Pro-ISIS Video Calls for Balkan Caliphate (BIRN, by Igor Jovanovic, 15 July 2015)

New video published briefly by unknown authors on YouTube calls for the conquest of Serbia, the creation of an Islamic caliphate in the Western Balkans and the destruction of democracy

A new video published on July 10 on YouTube, named “Put hilafa”, which in Bosniak means “Way of caliphate”, calls for the establishment of a caliphate in the Balkans – Serbia above all.

The video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with the video has been terminated. The same account earlier published the series of videos glorifying Isis and calling for holy war and radical Islam. The new video, which began with quotations from the Koran, continued in the form of a poem. “People from the Balkans be happy, better days are approaching, Muslims are coming, we are the Islamic caliphate,” the first stanza said. The unknown author then calls for the conquest of Serbia while other countries are shown through sniper sight, covered with the black Isis flag. Then the author called for terrorist activities in Bosnia, Croatia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia, promising that the democracy in these countries would be destroyed and sharia law established in its place. At the end, death threats are addressed to US President Barack Obama with the words: “Be happy you too Obama, victory belongs to us, we are the sons of Islam, we are the Islamic caliphate.” Police in Serbia have not yet commented on the video’s authors and authenticity and what danger it may represent. However, a professor of the Faculty of Security in Belgrade, Zoran Dragisic, said the danger of terrorist attacks in the Balkans was real. “The terrorists have their own networks in the Balkans and no one can exclude the possibility that terrorist attacks may occur in the countries mentioned in the video,” Dragisic told BIRN. He said the goal of the video was to spread radical Islamist propaganda and to intimidate ordinary people. In June, an earlier video released by Isis called on more Balkan fighters to join their ranks – and for sympithsers to maim, kill and poison unbelievers in their home countries. “For those of you that can’t come here, fight over there. Fight against them over there. If you have to, put explosives under their cars. If you can, take poison and put it in their drinks and their food. Let them die. Kill them in every place, whenever you can. In Bosnia, in Serbia, in Sandzak,” a fighter who seems to originally be from Bosnia, who calls himself Salahuddin Al-Bosni, said. After the video was published, countries in the region raised security levels and introduced new precautions to counter the threat of terrorist attacks. Experts say closer cooperation between regional security services is required, including permanent communication with leading global intelligence agencies. Between 200 and 600 fighters from various Balkan nations including Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, have traveled to Syria since 2012, according to a June study by the Combating Terrorism Center, a research institution at West Point. Mainly or partly Muslim Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania are the main recruiting grounds in the Balkans for radical Islamists. The other countries in the region mainly serve for transit purposes.

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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.