LOCAL PRESS

Pak: Nikolic unconditionally supports Brussels agreement (Politika/Tanjug)

Speaking about the stand of the Serbian President regarding the Brussels agreements, his media advisor Stanislava Pak says that President Nikolic considers that the decision on the formation of the ZSO is an historical event and concrete progress for the Serbs in the province. In regard to the media speculations that the President hasn’t been clear on that issue, Pak says that he advocates silence as a sign of approval and has no problem to say if he is not satisfied with some decision. “The President initiated the platform based on which the resolution for the Brussels negotiations was passed, and he is one of the creators of the ZSO,” says Pak. She recalls that the President submitted to the Prime Minister the draft of his resolution on Kosovo that is Nikolic’s view of the final resolution of problems in Kosovo and Metohija. The draft resolution is now with the government, while the Prime Minister will present his opinion when the time comes and if he thinks that something should be added or adjusted, while it is up to the government to decide whether it will propose such or amended draft to the Serbian parliament,” said Pak.

Gasic: Serbian Army will protect southern Serbia (Kurir)

“The Serbian Army, with all associated services, is absolutely prepared to respond to all security challenges and any threat to the security of Serbian citizens, as well as to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country,” Gasic told Kurir in regard to statements by Albanian extremists that they will create chaos in the southern Serbia in response to the establishment of the ZSO in Kosovo and Metohija.

Drecun: Unacceptable formation of community of Albanian municipalities (RTS)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that the announcement of the formation of the community of Albanian municipalities is extreme and unacceptable. There cannot be any parallel drawn to the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO). He says that it is also unacceptable to make these announcements in the media, without any previous agreement with the competent state institutions. He points out that the politicians in southern Serbia are only hostages of Pristina’s interests, adding that the announced community of Albanian municipalities is in agreement with Tirana. Drecun notes that the Albanians in Serbia have all rights according to the Constitution, adding that the position of both Albanians and Serbs needs to improve economically. “The maternity hospital has opened in Presevo, and a faculty will also open soon,” says Drecun. He underlines that there can be no parallel to the ZSO and that the Albanians are linking their idea on forming the community to the 2006 platform. He notes that this announcement is linked to the elections in Medvedja that are slated for Sunday, but this should not be viewed in the short term. “The main goal is to internalize the issue of the Presevo Valley, to insert the Albanian side as an important factor of support to the policy led by Hashim Thaqi, as well as to influence this way the implementation of the Brussels agreement,” concludes Drecun.

ZAO versus ZSO (Politika)

The news that the so-called community of Albanian municipalities (ZAO) of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja will be formed tomorrow has also divided Albanian representatives in Serbia. While Jonuz Musliu, former commander of the Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, is already announcing the creation of a draft of the ZAO, by analogy with the ZSO in Kosovo. Saip Kamberi, deputy of the Party for Democratic Action, stresses that local assemblies should first decide on this “because the association is an assembly of municipalities and not an assembly of political parties”. “All this resembles political marketing by Jonuz Musliu, Ragmi Mustafa (the President of the Presevo municipality) and Nagip Arifi (the President of the Bujanovac municipality),” Kamberi tells Politika. At the same time, Musliu told Sputnik that the ZAO was supported by Pristina and Tirana, adding that Belgrade has nothing to oppose, because the Albanians from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja “only want what the Serbs in Kosovo are getting”. For the time being there are no announcements there will be protests if Belgrade doesn’t recognize the ZAO, but Musliu says “this will be also discussed if necessary”. Professor at the Faculty of Security Milan Mijalkovski claims that the term “Albanian municipalities” is disputable since “Albanians are not an overwhelming majority in Bujanovac, while in Medvedja they make up only around 20 percent of the population”. “Even Kosovo didn’t separate from Serbia in a legitimate way, while they are now drawing some parallel between two minorities. This entire matter is illegal ever since they conducted in 1992 an illegal referendum for seceding from central Serbia and annexation to Kosovo. It is unclear what rights specifically are threatened and what rights they intend to defend with the formation of the community of municipalities,” Mijalkovski tells Politika. Bogoljub Milosavljevic, professor at the Law Faculty of the Union University, assesses that the Albanians in three southern municipalities are not in a worse position than other minorities in Serbia, and he is convinced they can realize all their rights within their national council. “Finally, the Albanians in Serbs live not only in Presevo or Bujanovac, but also in Belgrade, Nis and other towns. I would say that this community of municipalities is only an attempt to keep Kosovo’s side and to exert some sort of pressure on Serbia in the course of the formation of the ZSO,” says Milosavljevic. Mijalkovski opines that Belgrade should quickly and resolutely act in order prevent further destabilization. “We should not provide them an opportunity to bring unrest. We should suppress any possibility for the activation of groups like the so-called Albanian National Army (ANA). It is now threatening even Pristina representatives who signed in Brussels the agreement as the basis for the formation of the ZSO,” concludes Mijalkovski.

All agreements to be disclosed (Novosti)

The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) announced yesterday that the public must be acquainted with all, as stated, harmful details of the Brussels agreements that government officials are presenting in the media as successful for Serbia. SRS official Nemanja Sarovic said that Serbian state authorities officially do not recognize independence of Kosovo, but that the Brussels agreements set that everything is done in accordance with the Kosovo constitutional-legal framework: “As regards the agreement on energy, it clearly states that KOST, i.e. this Kosovo electric energy operator, will be recognized as the transmission system operator for the territory of Kosovo,” said Sarovic.

REGIONAL PRESS

Resolution on Srebrenica thrown down by Bosniak votes in Brcko (Patria)

The Brcko District assembly failed to adopt the resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide, which was on the agenda last night around 11 p.m., Patria reports. Suad Buric, SDP delegate to the assembly, warned that the resolution was thrown down by Bosniak votes. In favor of the resolution voted delegates from the HSS and SDP, and SBB, SDA, SB&H delegates Radislav Bogicevic, Sabira Mujkic, Vukasin Panic, and Cazim Dacaj abstained, while SP and PDP delegates opposed it. Buric revealed to Patria that the SNSD and SDS threatened Bosniak parties in power that they would join the opposition if they supported the resolution, after which they abstained from voting. Enes Pasalic, SBB head in the assembly, who did not participate in the session, warned Patria that last night’s session at which the resolution failed was illegal, because it was held at midnight, without delegates being informed of it beforehand. “My colleagues informed me of the session, but it was very informal. Finally, because the session happened so late, there were no war conditions,” Pasalic said. A public complaint will be filed over last night’s session.

Croatian President talked with Covic and Izetbegovic about influx of refugees (klix.ba)

The Chairman of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic and member of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic informed Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic about the current political situation, as well as about activities undertaken at the path towards the full membership in the EU, especially taking into account the forthcoming economic and social reforms of B&H. Bilateral relations of B&H and Croatia are, despite several open issues, good and friendly, which is confirmed by an intensive bilateral meetings at the highest level. The importance of the improvement of good neighborly relations through the more intensive cooperation of the executive authorities of two countries was emphasized, especially in terms of resolving open issues from the field of the border issues, upgrade of the contractual framework and the establishment of a more comprehensive economic cooperation based on mutual interests. The joint commitment to the continuation of the cooperation in the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations was repeated. Grabar-Kitarovic said that the Republic of Croatia, as a member of the EU and NATO, bilaterally, but through the institutions of the EU as well, is expressing a significant support to B&H in its efforts on meeting conditions for the full membership in the European and Euro-Atlantic integrations. She supported the reform efforts undertaken by all levels of authorities in B&H and emphasized the importance of the implementation of the infrastructural and energetic projects of the regional importance. During the meeting, they exchanged opinions on challenges at the global plan, i.e. on the influx of refugees from the Middle East and Northern Africa, as well as possibilities of finding a long-term solution of the migrant policy. On behalf of the member of the B&H Presidency from the RS Mladen Ivanic, his adviser Diana Cekic attended the meeting.

High Representative meets Croatian President Grabar-Kitarovic (Fena)

High Representative Valentin Inzko met with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in Sarajevo. The discussion focused on the current political situation in the country, in particular the obligation of the authorities in B&H to fully respect the Peace Agreement, as well as the new phase in B&H’s efforts to join the EU through the recently signed reform agenda. Inzko thanked Grabar-Kitarovic for the role Croatia has played over the years as a co-signatory of the Dayton Peace Agreement and as a member state of the EU in supporting B&H. “As I said many times Croatia serves as a positive example for B&H of how decisive progress can be made on the Euro-Atlantic agenda when there is political will to implement reforms in the interest of all citizens” said Inzko. Grabar-Kitarovic underlined the importance of continued and uninterrupted presence of Croats in B&H, and that the principles of the Dayton Agreement must be respected, guaranteeing the equal position of the Croat people. High Representative Inzko made clear that the Republika Srpska (RS) referendum is a serious and direct challenge to the Peace Agreement that runs the risk of taking the country backwards and that it must be put aside so that the country’s leaders can focus on real reforms to the benefit of the people.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

As Crisis Mounts on Serbia-Hungary Border, Refugees Face Uncertainty (VOA, 11 September 2015)

HORGOS, SERBIA— Mahmoud Ali Hassan left Syria two weeks ago with his father and three friends. They have only half a kilometer down the old abandoned rail tracks to the Hungarian border. His mother stayed in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon to wait until they reach their final destination – the Netherlands. They stopped briefly before the border to rest and decide what to do next. “We are close to Hungary and we fear that they want to detain us and take our finger prints. We stopped to see what options we have. We don’t want to be detained and beaten. Macedonian police beat us, including my father, who is an older person,” said Mahmoud. After a few moments they conclude that because of Mahmoud’s father they could not enter Hungary overnight and avoid being registered by Hungarian police. Before leaving Serbia, Mahmoud told VOA his story. “We left our country because of the war. I want to continue my engineering studies. I was a junior but I had to interrupt my studies because it is not safe in our country. Even the university is closed,” he said. Over the last few days the situation on the Serbian-Hungarian border has been reaching a critical point. Just over the last 24 hours the refugee camp in Kanjiza, close to the border, has accepted 5000 migrants. The conditions became more acute after Hungary announced that it would implement a new policy after September 15, including more severe punishment for entering the country illegally. The waves of migrants have intensified. For now, they have been crossing the border without problems and Hungarian authorities are placing them in a refugee camp in Roeszke. While Hungarian authorities continue to work on the border fence, migrants consider the latest news: that those who are registered by the Hungarian police can continue their journey to Germany without delay, based on the promise of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, asylum seekers who do not want to go to Germany have a problem, and after the sunset the majority will try to enter Hungary undetected and avoid registration. They rest while awaiting the night. “I am waiting and I am very tired. After sunset I will enter Hungary. Hungary is the problem. In Serbia we did not have any problems. Hungary is the problem,” said one refugee. Tamam, another Syrian refugee, plans to board the train for Vienna in Budapest and reach Belgium via Germany, to continue his IT studies. “I am from Syria and I left because of the war. Now I am at the border waiting for the night. I want to cross the border without being caught by the police. My next stop is Budapest,” said Tamam. He had a very turbulent and dangerous trip to the Serbian-Hungarian border, which lasted several weeks. He was arrested twice and crossed the sea over six-meter waves. Greek police took his cell phone and threw it into the sea. “Turkish navy than intercepted the boat on which we tried to reach Greece again. They put us in jail for 7 days,” Tamam recalled. The night when Tamam and other Syrian refugees hoped to reach Hungary was very cold, with temperatures reaching 7 degrees Celsius. The summer is almost over and rain and colder days are becoming more common, which will bring new problems for migrants making their way to the Serbian-Hungarian border.

Serbia’s Albanians Plot Their Own Municipal Union (BIRN, by Igor Jovanovic and Petrit Qollaku, 11 September 2015)

After Albanian leaders in southern Serbia announced they may form their own Association of Municipalities – like the Serbian one in Kosovo – Serbian officials warned against provocations.

Nagip Arifi, mayor of Bujanovac, a mainly Albanian municipality in southern Serbia, told BIRN on Friday that Serbian Albanians plans to set up a municipal union on the same lines as Serbs have done in Kosovo. The Association is a “reciprocity measure as Serbia has done with its community in Kosovo,” he said, adding that the Association would be based on “universal rights, human rights and on the negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia that produced an agreement to establish the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo.” He said another reason for forming the union was because of the “continued violations of Albanian community rights in Serbia”. Serbian and Kosovo leaders on August 25 finalized key deals on energy, telecommunications, the Association of Serbian Municipalities and an arrangement for the bridge that splits the divided northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica. The Serbian Association in Kosovo will enjoy considerable autonomy under its own statue, including powers over welfare, health and education. Arifi told BIRN that the Association of Albanian Municipalities would include three municipalities in which Albanians are significant, Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. Ethnic Albanian councillors from the three towns in southern Serbia will then meet in Presevo on Saturday and discuss the new association. Serbian officials have warned that Albanians in Serbia should not expect the same deal that Serbs will enjoy in Kosovo. Ivica Dacic, the Foreign Minister, on Thursday said that Albanians in Serbia must not be discriminated against but had to respect the constitution. “We are warning them against drawing any parallels with the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo,” Dacic said in Medvedja where early local elections will be held on Sunday. “We are warning them against playing with fire and urging them to honour the constitution and order of the Republic of Serbia. The fact that Serbia is in favour of dialogue does not mean that it is weak – on the contrary, it is strong, the strongest it has been for the past 20 or 30 years,” Dacic said. Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister, was more cautious, saying only that the state should “react wisely and without hasty moves”, but show its strength when needed. Vucic also noted to the public broadcaster, RTS, that Albanians make only about 6 per cent of the population in Medvedja. The Prime Minister added he considered Albanians equal to Serbian citizens and announced new investments in the three municipalities in southern Serbia all of which are impoverished. However, Arifi told BIRN that warnings from Serbian officials would not stop Albanian  councillors from meeting on Saturday. “The threats from Serbian officials towards Albanian representatives are not the first ones. The threats from Vucic and Dacic will not stop us to meet tomorrow and we hope to approve such a document which is based on reciprocity principle,” he said. According to the results of Serbia’s 2002 census, there were 61,467 Albanians living in Serbia. Most Albanians boycotted the 2011 census, so the current number is unknown. A significant number is thought to have emigrated to Kosovo or to western Europe in recent years. They make up the overwhelming majority of the population of Presevo and are the largest community in Bujanovac.

Bosnia Plans Justice Reform Amid Referendum Unease (BIRN, by Denis Dzidic, 10 September 2015)

Bosnian justice ministers agreed to create a reform package for the judicial sector which could possibly head off a potentially destabilising Bosnian Serb referendum on the state court.

The ministers from both state and entity levels were reported to have signed a protocol at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday agreeing to put together a package of reforms which will cover the Bosnian state court, prosecutor’s office and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, which oversees parts of the country’s justice system. The agreement came after weeks of pressure from the Bosnia’s Serb-led entity Republika Srpska, which has vowed to stage a referendum questioning the authority of the state-level judiciary because of alleged bias against Serbs – especially in war crimes cases. The meeting, part of regular ‘structured dialogue’ talks on justice issues, was led by EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn and attended by Bosnian state-level justice minister Josip Grubesa, Federation justice minister Mato Jozic, Bosnian Serb justice minister Anton Kasipovic and the President of the Brcko District Judicial Commission, Safet Pizovic. “I welcome the commitment reiterated by the representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its entities to work together on the key issues of the judicial reform,” said Hahn in a statement. “The European Commission stands ready to actively supporting this process and I expect all sides to contribute to its successful implementation with a constructive approach,” he added. In the proposed referendum, Republika Srpska’s citizens will be asked whether they support the “anti-constitutional and unauthorised laws imposed by the High Representative of the international community, especially the laws imposed relating to the Court and the Prosecutor’s office of Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The leading Bosniak party in the country, the Party of Democratic Action, says the referendum could destabilise the country. Republika Srpska’s justice minister Anton Kasipovic expressed satisfaction about the outcome of the Brussels meeting, telling media that the protocol reflects the Bosnian Serb objections to the state judiciary. “We have broken the stereotype that Republika Srpska is against everything,” Kasipovic said. “Until we have a new law, a new product, there is a lot of work, but I think we have the will. We had difficult discussions and it was not easy to explain all our objections. But I think they were largely understood and I am more hopeful about the final product,” he added. The Bosnian Serb leadership has previously said it might back down from the idea of holding a referendum is significant progress is made within the structured dialogue talks in Brussels. Bosnian Serbs floated a similar initiative for a referendum on the state judiciary in 2011, which EU officials prevented by initiating judicial reforms.