LOCAL PRESS

Djuric: Pristina will get nothing until it honors the agreement (RTS)
Marko Djuric says Pristina “should not expect to be given what it wants” by Belgrade before it honors the agreement on telecommunications. “Pristina has not done that, and until it does, that will not be possible, do not expect us to give them what they want without getting what we should get,” the director of the Serbian government’s Office for Kosovo told RTS. He made the statement responding to a question about giving Kosovo a dialing code. Djuric explained that the agreement on telecommunications reached on August 25 allowed Telekom Srbija to work in the entire territory of Kosovo and Metohija, to restart its mobile phone network, but with licenses, and envisages no dial codes between central Serbia and Kosovo or increased international tariffs, and that Serbia, on the other hand, would seek an additional dial code for itself – “one that will not be dialed when you’re calling from Belgrade or from Pristina.” He said that instead, if Pristina honors the agreement, Serbia will become the owner of another dialing code with the International Telecommunications Union, “just as China owns dialing codes for Hong Kong.” When asked about the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) in Kosovo, Djuric said Belgrade will consider it “the topic of all topics” in the upcoming continuation of Kosovo dialogue, adding that Belgrade will expect Pristina to respect its word and obligations, and that it has the support of the international community in this. He said other topics will include “protection of our cultural heritage, property and status of the Serbian Orthodox Church.” “There are 84,000 houses and apartments (in Kosovo) that are still usurped, and how many are there who did not report that their houses and land were taken away,” Djuric said. Asked to comment on Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa’s statement that Pristina will condition further dialogue on the EU granting visa liberalization to Kosovo, Djuric said that Serbia wants to solve problems through dialogue and not through blackmail. Djuric also said that campaigns for local and provincial elections in Serbia would not push the issue of Kosovo and Metohija to the background, and that the ruling SNS party will in 2016 “continue to fight for changes in Serbia, provide strong support for the policy of the government of Aleksandar Vucic, while one of the priorities of this policy is to protect our people in Kosovo and Metohija.” “If there are elections at any level that will not interfere with the activities of the Government at any level” said Djuric.

Haradinaj: “Cannot accept the Community of Serb Municipalities” (Tanjug)
Ramush Haradinaj says he is “proud to be representing pro-American positions” but that he “cannot accept the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO). Belgrade and Pristina reached agreement to set up this community during the EU-sponsored negotiations held in Brussels. According to Albanian language newspaper Zeri, published in Pristina, the leader of the opposition Alliance for the Future of Kosovo said that “Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo have special relations with the United States,” and that “one should be sincere with America.” “A friend should hear one’s complaints, it’s only human to ask a friend for something. We need help to annul the agreements signed by the worst (people) in Kosovo, the prime minister and his deputy,” Haradinaj stated, adding that the ZSO “is not wanted in Kosovo.” As he said, “there is no reason not to tell Americans that nobody wants Serbia in Kosovo.” Haradinaj expects a large turnout for an opposition protest planned for January 9, because residents of Kosovo “recognized the amount of damage brought on by the Brussels agreements.”

Opposition to hold another protest in Pristina on Saturday (Tanjug)
Opposition supporters will gather in Pristina on Saturday for a new protest against the Brussels agreement, the ZSO and demarcation with Montenegro. In the view of the opposition, the first agreement – on a future Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) – “partitions Kosovo,” while the other “gifts a part of the territory to Montenegro.” The opposition seeks implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court with regard to the ZSO agreement, according to which certain principles of the deal are not in accordance with the constitution and laws of Kosovo. Since the Kosovo opposition believes that the court made a negative assessment regarding the formation of the ZSO – they announced a protest walk to the government and assembly buildings tomorrow. One of the opposition leaders, Ramush Haradinaj, on Friday told the Albanian language daily Zeri that the goal of the oppositions was not to force elections, but that if they are called these parties “will unite – as government needs to go because of the harmful agreements.” During earlier protests organized by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, the Self-Determination and the Initiative for Kosovo, clashes broke out between protesters and the police. Opposition leaders are now calling for a peaceful protest. Late last year, opposition lawmakers tried in every way to force the Kosovo government to resign, including the repeated use of tear gas inside the assembly building in order to disrupt the sittings. Several opposition deputies had been detained for this, among them Albin Kurti. On Thursday, the opposition youth put a tape on the fence of the Kosovo government and assembly buildings, reading, “Crime scene: those who violate the constitution are here.” Kosovo Prime Minister Mustafa has repeatedly urged the opposition to engage in dialogue

Vucic offers Mustafa help after flooding in Kosovo (Tanjug)
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic talked over the phone on Thursday with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, the government said in a statement. They spoke about “implementation of the Brussels agreement and further dialogue with Pristina.” According to the statement, Vucic offered the Serbian Government’s assistance in alleviating the damage caused by floods that his several municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija. Reports said earlier in the day Vucic told Radio Free Europe that “difficult talks with Pristina lie ahead of Belgrade” and announced the dialogue would continue in Brussels on January 27. “I know that tough talks lie ahead, even tougher than the ones we had. However, we have to go through them and resolve issues, in the interest of both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija,” Vucic said, and added: “I would like that we open a new topic in Brussels – the flow of people, goods and capital. I do not want any halts, papers that we issue at the administrative line, as we call it, or as Albanians would put it – the border. I would like that we cross it much faster.” “We need to act in concert to align our economic interests,” the Serbian prime minister underscored.

REGIONAL PRESS

Serbian President: Republika Srpska should celebrate its National Day (Srna)
President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic said that Republika Srpska (RS) should celebrate its national day, the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen. Nikolic told reporters yesterday that a single message of the day when the Christmas is celebrated is the peace among states and nations, the inner peace that each human being should create and the peace that some are obliged to create for others. “If there is anything uniting us, it is the desire to live a better life, peacefully, avoiding sharing any ugly or bad feelings with the others, to cope with our own pain on our own or with the help of friends, and to always hope and believe that someday must be better,” Nikolic said.

Dodik: Republika Srpska is “a state” (Glas Srpske)
Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik has said that RS is “a state.” The fact it is “being denied” speaks to its actual importance, he asserted, and added: “Without that state, Serbs in these areas, whose desire is to live in peace, stand no chance.” “Serbs would not have stayed here for more than 20 years without the RS, because majority of them would not have accepted Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). For that reason the fight for the RS is the basic interest of all of us who live here,” Dodik told Banja Luka daily Glas Srpske, adding that the entity “must be loved even when not everything in it is exactly the greatest.” Speaking about the Constitutional Court of B&H decision regarding RS Day, January 9, he asked “who gave the right to a court to, with three votes of foreigners and two of Bosniak judges, outvote other judges and make a ruling.” The court said in November that January 9 cannot be a state holiday because it is also a Serbian Orthodox feast and patron saint day. “The essence is that we must have a law on the Constitutional Court of B&H, because without it is a caricature. I am not ready to accept three foreigners and two Bosniaks making decisions for the Serb Republic. This fight is yet to be continued,” he announced. Commenting on international community representatives who said his activities were undermining the Dayton peace agreement, and in that way the RS, Dodik said this was “a fabricated story, where those who have undermined the Dayton agreement massively, by imposing laws, now want to say they must deal with him (Dodik) because he is allegedly undermining Dayton.” “I am not undermining Dayton, they’ve already done it to a considerable degree. I fight for Dayton and will persevere in that fight. B&H cannot exist based on the violence of international representatives. As long as I live, I will fight for the RS,” said Dodik. He then appraised that B&H cannot survive as a country in the long term, “because its survival has no realistic basis.” “B&H is not a framework within which the RS can be free and develop. The strengthening of the centralist model of B&H means a direct undermining of the RS, and I will never agree to that. Many people here don’t understand nuances, and the nuance is precisely in that B&H is not a state,” the RS leader said.

Dodik: RS celebrates as evidence of strengthening and commitment of its existence (Oslobodjenje)
Although the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Constitutional Court declared as unconstitutional, January 9, as the “Republika Srpska Day”, Serb officials of this B&H entity, reiterated today, that the date will be marked and celebrated. RS President Milorad Dodik told reporters that these days “RS is being celebrated as evidence of strengthening and commitment to its existence.” “I’m glad to see the good atmosphere in RS regarding the celebration of the RS Day, the atmosphere that it important for the marking on an important day in a history of peoples and the state, RS, which was founded on January 9th 1992, by the decision of the political representatives of Serb people, before the arm conflicts in B&H”, concluded Dodik. He added that the celebration of that day started already today, by laying wreaths for the fallen fighters of the RS. Prime Minister of RS Zeljka Cvijanovic invited the people to raise the RS flags on their homes and “that way express their dignity and pride and jointly celebrate the day, tomorrow”. In November last year, the Constitutional Court of B&H declared “the Day of RS” which is being celebrated on January 9th, unconstitutional , and decided that the National Assembly of RS should, within the six months, implement the changes to the RS Law on Holidays, in order to harmonize it with the B&H Constitution. After that, Serb officials issued a joint statement in which they announced that the 9th of January will continue to be the Day of RS, and that as such, it will continue to be celebrated in this B&H entity.

B&H Court confirms indictment against B&H General (Bosna danas)
The Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Court has confirmed indictment against Sakib Mahmuljin,General and a former Commander of the 3rd Corps of the RB&H Army. B&H Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Mahmuljin on 23 December. The B&H Court confirmed the indictment on 31 December but the information is released only today. Mahmuljin was arrested on 8 December but was later released pending trial, and certain prohibiting measures were imposed on him. He is charged with failing to prevent murder of 50 Serb civilians from July to October 1995, during the combat operations of the 3rd Corps of the RB&H Army in a wider area of Vozuca. This and other crimes were committed by “El Mujahidin” Detachment, unit made of foreign fighters. Previously, the civilians were abducted from the other unit of the 3rd Corps. Mahmuljin is also suspected of inhumane treatment of about 20 war prisoners and civilians.
INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbian Opposition Urges United Front in Polls (BIRN)
Serbia’s Democratic Party says opposition parties face harassment and even persecution ahead of the elections in Vojvodina – which is why they must unite ahead of the polls. Serbia’s opposition Democratic Party, DS, says it is facing sustained harassment ahead of important test elections in the province of Vojvodina loosely set for April or May. December saw the dramatic arrest of 80 people in an anti-corruption swoop, which included several members of the Democratic Party, Aleksandra Jerkov, the party spokesperson and an MP, noted. She told BIRN on Wednesday that the action was clearly intended to intimidate the party ahead of the important polls in the northern province. “The motives of such an action in arresting people… are obvious. That day was a shameful promotion of [the ruling] Progressive Party and its purpose was to discredit the DS,” she said. Those arrested have been accused of corruption, money laundering, abuse of public office and other criminal acts. Those arrested include the former Democratic Party agriculture minister, Slobodan Milosavljevic, an action that prompted party president Bojan Pajtic to call the arrests “a farce and political persecution”. December’s arrests were only the last in a series of pressures that the party has come under since the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, led by Aleksandar Vucic took power in 2012, Jerkov argues. “Since 2012, 97 people from the DS have been arrested on suspicion of various criminal offences but there have been only four verdicts,” she said. Opposition party supporters and some analysts claim that since the Progressives took power, violence and threats against opposition parties and their members have become more frequent. According to the Democrats, in the last three years there have been 95 incidents in which their members were targeted in various ways. Jerkov argues all the parties that all parties opposed to Vucic’s Progressives “are under some sort of pressure,” which is why they advocate forming an opposition alliance ahead of the provincial elections. “The alliance is necessary not only in the provincial elections but in general as well so that we can see who the opposition is – and who is supporting the SNS,” Jerkov said. Democratic chief Pajtic has said his party intends to invite all opposition pro-European parties in Serbia to form a coalition ahead of the election in Vojvodina. “The important part of that alliance would be the obligation by all the signatories not to enter a coalition with Vucic after the polls. The DS will be the first to sign that obligation,” Pajtic told the Belgrade daily Danas on Wednesday. The alliance is also needed to overcome what he called “the media blockade” of the DS, he added. The provincial government in Vojvodina is currently run by a coalition of the Democratic Party, the Vojvodina Liberal Party and the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, which represents the large ethnic Hungarian community in the province. However, the ruling Progressives and Socialists are way ahead of the opposition parties in recent polls – and optimistic they will win the Vojvodina elections. Unlike the opposition, the two parties have pledged to run separately in the elections. During a meeting on Tuesday, Progressive chief and Prime Minister Vucic, and Socialist leader Ivica Dacic, vowed not to form a grand coalition ahead of the elections, leaving future arrangements to post-election negotiations. “There is no need for a pre-election coalition in Vojvodina because both blocs will easily cross the [election] threshold,” Vucic said following his meeting with Dacic in Belgrade on Tuesday. The coalition led by the Progressive Party won 158 of 250 seats in parliament in the last election held in March 2014 and formed a government with another coalition led by Dacic’s Socialist Party. A survey conducted in October 2015 by Ipsos Strategic Marketing suggested that the Progressive Party would win 45.8 per cent of the vote if a new poll was held and the Socialist Party would win 10.4 per cent. The Democratic Party would win only 9.4 per cent and the ultra-nationalist opposition Serbian Radical Party, 5.8 per cent, the survey suggested.
Serbian PM: Relations With Kosovo Must Be Normalized (RFE/RL)
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says Belgrade must resolve the disputes between Kosovo and Serbia, but not due to pressure from the European Union. Vucic told RFE/RL’s Balkan Service in an exclusive interview that relations between Belgrade and Pristina must be normalized “because that is our life…we have to live next to each other.” “If [we cannot act] as best friends, [we must act] as someone who knows we must live and work together successfully in order for all of us to be successful,” he said. He said Serbia was preparing for “difficult talks” scheduled to open in Brussels on January 27 and that neighborly relations were in the interests of both ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by 111 countries. Belgrade has rejected the statehood proclamation and continues to refer to Kosovo as “Kosovo and Metohija,” its official name when it was an autonomous Serbian republic. An EU-brokered agreement in 2013 would allow ethnic Serbs in Kosovo to have their own police force and courts, but the agreement has not been ratified by either of the countries’ parliaments. Vucic, 45, is head of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and was approved as prime minister in 2014. The SNS is in a fragile ruling coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia.
He said normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo will be the “hardest thing to achieve” but will leave both sides simultaneously “displeased” and “deep down…content.”
Vucic said he “despises” those who take populist positions on the Kosovo issue to appeal to Serbian nationalists and that he had told ethnic Serbs in Kosovo about difficult policies that Belgrade has adopted. He added that while he had “lived through the booing, attacks, and political disappointments,” he believes everything his government has done was in Serbia’s best interests and that “we will continue our dialogue with the [Kosovar] Albanians.” Vucic summarized his goals in the upcoming negotiations in Brussels as establishing security and safety in Kosovo, guaranteeing “economic progress,” and resolving all existing problems between the Serbian and Kosovar governments. He suggested the talks between Kosovar and Serbian officials, to be moderated by the EU, could take months to reach “some new agreement” and that the whole normalization process could take three or four years. The EU says a full normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina is necessary before Serbia can join the bloc. Vucic told RFE/RL that he wanted to open a new topic at the Brussels talks that would result in “a faster flow of people, goods, and capital” between Kosovo and Serbia. “I do not want us to have blockades, confirmations, papers [that] we issue at the administrative line, as we call it, or the border, as Albanians are calling it,” he said.
Vucic said Serbia’s flagship airline, Air Serbia, needed ethnic Albanian passengers to fly from Belgrade in order for the carrier to establish its first regional transatlantic flight to New York City, noting that “even Greece does not offer a transatlantic flight.” He added that Air Serbia hopes to tap into the large “colony of Albanians in New York” and that the two countries must “harmonize our economic interests.” Vucic rejected charges that Serbia is constantly trying to balance relations between Russia and the West. He said that while Belgrade had “traditionally good” relations with Moscow and always seeks to improve them, accession to the EU is a top priority and strategic goal of the Serbian government. Vucic suggested Serbia was not concerned about continuing to receive its natural gas from a pipeline that goes through Ukraine and would like the EU to explain to Belgrade the negative and positive reasons for either realizing or rejecting the Nord Stream and South Steam pipelines from Russia that bypass Ukraine. The South Stream, which would have passed through Serbia and led to sizable financial profits for Belgrade, was canceled by Russia in 2014 after EU officials made it clear it would not gain the bloc’s approval. Germany — which exerts great influence within the EU — favors the completion of the Nord Stream project, which is currently a topic of heated debate in Brussels.