LOCAL PRESS

FM at UN: “Abolish either UNSCR 1244, or double standards” (Tanjug)

Serbian FM Ivica Dacic said in New York on Friday that his country finds Pristina’s demands “to join the work of UNESCO and Interpol” unacceptable. “I was born in Kosovo and Metohija 49 years ago in a town called Prizren, which was in the 14th century the capital of Serbia, and today 21 or 22 Serbs live there,” Dacic said, adding this was “a historical reality, the fact that today the majority in Kosovo are (ethnic) Albanians.” According to him, Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci, while explaining Pristina’s request to join UNESCO, “in effect acknowledged the ethnic cleansing” when said that the idea was not endorsed “only by the Orthodox (Christian Serb) community, which makes up four percent of the population in Kosovo.” “Serbia has extended a hand of reconciliation and that hand is hanging in the air – but we have not raised both our hands in surrender,” Dacic told a UN Security Council session dedicated to Kosovo.  We will see how each country will vote in UNESCO, he said, adding that Serbia cannot allow Kosovo’s membership in UN organizations through the back door. “Either abolish resolution 1244 or don’t apply double standards toward Serbia,” was Dacic’s message at the UN Security Council. “It must be that this world is governed by principles. It cannot be that Serbia, as the OSCE chairman, is expected to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine – and not defend its own territorial integrity with the same force. Serbia is in favor of dialogue, but we believe our own eyes, not the claims that are often, in the case of Serbia, an example of double standards,” he added.  Dacic said that “a territory administered by the United Nations under valid and mandatory Security Council resolution 1244, Kosovo is not and cannot be considered a state as a subject of international law and cannot, ipso facto, qualify for admission to organizations like the ones referred to.” “We will fight for our interests, politically and diplomatically. We’ll see how each state will vote on Pristina’s request for membership in UNESCO. We need to stop playing under the table and begin to play openly. Serbia will not participate in the attempts to allow Kosovo to enter specialized UN agencies through the back door,” Dacic said. According to him, “in that sense, each and every different attitude to the consideration of the question of Kosovo’s membership in these organizations would be tantamount to ignoring, i.e. violating, the legal rules created under the auspices of the United Nations for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security “If and when the time comes, questions of this kind should be the subject of dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.”  Stressing that Serbia “condemns any desecration of religious sites of any religion,” Dacic pointed out that the destruction of cultural and religious heritage in the Middle East by Islamic State (IS) is being met with strong condemnation across the world as an act of terrorism – and added, in reference to Kosovo’s authorities, that “those who desecrate and destroy the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo demand membership in UNESCO, “and a pat on the shoulder as an act of reward.” Dacic also warned about “the drastic discrepancy between the declarative commitment and the actual conduct of Pristina” on the issue of the protection of the Serbian cultural heritage: “You will agree that someone who aspires to membership in UNESCO must, not only with words but also with deeds, confirm their commitment to the objectives and principles of the Constitution of UNESCO – with which the deliberate, systematic, vandal destruction of cultural and historical monuments of their fellow citizens, in order to eliminate the traces of centuries of existence of a people in an area, as well as the impunity got perpetrators of such barbaric acts unworthy of the 21st century – are undoubtedly irreconcilable.”  The Serbian minister then told the UN Security Council that “from June 1999 until today 236 churches, monasteries and other buildings owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC, in Kosovo) as well as cultural and historical monuments, have been the target of attacks.”  Of these, as many as 61 have the status of cultural monuments, “and 18 are of great importance for the state of Serbia.” “In the area of ​​Kosovo and Metohija 174 religious sites and 33 cultural and historical monuments have been destroyed, more than 10,000 icons, religious, liturgical, and artistic items stolen. 5,261 headstones have been either destroyed or damaged in 256 Serbian Orthodox cemeteries – and not a single whole tombstone stands on more than 50 of the graveyards,” said Dacic. He pointed out that the attacks on the Serb heritage in Kosovo in this regard represent attacks on the Serb identity, have a direct impact on their sense of acceptance in the local community and are a part of the process of “changing historical facts in order to marginalize and eliminate Serbs and Serbia from the history of Kosovo and Metohija.”  During the UN Security Council session, Dacic presented images of the destroyed Serbian cultural heritage. Click here to download them – via the Serbian government website.  The foreign minister went on to say that Belgrade “received information that EULEX (EU mission in Kosovo) is preparing to transfer the cases and the accompanying documentation processed by EULEX prosecutors and judges to the PISG, i.e. the local judiciary.” “About 500 cases are involved, about 300 of them related to war crimes, out of which 270 have been taken over from UNMIK (UN mission in Kosovo). The government of the Republic of Serbia expresses its concern at the intention to transfer the cases related to war crimes in the territory of Kosovo to the local judiciary since all of them belong to the exclusive competence of EULEX even after the amendment of the PISG regulations on the mandate of the EU Mission relating to the rule of law in the province. In point of fact, it is provided that EULEX prosecutors continue to process the cases in respect of which they decided to launch an investigation prior to April 15, 2014, as well as the cases allocated to EULEX prosecutors before this date which include the cases of war crimes that EULEX took over from the UNMIK judiciary,” Dacic said, and added:  “If EULEX does proceed and transfer the cases to the institutions in Pristina, in particular the sensitive cases of the investigation of the war crimes committed in the territory of Kosovo, the consequences for processing the war crimes committed by the KLA against the Serbs, non-Albanians and Albanians, marked ‘Serbian collaborators’ during the armed conflicts of 1998 and 1999 would be unforeseeable.” “Since it is expected that a Specialist Court will be established soon to try the war crimes committed by the KLA in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, and it is being established precisely for the incapacity of the local Kosovo judiciary to investigate and try the perpetrators of war crimes from the ranks of the KLA, let me point out that the transfer of the war crimes cases to the local judiciary by EULEX runs counter to the activities of the international community aimed at establishing the Specialist Court,” the foreign minister told the UN Security Council, and added:  “If the said cases were to be transferred to the local judiciary, there is reason to believe that much of material evidence and many witnesses would be removed or intimidated, which would make the work of the future Specialist Court for war crimes much more difficult. Politically motivated arrests and long trials, as well as the different yardsticks of the local judiciary should not be disregarded, either. One example of which I already spoke at the previous meetings of the Security Council is the case of Oliver Ivanovic, the leader of the Civil Initiative ‘Serbia, Democracy, Justice’, who was detained at the end of January 2014 and continues in detention regardless of the guarantees and calls of the Government of Serbia that he be granted bail. In an effort to win this right, Oliver Ivanovic has been on hunger strike for days now.”  Dacic also told the UNSC that the Serbian government “attaches particular importance to finding solutions for internally displaced persons while the creation of conditions for their sustainable return is one of the key segments of the reconciliation process.” “Out of over 220,000 people who fled Kosovo since 1999, in the last 16 years sustainable return has been achieved only by 1.9 percent, while around 204,000 persons sill remain displaced in Serbia. Accordingly, the percentage of sustainable return in this case is below all international standards and averages,” said the minister.  Dacic also pointed to the tendency of privatization of public companies in areas with a majority Serb population, “leading us to the conclusion that the basic motivation of these privatizations, the ethnic connotation of which is very transparent indeed, is the destruction of economic resources exactly in the Serbian communities which is incompatible with democratic achievements and European standards.” “We are deeply concerned over the Draft Law on the Kosovo Property Comparison and Verification Agency which is under consideration in the Parliament of Kosovo and is in outright contravention of the 2011 Technical Agreement on Cadastre. It creates conditions for the legalization of the property expropriated unlawfully from the Serbs, whereby enormous and irreparable damage would be created to the Serbian community in the Province. It is exactly with this in mind that we requested that the procedure of the adoption of the said Law be stopped and that the Technical Agreement on Cadastre, providing for the establishment of a body consisting of representatives of Belgrade, Pristina and the European Union to carry out the comparison of cadastral documentation, begin to be implemented,” Dacic said.  The UN Security Council session was held on Friday in New York to consider the UN secretary-general’s regular report on the work of the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. Addressing the session of the UNSC, Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said that “Serbia’s attempt to block Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO and Interpol” was “contrary to the Brussels agreement.” “I heard harsh words from Dacic. I understand that he is in an election campaign, but dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina continues. Next week we will meet in Brussels and I hope we can agree on important deals – on telecommunications, energy, the Community of Serb Municipalities (SZO),” said Thaci.  Commenting on Dacic’s address to the Council, Thaci asserted that “Albanians have always been the majority in Kosovo” and that Dacic “must realize that the Serbian administration, the army and the police will never return.” “Your dream is over once and for all. If you start a war, you will lose,” he said.

Dacic, Ban Ki-moon: 1244 remains core of UN policy toward Kosovo (Tanjug)

Implementation of Security Council Resolution 1244 “will remain at the core of the UN policy toward Kosovo.” This is what Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon agreed on Saturday, according to Tanjug. “The secretary-general has confirmed that the UNMIK mission to Kosovo, which will now be led by a new diplomat, will firmly adhere to Resolution 1244 and that it will continue to be the basis of the UN policy referring to the Kosovo issue,” Dacic told Tanjug after a meeting with Ban Ki-moon in New York.

“This is very important for us, because we believe that the UN should adhere to the only legal and valid international document on Kosovo,” Dacic said, stressing that the document is status neutral and consequently all unilateral moves by Pristina must be prevented.  Dacic said that he conferred with the UN secretary-general on Kosovo’s UNESCO membership application, adding that Ban reiterated that the UN has refused to forward Kosovo’s membership application and that it will maintain consistency with Resolution 1244. The meeting also highlighted a very successful cooperation within the peacekeeping missions, the minister said. Dacic noted that Serbia is “the seventh in Europe and the first in the region by the number of soldiers and policemen partaking in UN peacekeeping missions.”

Maric expects ZSO agreement to be reached (RTS)

Ljubomir Maric, coordinator of the team tasked with setting up the Community of Serb municipalities (ZSO), stated on Monday on the occasion of the new round of the technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina that he expects that the agreement on the most important issue – ZSO – will be reached. Expressing hope that there will be no blockages in the agreement’s implementation, Maric said that it will take a few months for the ZSO to come to life. As he put it, the ZSO would immediately comprise 10 municipalities, and it is possible that two more, which are planned to be established – Priluzje and Gora, would also like to join. After consultations that we had on Thursday with representatives of the Serbian government, we expect that the agreement on the ZSO will be reached, Maric told Radio and Television of Serbia.  Commenting on Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs Hasim Taci‘s statement that the ZSO will not have executive powers, he said that Belgrade has received signals from high political circles in Brussels and Washington that provocations can be expected from Albanian politicians that serve solely for their political promotion. Maric said that he believes that the ZSO will get a form and jurisdictions necessary for Kosovo-Metohija’s preservation and future.

Maric: Brussels warned us about Pristina’s provocations (RTS)

The coordinator for the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) has said that “provocations can be expected from Albanian politicians.”

According to Ljubomir Maric, who coordinates of a steering team set up for the establishment of the ZSO, “signals” about these provocations came from “political circles in Brussels and Washington.” Maric continued that such provocations would serve “exclusively the daily political purposes.” His comments came after Kosovo Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said the ZSO would not have executive powers. Speaking ahead of a new round in the technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels, Maric said agreement was expected “on the most important issue – the ZSO.” Maric said he hoped there would be “no blocking of the part of the agreement” and added that “several months are sufficient for the ZSO too take root, form, and come into force.” He then announced that the future community of Serb municipalities in Kosovo will “immediately have ten members” and that he hoped two more municipalities, yet to be formed – Priluzje and Gora – will also declare themselves in favor of joining the ZSO. Maric said that “the people in Kosovo and Metohija supported the Brussels agreement because of the ZSO.” “Our expectations are big because there had been no agreement in the previous rounds, this issue had been postponed. However, after the consultations that we had last Thursday with representatives of the Serbian government, we expect agreement to be reached,” he told RTS. Maric also believes that “the international community has decided to close this issue and will limit any kind of conditions that may come from the Pristina side.” “The Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija trust both PM Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo and Metohija Office Director Marko Djuric and they will make sure that the ZSO receives the form and powers necessary to protect Kosovo and Metohija and for it to have a future,” Maric said.

Thaci about the Special Court and wartime crimes (VoA, Beta)

Kosovo Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci told a Aug. 21 U.N. Security Council session in New York that Kosovo had laid the foundations for forming a special court, but noted that no one in Kosovo would allow the “genocide by the state of Serbia” to be placed on the same level with “possible actions by desperate individuals from an oppressed community.” Thaci told the session that he hoped that the U.N. Security Council would recognize his government’s mature effort to deal with all crimes committed during wartime. No one in Kosovo, including me, will stand idly by and allow genocidal actions by Slobodan Milosevic and the state of Serbia to be put on the same level before the special court with possible actions by desperate individuals from an oppressed community, committed during or after the war. Serbia waged its war on Kosovo with its military, police and paramilitary forces and with the support of Serbian intellectuals. It was fascism, pure and simple, said Thaci. As for the subject of Kosovo’s application to join UNESCO, Thaci said Kosovo was entitled to become a member regardless of whether it was a member of the U.N. or not, as long as there was a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly.

Oliver Ivanovic ends hunger strike (Tanjug)

Oliver Ivanovic ended on Saturday his hunger strike started 16 days earlier when he demanded to be released from prison. The announcement was made by Kosovska Mitrovica hospital doctor Milan Jakovljevic. Jakovljevic told Tanjug said that “after being implored and persuaded by numerous parties, Ivanovic decided to terminate his hunger strike.” “He has been taken back to the coronary care unit and we hope that the decision he made today will have a positive impact on the stabilization of his health condition,” Jakovljevic said. Ivanovic’s custody will expire in four days, and the continuation of the trial he stands before the Municipal Court in Kosovska Mitrovica has been scheduled for September 10. Ivanovic, leader of the Civic Initiative SDP, is charged with war crimes against Albanian civilians committed in the armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija 1998-2000.

More than 7,000 refugees arrive in Serbia in one night (B92)

More than 7,000 refugees arrived in Serbia in the night between Saturday and Sunday after passing through Macedonia, according to UN’s refugee agency UNHCR. The International Federation of Red Cross expects “a dramatic increase” in their number in coming days. “More than 7,000 people came to Serbia in the night between Saturday and Sunday after they managed to cross from Greece into Macedonia and set out from Gevgelija to Serbia by train,” it is said, and added that hundreds more are on the border with a new wave newcomers expected. Macedonia, which on Thursday introduced a state of emergency and sent the police and the army to its border to prevent the entry of refugees from Greece, in the end opened the border and let refugees in. UNHCR stated that it had received guarantees from the Macedonian authorities that they would leave open their border for refugees. However, the organization has asked Macedonia to “reinforce its presence and capacity” at the border in order to better organize reception of the people, and added that it was ready to help the Macedonian authorities if necessary. UNHCR assists the Serbian authorities and non-governmental organizations in the reception of refugees in Presevo. This organization has distributed a certain amount of humanitarian aid, as requested by the Serbian authorities.

“UNHCR estimates that Greece and Macedonia need to make further efforts to resolve the problems which cannot disappear overnight and affects the whole of Europe. Again, we urge the EU to increase aid to Greece, Macedonia and Serbia,” said UNHCR Director for Europe Vincent Cochetel.  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent has called for cooperation and joint efforts on “the highest level” to meet the needs of migrants and warned of “a dramatic increase” in the number of refugees coming via the Greek islands in the coming days. UNHCR Representative in Serbia Hans Friedrich Schodder has told TV B92 that closing the border before the influx of refugees was “the wrong step.”

Vucic, Davenport: EU impressed with organization of reception of refugees (Tanjug)

The European Union is impressed with the organization of reception of illegal migrants by the Serbian government and relevant services. According to Tanjug, this was stated on Monday by the head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Michael Davenport, who met with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Vucic “expressed his gratitude to the EU for assistance in that, as well as for the EUR 390,000 in financial support.” Vucic and Davenport discussed a huge influx of migrants, the continuation of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels on Tuesday, and the situation in the region.  They also spoke about the possibility of the European Union helping equip a future reception center for migrants in Belgrade. In the last 24 hours more than 8,000 refugees from the Middle East and North Africa passed through “the municipal reception center for migrants,” Tanjug quoted Red Cross data on Monday morning.  Speaking about the situation in the region, Vucic said that “Serbia is committed to a policy that brings stability to the Western Balkans.”  He announced that he would act “in this sense” during a conference in Vienna on August 27. Vucic also stated it is “important for the Serbian government that an agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities (in Kosovo) is reached, as part of the Brussels agreement, as well as on telecommunications, energy and Peace Park in Kosovska Mitrovica – but only while respecting Serbia’s state interests.”

Dodik ready to give up on referendum, but wants control over judiciary (Bosna danas)

President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik will give up on referendum on state judicial system if his SNSD party enters ruling coalition on the state level, according to some speculations. That is the plan Dodik agreed with HDZ leader Dragan Covic during their meeting several days ago, Banja Luka journalist Slobodan Vaskovic wrote on his blog. He added that their plan envisages that new parliamentary majority immediately amends the Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council to put that independent body under the political control. According to the plan, Parliament would also appoint new chief state prosecutor. According to Vaskovic, Dodik and Covic would in that way take full control over the work of the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s office, i.e. the proceedings which are underway or are about to be opened, and which include persons close to those two politicians.

Radoncic does not rule out possibility of joining the coalition (RTM)

Leaders of HDZ and SBB parties Dragan Covic and Fahrudin Radoncic have met in Mostar. Covic called Radoncic to join ruling coalition, and Radoncic did not ruled out that possibility, but said he will wait to hear SDA’s position. “Serious partnership with SBB offers possibility to finally start dealing with problems,” Covic said after the meeting. “I have asked Mr. Radoncic to consider the possibility of joining executive power, because he is the real leader of the opposition with credible results.” Covic said there will be no early elections as some opposition parties proposed. Radoncic said his party will consider Covic’s proposal. “I have understood Covic’s proposal and I personally and party leadership will think about it in a concrete way. We will see what SDA thinks about it,” Radoncic said. “I’m not someone who will close the door to anyone for further negotiations, and especially not to Covic, and it is possible that a new process will start.”

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: RS will not engage in war (Srna)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said in Mostar on Friday that Serbs and the RS will definitely not engage in a war and that the goal of a referendum in RS is to build peace and solve problems in the judiciary of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). “We will definitely not engage in a war and if Bakir Izetbegovic has any rabble-rousing campaigns ready, we will find out about that soon enough. We don’t have anything like that,” Dodik said commenting on statements by the leaders of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) that the referendum in RS would lead to ethnic conflicts. The RS President recalled that the calling of the referendum sought to reform the B&H state level judiciary. What was imposed by the high representative, said Dodik, has to be adjusted to the needs of everyone in B&H, adhering to the country’s constitutional structure in the process.

“If we can change a few laws in B&H, then the goal is achieved and there is no need for a referendum,” he said. If the referendum takes place after all, Dodik said that the National Assembly would then pass the necessary laws to clearly state the will of the people in RS. Dodik said that his Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and the Croatian Democratic Party (HDZ) have very good cooperation. “The SNSD and HDZ have a balanced approach to all open issues, from the Sejdic-Finci ruling, to the coordination mechanism, to reform issues.” President Dodik pointed out that the Reform Agenda is expected to be implemented even though it is full of flaws as it failed to encompass a number of monetary and fiscal measures that are necessary to stabilize the country and boost its progress. According to Dodik, the Reform Agenda is just a “decorative” document meant to soothe the vanity of those who wrote it and tried to portray it as a breakthrough. “There can be no breakthrough if you do not react to the fact that the EU prints between 60 billion euros and 1200 billion euros per month and that this will inevitably devalue the currency. The fact that the convertible mark is tied to the euro should make people in B&H think about how to deal with monetary issues, instead of just leaving it to the foreigners,” said Dodik. The SNSD does not intend to deal with government reshuffle either at the B&H state level or the RS level, with institutions stable and working in full capacity in the latter.“When it comes to B&H and its governmental structure, there are gridlocks, the government has not demonstrated any ability. We don’t want to enter that government as a filler. The SNSD will join the government if it has partners that will work on strategic issues. When Sarajevo politicians realize that political representatives of other peoples come to Sarajevo with views that need to be respected, then things will move forward. Unlike what they are doing with the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, which they persuaded to be part of the policy of Bakir Izetbegovic and his clans in B&H. That is only temporary and characteristic of a loser,” said Dodik. The RS politicians go to Sarajevo, Dodik said, to represent RS and to have the bodies at the B&H state level come together. “We don’t have Serb institutional representatives the B&H state level, only representatives of some parties who are not working in the interest of RS. Should we get to the point where we can deal with issues important for RS within the B&H structures – we will take part. It doesn’t matter which Bosniaks are in office there. We were there when the SDA was in power and it wasn’t an obstacle to us to pursue the policy that was in the interest of RS,” underlined Dodik.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo applies for UNESCO membership but Serbia opposes (Associated Press)

Kosovo said Friday it has applied for membership in the United Nations’ scientific and cultural organization, a move immediately opposed by Serbia, which argues Kosovo is not qualified because it isn’t a state. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci countered at a UN Security Council meeting that Kosovo is eligible to become a member of the UN Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) before it becomes a UN member state — if UNESCO’s executive board recommends it and two-thirds of its members approve. Kosovo came under UN and NATO administration after a 1999 NATO-led air war halted a crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists, but its final status was left in question. Its predominantly ethnic Albanian leadership declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognized by 111 countries. Serbia rejects its secession, and its close ally, Russia, has blocked Kosovo from becoming a UN member.

Thaci said UNESCO will decide on its application in November. Kosovo is already a member of two UN agencies, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, he said, adding that many countries, including Austria and Vietnam, became UNESCO members long before they joined the UN. Serbia’s Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic insisted that Kosovo is still a UN-administered territory and said its membership in UNESCO would violate UN rules. Dacic also warned that the desecration of Serbian monasteries in Kosovo is continuing, calling this one way “of intimidating the remaining Orthodox population in the province.” Dacic told the council: “Since June 1999, 236 churches, monasteries and other sites owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as cultural-historical monuments, have been targets of attacks.” Thaci responded that UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kosovo “are safe, or safer than they have been in the last 1,000 years,” adding that “our police force protects 95 per cent of the sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church.”

Russia assists Serbia with EU-bound refugee influx (RT)

Thousands of migrants fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa are finding a transit shelter in Serbia, made possible by the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center (RSHC), which throughout the year has donated vital supplies to those in need. While the EU struggles to provide accommodation for those searching for a better future, Russia took it upon itself to help the Balkan nation build favorable living conditions for at least some of the 89,000 refugees passing through Serbia this year on their way to western Europe. So far, in August alone, some 23,000 refugees from North Africa and the Middle East have sought temporary refuge on Serbian-Hungarian and Serbian-Macedonian borders, as thousands hope to eventually be welcomed by the EU.

As migrant numbers begin to swell, those seeking temporary accommodation have found a roof over their heads and a hearty meal in migrant reception camps which are currently able to cater to the needs of some 1,400 migrants. Dignitaries have assessed the Russian contribution to the interim reception center near Kanjiza in northern Serbia and have welcomed Russian support in similar centers around the country. Thousands of migrants taking the “Balkan route” to eastern Europe end up arriving in impoverished district of Preshevo in southern Serbia near Kosovo, while others end up in Kanjiza in northern Serbia, next to Hungary. While Russian aid continues, RSHC has already delivered 39 tents, 30 heating stoves, 2 diesel power plants, blankets, folding beds, sofa sets furniture and metal ware to these two camps. Serbian authorities acknowledged that the Russian contribution in organizing the migrant camps was the most quick and effective compared to other organizations, the RSHC said in a press release. Russia’s Ambassador to Serbia, visiting the Kanjiza migrant camp, has meanwhile called his country’s effort to help accommodate migrants a “gesture of goodwill.” Russia is helping Serbia within the framework of a bilateral intergovernmental agreement, so the aid can be extended if necessary. Meanwhile on the receiving end, Hungarian authorities have moved to curb the migrant flow, recently announcing a plan to build a four-meter wall along 175 kilometers of their frontier with Serbia. Just this week, Hungary announced that it would send thousands of policemen to its border with Serbia to prevent migrants from crossing illegally into the EU’s Schengen zone. More than 100,000 migrants have arrived in Hungary since the start of the year, underlining the Hungarian authorities’ insistence that their reception infrastructure cannot cope with such a massive influx indefinitely. In Macedonia, authorities are also trying to curb the “transit” flow of refugees which has grown to nearly 2,000 a day, but so far with a little success. A large group of migrants, who have been prevented from entering Macedonia from Greece for the past week, overwhelmed border guards on Saturday, causing multiple injuries in the process, after police attempted to limit the inflow and allow only the most vulnerable – women and children – to pass the checkpoint.

Macedonia migrants: Thousands break through at Greek border (BBC)

Thousands of migrants have broken through police lines into Macedonia at the country’s border with Greece. Macedonian police fired stun grenades for the second day running in response.

A huge number of migrants – many of them refugees from the war in Syria – has built up in recent days, after Macedonia sealed its southern border and declared a state of emergency. Most wish to travel through Macedonia and Serbia to reach northern Europe, via Hungary. Macedonian security forces had been expected to let several hundred migrants in at a time on Saturday to coincide with train departures north towards Serbia and the rest of Europe. But some migrants broke through police lines, while others ran across fields away from the main crowd. Some people were reportedly injured as police tried to block their path. Many have now been stuck in a rain-soaked area on the border for several days. On Friday, migrants were beaten back with truncheons and riot shields by Macedonian security forces. Tear gas was fired. Large numbers, including children, spent Friday night in the open, though some were allowed to board a train north.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, has expressed concern for “thousands of vulnerable refugees and migrants, especially women and children, now massed on the Greek side of the border amid deteriorating conditions”. It urged Macedonia to “establish an orderly and protection-sensitive management of its borders” while appealing to Greece to “enhance registration and reception arrangements” on its side of the border. The UNHCR also said it had been assured by Macedonia the border “will not be closed in the future”, but did not elaborate.

Greece itself has seen almost 160,000 people landing on its shores since January, the UN estimates, with 50,000 arriving in the past month alone. Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki told the BBC the situation had “dramatically deteriorated”. He said: “In the last several days there has been a dramatic increase of inflow of migrants and we have reached numbers of 3,000 to 3,500 per day which obviously is not something a country of two million people and our resources can handle on a daily basis.”We had to reinforce the control of illegal entry of Macedonian territory.”

Responding to criticism, Mr Poposki said: “Macedonia’s definitely not a place where they [migrants and refugees] have been mistreated. Mr Poposki said all migrants had to register on entering Macedonia, and they had 72 hours to decide whether they would apply for asylum or pursue their route north. Macedonia and its northern neighbor Serbia are not part of the European Union.

However Hungary, to the north of Serbia, is an EU member and is part of the Schengen area. This means that once in Hungary people can travel onwards throughout much of Europe (excluding Britain and Ireland) without needing to show documents at international borders.

The Hungary games (politico.eu)

How Budapest evades its migrants obligations.

The Hungarian government is building a fence on the border with Serbia to keep out the ever-increasing flow of refugees to Europe. But just look at a map. Serbia represents a tiny slice of Hungary’s meandering southern border. If desperate asylum-seekers have traveled thousands of miles to get to Europe, a fence that runs for a little more than 100 miles won’t stop them. Why is Hungary building a small fence on a long border? The fence will divert migrants toward Croatia or Romania on their way to final destinations in the wealthier parts of Europe. And that is precisely the point. Croatia and Romania are EU member states. Serbia is not. Under the “Dublin Regulation,” the legal framework for processing asylum claims in the EU, the member state where asylum-seekers first enter the EU bears responsibility for them until their claims are processed. If Hungary diverts migrants so that they enter the EU first through other member states, then Hungary evades Dublin obligations. The Dublin Regulation treats asylum seekers humanely. But, as critics of the system have long said, it throws the burdens of asylum claims back on the states least prepared to handle them: the poorer states along Europe’s southern and eastern edge. The regulation requires the responsible state to provide an adequate standard of living, to guarantee the migrants’ physical health, mental health and freedom from abuse while the state processes their asylum applications. Migrants may not be detained just because they are seeking asylum, but must be given shelter, health care and legal advice. Adults must be allowed to enter the local work force within nine months and minors must be admitted to schools within three. The European Court of Human Rights has already held that migrants can no longer be sent back to Greece because the country cannot cope. The Hungarian government may have a point in trying to escape these burdens when its own citizens presently have the highest rate of personal financial insecurity in the EU. But apart from demonstrating the unfairness of the Dublin system, there’s also something deeply cruel and cynical about what the Hungarian government is doing. The fence allows Orbán to escape Dublin obligations by diverting migrants through other EU member states. At the start of 2015, migration from the “Western Balkan route” into Hungary spiked and, at the same time, support for the governing party Fidesz crashed. By late April, only 21 percent of Hungarian voters supported Fidesz, compared with 17 percent support for far-right Jobbik. Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s pugnacious prime minister, borrowed from Jobbik’s playbook by declaring zero tolerance for migrants. In June, Orbán announced that Hungary would be unwilling to accept any migrants sent back to Hungary by other EU member states under the Dublin Regulation. When EU officials objected, he backtracked. Orbán then seized on the fence, originally the idea of a Jobbik-affiliated mayor. The fence allows Orbán to escape Dublin obligations by diverting migrants through other EU member states while also stealing Jobbik’s thunder. Orbán’s “Hungary for Hungarians” speech in mid-June played to far-right sympathies. The latest polls show that this campaign has stopped the governing party’s slide.

Asylum denied

The fence will be completed by the end of August, ahead of time and under budget, because Hungary is using conscript labor. The fence panels are built by prisoners, just months after the European Court of Human Rights declared that Hungary’s prison conditions are inhuman and degrading. The labor to erect the fence comes from unemployed people who are paid far less than the minimum wage and threatened with the cutoff of their meager benefits if they refuse the work. The cruelty extends to the migrants too. Since the whole fence cannot be built so quickly, parts will simply be constructed with rolls of barbed wire. The Hungarian government reports that more than 110,000 people have already applied for asylum in Hungary so far this year. The fence may prevent new migrants from triggering Hungary’s Dublin obligations, but what happens to those who are already in? Under a new law that took effect on August 1, all applications from asylum-seekers who entered Hungary through a “safe state” must be rejected — and quickly. Serbia has been declared a safe state. So have all EU members. Any migrant who has entered Hungary through a safe state will have her application denied, unless the migrant herself can prove that she would be unsafe if sent back to the “safe” state. Hungary already ranked among the worst countries in the EU in which to seek asylum. In 2014, Hungary rejected 91 percent of all asylum applications against the 66 percent EU average. Now, by law, it will reject even more. A new law is pending before the Hungarian Parliament that would make crossing the border without papers and damaging state property (cutting the fence) felonies. While the Dublin Regulation bans routine detention of migrants, it permits the detention of suspected felons. The new law will go into effect just when the massive tent camps for migrants will be shut down. At that point, the Hungarian government will be able to imprison migrants in these camps before it summarily denies their asylum applications. The Hungarian government’s strategy shows other EU governments how to evade their Dublin responsibilities. It also demonstrates to conservative governments nervous about far-right challengers how to make the most of the migrant crisis for political gain. If the EU says nothing about the Hungarian approach to asylum-seekers, its silence will look like a green light.

Bosnia: A Nation United in Disaster, Strained in Peace (National Geographic)

Supported by a National Geographic Young Explorers Grant, I’ve been exploring Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital that was besieged during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. It took nearly four years to end the violence, a feat that was achieved through a power sharing agreement between Bosnia’s ethnic groups known as the Dayton Peace Accord. As we approach the 20th anniversary of Dayton, I’m learning how ethnic divides have affected the reconstruction of the city, as residents try to shape a new multicultural Bosnia.  In the lead up to Bosnia’s national election, a makeshift cross was erected under the cover of night in the Republika Srpska, on a hill overlooking Sarajevo. Others removed it in December.  “Look at the rainfall. That hit both entities,” Nasiha Pozder, an urban planner at the University of Sarajevo, said to me. In May of 2014, Bosnia was hit by devastating floods, affecting citizens in both the Federation and the Republika Srpska, who might not otherwise have reason to commiserate collectively. Numerous accounts emerged of average Bosnians overcoming their differences, helping those in need regardless of ethnicity. But politicians were criticized for their uncoordinated response, using the disaster to point figures and only offering help to their own ethnic communities. In Sarajevo, “It was my students who ultimately provided the relief,” Mr. Pozder explained. “They asked to cancel finals to go out and help people. Of course the University said yes.” But the floods could not fully wash away old divisions, and those who hoped for change were then dismayed when all three ethnic groups elected nationalist politicians in the countrywide elections the following October. Milorad Dodik, who has served as the president of the Republika Srpska since 2010, was re-elected, and is seen as a particular threat to Bosnian unity. Once considered the moderate alternative to Bosnia’s wartime Serbian leaders, Dodik has now emerged as the most vocal Bosnian Serb nationalist politician. More and more, independence for the Republika Srpska is an open objective. The Bosnian Serbs were widely blamed for the worst atrocities of the war, and some of them feel unfairly portrayed and aggrieved today, especially in Sarajevo. That resentment took an unusual form in the weeks leading up to the October election. On a Sunday morning in September, Sarajevo residents noticed a white piece of piping jutting out from Trebevic mountain, just over the border in the Republika Srpska. Occupying a former Serb sniper position, the piping was in fact a crudely assembled 32-foot (9.75-meter) cross, reportedly erected overnight by Bosnian Serbs who had been held prisoner in Bosniak detention camps during the war. Though no one immediately claimed responsibility, the group had been agitating for the cross to honor the more than 6,600 Serbs who they say died in and around Sarajevo during the conflict. Shortly after the cross was erected, vandals attempted unsuccessfully to chop it down, leaving it crooked. In response, Milorad Dodik assigned an ostensibly 24-hour watch by Republika Srpska police, despite the fact that the cross was erected illegally. But it did not work—someone issued a final blow in December, having grown fed up with the cross looming over the city. That sentiment was shared by many Sarajevans, who viewed the cross as a provocation rather than a symbol of mourning. “They put it on a mountain, to make the population fearful on the other side! It’s like the dogs that piss their own territory,” a Bosnian artist known only by his first name, Shoba, told me. He is the sculptor of his own monument in Sarajevo, titled “Monument to the International Community from the Grateful Citizens of Sarajevo,” which was selected through pubic voting. It is a statue of the canned beef that U.N. aid agencies provided to citizens during the war, said to be too disgusting for even cats and dogs. With its message that speaks to all who endured the conflict, Sarajevans appreciate this monument’s irony regardless of their ethnicity.