LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Attempts at destabilization of region obvious; tensions increasing (Beta)

“It is obvious that someone is making considerable effort to destabilize relations in the Western Balkan region,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic stated in Moscow. Answering reporters’ questions on the margins of the Business Council of Serbia and Russia, Vucic said that it is obvious that the tensions in the Balkans are increasing, and that the obvious attempts at overall destabilization of relations in Podgorica, Skopje and Pristina are aimed at spreading to Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Belgrade. “It’s enough to look at the situation in our surroundings for that to be completely clear. Why would I speak about it publicly, I have no intention, it’s enough that I know, and that the government knows, and is taking steps,” said Vucic. “If anyone needs peace and stability, it is Serbia, and Serbia will know how to secure it,” he said.

EU leaders: Situation in EU worrying (Tanjug)

European Parliament President Martin Schultz said that the summit held over the weekend on the issue of refugees coming in Europe through the Balkan route, shows that the situation remains deeply worrying, both for the refugees and for the apparent lack of will of the countries to even talk to each other. Schulz told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that thousands of refugees are moving toward Europe while the winter is coming and disaster looms. Schulz warned that national egoism has asserted itself above the joint European interest, which is primarily affecting the refugees. European Council President Donald Tusk also warned that the refugee crisis threatens to shake the European political landscape as an earthquake. Tusk added that Europe can expect 100.000 new refugees shortly, as a result of the stepped up Russian air campaign in Syria, to support Bashar al Assad’s forces. Tusk said that the separate agreement which EU made with Turkey would make sense if it succeeds in reducing the influx of refugees, but implementing the agreement wouldn’t be easy. The program for Turkey provides over three billion in support for the refugees staying in Turkey, stepping up its EU integrations and a visa free travel regime for Turkish citizens, if the refugee flow stops.

Mogherini’s advisor hampering ZSO (Novosti)

Ana-Maria Bura, special advisor to the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, advocates the procrastination of the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities, Novosti has learned unofficially The same sources claim that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic openly said at the recently held working dinner in Brussels that Belgrade is “quite disappointed with Bura’s engagement” in the dialogue with Pristina. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija unofficially says that she openly sides with the Albanians, and that she has the support of the British and Germans. Novosti learns that Bura was also in charge of including the key items of the draft negotiating framework for Chapter 35 that refers to Kosovo. According to this information, she had written this document in direct consultations with Great Britain and Germany.

Boycott of the first school class in Bujanovac and Presevo (RTS)

First classes were not held today in all elementary and high schools in Bujanovac and Presevo where classes are conducted in the Albanian language, due to lack of textbooks in their mother tongue. The boycott was organized by the National Council of Albanians in cooperation with school directors. The President of the Council Jonuz Musliu says that more than 100,000 textbooks, which are the donation of the Kosovo Education Ministry, have been in trucks at the customs terminal in Presevo since 10 September. The Serbian Education Ministry, at the proposal of the National Council of Albanians, adopted in the course of five years 88 textbooks in the Albanian language for elementary and high schools.

Alempijevic: Speculations on violent death unfounded (Politika)

There is not the slightest suspicion that the death of our eminent forensic specialist Dusan Dunjic was violent, Djordje Alempijevic, forensic specialist and professor at the Medical Faculty in Belgrade said in an exclusive statement for Politika. Alempijevic was at the Dutch national forensic institute three days ago, where he observed, as the only forensic specialist from Serbia, the autopsy of Dusan Dunjic. This expert tells Politika that he had insight into all data on the investigation conducted by the Dutch court and prosecution. “All findings indicate that the death of Dunjic was natural. All speculations on a violent death of our forensic specialist are unfounded and fabricated,” Alempijevic is explicit. He adds that he cannot talk about the causes of Dusan Dunjic’s death, but he eliminates the slightest suspicion that the death of our physician was violent.

REGIONAL PRESS

New FB&H government in the next seven days (Dnevni avaz)

The President of Alliance for Better Future (SBB) Fahrudin Radoncic has introduced names of the four candidates for ministers of SBB in the Federation of FB&H government to the representatives of SDA. Radoncic met with SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic, FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic and Prime Minister of Canton Sarajevo Elmedin Konakovic. He introduced names of four candidates for ministers in the FB&H government. “Those are prominent and relatively young people, who can participate in the work of the FB&H government and help Prime Minister Novalic to achieve even better results,” Radoncic said, without disclosing their names to the public. He said they also talked on concrete projects. “They supported my idea to continue with the energy projects, to accelerate construction of corridor Vc, to build road to Tuzla, to improve traffic connection between Krajina and Sarajevo, to attract foreign investors, as well as many other strategic projects which are in accordance with SDA’s development strategy for next three years,” Radoncic said. Izetbegovic said that new FB&H government should be formed in the next seven days, and new cantonal governments by the end-November. It appears that SDA has no objection to the SBB’s candidates.

Izetbegovic: New formation of the government of FB&H possible by the end of October (Novo vrijeme)

The SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic announced last night in Sarajevo that the new composition of the Federation B&H government might be formed by the end of October. Izetbegovic said it after the meeting which was held in the afternoon hours at the premises of the Presidency of B&H, and which was attended by the SBB leader Fahrudin Radoncic, the FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic, and the Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konakovic, Dnevni avaz reported. “This is one of the meetings with Radoncic. It was discussed about the forming of the new composition of the FB&H government, which I believe we will have already by the end of October, and also new cantonal governments in November. It was also spoken about concrete names, as well as about projects we can jointly implement, from reform projects to very concrete projects in infrastructure. We understood each other very well when it comes to what is possible to be done. I think we have one successful coalition”, Izetbegovic pointed out. He also said he cannot bid with names and that the SBB will disclose the names with which the SDA agreed. Other participants of the meeting did not make statements.

Opposition parties call on Milorad Dodik to step down (Bosna danas)

Leaders of opposition parties in Republika Srpska (RS): Mladen Bosic, Mladen Ivanic, Dragan Cavic, Adam Sukalo and Milanko Mihaljica have met in Banja Luka and agreed, as they said, “further measures in the fight against decisions of the RS regime.” Among other things, they agreed joint appearance at the next local elections. The SDS president Mladen Bosic said political block called Alliance for Changes will be additionally strengthened in the next period, and that a new body with strict tasks will be formed. He said the new document, which should bring together all opposition parties in RS, will be presented to the public soon. He said this is a turning point for the future of RS. “There is a solution for this crisis and it is in the hands of Milorad Dodik. We call on him to step down and call early elections. We also demand changes in the Election Law which will prevent political corruption,” Bosic said. The PDP leader Mladen Ivanic added that RS is in deep crisis. “They have a majority in the RS Assembly only thanks to the political corruption. We will organize series of activities in the municipalities throughout the RS. Those will be rallies at which we will explain the current situation to the people. We will give deadline to the RS government and Assembly to start working in accordance with Constitution. If they don’t do that, we don’t rule out fight outside the parliament,” Ivanic said.

Novalic: FB&H and RS governments have excellent cooperation (Glas Srpske)

Prime Minister of the FB&H Fadil Novalic has said that cooperation between governments of FB&H and the RS is excellent and that they are managing to harmonize legislation in the two entities. “Our agreement is that we work on some groups of issues, and RS government on other groups of issues, and then we exchange experience and find join solution which is in accordance with Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution,” Novalic said. In an interview for Glas Srpske, he said the two governments, through joint work, have harmonized laws and streamlined their activities. “We worked on the Labor Law and Civil Service Law and we sent them to the RS government to adopt it in accordance with its powers. They work on a new law on excise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, gas and gasoline,” Novalic said. Speaking about potential new arrangement with International Monetary Fund, Novalic said adoption of a labor law in RS is a condition.

“When RS passes that law, we will launch technical part of negotiations. We have agreed that this will happen by the end of November,” Novalic said.

Dodik: I agree on early elections, but at all levels (Nezavisne)

The RS President Milorad Dodik stated that although there are no elements for calling for early elections, he agrees for early elections but at all levels – for the Parliament and for the President of RS, as well as for the Presidency and Parliament of B&H. Dodik emphasized that the RS is not in crisis and that its institutions are functioning in accordance with the Constitution and on legally prescribed manner, and that RS is completing all of its obligations and doing politics which is protecting its vital interests. “There is one angry opposition on the RS scene, with which I tried to speak multiple times, but they are not willing for conversation because they do not know how to act or what to say,” said Dodik at a press conference that was held in Banja Luka. He said that the opposition did not choose him and that the opposition does not like him, but the calls for resignation sound very funny to him. “My mandate belongs to the people and RS. I perform my duties responsibly and in accordance with the Constitution and I have no intention of pulling back in front of people who do not want dialogue, do not want to talk about RS and they do not want the system of protection of RS to be regulated through the introduction of specific laws,” stated Dodik. He reminded that the National Assembly adopted conclusions in accordance with democratic, legal and constitutional principles, where the decision is on majority after the parliamentary debate.

Republika Srpska, it’s here to stay. So can we move on now? (klix.ba)

Edward Ferguson, British Ambassador to B&H

During my first year here, I have been struck by just how much political energy in the RS is spent on worrying about imagined threats to its continued existence. Political speeches have little to say about the really serious problems facing ordinary people in Republika Srpska (RS), and across B&H, with a struggling economy, high unemployment and rampant corruption. Instead, a picture is painted of an RS beset by enemies, domestic or foreign. This is the politics of insecurity, not of hope. But this insecurity is at least excessive and, in my view, needless. The reality is that there is no threat to the continued existence of the RS. Yes, there are occasional calls by Bosniaks, Croats or others for its abolition. But these are just as unacceptable as Serb attempts to undermine the State judicial institutions or to promote secession. Under Dayton, B&H is a country of two Entities and, with the UK and our partners as guarantors of the Peace Agreement, that’s how it will stay. Ok, so it’s true that, in the past, we have seen the transfer of some competences from the Entities to the State, with the support of the international community. There were, and there remain, good reasons for that, which is why these changes were endorsed at the time by the B&H Parliament, and the Serb representatives in it. Objectively speaking, there are still strong arguments in favor of more centralization in certain areas. Done well, it would strengthen coherence, raise standards and improve efficiency. It would reduce the focus on ethnicity, and increase the focus on effective service delivery. But – and this is the important bit – we, together with our EU and US partners, have said very clearly that we are not going to impose a centralizing agenda. We are prepared to work with the system as it is, not as we might like it to be. If you don’t believe me, look at our actions. Through the UK/German initiative, now the EU strategy, we have been absolutely consistent and clear that reforms should be implemented by the appropriate levels of government, in line with their constitutional competences. And the lion’s share of the work falls to the Entities, not to the State. I was there when the British and German Foreign Ministers gave this assurance very clearly to leading politicians on all sides. And it’s there, repeatedly, in the Written Commitment – signed by political leaders, and endorsed by Parliament. It’s also quite clear from the Reform Agenda itself, which was finally agreed by the RS Government on 24 July. The State and Federation Governments had been ready and waiting since June, and the Federation Government was quick to respond, successfully passing the long-awaited new labor law. We hope and expect that the RS Government will now follow suit as quickly as possible, which will open the door to over a billion euros of financial support to B&H from the EU and the IMF. It is fantastic that we now have an ambitious and positive reform agenda on the table. They won’t be easy or pain-free, but these reforms are desperately needed to stabilize the economy, to create new jobs, particularly for young people, and to strengthen the justice system. Implementing the reforms will take leadership, courage and focus. That’s good, because hopefully there will be less time and energy for the political rivalries that have held this country back, while its neighbors have moved ahead towards the EU and NATO. The reform agenda holds out the prospect of a new, more cooperative and constructive politics in B&H. Its successful implementation will need everyone to realize that the only secure, prosperous and European future for the citizens of the RS lies within a secure, prosperous and European B&H. And, by the same token, that the only way that B&H can succeed is if all its citizens are working together, for the benefit of everyone – whether they live in the Federation or in the RS. Let’s be clear. Accepting the entity structure in B&H doesn’t mean that nothing will change. Costs must be cut because the public sector is unaffordable. And if BiH is to join the EU, as we all hope it will, then change is inevitable. At some point, that will include constitutional change, just as it has done for other recent EU members like Croatia. Dayton was never designed to be set in stone. But the point is that these changes can only be made by constitutional means. Which means that the RS has not just a vote, but a veto – albeit one that I hope will in future be used more sparingly and responsibly. In other words, the RS will endure unless it decides to vote itself out of existence. I for one can’t see that happening in the foreseeable future, so perhaps everyone can afford to relax a bit. RS President Dodik said recently that the international community should accept reality. That we should stop denying the RS. And that in return the RS will not deny B&H. Fine. We accept reality. We support the right of the RS to exist, as we have said many times before. More than that, we want it to succeed and to thrive, together with the rest of B&H, and we’re ready to help it to do so. So I sincerely hope that the RS will now drop this unnecessary and unconstitutional referendum. And that we can get on and work constructively together on the reforms, including in the justice sector, which we all agree are so urgently needed.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo takes step towards joining European Union (Reuters, by Francesco Guarascio,

27 October 2015)

BRUSSELS – Kosovo took a step towards possible European Union membership on Tuesday, signing a trade and political pact with Brussels less than a decade after unilaterally declaring independence from Serbia. “It is a milestone in our mutual relationship, in particular for the European aspirations of Kosovo,” EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn said during the signing ceremony in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The pact comes despite the fact that EU states Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Greece and Slovakia do not recognise Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. The pact signed, known as a stabilisation and association agreement, is a required step for every country that wants to join the EU. All Balkan countries have already signed similar deals with the EU. The signature came after Kosovo had concluded talks with the EU in July 2014. The entry into force of the agreement is expected in 2016, EU officials said.

To allay Serbian worries, the EU seems ready to make concessions to Belgrade, launching long-stalled membership talks by the end of the year. Serbia still formally regards Kosovo as part of its territory. “I am convinced (the agreement) is going to bring a lot of good to Kosovo’s people, to the European Union and to the stability and integration of the region,” EU Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini said during the signing ceremony. “It is a very important day for us,” Kosovo’s Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said, committing to wide-ranging reforms in the fields of the rule of law and the economy. “I hope the next step will be visa liberalisation,” Isa said. This would allow the nearly 2 million Kosovars to have easier access to EU countries, but this step is seen as very unlikely in the near future, as EU countries grapple with the biggest migrant inflow since World War II. (Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

Russia and Serbia sign documents on cooperation in economy, investment and joint projects (TASS, 27 October 2015)

The documents were signed following the Russian-Serbian meeting led by the Prime Ministers of the two countries

MOSCOW. Russia and Serbia signed a number of documents following the Russian-Serbian meeting led by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, Dmitry Medvedev, and Aleksandar Vucic. Thus, the representatives of the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding between the governments in the area of economic cooperation, investment and joint projects. Simultaneously, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Defence of Serbia. The two sides have also signed an intergovernmental agreement on mutual protection of intellectual property in the framework of bilateral military and technical cooperation and a memorandum of strategic partnership between the company RZD International and Infrastructure Railways of Serbia.

The Russian Federal Migration Service and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Federal Drug Control Service of Russia the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Serbia, the Russian Business Council for Cooperation with Serbia and the Serbian Business Council Cooperation with Russia have also concluded memorandums of cooperation following the talks.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has invited Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to pay an official visit to Serbia in 2016.

Opposition calls on Bosnian Serb leader Dodik to step down (Reuters, by Gordana Katana, 26 October 2015)

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia Opposition parties in Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic called on Monday on its powerful president, Milorad Dodik, to quit and call early elections to end political infighting. The opposition has long accused Dodik, a staunch advocate of secession from Bosnia, and his associates in the government of crime and corruption. “The Alliance for Change call on the President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik to resign and call early parliamentary and presidential elections,” said Mladen Bosic, who heads the SDS party, the largest in the five-party opposition alliance. The parties also threatened to boycott parliament or even hold street protests unless the region’s parliament scraps a plan to allow for the prosecution of ethnic Serb deputies in the national parliament who are considered to be voting there against the interests of the Serb Republic. “The opposition regards Dodik as the main generator of deep divisions in the Republika Srpska and see early elections as the only solution,” said Milenko Mihajlica of the Serb Radical Party RS. He dismissed any possibility of violence during protests that may be organised in future.

The 1995 peace accords that ended Bosnia’s 1992-95 war split the Balkan country along ethnic lines into two highly autonomous regions, a Serb-dominated Serb Republic and a federation of Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats. The two are linked by a weak central government.

Dodik’s SNSD party, which had been the dominant Bosnian Serb party at regional and national levels since 2006, saw its popularity slide in general election last year and was excluded from a ruling coalition at the national level. Its place there was taken by the Alliance for Change, which Dodik has repeatedly accused of betraying Serb interests and insisted that its deputies cannot take any decisions or vote without getting a green light from the region’s lawmakers. Dodik said on Monday he would not resign but was ready to call early elections if they also included the state presidency and national parliament, an option unlikely to happen. “My mandate belongs to the people and Republika Srpska,” Dodik told a news conference. “I do my job with responsibility in accordance to the constitution and don’t intend to retreat before people who don’t want a dialogue.” Dodik was a driving force behind the regional parliament’s vote in July to hold a referendum on the authority of the state court over Serbs, a move that the West sees as an open challenge to the integrity of the Bosnian state. The decision on when the referendum should take place has not yet been made.

(Writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Tom Heneghan)

Montenegro Seeks to Shift Focus Accusing Russia of Fueling Civil Protests (Sputnik, 26 October 2015)

Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said that the Serbian nationalists and Russia play an active role in the country’s anti-government protests. According to political scientist Gregory Dobromelov, this position is beneficial for the country’s authorities that are trying to shift the focus from domestic problems and explain the protests by alleged intervention from abroad.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry really made statements condemning the policy of the current authorities in Montenegro. But paying special attention to this fact is the easiest way to explain the protests that are taking place in the country by the involvement from abroad,” Dobromelov said in an exclusive interview with Sputnik. Numerous protests had been taking place in Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica for several days, with people demanding the resignation of the current prime minister and early parliamentary elections. The demonstrations ended on October 24 after the local police used tear gas against the activists. Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic accused Serbian nationalists and Russia of alleged involvement in the country’s anti-government protests and viewed them as a coup attempt. Djukanovic blamed Moscow for hampering European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Montenegro and supporting the opposition, which disapproves of the country’s potential membership in NATO. “In order to gain support in the West, it is necessary to explain the protests not by social and economic reasons or citizens’ dissatisfaction with the current government, but by some external backstage dealings. [Such strategy] is likely to receive the support of Western leaders and create the required media background,” the analyst said.

Balkans wary of EU plan as migrant flood continues (DW/AP/AFP/Reuters/dpa, 27 October 2015)

Scores of migrants are continuing to cross the Balkans on their way to Western Europe, one day after EU leaders reached an agreement aimed to slow the influx. Transit countries have reacted cautiously to the plan. Croatian police said Monday that more than 13,000 migrants had arrived from Serbia in the past 24 hours, while Slovenian police reported nearly 10,000 new arrivals from Croatia in the same period. Tens of thousands of refugees – many of them fleeing violence in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan – are transiting through the Balkans, seeking to reach more prosperous states like Germany and Sweden. But many countries along this migration route have been overwhelmed by the steep rise in newcomers, particularly since Hungary took the decision to close its borders with Croatia and Serbia. On Sunday, European heads of state held an emergency summit in Brussels to come up with a plan to help Balkan states better manage the flow of people. Although the meeting resulted in a 17-point agreement, some leaders were skeptical it was enough to make a difference before winter sets in. “This is a step in the right direction, and now it is crucial to respect the commitments,” said Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar, whose country has received more than 70,000 people in the past 10 days. “If that does not happen from (Monday) on, the situation will not improve significantly,” he said. In comments carried by news agency Reuters, Bostjan Sefic, state secretary at Slovenia’s Interior Ministry, said his country was planning to use private security firms to help manage migrant flows. Thousands of migrants streaming over Slovenia’s border from Croatia have overwhelmed the small Alpine country

‘There are 80 million of us’

Further north on the migrant route, some 3,500 people slept near Austria’s border with Germany because refugee facilities were already full. Meanwhile, shelters on Germany’s side of the crossing were also overflowing. German authorities said around 15,000 new arrivals crossed into the country over the weekend. Europe is grappling with the worst migration crisis since World War II, with more than 670,000 people arriving on the continent so far this year. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she remained confident Germany could integrate a large number of migrants crossing into the country. Speaking in Nuremberg on Monday, the chancellor said, “there are very, very many, but there are 80 million of us.” “We can and will manage this integration” if Germany makes an effort from the beginning, she said.

17-point plan

At Sunday’s summit, leaders agreed to strengthen Greece’s borders to help the country cope with the thousands of mainly Syrian refugees arriving via Turkey. More than half a million refugees have transited through Greece so far this year, many of them aiming to travel ultimately on to Western Europe. European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said Monday that the EU was ready to extend additional aid to Athens if necessary. “From the Commission’s point of view, we are willing to find additional means of supporting those countries that are most exposed to the refugee crisis and Greece is among them,” Dombrovskis told a news conference in the Greek capital. EU leaders in Brussels also agreed to deploy EU border agency officials to monitor the flow of people along the Balkan route and to set up 100,000 new places in reception centers – half of them in Greece. The 17-point plan also stipulated that no country let migrants through to a neighboring state without prior agreement. Following the meeting, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said the steps could help bring the situation under control, but he also had his doubts. “In theory it should slow down the influx and flow of people due to a slightly more rigorous procedure, but under the presumption that everything functions from Greece across Macedonia to Serbia,” Milanovic told reporters. “If not, things will continue as they are until this story is over.”