LOCAL PRESS

New Vucic-Mustafa meeting in May, perhaps (Politika)

Due to the early parliamentary elections in Serbia, a new round of the Belgrade-Pristina talks at the premier level could be held in May, or even in the fall, Politika learns from diplomatic circles in Brussels. In the meantime, expert-level meetings that would discuss technical issues of reached agreements are not excluded. The opposed stands of the two sides, when it comes to the manner of the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) and its statute, is one of the reasons why we shouldn’t expect a new round of the dialogue anytime soon. At the last meeting held on 27 January, the delegation headed by Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, requested, for political reasons, that they do not publish that one of the topics of the talks of the two delegations is the formation and drafting the ZSO statute. This proposal was categorically rejected by the mediator in the negotiations and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, by saying that she doesn’t want to speak untruths on this occasion, Politika learns. This was probably the reason why Mustafa pointed out that he would not accept anything outside the constitutional solutions for the ZSO statute. Despite these announcements from Pristina, diplomatic circles in Belgrade expect the draft ZSO statute to be written by the fall at the latest. As usual, EU experts will most probably have to decide afterwards on all points of the ZSO statute. “It was initially planned for the meetings of the two delegations to be held at least once a month, but due to political problems in Kosovo, these dynamics have been abandoned for the time being. At the moment, it seems that Belgrade and Pristina are buying time, but that the Serbian government is using this time to improve its international position, while the Kosovo government is just looking for an excuse not to implement something it had signed and agreed in Brussels, which is unacceptable for Brussels,” says Politika’s interlocutor who is versed in the course of the dialogue.

Belgrade-Pristina flight via Macedonia

At the Vucic-Mustafa meeting in Brussels, the Serbian delegation proposed, and the Kosovo delegation didn’t refuse, the establishment of the Belgrade-Pristina flight. Once it is established, this flight will have an international status. Before it lands in Pristina, the plane would be making a turn through Macedonia’s airspace, whereby this airline would practically become international. With this solution they would avoid talks on demarcation in the airspace between Serbia proper and Kosovo and Metohija, which is the desire of the Pristina authorities.

Dacic: Serbia to keep pursuing constructive regional policy, but cannot become collective center for migrants (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbia will continue to pursue an open and constructive regional policy, Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in Sofia Tuesday, stressing that all countries in the region had gone through many challenges together the year before. Resolving the migrants issue and working together in the areas of energy and infrastructure and media freedoms are priorities for all of us in southeastern Europe, Dacic said at an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP) in the Bulgarian capital. Dacic said that the majority of SEECP member-states were now facing the greatest migration crisis since the end of WWII and the way the situation was developing could lead to several million migrants try to reach the EU, possibly via the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

“However, if there would be a chain reaction of a drastic reduction of the flow power or closure of borders, this would be an especially dangerous situation for Serbia and the entire region. This would stop the flow of migrants and cause their massive and longer retention on Serbian territory, which would present for us an extreme burden,” said Dacic. Regardless of the understanding and empathy towards migrants, Serbia cannot allow becoming a collective center for migrants, said Dacic. “Serbia is not capable of receiving back migrants who were in transit through our territory, but didn’t receive asylum in the EU, since we do not the capacity, means for this and are not the first country of entrance,” he said.

Stankovic: Security situation in Serbia’s south stable (Beta)

The security situation in the three southernmost Serbian municipalities – Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja – remains stable, and there has been no indication that it might worsen, the Head of the Coordinating Body for the South of Serbia Zoran Stankovic said. “The state agencies in charge, and local self-governments, are doing everything to prevent any situation that might threaten the security status,” Stankovic told reporters after a session of the Coordinating Body’s presidency.

Return of Islamic warriors to Serbia (Politika)

The arrest of four armed members of the Wahhabi movement in front of the main entrance of the Visoki Decani Monastery shows that there is danger from religious radicalization in the region of the southern Serbian province, the Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for the Control of Security Services Momir Stojanovic assessed for Politika. “Now we are facing the consequences of the return of Serbian citizens who fought on the side on the IS. According to the date of domestic security services, around 350 Serbian citizens from the region of Kosovo and Metohija had fought on the side of the IS, while some 70 of them are from the Raska region. We cannot establish the exact number of them from the territory of B&H, but it is far bigger,” says Stojanovic.

Drecun: International community needs to step-up awareness (RTS/Tanjug)

The recent incident at the Visoki Decani Monastery undoubtedly showed that there was a terrorist threat and a danger to the people who were there, regardless of how the Kosovo police may have described the event, the Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun told reporters in the Serbian parliament. Drecun said that the incident confirmed that there was a strong, well-organized regional network of radical Islam, extremism and terrorism in Kosovo and Metohija. “This network has been there for a long time. Unfortunately, it was being covered up by the international community in the beginning,” said Drecun. He said that the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija had on several occasions received information about the threat the network posed to the Serb people. Drecun said Serbia would do everything to keep the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija safe from being a target of radical Islamists.

Dragisic: Matter of time when Islamic terrorists in Kosovo will launch attacks (B92)

Professor at the Belgrade Faculty for Security Zoran Dragisic has stated that it is only a matter of time when the Islamists in Kosovo will launch terrorist attacks. “The question is not whether Islamists will start conducting attacks in Kosovo but when will they start. According to some information, over 200 people from the region of Kosovo and Metohija has joined the IS ranks to fight, while an undetermined number of Kosovo Albanians, who went to Syria and Iraq via third countries, is still there. One should keep in mind that this Islamist network is very present, very strong in Kosovo,” says Dragisic. Regardless of the problems between the Kosovo and Serb side, fight against terrorism should be a joint activity. “IS is a new fact both for us and European states, and these incidents are occurring here and it poses a special problem for us. The fact is that thousands of people from the Balkans are fighting in the IS ranks and that their arms are very present here. On the other side, I think that citizens should not be disturbed,” says Dragisic.

Djuric receives Andreas Michaelis (Novosti)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric discussed yesterday with the German Federal Foreign Office Political Director Andreas Michaelis the current political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija and informed him about the position of the Serbs and importance of forming the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO). They discussed the Brussels dialogue and the progress reached so far.

Stefanovic, Michaelis: EU needs common approach to migration (Tanjug)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and German Federal Foreign Office Political Director Andreas Michaelis agreed in Belgrade that the EU needed a common approach to tackling the migrant crisis. According to a release from the Interior Ministry, Stefanovic and Michaelis discussed the current migration situation in Serbia and Serbian government and police efforts in reducing the number of bogus asylum seekers from Serbia in Germany. Michaelis lauded Serbia for the efforts it was making in resolving the migrant crisis, stressing that it had a very constructive approach to the solving the problem.

Serb candidate for Kosovo president? (Novosti)

On the eve of the Kosovo presidential elections, there appeared an idea that a Serb could run for this position. Even though it is difficult to believe that a Serb candidate could receive two-thirds of the votes in the Kosovo Assembly, the Serb deputies would avoid thus pressure to support an Albanian candidate.

REGIONAL PRESS

Izetbegovic: The crisis is obviously nearing the end (Novo vrijeme/Fena/Nezavisne)

At yesterday’s session, the collegium of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) reiterated the attitude about commitment of this party to preserve the coalition with the Alliance for Better Future (SBB). President of SDA Bakir Izetbegovic stated after the session in Sarajevo that they are determined in strengthening coalition and putting joint efforts in stabilizing the situation in the country in order to continue with the reform path and accelerate the economic recovery in the country. “The crisis is obviously nearing the end. There is definitely readiness to prove that, despite of everything that has happened with Radoncic, we want and can make things better, that the results of the work of this coalition are evident. In the past year we had an average of thousand new workplaces per month, but that is still not sufficient – we need 100,000 thousand new workplaces to make it evident, but the light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared,” Izetbegovic said. The collegium of SDA demands that the Minister of Finances in the Government of FB&H declare the decision on the distribution of public revenues ineffective, since they believe it is illegitimate. Moreover, the collegium of SDA demands from the institutions of B&H to resolve the problem of sustainable model of financing of the RTV system. The collegium of SDA assessed the decision by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of B&H on the prohibition of wearing hijab for the employees in judicial institutions shameful.​ Asked by journalists to comment on the transcripts that were read at Radoncic’s hearing before the B&H Court, in which Radoncic accused him (Izetbegovic) and Osman Mehmedagic of being responsible for the death of Ramiz Delalic, Izetbegovic said he would not comment on speculation. “At this moment the most important is the stability of the coalition between the SDA and SBB,” Izetbegovic said. Asked how he can argue that this is a speculation when the transcripts were read at the court, Izetbegovic said that Mr. Radoncic might have said it in anger, and refused to further comment on it.

Djonlagic: Coalition SDA-SBB stabilized Bosniak political factor in an important period (Klix)

Presidency of SBB B&H held session at which they adopted a set of conclusions including that SBB and its president Fahrudin Radoncic firmly remain on the view that a coalition with the SDA is an unambiguous choice. “All other options will lead FB&H and B&H in a state of great uncertainty, insecurity and the weakening of the necessary Euro-Atlantic and economic impetus that is strongly established due to the very effective coalition of SDA and SBB. Moreover, because of the overall election results, this coalition has stabilized the Bosniak political factor in a very delicate and important period for B&H and it is yet another reason for its preservation. Two strongest parties in the FB&H, SDA and SBB, with their impressive overall election result and associated energy, can only be a guarantee of progress at this time. This knowledge and responsibility cannot be obscured by any provocation or obviously framed trials. If the family – prosecutorial lobbies thought that it would be easy to cause destruction of legally and legitimately elected government and constituted coalition, Fahrudin Radoncic and SBB by its political and patriotic maturity and confidence in the judicial system, will not allow it,” said the Vice President of SBB, Mirsad Djonlagic. “SBB has been extremely operational in order for B&H to be better and better organized country, and it adopted a large number of development and program orientations together with the SDA. Because of that, SBB expects the SDA to start working on reducing nepotistic influences in society and politics, because this social evil will threaten the SDA itself sooner or later, whose staff will also be affected by the greed, blackmailing or family assemblies,” stated Djonlagic. It was emphasized that a strong coalition of the SDA and SBB will do everything, together with other coalition partners, in order to achieve the objectives of Euro-Atlantic integration and no brakes will stop B&H on its reform path.” At the end it was emphasized that the Presidency of SBB B&H is in continuous sessions since Radoncic was arrested and they thanked all concerned citizens, members and intellectuals as well as legal experts for their support and belief in the innocence of the president of SBB.​

Tegeltija: Radoncic’s rights have been infringed (Dnevni avaz)

The President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Milan Tegeltija, said for Dnevni avaz that the release of the transcript of the part of the reportedly intercepted conversations from the court case of the leader of the Alliance for a Better Future, Fahrudin Radoncic, before its presentation at the hearing itself, violated his constitution-based rights, and that an investigation of that event should be urgently conducted. A part of the transcript was released in media on the Internet immediately after the arrest of Radoncic in the setup process. On more than one occasion, Tegeltija said that the release of the evidence material prior to its presentation before the Court was a criminal offence. “ I do not know if the investigation has been opened, but I believe that it should be opened by all those responsible for the conducting of investigations of criminal offences, because if you intrude into someone’s privacy before the verification of evidence at court, it means that you infringe his/her rights” Tegeltija says. Asked whether Radoncic’s rights are infringed in the case at hand, Tageltija provided affirmative answer. “ One can definitely say that in the phase of the procedure, when the evidence was not verified at Court B&H, private conversations of persons were released in the public media space and thus his rights were surely infringed” HJPC president said. He further indicates that there are various descriptions of the criminal offence which include the release of the evidence material in a procedure. “It may include the abuse of official authority, obstruction of investigation… Therefore, it includes various legal qualifications of such behavior and it should definitely be established which of these media and in what way they came into possession of those transcripts, i.e. conversations which, in principle, are protected by the constitutional rights of citizens until they are verified at court as evidence material. Only then, they become public. Therefore, I believe that the investigation should establish that” Tegeltija indicates.  As he says, now it is up to the Prosecutor’s Office and all responsible police agencies to establish the facts in such cases. “They are all responsible to act if they establish the leak of information in public. And the leak of information occurred, and it should not have occurred. Many people come into possession of the material. Technical operators and other officers may come into possession of the material. They should identify all those who had the material and abused their right” Tegeltija underlined. Regarding the punishment for this offence, Tegeltija says that it depends on the qualification of the offence, whether it is abuse of position or obstruction of investigation or something else. As he further says, there is only one way to prevent such actions of the individuals in the Prosecutor’s Office. “Such actions must not happen. Offenders must be punished. That’s the way. There is no other way” the President of the HJPC concluded.

​

Who is involved in the abuse of office in “Radoncic” case? (Dnevni avaz)

The Vice-President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) Ruzica Jukic confirmed for Dnevni avaz that, due to the fact that certain media received transcripts of intercepted conversations in the proceedings that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office initiated against the leader of the SBB Fahrudin Radoncic, she will bring up this issue at one of the coming sessions of the HJPC. We contacted Jukic after Glas Srpske published her statement that she will file complaints to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the HJPC because of this case, as well as bring criminal charges against unknown persons from the Court, the Prosecutor’s Office and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of B&H for violations of the Law on Criminal Proceedings. Jukic denies giving this information to this medium in form of a statement, stating that it was an informal conversation, but she confirms that she is thinking along these lines.

“It is really interesting that, as a rule, only one medium or portal is always in possession of this secret and legally confidential material. So, one medium keeps receiving transcripts, as it is the case now in the “Radoncic” case. It should be investigated who sends those and who abuses their office” said Jukic. She believes that the law was breached when the Court allowed the recording and public attendance at the custody hearing for Radoncic. “Even before Radoncic’s arrest I warned that the evidence presented at the custody hearing is not for the public because the investigation is ongoing. I talked about this even before Radoncic’s arrest. No innocent person should suffer, people should not be stigmatized through the media” warned Jukic. She confirmed that in case the HJPC does not respond to these claims, she will bring charges before the competent institutions as a citizen.

Karamarko, Covic say B&H likely to become EU candidate in 2017 (Hina)

The leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party and First Deputy Prime Minister, Tomislav Karamarko, and the Chairman of the B&H Presidency, Dragan Covic, agreed in Zagreb on Monday that it was realistic to expect B&H to receive EU candidate status in early 2017, the HDZ said in a press release. Covic briefed Karamarko about the political situation in his country and about its plan to submit the application for EU membership in Brussels on February 15. The two officials said that by submitting its application, B&H “will confirm its determination on the European path and take the first major step towards the European family”. Karamarko said the new Croatian government would support B&H’s aspirations to become part of the large EU family. The meeting also focused on the political and economic situation in the two countries, the position of Croats in B&H, and cooperation between the HDZ parties in the two countries, the statement said.​

Bektasevic is part of B&H terrorist network (Srna)

Counter-terrorism expert Dzevad Galijasevic said that Mirsad Bektasevic is part of a B&H terrorist network which has 5,000 members and that serious terrorist attacks can be expected in B&H. “Such attacks can be expected in B&H, since security minister Dragan Mektic and the director of the B&H State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), Perica Stanic, are bad, while the director of the B&H Intelligence-Security Agency (OBA), Osman Mehmedagic, is a classic Islamist,” Galijasevic told Srna, noting that security agencies at the B&H level do not deal with the fight against terrorism at all. He said that Bektasevic had been arrested in 2005 in Sarajevo and had been convicted by the B&H Court in 2007 for his intent to carry out an act of terrorism together with Bajro Ikanovic and Abdulkadir Cesur. “Bektasevic and Cesur intended to carry out terrorist attacks in B&H and other European countries since they wanted to force B&H and other countries to withdraw their soldiers from Afghanistan,” Galijasevic said. He said that police had discovered on that occasion 20 kg of explosives and a suicide belt at Bektasevic’s and Cesur’s homes. “Bektasevic was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison, Cesur to 13 years and Ikanovic to eight years in prison. The Appeals Chamber of the B&H Court reduced Bektasevic’s sentence to eight years and four months, Cesur’s sentence to six years and six months and Ikanovic’s sentence to four years,” Galijasevic said. Bektasevic was arrested in Greece during an attempt to join the Islamic State. He is a citizen of Sweden and was earlier sentenced in B&H for attempts to carry out a terrorist act. Bektasevic, also known as Maksimus, was born in 1987 in Novi Pazar. He has lived in Sweden since 1994.

B&H to take a loan of 900 million BAM from the IMF? (Slobodna Bosna/ATV)

B&H will take a loan of 900 million BAM from the IMF, according to the media after a meeting of the Entity Prime Ministers and Chairman of the Council of Ministers in Banja Luka. Officially, they only stated they have defined a common platform for negotiations with the IMF and the World Bank. Government of Republika Srpska (RS) neither confirmed nor denied allegations of new borrowing. Slobodna Bosna claims that for the first time after Dayton, B&H will not be negotiating on stand-by arrangement, but it will take the loan under the so-called EFF conditions. They are granted only to countries that are ready on deep structural reforms and removing the causes of fiscal instability, according to economists. “Extended Fund Facility the IMF approves for the countries that are in trouble with the deficit and the imbalance of imports and exports,” said economic analyst Zoran Pavlovic. In short, B&H requested a loan of 900 million BAM on 12 years from the IMF. It would be retreated, according to media, over the next 3 years, and in turn the authorities of B&H should undertake 24 reforms to permanently eliminate the causes of budget deficit. Money from the stand-by arrangement is mainly used for short-term patching of the budget holes, which economists vividly describe as taking painkillers for toothache. For long-term solution to these problems entity governments have to finalize the privatization process and reduce budgetary expenditures. Everything will be discussed next week in Washington, as reported by ATV.

Djukanovic proposed to dismiss Konjevic (RTCG)

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic filed yesterday to the Parliament of Montenegro the proposal for the dismissal of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Rasko Konjevic. Djukanovic did it on the basis of Article 105, paragraph 3 of the Constitution of Montenegro. The Prime Minister stated that Konjevic himself proposed a motion for his dismissal, after the government of Montenegro at the session of the Assembly on 27 January gained confidence.

“Taking into consideration the request of Konjevic, I propose to the parliament of Montenegro to dismiss him from the position of the member of the government and Minister of Interior,” said Djukanovic in the proposal referred to the President of Parliament.

Montenegrin foreign minister official candidate for UN Secretary General (Dnevne novine)

Montenegro has officially submitted the candidacy of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European integration Igor Luksic for the UN Secretary General, Dnevne Novine writes. There had been speculation for months on whether Montenegro would nominate Luksic. From 2004-2010 Luksic was the Minister of Finance, and from 2010 to 2012 also the Prime Minister.

47, 3 % of citizens in favor of NATO membership (RTCG)

At the moment, 47.3 percent of citizens support and 37.1 percent opposes Montenegro’s membership in NATO, while 15.6 percent is undecided, according to a survey of the Agency for public opinion research Damar. As announced by the Communication Team of the Council for NATO Membership, the survey was conducted from 19 to 24 January 2016. The study “The views and opinions of the citizens regarding Montenegro’s accession to NATO” is conducted with a sample of 1100 respondents in 10 Montenegrin municipalities. According to the statement, the study found that if the referendum regarding Montenegrin NATO membership was held this Sunday, 48.3 percent of Montenegrin citizens would vote “for” and 35.0 percent “against” the membership of our country in this alliance . For this study a two-stage stratified sample was used and it is representative for the adult citizens of Montenegro. The results of series of researches, from the beginning of June 2015 until the end of January 2016, show constant growth of support for Montenegro’s membership in NATO.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovars Arrested Near Monastery ‘Linked to Syria’ (BIRN, by Taulant Racaj, 2 February 2016)

Prosecutors say one of four men arrested near Visoki Decani monastery has fought in Syria while another was sent back from Turkey while trying to join the conflict.

Prosecutors in the Peja district of western Kosovo say they suspect that two of the four men arrested on Saturday near the famous Serbian Orthodox monastery at Decan are connected to the war in Syria. According to the prosecution, when the four appeared in a court in Peja, it became clear that one of them had been in the conflict in Syria, while another had been sent back from Istanbul while apparently trying to join the conflict. However, the prosecution lacks evidence that the suspects intended to commit a terrorist act, and they are being held only for illegal possession of firearms. Police arrested the four near the monastery alongside KFOR members guarding the historic site. The suspects maintain that their intention was to go camping in the nearby highlands, an area reached by the road that goes by the monastery. Police said they were tailing the suspects’ vehicle for a while, and decided to stop them after they approached the monastery. Police also said they had no evidence that the suspects were planning a terrorist attack. Sava Janjic, abbot of the Visoki Decani monastery, has criticised the police for not treating the incident as terrorism-related. “The Kosovo police statement is a pathetic downplaying of a possible serious incident and an insult to common sense,” Fr Janjic said.

Syria fund to help keep refugees in Macedonia and Serbia (EurActiv, by Georgi Gotev, 2 February 2016)

The Syria trust fund, used to help Syrian refugees and overstretched host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, will also be used to help keep in place the migrants who made it to Macedonia and Serbia, an EU official said on Monday (1 February).

EU officials briefed the Brussels press ahead of the Supporting Syria and the Region conference to be held in London on 4 February. “The European Union will be playing a major role in this conference, because we can, and because we need to”, an EU official told the press. He pointed out that the Syrian war had affected the EU both with the refugee crisis and with terrorist attacks.

An official said that the so-called EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, also known as Madad fund, which the EU established in December 2014, would also help keep refugees in Macedonia and Serbia. The Arabic name of the Trust Fund ‘Madad’ broadly means providing aid and help jointly with others.

‘Keeping them where they are’

“The fund has a total firepower of €650 million, and money is used to finance the resilience of the refugees, meaning keeping them where they are, mainly in Jordan and Lebanon”, the official explained, adding: “But we will start operating also in the Western Balkans, for those refugees that made it to FYROM [Former Yugoslav Repubic of Macedonia] and to Serbia for instance”, he said, using the politically-correct acronym to designate Macedonia. Last October Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called a Western Balkan mini-summit with the aim of slowing down the flux of refugees along the “Balkan route” through Macedonia and Serbia. The final communiqué of this summit mentioned a Greek commitment to increase to 30,000 by the end of 2016 the number of places it hosts. A further 20,000 people should be sheltered in private accommodation in Greece, the statement said, while another 50,000 places should be available in countries further north. The names of the countries are not mentioned. It is the first time that an EU official has spokean about “keeping refugees where they are”, referring to Macedonia and Serbia. These countries do not want to become a buffer zone, and moreover, most of the migrants have no intention of settling there, instead usually trying to cross these countries as fast as they can, on their way to wealthier countries such as Austria and Germany. European governments and EU institutions in Brussels are seeking to respond to a call by Britain, Germany and Norway, which are hosting the conference in London along with the United Nations and Kuwait, to double humanitarian aid to the region. The London conference roughly coincides with the fifth anniversary since the Syrian crisis started. The event will build on three previous conferences hosted in Kuwait. The European Union is set to promise some €2.2 billion at the conference, journalists were told. The 2016 UN inter-agency appeals for the Syria crisis are an estimated US$7.73 billion. The conference will also set itself goals on education and economic opportunities to transform the lives of refugees caught up in the Syrian crisis – and to support the countries hosting them, with an emphasis on Lebanon and Jordan. Most of Syria’s pre-war population have been forced out of their homes by the war – five million as refugees who have fled abroad and 6.5 million displaced within the country. EU officials said that in Lebanon there were already more than one million Syrian refugees, representing nearly 25% of the population.

“In Jordan, there are 600,000, 700,000 or 800,000 refugees, which again is around 25% of the country’s population, and Turkey has two million Syrian refugees”, an official said. The objective, he added, was to stabilise these countries and “avoid contagion from the Syrian situation”. Since 2011 the EU has committed more than €5 billion to deal with the Syrian crisis. Slightly more than the half, namely €2.6 billion, has been provided by EU institutions, and the rest from the member countries. And 95% of this €2.6 billion has been provided in the form of grants, he said. The longer the crisis drags on, the more the EU needs to mobilise other instruments than the humanitarian response, an official explained. “One of the important features of the conference in London will be to look into the livelihoods of refugees, to look into the possibilities for them to work legally, to have a more dignified life,” he said. Out of the €2.6 billion, one billon was humanitarian aid, and €1.6 billion was development assistance. From the various budget lines that were used, he also mentioned the pre-accession funds for Turkey.

“The ambition of the five hosts of London conference is first to pledge much more money, the UK and Germany have already announced they want to double their own financial commitment, and this is for us in the EU institutions some sort of benchmark,” he said.

Thinking long-term

But more importantly, the goal was to agree for multi-annual financing between now and 2020, the official said. According to experience, refugees stay in the host countries from 13 to 18 years, he went on. Even with a political solution to the crisis, this does not mean that all refugees will be immediately resettled to Syria, a destroyed country, the official explained. Roughly 50% of the regional trust fund money goes for education, partly as a measure against radicalisation, an official said. Next comes water and sanitation, especially in areas in Jordan and Lebanon where the concentration of refugees is of one per inhabitant. The focus is on Jordan and Lebanon, because these countries do not have the same kind of economic power, organisational skills and resilience in economic terms Turkey has, journalists were told. The focus is to stabilise these countries, even politically, an official said. He also explained that this money was given on top of what Jordan and Lebanon receive as development assistance. “We don’t want Jordan or Lebanon to fear, that because they are massively welcoming refugees, they have to pay with what we give them for their normal development”, he said. “We need to ensure that all Syria’s neighbours are supported,” an EU official said, referring to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. “Inside Syria, London needs to demonstrate that the EU and others are ready to provide humanitarian access to all areas as soon as a ceasefire is agreed,” the official added, although some aid would also be delivered inside the country. The effort follows a decision of EU leaders of last November to provide €3 billion to Turkey, the country from which shores the biggest number of migrants have been arriving to the Greek islands in recent months. Member states, however, have not been able so far to reach an agreement to disburse their national contributions to this €3-billion fund. At the time the decision to provide the €3 billion was taken, critical voices said EU leaders had overlooked Jordan and Lebanon, who proportionally bear a much bigger burden than Turkey.

Kosovo – the defenestration of Oliver Ivanovic (TransConflict, by Gerard M. Gallucci, 2 February 2016)

Oliver Ivanovic is today a political prisoner being held as a result of an unholy – and rather short-sighted – alliance between the internationals, Belgrade and the current Kosovo Albanian leadership.

On January 21, judges of the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) in Mitrovica declared Kosovo Serb political activist, Oliver Ivanovic, guilty of “war crime against the civilian population”, while acquitting him of murder, inciting murder or attempted murder. Presiding Judge, Roxana Comsa, found that Ivanovic – while not a leader of the “Bridge Watchers” – had “known” that an “operation of expulsions and killings of Albanians was under way” in north Mitrovica and “willingly complied” – apparently by not acting to prevent it. The judges reached their decision on the basis of the suspect and sketchy testimony of a few “witnesses” in a trial 14 years after events that occurred in the context of NATO bombing and widespread ethnic violence. The court sentenced Ivanovic to nine years – he was originally arrested in 2014 and released into house detention last September – and carried him back to prison on January 28. The prosecution, trial and renewed imprisonment were politically-motivated and carried out to serve the interests of the Europeans and Americans left holding the Kosovo bag as well as a Serbian government eager to wipe Kosovo Serbs off its shoes. The whole affair raises grave doubts about rule of law in Kosovo.

The facts need to be made clear:

• In 1999, the violence between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo was only one part of a confrontation going back decades. Both sides did bad things and the NATO bombing of Serbia from the air – meant to save the West from having to put actual peacekeepers on the ground – plunged the territory further into conflict.
• Oliver Ivanovic was part of a group of local Serbs acting on behalf of their community. These “Bridge Watchers” also did bad things (then and after). But the “witnesses” produced by EULEX failed to prove that Ivanovic ordered killings or took part in them. Rather what thin evidence there was suggests that he did nothing more than be swept up in the general breakdown of order.
• Oliver Ivanovic was the first and most capable of the northern Serbs to see that the best way to serve his community was to work politically within the prevailing system and with the international community. He learned English, spoke Albanian and served at different times in the Pristina institutions alongside Kosovo Albanians as well as, after Kosovo independence, a Serbian government official.
• When I knew Oliver – during my time as the UN Regional Representative in the north (2005-08) – he worked consistently for peace and compromise between Serbs and Albanians. Ivanovic saw the potential for Kosovo Serbs, north and south, to work together to serve their common interests within the Kosovo they found themselves. My experience of Oliver leads me to find it very difficult to imagine him ordering the killing of anyone or taking part in such acts in any way.
• Oliver Ivanovic is capable, courageous, and pragmatic. For this reason, he was not always popular in his own community and was sometimes the target of abuse from fellow Serbs (who tended to prefer the radical leaders who never moved on from being Bridge Watchers). Nevertheless, he is the one Kosovo Serb of whom I am aware with the political skills, intelligence and temperament to be the strong, positive leader that his community needs in order to take its full place within a peaceful, democratic, multi-ethnic Kosovo.

This last point seems to be the nub of Ivanovic’ problem. Apparently no one wants the Kosovo Serb community to have a strong leader able to work for practical solutions to practical issues. The Kosovo Albanians probably still just hope that over time the northern Serbs will depart. (Indeed, Serbs have begun to leave the north.) EULEX wanted to arrest a prominent Serb to balance its belated efforts to deal with past and present abuses on the Kosovo Albanian side. Oliver Ivanovic was an easier target than the still at-large local radicals who bedeviled all efforts at peaceful change and therefore were loved (and feared) by their community. Arresting them would have led to thousands onto the streets rather than the handful that have come out for Oliver. Belgrade too preferred – and apparently still does – Oliver off the stage. The Serbian government wants more than anything to move forward on EU membership and sees Kosovo Serbs as both ultimately dispensable and meanwhile a stick to use to beat Pristina. For their purposes, they want Kosovo Serb complacent “leaders” who will do what they are told and remain content with what they can rip-off through double-dipping and petty corruption. It was Belgrade that reportedly suggested to the international prosecutors that they take Ivanovic when they were looking around for a Kosovo Serbian head to take. It is harder to understand why the US and the smarter Europeans let EULEX throw Oliver out the window. Certainly, the Americans understand by now that turning over Kosovo to the Albanians has not produced the sort of outcome they can now declare a success and leave safely behind. The Kosovo Serb community – empowered by the various provisions derived from the Ahtisaari Plan and properly led – could provide an important leavening element within the context of the fragmented Kosovo Albanian political spectrum. It would also be the only way to ensure the survival of a multi-ethnic Kosovo. The internationals should be working with Oliver not imprisoning him. The US is key here because the Europeans are so feckless. The Americans should prevail on EULEX to stop shooting them in the feet. Of course the Americans seem to have a preference for complacent leaders too. They have long supported Hashim Thaci – mediocre at best and quite possibly deeply compromised – over the far more capable and pragmatic Ramush Haradinaj. Haradinaj has lately been flirting with the more radical fringe perhaps because the US and EU continue to threaten him with re-arrest. But he is genuinely popular as well as being independently minded. I’d bet that Ramush and Oliver would work quite well with each other.

Oliver Ivanovic is today a political prisoner being held as a result of an unholy – and rather short-sighted – alliance between the internationals, Belgrade and the current Kosovo Albanian leadership. (Interestingly, the internationals have let a former KLA leader and local mayor, Sami Lushtaku, regularly violate his detention conditions on spurious health claims, despite having been handed an even more lengthy prison term.) Ivanovic deserves to be freed on moral grounds but also because the people of Kosovo – and all who want to see the country succeed – need him to be able to play his part in political developments. If the case must proceed through appeal, then he should be released immediately into house arrest as Ivanovic has clearly demonstrated he is not a flight risk and is determined to clear his name.

Gerard M. Gallucci is a retired US diplomat and UN peacekeeper. He worked as part of US efforts to resolve the conflicts in Angola, South Africa and Sudan and as Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council. He served as UN Regional Representative in Mitrovica, Kosovo from July 2005 until October 2008 and as Chief of Staff for the UN mission in East Timor from November 2008 until June 2010. He has a PhD in political science, taught at the University of Pittsburgh, University of Arkansas, George Washington University and Drake University and now works as an independent consultant.