Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has stated that Serbia is making all possible efforts to prevent Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO and announced that he would discuss the matter with a prime minister of one country from whom he will seek support. “Due to the time zone difference, I will have talks at 1.30 am with a prime minister of a country that recognized Kosovo, but now the new government is re-examining the decisions of the previous government and I hope we will be able to assure them,” Vucic told journalists in Ljubovija. Asked what he expected on the eve of tomorrow’s voting on Kosovo’s application for UNESCO membership, he said “that Serbia’s chances were small at the Executive Council and much greater at the General Conference”. He says it is not the end of the world and that Serbia will continue its struggle. “It is much more important what we say than what many others say, as we are the ones who are deciding in the end how we will behave,” said Vucic. He says that Serbia’s maneuvering space in regard to Kosovo’s EU integration is not big, but that we should reach agreement and united stand through talks and exchange of opinions. Vucic told journalists that they will try to harmonize at today’s meeting at the Serbian Presidency, which will be attended by President Tomislav Nikolic and Serbian Patriarch Irinej, all efforts that need to be undertaken in order to preserve state and national interests, without attacking anyone and doing nothing against anyone.

Asked whether it is possible to amend the disputable decrees from the platform for Chapter 35 that concern Kosovo, Vucic says it is ours to try and that he hopes that others will listen to our stand. “It remains to be seen whether they will listen to us in the weeks ahead,” said Vucic.

He said that he had personally asked the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Vladimir Kostic to attend the meeting at the Presidency. “Serbia’s strength is that it is a tolerant society, that there are different ideas. We don’t have to agree on everything and I am sure that Kostic has good intentions and that he is concerned over Serbia’s integrity,” said Vucic. He says he doesn’t agree with the content of Kostic’s statement, but that we must hear people who think differently, and that different ideas and approaches before the final position of the state are also desirable. “Let us all sit together, talk, present different arguments and opinions and present ourselves united in front of the people and world,” said Vucic.

Top state, church officials on current political situation (Tanjug)

Serbia’s top state and church officials will discuss the current political situation on Tuesday in the presence of ministers and representatives of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU). The meeting at the office of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will be attended by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Participants will also include Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic, Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Marko Djuric, the head of the government’s Office for Kosovo-Metohija. The Serbian Orthodox Church will be represented by Patriarch Irinej, and SANU by Ljubomir Maksimovic and Mihailo Vojvodic.

Stefanovic: Vucic has opposition’s support for Kosovo (RTS)

Former main negotiator in the Belgrade-Pristina technical dialogue Borislav Stefanovic has stated that Prime Minister Vucic and the Serbian government have the support of the opposition when it comes to Kosovo, EU integration and the Brussels dialogue. At the conference entitled “Accession talks and normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations,” Stefanovic said that the President of the Serbian Academy Vladimir Kostic said something “that the government is doing, but that regardless of this everybody was surprised with his statement”. “I wasn’t surprised, since this is what the government is doing. I oppose Vucic and the government, but the government has the support of the opposition in regard to Kosovo, EU integration and the Brussels agreement,” said Stefanovic.

Pavicevic expects EU’s understanding for platform on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Belgrade’s liaison officer in Pristina Dejan Pavicevic expects that the EU will find understanding for Serbia’s positions on the draft platform for Chapter 35. “The process is moving at a toddler’s pace. If you push a toddler, it will fall,” Pavicevic said when asked how the draft platform relating to Kosovo can affect the process of normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations.

Ambassador Dittmann: No new conditions for Serbia’s EU integration (Tanjug)

There are no new conditions for continuation of Serbia’s EU integration process or any requests for recognizing Kosovo’s independence, German Ambassador to Serbia Axel Dittmann stated on Tuesday. Opening the conference entitled “Accession talks and normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations,” Dittmann underlined that these two processes should be simultaneous.

He said that Germany supports the opening of Chapter 35 (Kosovo) and Chapter 32 (fiscal consolidation) by the year’s end and Chapter 23 and Chapter 24 next year. He said that regarding the draft document for Chapter 35 there have been many controversial statements, some of which have caused stir, and concluded that it is good that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has sent a clear message that Serbia will continue its EU integration process and the dialogue with Pristina.

Beckmann-Dierkes: Belgrade-Pristina talks vital for stability (Tanjug)

The Head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Belgrade Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes said Tuesday that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is the most important political instrument used to ensure greater stability in the Balkans. Serbia plays a significant and leading role in the region, Beckmann-Dierkes said at the conference “Accession talks and normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations” organized by the Centre for Contemporary Policy and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He pointed out that Belgrade-Pristina talks should include all actors, primarily the international community, and stressed that the Brussels agreements should focus on reaching the solutions that are important for all those living in Kosovo.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dr Janev for MINA: Macedonia can use Kosovo precedent at UNESCO for Constitutional name at UN (MINA)

Maybe the best strategy for Macedonia is to implement Palestinian and/or Kosovo tactics and establish its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia first in the UNESCO! The Executive Board of UNESCO will probably pass on 21 October a resolution proposing to the General Conference of the UNESCO to admit the membership of Kosovo, as a member-state, in that UN agency. In the similar manner Macedonia can introduce and establish its constitutional name Republic of Macedonia in that UN organization. Then, after that, in the United Nations, as well!

Izetbegovic and Radoncic sign coalition agreement (Bosna danas)

Presidents of the SDA and SBB Bakir Izetbegovic and Fahrudin Radoncic have signed agreement on joint priorities for action of the legislative and executive authorities in B&H in the current mandate. “Two political factors obliged themselves to work together on the stabilization of the situation in B&H, strengthening of the internal integration of B&H and the country’s integration to the EU and NATO, strongly opposing the attempts of destabilization and disintegration of B&H,” Izetbegovic said at a press conference. Priorities are also efficiency of government at all levels in B&H, ensuring the equality of citizens throughout B&H, the implementation of reforms, improvement of business environment, reduction in public spending, an effective fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as publication of the results of the population census in B&H as soon as possible. Radoncic said that SBB had no “ultimatums” when it comes to positions in government, but that the aim of the party was to unblock the stalemate in the Government of the Federation of B&H after the departure of DF’s ministers.

“Our goal is to adopt the laws required for the submission of a credible application for the EU membership, but there are no spectacular changes, because the situation is very bad in the whole region. We will work hard on faster EU integration and economic development,” he added.

Izetbegovic said that the new Federation of B&H Government will be formed by the end of the month, and the SBB will become part of the B&H Council of Ministers and cantonal government by the end of November. Izetbegovic and Radoncic confirmed that the Alliance for Changes remains the only partner from Republika Srpska (RS) in the Council of Ministers.

Jerlagic: Today we decide whether we are staying in the coalition (klix.ba)

President of the Party for B&H Adnan Jerlagic said that the session of the Presidency of SB&H is scheduled for today, at which the party bodies will decide whether this party will be a part of coalition in the Federation of B&H. “Session of the Presidency of SB&H is scheduled for today at 5 p.m. It will be decided at the session whether we will be a part of parliamentary majority or not,” Jerlagic said. As a reminder, according to previous negotiations the Alliance for Better Future (SBB) is to get all ministries that are or were headed by the ministers from the Democratic Front (DF). In the government of Federation of B&H, DF had a Deputy President and the Minister of Trade Aleksandar Remetic, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Milan Mandilovic, the Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry Reuf Bajrovic, and the Minister of Environment and Tourism Snjezana Soldat. President of the Federation of B&H Marinko Cavara accepted the resignations of Reuf Bajrovic and Snjezana Soldat. At the recently held meeting with the President of SB&H, the Vice-President of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic proposed that SB&H takes over the Federal Ministry of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, currently headed by Amir Zukic (SDA). Over a year after the general elections in B&H were held, the government in the entity of Federation of B&H has not been formed yet and it is even questionable who is in position and who is the opposition in the entity government bodies.

Spiritual unity of Serbs – best guarantor of survival of RS and Serbia (Srna)

The RS President Milorad Dodik said on Monday evening in Novi Sad, at the opening of the “Days of Srpska in Serbia” manifestation, that spiritual unity that the Serb people possess is undoubtedly the greatest guarantor of the survival of two Serb countries – Serbia and RS. Dodik has expressed his gratitude to all those who stubbornly defend Serb national identity and unity, which cannot be cut off by any barriers or borders. The RS President has said that the Serbs are the people of peace who defend and respect their religion, spiritual achievements, territory; the people who do not want to indulge in some new, more modern challenges and leave their own identity to some other identities. “I think that the global key problem nowadays is the identity related issue, and that the identity, that was or is being crashed all over the world in order to make the globalization win and to impose a completely new value, cannot pass easily here,” said Dodik. He said that the Serbs always had freedom when they had a country and never had freedom if the Serb state was governed in a different manner or if they were oppressed. “Therefore having a state, a strong state, is a primary goal. The strong state means strong institutions, and the institutions mean the people’s will to defend their rights,” said Dodik. President Dodik said that RS today can boast about its strong institutions, which RS defends in difficult, perhaps impossible conditions, but it will not give up on it. “In this region, RS is only desired by the Serb people, the Serb people in general, while the others wish it does not exist. That whish still exists, is constantly being transformed, and comes out when others sense our weakness,” said Dodik. According to him, RS, whenever it is difficult, lives on, being aware that it must survive. Dodik has explained that the issue related to a referendum on the B&H Court and the Prosecutor’s Office should be understood in this context because this issue represents in RS a struggle against historical injustice for Serbs. “I am of the opinion that one day all issues in B&H will be solved via referendum, and that we must be a people accustomed to a referendum,” Dodik said. Dodik said that the only alternative is not the EU, but RS. “We go towards the EU, but we are not going to lose RS,” Dodik said.

Wigemark: Implementation of Reform Agenda will take three or four years (Vecernji list)

It seems that the arrival of Swedish diplomat Lars-Gunnar Wigemark as Head of the Delegation of the European Union and the EU Special Representative in B&H has had a positive effect on the European path our country. Only a few months after his appointment the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU came into effect, the Reform Agenda was adopted and, most importantly, serious implementation of this reform package started. After years of stalemate, B&H is finally moving in the right direction.

How satisfied are you with the implementation of the Reform Agenda at all levels?

I am very satisfied. I think the authorities, both entity and state level, are very serious about this issue. The Reform Agenda is something that they were very much involved, in the development and elaboration, formulation. Of course, their efforts entailed close cooperation with international institutions, the IMF, the EBRD, the World Bank, and the European Union. I think that the authorities at all levels have taken ownership of the Reform Agenda, adopted their action plans which are very detailed. Already a whole series of laws have been initiated, including a Justice Sector Reform Strategy, which was adopted at the level of the Council of Ministers B&H and is important for the overall reform of the justice sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Federation B&H also adopted a new Labor Law, and now the negotiations on the new collective agreements are expected. According to available information, Republika Srpska (RS) also has a Draft Law subject to serious consideration, and should be sent to the parliamentary procedure by the end of this year.

Are you concerned about certain dissonant tones that exist between the Council of Ministers – Government of the RS when it comes to implementing the Reform Agenda?

I am not concerned because I would not say that there are some dissonant tones. I was personally present during the discussion when identifying who does what. It is very clear what the responsibility of the state is and what is in competence of Entity governments. The Reform Agenda is neutral in terms of competence and there is nothing controversial. As you enter into these discussions who is responsible for what, it becomes a never ending story, as we have seen in the past 20 years. That is why I said that this Reform Agenda is significantly different from all the other initiatives you had seen earlier. The actors are very clearly defined; it is clear who is doing what in both entities and at the level of the Council of Ministers B&H. All stakeholders have their roles. For example, labor laws are the issue to be resolved exclusively by the entities, and when we talk about taxation, it is an issue that involves the entities and Council of Ministers B&H. In particular when it comes to harmonization. The first revision of the activities on the implementation of the Reform Agenda will be done somewhere towards the end of this year. We hope that a conference will be organizes as an overview of the work done, with the participation of the main actors. Most measures of the Reform Agenda are much more far-reaching than the measures and reforms that have been attempted in previous years.

You have been advocating having more focus on judicial reform. What specifically do you expect from the authorities in B&H to do and does it have anything to do with the announcement of the referendum in the RS?

Reforms of the justice sector, as well as socio-economic reforms, do not imply only one question, but a number of related issues. Within the Reform Agenda there is a whole chapter concerning the rule of law and, within that, judicial reform. The Council of Ministers, as well as governments of entities, have all agreed on the Strategy for the Reform of Justice Sector, which is a comprehensive, and in this context we should not only talk about criminal justice, but also of obligations. If you have investors who wish to invest in B&H, they will certainly insist on the existence of contractual security. If they have to pay, to bribe people to get a license, it certainly is not a good situation. Also, local businesses want legal security. I think we all know that there is a complex system of connections between political parties, companies, etc., and the ultimate goal is to break those links. It will take time, but that is our goal, and I have no problem to say this. The judiciary is very important, it must be independent and it is a fundamental principle which must be respected at all levels. As you know, we have a Structured Dialogue on Judicial Reform. We engage with the Ministries of Justice on three levels and the Judicial Commission of Brcko District. We are considering the way to improve the current system, to make it clearer with regard to the jurisdiction, for example of the Court B&H. Nobody is proposing to take away anyone’s jurisdiction or abolish institutions. Nobody is challenging their existence or jurisdiction. The only question is how to explain their roles. All questions, no matter how technical or legal, have their political weight and therefore require the involvement of the relevant ministries.

Still awaiting adoption of coordination mechanism how likely is it that B&H will meet the outlined goal, and that is the submission of a credible application for EU membership by the end of the year?

The mechanism of coordination is one of the three or four key requirements or objectives, underlined by the EU in its new approach to B&H. Definitely there has been progress in the implementation of the Reform Agenda and it is important to maintain this momentum. Implementation of the entire Reform Agenda will probably take three or four years. The intention is also to reach an agreement where you have multiple roles, from cantonal to state level. All this is reflected in the coordination mechanism, and therefore it is difficult to find a solution that is acceptable to all. How to find a working principle which will protect the interests of all? Each member state has its model of coordination and here we are discussing different models of coordination. I would say that the starting point is something that has been suggested in the past and now it should be modified in the context of relations with the EU and the Stabilization and Association Agreement. Of course, the trouble is always in the details, and now, it seems to me, there is political will and interest to agree coordination mechanism and I believe in an agreement by the end of the year. There is also a third, rather technical issue, which is an adaptation of the SAA in the trade part, especially with the Republic of Croatia. It must be resolved. If you have a Reform Agenda, progress in the agreement on the coordination mechanism, the adjustment of the SAA is the third precondition for a credible application for EU membership.

To what extent refugee crisis and other global problems can affect the ability and willingness of the EU to continue the process of enlargement to the Western Balkans, including B&H?

First of all, the refugee crisis is a very serious issue, not only for the EU but for the entire international community. What happened in recent months is a good lesson to what is and what is not the EU. Our coordination mechanism on immigration has not worked in the past and it takes time to improve our work. This is already done. It shows what EU membership means. This includes the renunciation of sovereignty to the opening of borders, and if re-established boundaries, the mechanisms of the EU cannot function as they should, and thus weakens the EU. B&H must also realize that if it wants to become an EU member, it has to give up part of their sovereignty, combine it with other members. But then its voice in the world is much stronger because it is presented through a greater association such as the EU. You need to give up on something to get something else in return. That is the way things work.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Report: Croatia could fence off Serbia (Budapest Business Journal, 20 October 2015)

If Austria and Slovenia drastically decrease the number of “migrants” they accept, Croatia has no other choice but to build a fence on the Croatian-Serbian border, Croatian daily Jutarnji List reported today citing unnamed government sources. According to these sources, the daily says that plans have already been made for the establishment of the fence, which could be erected in just 14 days. The paper writes that if Croatia closes its border, refugees will alter their routes towards Romania and cross Hungary on their journey to Austria and Germany. Another option would be that refugees go through Bosnia Herzegovina to enter Croatia, which is less likely as the terrain is very rough, the paper says. If the second wave of refugees decided to go through Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia would face a number of difficulties as its border with Bosnia Herzegovina is approximately 1,000 km long. Croatia’s Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić initiated a meeting with Serbia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Nebojša Stefanović, Croatian daily Vecernji List writes. The paper assumes the Croatian politician will ask his Serbian counterpart to open an eastern route towards Romania and Bulgaria for refugees.

Slovenian army to help control migrants at border, thousands held up in Balkans (Reuters, by Marja Novak and Aleksandar Vasovic, 20 October 2015)

LJUBLJANA/BERKASOVO, Serbia – Slovenia said on Tuesday it would deploy the army to guard its border and appealed for help from the European Union as migrants streamed through the tiny country and many thousands more spent another cold night outside in the Balkans. Attempts by Slovenia to ration the flow of migrants since Hungary sealed its border with Croatia at midnight on Friday have triggered a knock-on effect through the Balkans, with thousands held up at border crossings. At least 12,100 migrants were currently in Serbia, the prime minister said on Tuesday, and the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reported at least 2,500 migrants stranded in no man’s land between Croatia and Serbia. By late morning on Tuesday, 5,000 migrants had entered Slovenia, after some 8,000 in total had crossed the border on Monday, the Slovenian Interior Ministry said. As the smallest country on the Balkan migration route, Slovenia had “limited possibilities of border control and accommodating migrants”, the government said in an earlier statement. Slovenia, which borders Croatia, Hungary, Austria and Italy, has a population of two million people. “Therefore Slovenia publicly calls upon the (EU) member states and the European institutions to actively engage in taking over this burden,” the government said.

SHIVERING IN THE COLD

At the Berkasovo border crossing between Serbia and Croatia, Jamal, a 50-year-old Syrian from the city of Tartus, spent the night at the border crossing with his daughter and wife.

“It was very cold, very, very cold, we are shivering, we received some food, but (there were) no tents for everybody, so we slept under a van, they gave us blankets,” Jamal said.

Astrid Coyne-Jensen, a programme coordinator with the Danish People’s Aid humanitarian organisation, said that its medical team treated around 150 people from late Monday until Tuesday morning. “Mainly we had flu-like infections, sore throats, fevers, unlike in the summer when we were treating blisters and foot injuries. People are mainly seeking immediate help to relieve symptoms as they are in a hurry, they rarely stop for a prolonged intervention,” she said. In the morning, hundreds of people bypassed a border checkpoint and police cordon, and walked straight into Croatia along a path between an orchard and a vineyard. Croatian authorities said more than 2,000 people were sheltered in the Opatovac camp near the border. From there buses were taking them to the nearest train station in Tovarnik or straight to the Slovenian border. On Monday, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said many more migrants were on their way to Serbia from Macedonia. (Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Justyna Pawlak and Raissa Kasolowsky)

New Talks on Mostar, Bosnia, Set to Start (BIRN, by Faruk Kajtaz, 19 October 2015)

Fresh talks on the political and administrative status of the southern city of Mostar are in sight – but few expect a breakthrough given the entrenched positions of local political elites

Bosniak [Bosnian Muslim] and Bosnian Croat political leaders in the city of Mostar are preparing to start a new round of negotiations on resolving years-long problems with the election law and the city statute. However the positions of the main local political players remain far apart. A senior EU diplomat told BIRN on Monday that the EU and US would increase pressure on the main Bosniak and Bosnian Croat parties – the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and Croat Democratic Union, HDZ – to finally reach a compromise over problems in Mostar.

“The timeline is tight … and we hope to see a breakthrough before mid-next year,” the official said, adding that this would allow local elections expected in October 2016 to take place and enable the formation of the first new city government since 2013. This announcement has been corroborated by a series of meetings which US and UK diplomats held over the last week in Mostar and Sarajevo with representatives of the SDA and the HDZ. Mostar Mayor Ljubo Beslic told BIRN on Friday that the West should resolve the Mostar crisis since the West caused it in the first place. He was referring to the city statute imposed in 2004 by then High Representative Paddy Ashdown. This abolished the existing six municipalities and established a unified city with six areas run by the city council with 35 seats. Neither Bosniaks nor Croats could hold more than 15 seats each, while the remaining five seats were reserved for Serbs and others. This solution was never accepted by any of the sides and the political quarrels continued.

Since the six electoral units in Mostar have equal political representation but significantly different population levels, Bosnia’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2010 that parts of the city statute and related parts of Bosnia’s election law were unconstitutional. The court gave the state parliament six months to fix the problem and after the state parliament and Mostar politicians did not do so, in 2012 it declared those parts of the statute and election law null and void. Because of this, country-wide local elections in 2012 were not held in Mostar, and the city’s old council was abolished after its mandate expired in 2013, after which it was left to the caretaking management of mayor Beslic. The OHR initiated new rounds of negotiations but they all failed as the HDZ and SDA kept to their old positions. “It was the High Representative who imposed disputable articles of the Statute … so it would be more logical for the OHR to correct this”, Beslic told BIRN. However, the SDA is against international intervention, suspecting that it may favour the Croats. “We suspect … that the OHR and a part of the international community want to help the HDZ by introducing principles that only this party would be satisfied with,” Salem Maric, leader of the SDA in Mostar, told BIRN on Friday. He said that the SDA still wanted to go back to the status that the city had before the OHR’s 2004 intervention. Maric said that when he met the US Ambassador in Bosnia, Maureen Elizabeth Cormack, in Mostar last week, she promised that no solutions will be imposed. “The US expects the political parties in Mostar – the HDZ and SDA in the first place – to be fully cooperative. I have promised that and it is certain that the SDA will take part in negotiations,” Maric concluded. Mostar residents – accustomed to numerous failed negotiations in the past – were not overly optimistic over the promise of new talks. Zvonko Vidovic, a local businessman, said he was always in favour of negotiations but stressed that no agreement would be reached if the main players maintained their maximalist positions

“There has been a strange shift in the political attitudes of the SDA and the HDZ,” Vidovic told BIRN. “Twenty years ago, the HDZ was asking for the division of the city. Today, they seek its unity. On the other hand, the SDA used to support the idea of unification, but for five years now they have insisted on its division, standing behind the position of reintroducing local municipalities – that is – two cities,” he added. Local activist Vlado Coric who is the head of the Youth Cultural Centre Abrasevic Mostar said that “no one should expect anything in particular” from eventual new negotiations. “A compromise is certainly possible but practice has shown that the SDA and HDZ are still far away from it,” Coric told BIRN on Monday.

Montenegrin opposition will demand the resignation of the country’s PM during the upcoming Saturday rally (Sputnik, 20 October 2015)

MOSCOW — Montenegro opposition will rally Saturday to call for the resignation of the country’s prime minister, Milo Djukanovic, over election fraud, one of the opposition leaders told Sputnik Serbia. “On Saturday, we shall call all citizens of Montenegro, I think a lot of people would participate, to support our ultimatum and our demands. We want to let Milo Djukanovic know that we have had enough of his 30 years of rule, we are tired of election fraud, that Montenegro wants freedom of choice, a free society and that it would not agree to be robbed under any pretexts,” New Serb Democracy’s Andrija Mandic said. Last week, Montenegrin police forcefully dispersed a campsite of the opposition, the site of a prolonged protest in front of the parliament. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the government, accusing it of corruption and undemocratic practice. Moscow called the fact that the campsite was dispersed by police “regrettable.” On Tuesday, six police officers and two civilians were injured during an anti-Djukanovic demonstration in Montenegro’s capital city of Pristina, while media reported that law enforcement was using tear gas.

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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.