LOCAL PRESS

Vucic, Dacic react to statements by Croatian officials (Tanjug/Beta/Blic)

Serbia is neither fascinated nor intimidated by the argumentation of Croatian officials, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said Sunday in the wake of Zagreb’s warnings that it might block Serbia’s EU accession talks. “We will keep doing our job, but if they think that we are fascinated or very intimidated by their argumentation, they are terribly mistaken,” the Prime Minister told reporters when asked to comment on Zagreb’s signals about a potential slowdown on Serbia’s EU path. “I admit that I do not always understand Croatian officials, and that is the harshest thing I will say about them,” he said. Serbia is not harming anyone and wishes nothing bad to anyone, Vucic said in Ljig. “We are not doing anything to you. We do not even mention every day the 300,000 refugees that you have driven out of their homes – I guess that is the reason why you lecture us every day. I remained silent event when Croatian officials allowed blackshirts to walk around downtown Zagreb, because I wanted good relations with neighbors,” Vucic said.

Croatia is making unprovoked, empty threats against Serbia, but it should be careful because there already are major objections in the EU and the international community to the tone of Zagreb’s rhetoric, says Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Zagreb is violating its own decision not to make an issue of bilateral matters when it comes to Serbia’s membership in the EU and international organizations, Dacic told Blic. Commenting on Croatia’s threats to block Serbia’s EU integration unless Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj is extradited to the ICTY, Dacic responded that the issue should be addressed by the Tribunal, and not by Serbia, adding that there are many more people like Seselj in Croatia. The question is whether Croatia wants to aggravate its relations with Serbia, or normalize them, he added. “We want a normalization of relations, but we are also prepared to defend our national interests,” said Dacic, who added that Serbia will seek an EU reaction to the messages coming from Zagreb.

Joksimovic: Only Zagreb didn’t give consent for Chapter 23 (Danas)

Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of EU Integration Jadranka Joksimovic has told Danas that Croatia is the only state that didn’t give consent, i.e. the opening benchmark assessment report, for Chapter 23 in Serbia’s negotiations with the EU. “If they also give consent soon, then all of the procedure in regard to the preparation for opening chapters could be finished on time, and the inter-government conference for opening Chapter 23 and 24 could be held until the end of the Dutch presidency, i.e. until the end of June,” said Jokisimovic. “As far as the requests, I think that if there is a sincere intention and good will to resolve bilateral issues apart from the method of obstruction of negotiations, it would be a good signal. If not, then we will additionally burden relations, which I think nobody needs. We will see how Croatia decides, and we are carefully monitoring the messages that are arriving. For me, as the minister in charge, it is important that we have done everything necessary for opening chapters, which has been recognized by all other member states,” said Joksimovic.

Djuric: Serbia is uniting on 24 April (Radio Belgrade)

Member of the presidency of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Marko Djuric said that Serbia is uniting on 24 April for the future and that nobody except the SNS and Aleksandar Vucic can gather and unite the people. “Serbia can improve only if it has a strong government behind it. If the people are not united behind the government, then they would be exposed to internal and international pressures,” said Djuric in a village near Smederevo. “By uniting, we can remove the obstacles of the decades-long work of bad authorities and destruction of the economy. Only united we can secure new jobs and investments and to fight for Kosovo and Metohija,” said Djuric.

Maric: Issue of Trepca to be resolved in Brussels (RTS)

Minister for Local Self-Administration in the Kosovo government Ljubomir Maric has told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that Serb representatives will not take part in the Commission that will propose a law that would specify the ownership and operating of Trepca. This issue should be resolved at the Brussels level, said Maric. He says that the Serb representatives tried to tell Prime Minister Isa Mustafa that the decision on the formation of the Commission is bad. “That decision was not what we had discussed and our stand remains unchanged – the status of Trepca should be resolved at the Brussels level,” stressed Maric. He recalled that the Kosovo government tried to transform Trepca as early as last January, but Belgrade officials prevented this scenario thanks to its international position. Maric pointed out that the 16-member Commission, with two Serb representatives, should only fulfill form. “It is clear that we will be outvoted. We started activities with the international community in order to point out that this doesn’t reflect the coalition agreement with our partners in the government and we will see how this will be ended,” said Maric. He says that he doesn’t see any reason for the Serbs to take part in something that will only fulfill form.

Vulin: Serbia will respect EU-Turkey agreement (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbia will respect the agreement the EU and Turkey reached on migrants, Serbian Social Policy Minister Aleksandar Vulin said, explaining that Serbia would behave according to how the agreement was implemented. Asked by reporters if the agreement provided for Serbia taking part of the burden, Vulin said that the EU first had to decide where the migrants would be distributed and which countries would accept them, but the EU had not yet reached an agreement about whether a quota system would function at all. “The agreement is still too fresh and we need to see what is going to be happening. As far as Serbia is concerned, we will behave as humanely as possible, while taking care of our own people and our capacity,” the Minister said after a visit to the asylum center in the Belgrade neighborhood of Krnjaca. “We will not be making anyone stay. If someone wants to stay, they can express the intention, and if they don’t want it, we will be forcing them to do so,” stressed Vulin.

UN, EU missions involve 327 Serbian troops (Beta)

At this point, 327 Serbian troops are committed to UN and EU peace-keeping missions, and the plan is to rotate close to 650 Serbian peacekeepers by the end of the year, head of the Serbian army Peacekeeping Operations Center, Colonel Milivoje Pajovic has said. At a military cooperation workshop in Zrenjanin, Pajovic said that 311 members of the Serbian army had been engaged in UN missions, while 16 Serbian troops had joined the EU peacekeeping operations. Twelve members of the Serbian Special Brigade will be joining the latter soon.

Dittmann: Germany will request opening of two more chapters (Novosti)

German Ambassador to Serbia Axel Dittmann has said that Germany would recommend opening Chapters 23 and 24, relating to judiciary and the rule of law, in the first half of this year. In an interview for Novosti, Dittman said that NATO membership was not a prerequisite for joining the EU, and the same went for recognition of Kosovo’s independence. Dittmann pointed out that there was more work to be done in the fields of the rule of law, combating corruption, independence of judiciary and freedom of expression, adding that it was important to keep the reforms’ momentum despite the forthcoming elections. Asked if events in connection with The Hague tribunal process against Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj could slow down Serbia on its road to the EU, given that the motion to open Chapter 23 was awaiting the approval of Croatia, who had said they would block us, Dittmann said that it was important for Serbia to meet all obligations arising from full cooperation with The Hague, stressed, however, that he would not wish to comment on any individual steps being made in the process. As regards Chapters 23 and 24, by delivering its action plans, the Serbian government formally met all conditions for opening the chapters and we will make effort to see it happen, said Dittmann.

Anti-NATO protest held in Novi Sad (NSPM)

On Saturday, an anti-NATO protest was held in Novi Sad, which was attended by several thousand people. The protest was organized by the Zavetnici and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). The organizers recall that Novi Sad was one of the towns that suffered the most during the NATO aggression in 1999. The protest in Novi Sad represents an introduction into the large nationwide anti-NATO protest in Belgrade, which will be held on 27 March.

REGIONAL PRESS

Petronijevic: Judgment will be good, if legal (Srna)

If the judgment of the ICTY in case of the first president of Republika Srpska (RS), Radovan Karadzic, is legal, it will be good; but if it is political, everything could be expected, Karadzic’s legal adviser Goran Petronijevic told Srna. “None of the counts of the indictment was proven beyond reasonable doubt. That’s for sure,” said Petronijevic, who will attend the sentencing on March 24 in the Hague Tribunal. When it comes to Srebrenica, Petronijevic has classified prior the ICTY’s genocide qualifications in this municipality as unsustainable and catastrophic, and stressed that such qualifications will collapse historically, if not in The Hague. Belgrade lawyer remarks that the Hague Prosecutor’s Office claimed one thing, while completely different thing was proven during the court proceedings, or what they claimed has not been proven at all. According to him, the defense is very optimistic unless the Court gives in under the pressure and unless it renders decision as in many cases so fur but governs its decision by facts. “If the judgment is based on the law, it will be good for us, but if the politics governs the content of the judgment, then you can expect anything,” said Petronijevic. He said that, during the trial, the defense presented the facts to show that the theory of more than 7,000 persons killed is false, which the ICTY has denied in its judgment in case of General Zdravko Tolimir, which says more than 4,900. “And it was 8,000, 7,000, 12,000, the entire auction. The Srebrenica case is factually open, and I have no legal dilemma that it was a war crime, not genocide, not even in the worst case scenario,” said Petronijevic. He said that most likely, the defense will hold a press conference after the sentencing in The Hague and that either the defense or the prosecution, or both, will announce the appeal afterwards. Petronijevic has remarked that, at the sentencing, the Court will present its position on the facts, draw a conclusion and pronounce a verdict. He has announced that the largest part of Karadzic’s defense team will attend the sentencing.

Political judgment against Karadzic will be devastating for B&H (Srna)

If the judgment of the ICTY against the first RS president Radovan Karadzic is based on political goals and pressure, this will be devastating for B&H), said Milorad Kojic, the head of the Research Centre of War, War Crimes and Tracing Missing Persons. “This is not the way towards the reconciliation and coexistence in the region. It is B&H’s path towards the abyss and devastation,” Kojic told Srna. According to him, the current practice of the ICTY and the verdicts against senior military and civilian officials of RS suggest that the politics plays much larger role than the law in determining the guilt or innocence. Kojic has said that Radovan Karadzic defense team has managed to present arguments to refute all allegations charged against former first president of RS. Kojic pointed out that during the trial before the ICTY, Radovan Karadzic defense team abode by the legal facts, while both the ICTY and the prosecution were obviously under strong political pressure. He recalled that Judge Frederik Harhoff pointed out that the ICTY does not dispense justice, but implement political decisions, which supports the claims of Republika Srpska about selective approach in the work of the ICTY. Kojic has said that establishing the trust and the reconciliation among the peoples are some of the goals of the processing of war crimes before the ICTY. In this particular case in B&H, the judgment against Radovan Karadzic should be made on the basis of legally proven facts, not on political pressure.

Dodik unveils plaque with the name of “Dr. Radovan Karadzic” on student dorm (Srna)

The RS President Milorad Dodik has unveiled on Sunday in Pale a plaque with the name of “Dr Radovan Karadzic” on the Student Dorm, and visited modern building constructed in accordance with the highest European standards. Together with Dodik, the daughter and wife of former first President of RS – Sonja Karadzic Jovicevic and Ljiljana Zelen Karadzic unveiled the plaque. Dodik has said that this student dorm is dedicated to the man who undoubtedly laid the foundation of RS – the first President of RS, who also signed the decision to build the University of Istocno Sarajevo. “RS lived and lives all these years in impossible conditions, challenged from its very beginning, because there have always been those who did not want it to exist. The so-called international community persistently wants to crash the confidence of the people in what is called RS from the very beginning and in order to do this, they try to discredit people who run RS. It lasts and will not stop,” Dodik said before the large number of attendees. He said that this dorm carries a strong symbolism of the moment when the ICTY’s verdict against the first president of RS is about to be pronounced in the court proceedings humiliating for RS.

Dodik: Bosniaks in B&H are making the same mistakes as Serbs in SFRY (Srna)

In the first part of an interview for Srna, the RS President Milorad Dodik spoke about relations between RS and B&H, actions of international representatives and reasons for political conflicts in B&H. Dodik said that his life commitment is RS and not B&H, and warned that the idea of a strong B&H is the greatest fraud for everyone, including Bosniaks, who do not want coexistence but dominance in such a B&H. “A strong B&H cannot be our concept, regardless of what foreigners might think. We want to destroy their perception of a strong B&H since it means a weak RS or no RS at all,” Dodik said. He said that B&H cannot be built this way and Bosniaks, before everyone else, must understand this if they want B&H. “They are making the same political-strategic mistake as the Serbs in the former Yugoslavia. Serbs felt that Yugoslavia naturally belonged to them since they were scattered around all former Republics as a constituent people. Serbs behaved like victors in the former Yugoslavia and the same thing is now happening with the Bosniaks, which is a great mistake,” Dodik said. The RS President said that foreigners are also bothered by his rejection of the idea of a strong B&H as they do not give up a concept of strengthening B&H. “A certain number of fake international operatives are still here, who came here with the concept of strengthening B&H and who do not give it up. Like with other things in life, it is always the issue of endurance. We do not have a reason to accept their failed ideas from the past. Everything they did in order to centralize B&H was wrong,” Dodik said. According to him, the only thing they should have done, and which they have not done, was to implement the Dayton Agreement and not to destroy it. “They immediately started to destroy the Dayton Agreement and to upgrade B&H in keeping with their idea, in which we had to fit, and the one who did not fit was a bad guy or decadent. In this context, I am satisfied with the position of a bad guy. I am not committed to their ideas,” Dodik said. He noted that foreigners in B&H took over a significant portion of media by way of which they present their ideas and settle accounts with people. “They created the judiciary in order to settle accounts with those who do not accept their ideas, but think for themselves. Their idea is pernicious and does not reflect the reality, does not take into account our interest, and when you oppose all this, then, of course, you have a problem,” Dodik said. He added that they were often telling him that they would cooperate with him only if he would want to commit more to B&H, but that his constitutional role as the RS President is not to commit himself to B&H but to Republika Srpska. “I don’t believe in a concept of B&H. This angers them and then they say ‘we will not talk to Dodik’. I don’t care. I will not talk to them either. It’s easier for me to live when I do not speak with those who are proponents of the idea of a strong B&H,” the RS President has said. He noted that this is why he often suffered pressures, sometimes direct and sometimes indirect, even by way of abuse of the system, by way of leasing certain media which are constantly demonizing Milorad Dodik and the RS government, for which they are paid. “We know it all, of course, and we are not annoyed. We have to fight it. As far as some direct pressure is concerned, this is not possible anymore,” Dodik told Srna. The RS President said that the problem of foreigners is that they became players in an internal political struggle. “You can see even today the arrogance of certain ambassadors who feel that they should decide and that we should only listen. Unfortunately, there are many politicians of my rank who accept such a role. I do not,” Dodik said. The RS President said that there are many disagreements and divisions in B&H and that on such a foundation, just like on force, nothing can be built. Regarding the issue of a referendum and claims by the opposition that the current government in RS “spent the story of a referendum,” Dodik said that a referendum cannot be spent and that only those who do not think strategically can speak this way. “Referendum is a means against which nothing can be used since it is a civilization category. Insisting on a referendum cannot be a spent idea. It can be spent only if you do not hold it,” Dodik said and added that in 2006, when he came to power, no one dared to even mention “R” of a referendum, and today RS has a law on referendum, which was adopted even though it was attacked from all sides. Dodik added that agreement of all political factors in society is needed for every referendum, but that the government in RS, when it comes to a referendum on the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office, for the time being does not have this agreement from the opposition. “My perception of this issue is significantly different from their perception. Our decision on the referendum did not disappear and it only waits for the opposition to “become Serbs” and to finally start working in the interest of RS, and it is in the interest of RS to abolish such a judiciary at the B&H level since it does not lead us anywhere except to a land of fear, land which would be additionally centralized and which would be a land without freedom. This is why this is important for all of us who live here,” Dodik said. The RS President said that the opposition “for their narrow-mindedness and bad characters” turned the issue of a referendum into “some individual position.” “If someone had something to hide, he would have made deals with such a B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office, and would not be in confrontation with them, like I am. In any case, I, unlike them, feel that it is in the interest of the Serb people and RS to replace or reform this decadent judiciary at the B&H level and that our interest should be clearly incorporated in it,” RS President Milorad Dodik said in an interview for the Srna.

Status of RS – most important issue for Serbs in B&H (Srna)

In the second part of an interview for Srna, Dodik spoke about the status of RS as the most important issue for the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), the need for increased responsibility and solidarity of all, and the cooperation with Serbia and Russia as certain and stable RS’s partners. RS President Milorad Dodik has said that the status of RS is dominantly and permanently the most important issue for the Serb people in B&H, and that the two key issues in that fight for the status are – responsibility and solidarity of all people who bear RS is in their hearts. The RS president stressed that the status of RS is a long-term objective requiring work on daily basis, which covers not only internal political issues, but also relations the region-wide, social and economic issues, including the fight against all the decadent phenomena in society. Without the struggle and dedication to the public and national interest, there is no country, no republic, no entity, no national of any other human communities,” noted Dodik. The RS President recalled the numerous infrastructure projects being implemented in RS, as well as those of regional character that resulted from good relations with Serbia, which RS has signed the Agreement on Special Parallel Relations with. “The dialogue we have with the leadership of Serbia, first of all, with President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, is a very constructive and good. I believe they have demonstrated a resolute position of Serbia in regard to the respect of the Dayton Agreement,” said Dodik. “We have never been pressured by the current leadership of Serbia. We discuss all issues. We want a strong Serbia and it is our commitment,” said Dodik. According to him, a strong Serbia is a backbone of regional stability and strong Serbia means strong institutions. “I wish Serbia all the best in the upcoming elections. Vucic has demonstrated a significant responsibility in this regard and I believe it will be continued,” said Dodik. He stressed that Russia is one of the certain and stable RS’s partners without political demands, which assists in accordance with the importance it has as a member of a large international community. “Russia has often been ostracized by the international community because it was principled. In B&H, Russia as part of the Peace Implementation Council was dedicated to the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, while others from the international community were not, thus they put Russia aside,” said Dodik. However, Dodik points out, Russia is principled in the maintenance of international law which is very important for RS. “It suits us and we are proud of the ties we have with Russia. Of course, the entire region is directed towards the European processes, although it is clear that Europe is seeking itself and the events that we see in Europe absolutely suggest that Europe is not what it used to be, thus it will be necessary to wait for some new Europe and declare our position on it,” RS President Milorad Dodik said in an interview for Srna.

Reconstruction of power in the USC: SBB to join the government (Nezavisne)

In recent days, intensive negotiations are held on the matter of reconstruction of power in the Una-Sana Canton (USC). By all accounts, the current coalition in Canton consisting of SDA and ASDA should quickly be joined by the Alliance for better future (SBB). Yesterday, in the premises of the Cantonal Board of SDA in Bihac, three-hour long meeting was held between the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Party of Democratic Activity (ASDA), regarding reconstruction and strengthening of the current government coalition, which is made of these two parties. According to the first announcements, in the upcoming days, the ruling coalition should find joint solution on the reform of the executive branch and joining of SBB to the government of USC. “We agree that SBB participates in the government, but the future division depends on the number of members of the Parliament, as well as the election results. If those are parameters for future distribution of power, ASDA has nothing against this kind of coalition,” said Hadzipasic. “Besides the work on joint implementation of projects of cantonal importance, the agreement referred to three parties in the USC will help with implementation of reforms that is started in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Avdic. The continuation of negotiations is expected next week.

SDA and SBB to join forces in the local elections 2016 in the entity of Republika Srpska (Fena)

The Presidency of SDA expressed readiness for cooperation and joint participation in the local elections 2016 with the Alliance for a Better Future (SBB) in the entity of Republika Srpska, as well as in returnee municipalities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In other municipalities, it is necessary to agree on joint candidates for mayors.

Meeting on the electoral rules in Mostar postponed (Vecernji list)

A meeting on the electoral rules in this city of Mostar between the leadership of the HDZ B&H and the SDA, which was to be held on Sunday in Mostar, has been postponed because of the diametrically opposite positions of the parties, which is why the elections may not be held in October in the city on the Neretva River, reports Vecernji List.

Democrats will restrain from attacks on DF, Demos and URA (CDM)

The agreement on cooperation and restraint from attacks during campaigning for the approaching elections on local and state level has been signed by Democratic Front, DEMOS, and URA, leader of Democrats Aleksa Becic said. This agreement will be in full force only when all opposition subjects sign (SNP is yet to sign), but Democratic Montenegro stated that starting today, they will not attack any political subject that has signed the agreement. At the press conference Becic has notified the public that he, as a President of Democratic Montenegro, has signed the agreement, along with Nebojsa Medojevic, on part of Democratic Front, Miodrag Lekic, President of DEMOS and Zarko Rakcevic, President of URA. Becic said that, unfortunately, the agreement has not been signed by a representative of Socialist People’s Party of Montenegro. This party never officially responded to a written initiative of Democrats. President of Democrats said that this was a historical moment for Montenegro. “This is a big step forward and a strong message from four oppositional subjects to the general public of Montenegro. In the following period, we will work on building trust between opposition parties, building respect and solidarity, because this is the only way that the opposition can create necessary conditions to become a factor of change in Montenegro’s political situation. Regardless of the fact that this agreement comes in force when all the subjects have signed, Democratic Montenegro will start enforcing it today, and our party will not say not one bad word about political parties that have signed this agreement,” Becic said. President of Democrats gave a deadline until the end of the day for SNP to change their mind and sign the agreement. “By signing this agreement, we are creating the conditions necessary for the opposition to become a credible alternative to the Government. Approaching elections, we shall stop all internal attacks, and we shall direct our energy to the representatives of the leadership,” Becic said. Regarding local elections in Tivat, Becic expressed a well-known fact. “Democrats have a strong party infrastructure on local level, election list with 32 candidates, necessary signatures, a great leader of Election list, election program and support of at least 15%, according to the research of our competitors. Democratic Montenegro is not surprised by this data, having in mind that in Tivat Democrats have great representatives, led by Vladimir Arsic. However, the lack of elementary conditions for free and fair elections and growing distrust in the electoral process could prove this data worthless, and Democrats would like to underline that the respect for the rule of law, regaining trust, cooperation in the opposition and given word are high above any narrow party interest,” Becic said.

Gruevski: Government’s focus remains on EU and NATO membership (MIA)

We are characterized by so many things, especially by the efforts and hard work, our dedication, and responsible approach. One of our more significant characteristics is the care, pleading for, and defending the national and public interest. This was announced by Nikola Gruevski on Sunday, President of VMRO-DPMNE, pointing that the Government’s focus is always Macedonia. “Always, and everywhere, we have strived and will strive for this essential value, our focus will always be this country, our country Macedonia. Everything the generations before us have fought for, we will keep, we will not endanger and we will develop, to make sure we pass it on to the next generations. The NATO and EU memberships are our strategic determination despite all criticism, we stand strong, and walk that way, and create results. The main challenge and focus of EU at the moment is the migrant crisis, which we are facing as well. On the other hand, we are not stepping back from our reform agenda to become member of EU and NATO, that is an important process in which we keep implementing measures and Laws,” Gruevski pointed.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

‘On wave of migration’: Kosovo PM admits his brother, other relatives sought asylum in EU (RT, 21 March 2016)

Kosovo’s prime minister concedes his brother joined the wave of asylum seekers in the EU in 2015. Contrary to the expectations of 1.8 million Kosovars, the Serbian province remains one of the poorest entities in Europe.

PM Isa Mustafa said on Facebook that his brother Ragip and his children had tried to escape a doubtful future in Kosovo, which declared unilateral independence in 2008, and joined other Kosovars that infiltrated Europe through the so-called Balkan corridor. It was earlier reported by the Pristina-based Insajderi media outlet.

“I read that my brother was an asylum seeker to get medical help. This is true,” Mustafa’s Facebook page entry read. According to Insajderi, Mustafa’s brother with the family managed to get into the EU via Serbia and Hungary before Budapest ordered the border with Serbia be sealed. Initially attempting to apply for asylum in France, Ragip Mustafa made another application in Germany in June 2015, Insajderi reported.

“On the wave of migration, I want to be open with you. My nieces and nephews also went, but they are back now. This shows that my family members also face the same destiny as other citizens,” the PM wrote, adding that his brother underwent surgery for an undisclosed condition in the Albanian capital, Tirana, in late 2015 and that “Now he is back in Pristina and his condition continues to be very grave.”

Although European nations offered asylum primarily to citizens of the war-torn Syria and Iraq, people from other nations that do not live under conditions of war, yet suffer from never-ending unrest and poverty, saw their chance to make a better life in the well-positioned European Union.

For Kosovo, 2015 became the worst year since the conflict between Belgrade and Pristina in 1998-1999, marked by an unprecedented exodus of citizens heading for the EU member states.

Some 70,000 Kosovars were among an estimated 1 million refugees that flooded Europe through the Balkan corridor in 2015, according to Reuters. They were escaping the unemployment and poverty of their homeland, where politicians are not only suspected of corruption, but also have a reputation for inflexibility in their dealings with each other. A considerable part of the of the original Kosovo population, some 800,000 ethnic Albanians, has already migrated to live in Western Europe, primarily to Germany and Switzerland, after guerilla warfare emerged in the region in late 1990s. Lately, the flow of migrants has been drying up after the German and Swiss authorities began to send Kosovars back home, finding them ineligible for refugee status.

Isa Mustafa maintains he has been committed to creating jobs and attracting investment to Kosovo, as well as easing EU visa requirements for Kosovars and improving available medical treatment which leaves much to be desired.

Bosnian Serb Post Monopoly Leaves Firms Out of Pocket (BIRN, by Katarina Panic, 21 March 2016)

Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity is trying to save its postal company from bankruptcy – but at the cost of ignoring a Constitutional Court order and damaging other firms.

Public companies in Republika Srpska are dismayed by the entity government’s drive to defend RS Posts’ monopoly on delivering utility bills. The move has saved the postal service from financial collapse but means ignoring a Constitutional Court order and is damaging other firms.

“Sending bills via RS Posts is too expensive for us. We’ve been always told to cut our costs as much as possible, and now we are being asked to raise our costs in order to save another public company. No way!” Ljiljana Despotovic, head of Toplana, a heating company in the northwestern town of Prijedor, told BIRN. Like many other public companies in the RS, the entity’s postal company, RS Posts, has been struggling with poor management, corruption and debt for years. The Republika Srpska government has been unable to tackle the problems and is unwilling to close down a company perceived as a part of the entity’s statehood. Quarrels between RS Posts, other public companies and the RS government, which have gone on for years, reflect the generally poor financial situation in this entity as well as in the country, where firms struggle for survival in a stagnant economy. In a bid to save RS Post’s finances, the entity government adopted a law in 2010 forcing public broadcasters, power, water, heating, cleaning and all other public and utility companies to post their utility bills through the RS Posts, instead of delivering them directly to end-users. After operating with a negative balance of payments for years, and having accumulated a massive debt, RS Posts finally turned a small profit as of 2014. However, other public companies have been hurt, as the law change increased their operating costs for the postal fees they had to pay. Most utility companies have disobeyed the law from the onset and RS Posts has sued some of them in local courts. The communal company Buducnost [Future], in Laktasi, in the northwest of the RS, launched a legal process against this law in 2012. After it went through the entire judicial system of the RS, Bosnia’s state Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the appeal at the end of February. However, ignoring the state court’s decision, the RS government last week issued a demand to all public and utility companies to keep sending utility bills through RS Posts. In its statement, the RS government said that accepting the Constitutional Court ruling would “have significant impact on the RS Posts and jeopardize its business”. “We were strongly against the RS Law on Postal Services [from 2010]. We’ve never applied this law nor will we ever do so, despite the latest demand from the [RS] government,” Despotovic told BIRN. “Our staff will continue to deliver bills to our consumers as we’ve always done,” she concluded. Komunalne usluge [Communal services], a company from Prijedor, also ignored the 2010 law after which the local court fined it some 44,000 euros. However, it never paid the fine as RS Posts withdrew its lawsuit following the Constitutional Court decision.

“Our bill collectors both deliver the bills and collect some 60 per cent of the money,” company director Dujo Milanko told BIRN. He added that posting bills through RS Posts would cost the company up to 100,000 euros per year. “This would definitely push us into bankruptcy,” he said.

“I have not yet been informed officially about the government’s new decision, but I am not keen on it. It is as if government forbade us from using foot, bicycles, cars or planes and ordered us only to use trains in order to save the railway company,” Milanko concluded. The RS government demand also goes against the practice of some public companies of modernizing operations and sending bills through emails. Mario from Prijedor told BIRN that he was already getting his TV licence fee and electricity bills by email and did not see the point of getting them in the post. “It is better this way. The bills are in my inbox at the very beginning of the month, not after 15th or 20th. I hope the same will soon be done with other bills too,” Mario added.

“Trying to force some public companies to help another public company by giving it a monopoly, to the detriment of other companies, is not the proper way,” Milanko from Prijedor Communcal services concluded.

Why a stable Macedonia matters (The Washington Times, by Jason Katz, 20 March 2016)

The interests of the United States and the European Union depend on free elections

We, in the United States are currently dealing with a rancorous presidential election cycle, one like none we have seen before. On one side, a moderate, old guard Democrat — perhaps a bit out of touch and definitely with some baggage — running against, of all things, a welfare for all/work for none-Socialist, who can’t seem to see the forest, let alone the trees.

On the Republican side, there is a veritable cornucopia of personalities, with a flamboyant, seeming equal opportunity offender as the front-runner. However, the political realities of other nations can be much worse, and, in some cases, more dangerous to those nations and to U.S. interests. Such is the political reality for Macedonia. On the one side, fortunately for Macedonians, is a popular and successful past — and likely future — prime minister, Nikola Gruevski. On the other side, Zoran Zaev and his Social Democrat (former communist) opposition party. A reputed racketeer, Mr. Zaev alternately attempts to boycott elections or postpone them, as he did just last week. Mr. Gruevski stepped down as prime minister in January as part of an odd agreement brokered by the European Union with the goal of “enhancing democracy.” Despite the EU and the U.S. statements supporting the new election date, Mr. Zaev’s opposition refused to vote for it. His low popularity is driving his obstructionism.

With the assistance of the EU and the United States, Macedonia can move past the obstructionism of Mr. Zaev and his cronies, and when elections are finally held, Mr. Gruevski will likely be elected again as prime minister. This complicated situation leaves Macedonia with a caretaker government, bereft of real leadership and decision-making power. Macedonia is a nation in a holding position in a neighborhood where it is dangerous to be sedentary.

Macedonia’s progress is indisputable. On Mr. Gruevski’s watch, this emerging parliamentary democracy of just more than 2 million, was ranked by the World Bank as the 12th best country in the world and 6th in Europe for doing business. Prior to Mr. Gruevski’s tenure, Macedonia was ranked 94th. In addition, unemployment, the economic and political bane of Southeast Europe, stands at roughly 25 percent, down from nearly 40 percent, with more than 150,000 jobs added during Mr. Gruevski’s 10 years at the helm. Also on Mr. Gruevski’s watch, Macedonia has made strides toward the establishment of the rule of law, a bona-fide democratic system of governance, Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as application and beginning the ascension processes for both European Union and NATO membership. Still, Macedonia has suffered not just from Mr. Zaev’s political shenanigans from within, but also from Greek obstructionism from without. Southeast Europe remains a largely unstable region and is still recovering from the disastrous Balkan Wars of the 1990s. It is a part of the region where countries like Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia exist under the constant threat of Islamist penetration. The Balkans suffer from ethnic strife, Russian neo-Imperialist ambition and, increasingly, under political and threat of instability due to the ever-growing Syrian refugee crisis. However, the nations that have sought EU and NATO membership and who have cast their lot with the West, have become more stable. Austria has repeatedly expressed its support and provided assistance to Macedonia’s efforts to regulate migration. Macedonia, under the leadership of Mr. Gruevski, has sought alignment with the West, as well as EU and NATO membership as its way forward to stability and prosperity. Alas, the way forward to stability and prosperity is impeded by Greece.

Stemming from a disagreement over the name “Macedonia” — Greece’s northern-most province is also called Macedonia — Greece has blocked Macedonia’s NATO and EU ascension at each juncture. In addition, frustrated with the EU tough monetary policy toward Athens’ profligate spending, Greece has seen fit to handle the refugee crisis incompetently. Refugees flow, practically unchecked, over the Greece-Macedonia border, putting an unbearable strain on Macedonia’s economy, military and civil service. All the while, Greece is able to take advantage of copious benefits from the EU to manage the refugees, while Macedonia is largely left to handle the crisis unaided. It is time for the United States and the EU to render assistance to Macedonia looking at the broader picture and recognizing that the best interests of the EU and the people of Macedonia is to hold elections without a further delay. It is also in the United States’, EU’s and NATO’s best interests to stand up to Greece’s untenable positions on Macedonia’s progress on NATO and the EU membership, and allow the ascension process to move forward.