LOCAL PRESS

Vucic and Putin: Solutions for faster development of relations (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met today with Russian President Vladimir Putin with whom he is expected to confirm all agreements that had been defined with Russian partners in the course of his three-day visit to Moscow. In a three-minute address to journalists at the beginning of the meeting, Putin welcomed the Serbian Prime Minister and the delegation consisting of Ministers Ivica Dacic, Dusna Vujovic, Zorana Mihajlovic, Nebojsa Stefanovic and Bratislav Gasic. “I am aware that the world economy is in a bad state, but, regardless of this, economic cooperation with Serbia is good,” said Putin. He added that delivery of agricultural goods from Serbia has increased by 40 percent, which he assessed as good. Vucic thanked the Russian President for the hospitality and pointed out that the Serbian delegation has examined in Moscow economic and political relations. “With a look into the future, we have found a solution for an even faster development of our relations,” said Vucic. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, he thanked Putin for the support in the UN and UNESCO, as well as in all other international organizations where Serbia is trying to protect its integrity, but also its reputation and tradition of freedom. “We know that the situation in the entire world is complicated, and it is nothing less complicated in the Balkans,” said Vucic. He also informed Putin about cooperation with Pristina, the Brussels agreement and the standstill in its realization.

Vucic: Brussels to decide on Pristina’s withdrawal from agreement (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has stated that Belgrade expects Brussels’ reaction to the announcement from Pristina on the suspension of the agreement on the formation of the ZSO, because at issue is a decision that launches many issues, including the issue of key and strategic importance for Serbia. In a statement to journalists after the meeting with President Putin, whom he had informed about the latest development of events, Vucic said that the news of the delay on the formation of the ZSO has arrived only a day after Pristina has been practically awarded with the signing of the SAA, but that it hasn’t done what was agreed by the Brussels agreement. He recalled that 40 percent of the Brussels agreement concerns the ZSO, that this is the only thing requested by Belgrade aimed at protecting the Serbs in Kosovo, that Pristina received the SAA before Belgrade opened the first chapter, but that he nonetheless didn’t react negatively to this. “This opens many wider, larger issues…this imposes other, more important and open issues on which we need to think about – whether it pays to be honest and responsible, to fulfill obligations and not to be awarded for this, or whether it is better not to fulfill anything and to be awarded…Not to mention other issues that are being opened here, and which I would not initiate here today,” said Vucic. He announced a meeting of the state leadership in order to estimate what all this means from the point of view of key and strategic interests of the Republic of Serbia. “We are now waiting for Europe’s reaction, but now much wider and larger issues are being opened that we thought were closed. This is not just an issue of the statement by Mrs. Jahjaga and Pristina’s relation. If this is true and if this occurs, this is opening numerous issues to which we will need to offer an answer in the following period. This decision literally changes everything and brings additional destabilization to whole region,” said Vucic. He specified that the Kosovo government had only one thing to do – to pass a decree on the formation of the ZSO and that this is a three-minute job. According to him, Belgrade did them a favor by agreeing for this process to be implemented only by the government and not the assembly. “They are not capable of passing a decree and we are capable of doing all the necessary things. I am capable of defending difficult and impossible things in front of the Kosovo Serbs and to endure their criticism for 12 hours. They, on the other hand, received the SAA and trampled on everything in one day,” said Vucic.

Djuric: Pristina violating Brussels agreement (Tanjug/RTS)

With the decision to forward the agreement of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) to the Constitutional Court, Pristina is obstructing and hindering the formation of the ZSO, but also violating the Brussels agreement, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric told a press conference today. He stressed that this is not the only move by Pristina that is keeping us away from normalization of relations. According to him, Pristina intends to prevent as of 1 November entrance to all license plates issued by the Serbian Interior Ministry and to introduce “some entrance-exit documents” instead of IDs. “This is not one but three steps backwards. Everything agreed in the past period is clearly obstructed and I think this should not pass without the EU, which is the guarantor of the Brussels agreement,” said Djuric. He points out that Serbia cannot and will not be silent about this violation of the Brussels agreement and that they will wait for Prime Minister Vucic to return from Moscow and discuss this move by Pristina at tomorrow’s government session. “For me this is outrageous and scandalous behavior. This is an attempt at turning around reached agreements and annulling the agreement in the part that is favorable for the Serbs. Pristina’s behavior shows lack of good intention and good will,” said Djuric, adding there is no spirit of normalization of relations in this move. Djuric noted that Vucic will have talks with EU representatives tomorrow and that the newly created situation and Pristina’s move will be examined seriously.

Djuric: We expect Brussels to respect our stand (Novosti)

“Belgrade has launched a large diplomatic operation for the purpose of informing the EU member states on everything that has so far been discussed and agreed with Pristina. We expect this to be respected in the final version of the draft negotiating framework for Chapter 35,” the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric tells Novosti.

In what phase is the drafting of this document, which Belgrade assessed as a very “bad paper”?

“The transitional benchmarks in the draft that is going around the European capitals are not favorable for us and they contain elements that were not discussed within the Brussels dialogue. We didn’t hide this stand either from the public or from European partners. The international public has opened a public debate on this.”

German officials state that nothing is a surprise in the “Kosovo platform”…

“Chapter 35 should not be a replacement for the dialogue with Pristina and to resolve issues that we haven’t yet discussed. It wouldn’t be fair to link the integration process only to our relations with Pristina, especially for it to be an instrument for concessions to Pristina within the Brussels dialogue.”

How do you comment the information that Maria Bura, Mogherini’s advisor, an Albanian by nationality, openly sides with Pristina in this process and that she has been one of the main authors of the disputable draft?

“Presenting such assessments of unnamed sources on EEAS officials, who are included in the Belgrade-Pristina talks, doesn’t contribute to Serbia’s strengthening position in the battle for protecting national interests in Kosovo and Metohija. We are open and transparent when it comes to challenges we are facing in this process, so we will certainly not hide from citizens if these problems get a name. Yet, in this specific case, this resembles more an attempt to cause a quarrel between Belgrade and Brussels, which can be in the interest of only some third side.”

Ski Resorts: We will fight for Brezovica with all legal means (Danas)

The ambassadors of US, Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy in Kosovo supported two days ago the expropriation of the Brezovica Ski Center, assessing that the tender for public-private partnership is in accordance with the Kosovo laws. “The property of the Brezovica Ski Center is owned by the Serbian Ski Resorts and any kind of seizure of property is completely unacceptable for us, as owners. Two weeks ago we sent to Mr. Isa Mustafa the announcement of launching an investment dispute before the international arbitration in Paris against Pristina over the decision of the so-called Kosovo government that envisages expropriation of the property of the Brezovica Ski Center, and for the purpose of building the Brezovica Tourist Center. As the owners of the property, we will fight with all disposable legal means against usurpation and violation of the ownership structure of the Brezovica Ski Center,” the Serbian Ski Resorts Company told Danas. They note that they have undertaken the first step towards protecting property and thus retained the possibility to initiate at any moment arbitration proceedings, in accordance with the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dzaferovic: SBB should enter the government and at the state level (Nezavisne)

The SDA vice-president and delegate in the state parliament Sefik Dzaferovic said that the SDA and HDZ will initiate negotiations with SBB, as well as with the bloc of Bosnian Serb opposition parties, about the inclusion of the SBB in ruling coalitions on other levels. “The implementation (of the coalition agreement) has started in the FB&H, the implementation will soon start in several cantons and the time will come to discuss the question of the government at state level,” Dzaferovic said on Wednesday. He added that there were no talks regarding this issue so far and could not say what the position of the Alliance for Change is. Dzaferovic stressed his position that SBB should enter the government at the state level, but said that the issue should be discussed with the Alliance for Change and pointed out, what he said before, that the Alliance for Change is their inevitable partner at the state level.

Dunovic signed the consent for the appointment of ministers from SBB (Vijesti.ba)

Vice President of the FB&H Milan Dunovic gave his written consent for the appointment of new ministers that are proposed by the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB), as announced from the Office of the Vice President of the FB&H from the rank of the Serbian people. To recall, the president of SBB Fahrudin Radoncic yesterday submitted proposals for the ministers in the Government of the FB&H to the President and Vice-Presidents of the Federation of B&H. SBB proposed Edita Djapo for the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Zlatan Vujanovic for the Minister of Trade, Nermin Dzindic for the Minister for Energy, Industry and Mining and Vesko Drljaca should be the new Minister of Labor and Social Welfare as well as the deputy Prime Minister of the FB&H. It is expected that Marinko Cavara, the President of the FB&H,  accepts the resignation of the remaining two ministers from the Democratic Front in the Federation government today, with two of them being the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Milan Mandilovic and Minister of Trade Aleksandar Remetic.

Dodik: Balkan earmarked as zone of potential conflict (Nezavisne)

The RS President Milorad Dodik said on Wednesday that the Balkan region is considered a permanent zone of potential conflict and frozen conflicts and added that a rigid policy is maintained towards the Serbs. According to Sputnik reports, Dodik agrees with the statement voiced by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic who said that it is obvious tensions are increasing in the Balkans, as well as the attempts aimed at comprehensive destabilization of relations, and added that he shares the concern. Dodik underscored that it is impossible for the spiral of punishments for Serbs and the people of Serbia to persevere regardless of the structure of the political government on Serbia’s scene. This shows that a rigid, insidious policy against Serbia and its people is still present, as best seen in the example of Kosovo, the RS President said.

British Ambassador hails SBB-SDA reform course (Dnevni avaz)

I’m encouraged by the fact that Reform Agenda is in the heart of the agreement between SBB and SDA and I hope that we will soon see real progress in the implementation of the necessary socio-economic reforms, British Ambassador to B&H Edward Ferguson has said. “I cannot comment political coalition, I’m more interested in what will the new government do. I hope it will use the expert assistance offered by EU and other partners,” Ferguson told Dnevni avaz. He said there are many reforms B&H must undertake. “Your economy and judicial system have to be transformed and modernized in order to be compatible with the EU standards. I think ‘political culture’ is the biggest challenge here. In order to implement those reforms, governments at different levels must cooperate better. We have seen in the example of Council of Ministers that, when they work together and in a constructive way, it is possible to make fast improvement in important issues, like opening of the new markets for farmers in Turkey and the EU,” Ferguson said. Speaking on the upcoming visit of the U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel and lord Paddy Ashdown, the Ambassador said they are coming as guests of the American University and it does not mean a new diplomatic offensive.

Inzko: Life in B&H better if citizens take the political process into their own hands (Fena)

Twenty years after the Dayton Peace Agreement was signed, B&H can be a country where there is decent work for decent pay, where citizens are able to raise their families in security and with dignity, the High Representative Valentin Inzko said today, but this will only happen if the people take the political process into their own hands. The High Representative was speaking at a seminar on the Dayton settlement organized at City University in London. “Progress is absolutely possible,” he said. “We have seen this in recent months as the authorities adopted a Reform Agenda worked out with the European Union. This is a socio-economic plan that has a real chance of improving the lives of B&H citizens. It has the support of the International Community, which will provide practical help if such help is requested. If adopted and implemented it will open up new opportunities for the country as a whole and its citizens.” During his two-day visit to London, the High Representative held talks with senior UK officials, including Minister of State for Europe David Lidington. The High Representative noted that both he and the Peace Implementation Council are fully committed to upholding the Dayton Agreement, the centerpiece of which is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of B&H. Challenging Dayton means challenging the framework that has kept the peace for 20 years.

Vucic, Dodik and Cvijanovic confirmed their Arrival in Srebrenica (klix.ba)

Mayor of Srebrenica Camil Durakovic confirmed that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic, and members of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic, Bakir Izetbegovic and Mladen Ivanic confirmed their arrival on the Investment and Srebrenica 2015 Investment and Development Conference. Besides them, the RS President Milorad Dodik and Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic will attend the conference as well. Durakovic said that due to the previously arranged commitments, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic unfortunately will not be able to attend the Investment and Development Conference in Srebrenica. Also, the President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic, the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor and President of Macedonia Gorge Ivanov are expected to arrive as well. Durakovic said that complete information on the arrival of high officials will be known by the 5 November. To recall, Srebrenica Investment and Development Conference has regional importance, and the aim is, as previously announced, to put the devastated facilities into operation, to enable the investments that were stopped, such as the project of Banja Guber and the opening and the construction of 3 new facilities in Potocari and mini industrial zone in Skelani. On the Investment and Development Conference, which will be held for the very first time in Srebrenica on the 11 and 12 November, will be presented examples of successful businesses in this region.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo opposition agrees to let Austrian president speak at dedicated parliamentary session (AP, 29 October 2015)

The Austrian President Heinz Fischer is in a two-day official visit in Kosovo

PRISTINA, Kosovo –  Kosovo’s opposition have displayed anti-government banners during a speech in parliament by Austrian President Heinz Fischer. Opposition leaders had agreed to take part in a special session Thursday only to let Fischer — on a two-day visit to Pristina — speak, and not to discuss other topics. Thursday’s normal session has been canceled and postponed until Monday as the opposition has said no more parliamentary sessions should be held unless the government renounces deals with Serbia to give more powers to Serb-dominated areas in Kosovo, and with Montenegro on border demarcation. Since mid-September the opposition has used tear gas canisters, hurled eggs and plastic water bottles and blown whistles to stop the holding of normal sessions. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move not recognized by Serbia.

Kosovo Islamic Body Accused of Tolerating Extremists (BIRN, by Ervin Qafmolla, 29 October 2015)

At a round table in Kosovo, theologians and researchers criticized Saudi Arabia and Kosovo’s official Islamic Community concerning the rise of religious radicalism

Kosovo theologians and researchers criticized Saudi Arabia and Kosovo’s official Islamic Community concerning the rise of religious radicalism.

A round table that sought to raise awareness of traditional Islam vs. religious extremism in Kosovo saw harsh accusations made at the expense of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, the BIK. The event was held by “Fol Tash” (“Speak Now”), a Kosovar media portal run by moderate Islamic theologians, researchers and imams, who seek to explain traditional Islamic values as opposed to the violent practices of organisations such as the Islamic State. Most of the participants felt that Kosovo’s official Islamic body had failed to prevent the growth of extremism and the emerging Wahhabist ideology backed by Saudi Arabian funds. “Saudi Arabia has allocated more money for this ideology than it has for aid for the poor in countries with a Muslim majority, specifically the Saudi government and its NGOs, which are state-controlled,” Bekim Jashari, editor of “Fol Tash”, said. More than 200 fighters from Kosovo have reportedly joined the ranks of ISIS and Al Nusra in Syria and Iraq. Around 40 hardliners, including imams and alleged former fighters, are being tried in courts following a crackdown on suspected groups and individuals from autumn 2014 to spring 2015. Jashari said the Saudi religious ideology known as Wahhabism or Salafism is intrinsically intolerant and does not allow for either moderation or respect towards other beliefs. His colleague, Zuhdi Hajzeri, an imam from the city of Peja and editor of the website, mentioned some of the features of extremist adherents. “They pray differently, dress differently and are intolerant to other Islamic schools… The main problem is the Wahhabist, extremist, radical ideology”, he said. “Not jihad through war, but jihad through the pen is what we need,” he noted, explaining the common misinterpretation of the traditional Islamic concept of holy war. All the participants recognised Saudi Arabia as a source of terror. Blerim Rama, from the police’s antiterrorism department, said that youngsters who pursue their studies in Saudi Islamic universities were a source of serious concern. “They are attracted to studying in the Saudi Arabia and little is known of their education when they return,” he said. “They are not guided by the principles and values of the Kosovo believers’ community,” Rama said. The anti-terrorism official held other factors to blame as well. “There are a number of issues in fighting extremism… [including] the disagreements within Islamic communities. Often these issues perplex people, who we interviewed because they participated in the war in Syria, and it came out they had received mixed messages [back home],” said Rama. While the security official said that their main partner in combating extremism “had to be” the BIK, other speakers did not agree. “It is time to speak of the Islamic Community of Kosovo’s responsibility, as the latter has been hiding behind its failures, which it presents as successes,” Mustafa Bajrami, who holds a PhD in Islamic studies, said. Other participants said the BIK had failed to supervise the imams and mosques where it appears most combatants were radicalized. “The BIK is not doing its job to duly manage mosques, because 99 per cent of the participants in the war in Syria – both recruiters and the recruited – came out of these mosques,” Avni Islami, a researcher into security affairs and a practising Muslim, said. Saudi funding for certain mosques and for the BIK itself was also described as a source of concern. When BIRN contacted BIK spokesperson Ahmet Sadriu, he would not comment on any of the claims raised. Some years ago the BIK issued an internal regulation that forbids imams from talking to the media. The move attracted criticism from journalists who viewed it as censorship and an obstacle to the fight against religious extremism. Fol Tash’s website (foltash.com) is considered a media channel that bypasses BIK’s communication embargo, and allows moderate imams and scholars to talk to the general public without censorship.

Croatian Right-Wingers Parade ‘Hawk Guard’ at Rallies (BIRN, by Sven Milekic, 26 October 2015)

The right-wing Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja party has been parading a uniformed party youth unit called the Slavonic Hawk Guard at its election campaign rallies

As the country’s parliamentary election campaign gathers pace, the right-wing Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja, HDSSB, has sparked allegations of militarism by deploying the black-clad Slavonic Hawk Guard at recent campaign events. The Slavonic Hawk Guard is described by the HDSSB as a ‘sport and security youth unit’ and appears at political rallies alongside officials from the party, which was founded by controversial wartime general Branimir Glavas. Glavas’s conviction for war crimes against Serb civilians in the city of Osijek in 1991 was annulled by the Croatian constitutional court in January and he now faces retrial. Despite this, he is standing for parliament in the upcoming elections. Last week the Guard lined up outside the Croatian parliament as the party leadership came to present its list of candidates for upcoming elections, sparking criticism from rights campaigners. The display of uniformed youths caused the Anti-Facsist League of Croatia to call on the authorities to “oppose the diverting of society towards fascism”. Members of the unit have told media however that they are not nationalist paramilitaries. “We are not some kind of a paramilitary… militant formation that constitutes a threat, and we are not majorettes or ‘Glavas ballerinas’, as we were called in the media,” one of them, 30-year-old Hrvoje Zanic, who works in marketing, was quoted as saying by Croatian newspaper 24 Sata. Another, Ante Kolobaric, a 24-year-old student of cultural studies at Osijek University, told 24 Sata that he objected to the unit’s members being described as fascists. “We are not chauvinists, we don’t discriminate,” he said. The Slavonic Hawk Guard was first shown off in public at the beginning of October, when a promotional video were released of their inaugural training session in a sports hall in Osijek in eastern Croatia, where the party is based. Glavas personally overlooked the first training session and welcomed the unit’s first members. “Thank you for having the courage to put on the uniform and join the Slavonian Hawk Guard. This is the beginning of a new time where Christianity and Croatian existence in its historic national and state borders will be defended,” Glavas told the unit, according to 24 Sata. But the Guard immediately ran into controversy when Slovenian avant-garde band Laibach announced they would file a lawsuit against the HDSSB for unlawfully using one of their songs in the promotional video for the unit. 24 Sata reported on Sunday meanwhile that the party leadership is to set up a ‘boot camp’ to train the unit, which currently has around 30 members. A second platoon with some 30 more members is expected to be formed next month, the newspaper said. As well as his ongoing problems with war crimes charges, Glavas also hit the headlines earlier this year when a photograph of him posing with a bottle of wine with Adolf Hitler on its label was posted on Facebook.