LOCAL PRESS

Government to discuss support for Jeremic’s candidacy (B92/Novosti)

B92 has learned that the Serbian government will debate at today’s session on giving support to Vuk Jeremic for the candidacy for the United Nations Secretary-General. According to Novosti, the decision will be made at the government session for Serbia to support Jeremic’s candidacy for the post of the Secretary-General. Novosti adds that this decision comes as a surprise in a certain way since several top-ranking officials had so far said that former foreign minister Jeremic could not count on Serbia’s support for this United Nations post. Speaking in Mostar on Tuesday, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he was “not ruling out the possibility” that his cabinet might support Jeremic when it meets later in the afternoon.

Miscevic: Chapter 23 is not on COELA meeting’s agenda (Tanjug)

The Head of Serbia’s negotiating team with the EU Tanja Miscevic says that the meeting of the Committee on EU Enlargement of the Council of the EU (COELA) taking place on Tuesday would not discuss Chapter 23. Miscevic told Tanjug that a Serbian delegation was taking part in a meeting of the Stabilization and Accession Council at the EU headquarters, where they were discussing results of the reform process in Serbia. “The meeting will not touch on Chapter 23, nor will there be any consultations,” Miscevic said, commenting on media reports saying that another Croatian “no” would be heard on Tuesday. Croatia did not give its approval to open Chapter 23 with Serbia at a meeting of the Committee last week, as the Croatian representative said she had “no instructions” to do so.

Djuric: Settlement for returnees built in northern Kosovo (Beta)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said that after 16 years a settlement for returnees was to be built between Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan, including 300 “modern and top-equipped” homes for 1,200 to 1,500 people. “The settlement will be built in the next 12 months, and our plan and mission is to have, after a full 16 years, the first serious returnee settlement in Kosovo and Metohija, where together with a home you can live in, comes at least one job,” Djuric said at a public debate with displaced persons from Kosovo living in Kraljevo. “I know that for security and other reasons many can’t go back to other places, but we want to fight for our Kosovo and Metohija by making it possible for more people to live there, and for these people, whose lives may be difficult in central Serbia, to have a chance of living a dignified life in Kosovo,” he explained.

Kandic ordered to pay damages to Dikovic (Tanjug/B92)

The First Basic Court in Belgrade has ordered the Humanitarian Law Center (FHP) and Natasa Kandic to pay 550,000 Dinars (EUR 4,480) in damages to Chief-of-the-General-Staff of the Serbian Army, General Ljubisa Dikovic. The FHP and Kandic must pay compensation for publishing false allegations in their “Dossier Ljubisa Dikovic”. The first instance verdict, which the Fund and Kandic can appeal, partially accepted Dikovic’s claim, the NGO announced. Dikovic asked to be awarded compensation of 1 million Dinars “for suffering mental anguish due to the violation of his honor and reputation caused by a public presentation of incorrect accusations and value judgments that have offensive connotations and violate human dignity”. According to the FHP, the First Basic Court’s ruling contains several contradictory and paradoxical conclusions on the merits of the allegations in the said files, i.e., on their basis in evidence. “On the one hand, the court held that the burden of proof for the claims about General Dikovic’s involvement in war crimes was on the defendants – the FHP and Natasa Kandic, and on the other, it refused to hear witnesses proposed by the defendants, on the grounds that the resolution of this issue was under the jurisdiction of the court for war crimes. At the same time, the court rejected the motion of the defendants to terminate the litigation proceedings for precisely those reasons, until the conclusion of a preliminary investigation of the war crimes prosecution in connection with the criminal charges filed by the FHP,” said the Fund. The NGO added that the court found the statements of Kandic, at the time FHP’s director, about Dikovic’s “impure war past” to have been value judgments – but ones not based on sufficient factual basis. “At the same time, the court accepted the testimonies of Natasa Kandic and Sandra Orlovic regarding the creation of the said dossier, and found it to be an indisputable fact that its sources were ‘the FHP databases, the evidence used in the cases before the ICTY, and Serbian Army military documents’,” a statement said. The FHP agrees with the court’s assessment that the factual allegations set out in the dossier and in Kandic’s statements have not been proven during the proceedings before the court, “but does not agree with the explanation that determining the veracity of the disputed factual allegations would lead to unlawful interference of a civil court’s jurisdiction into that of a criminal court”.

SRS in Kosovska Mitrovica without Seselj (Tanjug)

The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) held today a pre-election rally in Kosovska Mitrovica, without the presence of its leader Vojislav Seselj. The Kosovo Police had announced earlier that Seselj will be arrested if he attempts to enter northern Kosovo. “When I returned to Belgrade as the victor over the ICTY, I was given a new ID, but they told me I cannot use it as a travel document, that I can’t travel to Serbian Kosovo and Metohija, Republika Srpska, Montenegro and Macedonia,” said Seselj. He says that the past regimes were gradually betraying Kosovo and Metohija, but that the Progressive government made the biggest step in that direction with two sets of the Brussels agreements. He called the Serbs to stay in Kosovo, and that the SRS will do everything “to return Kosovo and Metohija to the homeland Serbia”.

Sarovic: Kosovo Serbs are interested in freedom, not EU (RTS/Tanjug)

The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) held a rally in Gracanica, where the SRS deputy head Nemanja Sarovic and local officials spoke. They said the Kosovo Serbs could make the first step towards freedom by voting at the elections. Sarovic says that Kosovo Serbs are not interested in the EU, or the Belgrade Waterfront, but only in freedom. He adds that only the SRS advocates an alliance with Russia and that Serbia can manage to liberate Kosovo and Metohija “one day” only in an alliance with Russia, reads the SRS statement.

Stojanovic: Prominent members of the SNS Nis board threaten and blackmail citizens (Juzne vesti/B92)

Former SNS official who formed the list “Sincerely for Nis”, Momir Stojanovic, says that citizens who support this list have been exposed to torture. Juzne vesti reports that the case is being investigated by the police. In violation to the law on elections, personal data of followers who gave signature to the group of citizens that left the SNS Nis board had leaked from the Pantelej municipal electoral commission, reads their statement.

CeSID and TV Prva: Expected turnout in Vojvodina 53% (RTS)

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is supported by 41.2% of voters in Vojvodina, the League of Social-Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) is supported by 12%, the coalition around the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) is supported by 8.5%, while the coalition around the Democratic Party (DS) is supported by 6.2%, shows the latest survey by the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) and TV Prva. According to this survey, the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) will be supported by 8% of voters at the provincial elections, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) will be supported by 7.6%, Dveri and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will be supported by 7.6%, the Movement Enough if Enough will be supported by 5.4%, while the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) and the Social-Democrat Party (SDS) will remain below census with 2.9% of support. The expected voter turnout in Vojvodina is 53%. Aleksandar Vucic is considered to be the best solution for the future prime minister by 43%, Pajtic is supported by 6.1%, Sasa Radulovic by 5.3%, Seselj by 3.5% and Dacic by 3.1%.

REGIONAL PRESS

Vucic in Mostar: Regional cooperation of crucial importance (Srna)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says that regional cooperation is of crucial importance and that he will invest a lot of effort and hard work into maintaining peace and stability for all the people in the Western Balkans. “Serbia, B&H, and Croatia have the duty to create stability and security for all their citizens. If you’re going to tell me that everything is wonderful, your reaction and your questions show me that it’s not. It is much better to have truthful and honest relationships and deal with our problems than to sweep them under the rug,” Vucic told reporters in Mostar following a meeting with Mladen Ivanic, the Serb member of the Presidency of B&H. Vucic said it was good news that Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic had stated she was expecting a meeting with him on Tuesday and a lowering of tensions. “I hope we will be able to do that,” he said. He noted that Croatia would decide if it wanted to keep blocking Serbia’s path to the EU, and added that Serbia would keep behaving in accordance with the European practice and neighborly customs. B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic has said that Serbia and B&H have never had any problems in their relations because only the three members of the Presidency can speak together on behalf of the country. “Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic (Presidency Chairman) has had his own views and those are not the B&H’s views. B&H believes it has a good and kind friend in Serbia and that’s how we’ll keep going,” said Ivanic. He believes it is high time to lower the tensions because last year and this year B&H showed too much negativity towards Serbia for no particular reason. “Srebrenica, the cancellation of a visit to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic over Naser Oric, and the lectures regarding the latest court verdicts. It is high time the Bosniak politicians stopped all that and instead of having conflicts, we should move forward and cooperate because Serbia has sent messages in that respect,” asserted Ivanic.

SDA waited for 12 years to admit to have given everything to HDZ in Mostar (Patria)

It has become clear that, in the story of Mostar, nobody is entirely honest. Leaders of SDA and HDZ B&H Bakir Izetbegovic and Dragan Covic have not been honest with each other; their public statements greatly differ so one gets an impression that either negotiations are aimed at not reaching agreements or that everything has been previously agreed. And all this time, they have been skillfully deceiving the public. The city on Neretva is being used for months for gaining political votes for the upcoming elections. Nevertheless, the truth has surfaced in this political game for Mostar. After 12 years, President of City Council of SDA Mostar, Salem Maric, publicly admitted on FTV that, since 2004, chief of service has always been a Croat, head of department has also been a Croat, as well as mayor of Mostar. In the chain of signatures for building permits, all signatories have been Croats. Therefore, for 12 years SDA has intentionally and in agreement with HDZ B&H been giving upon the power in favor of HDZ B&H, and for some small personal interest, and now they admit it. East part of town has been intentionally neglected, numerous projects for east part of Mostar have been blocked – not because of HDZ B&H but because of SDA politics. There are two electro companies, two telephone providers, two educational systems. SDA has been aware of that, and has supported it all the way, except for a few persons who publicly spoke about it and became ‘unwelcome’. Everyone else kept silent because they enjoyed personal benefits of such situation. And now those who have kept silent are appearing with some solutions for Mostar structure that are based on principle ‘let’s get hold of anything before we lose everything’. Key actors of this political saga are Izetbegovic and Covic. They have been talking for months now about being ‘at the doorstep to finding solution for Mostar’. Then inexplicably they follow with statement about achieving nothing as yet. Besides that, Covic now appears as advocate for one, united, multiethnic Mostar, while Izetbegovic who actively pushes the proposal of Mostar SDA is seen in the public eye as the politician who wants to divide the city. Is that because US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack appeared with him in the public or for some other reason, but last Tuesday Covic made an appearance in Mostar as advocate for united Mostar. Covic opposed the idea of dividing Mostar in two municipalities as was proposed by SDA. He said that HDZ and SDA elite have almost reached an agreement as regards best solution for Mostar, yet that some lower party bodies from SDA appealed for Mostar to be structured into two municipalities along the line of separation from the past war, which is why the agreement was not reached. At the same time, Izetbegovic stated that they tried to come to an agreement about Mostar but that HDZ lacked readiness. “The solution that was almost agreed upon was the united Mostar with a certain degree of self-governance on lower levels of power from that of the city power, and SDA and HDZ B&H had a similar stance on that. However, HDZ B&H suddenly abandoned the proposal and offered a one-sided proposal” said Izetbegovic in an interview for Nezavisne novine from Banja Luka. He added that Bosniaks will not agree to a solution due to which they would be over voted given that they are minority vis a vis Croats. And then, on the same day, Salem Maric confirmed that Bosniaks have been over voted in Mostar for the last 12 years, something that his political party has been silently agreeing to for all those years. The last local elections in Mostar were held in 2008. In the meantime, the Constitutional court of B&H, requested by Croat political parties, annulled the part of Election Law of B&H relating to Mostar, further requesting to even out vote value of voters from the former 6 election areas. That’s why elections in Mostar were not held at all in 2012, the City Council was dissolved, and the only power is Mayor Ljubo Beslic himself.

Orucevic: I’m not interested in the politics, my sole motive is Mostar (Patria)

The former mayor of Mostar and Director of Center for Peace Safet Orucevic proposed a solution for Mostar which presumes elections without over vote. Orucevic told us the reason for him to get involved. “HDZ is not to blame for the current situation in East Mostar but only SDA Mostar. For 13 years there have not been any investments, east side of town is neglected and all due to local politics of SDA. When I saw kind of solutions they were offering for the city for which we fought in peace with politics and in war with guns, that it becomes divided, I could not just stand and watch. We fought for one B&H, for one undivided Mostar. I’m appalled by what they are doing, not just me, but all citizens of Mostar who carry Mostar in their hearts. I’m only interested in this town staying one and whole, without divisions, with elections – I’m not interested in the politics. My Mostar, you mean everything to me,” says Orucevic.

Grabar-Kitarovic: B&H’s Euro-Atlantic integration Croatia’s strategic interest (Hina)

In a lecture for students at Mostar University on Tuesday, President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic stressed that B&H’s integration with Euro-Atlantic associations was Croatia’s strategic interest and that without Croats that country would not exist. “I strongly believe that EU and NATO membership is not only a firm guarantee to resolve security threats which the EU and southeast Europe are encountering, but that it is the best guarantee for lasting peace, security, stability and for people to remain in this region. That isn’t a strategic interest of just B&H, it is a profound strategic interest for Croatia,” the President said during the talk entitled “European security challenges in Southeast Europe”. Without Croats and all of you who live here and work at Mostar University there would be no B&H. B&H is not only a geographical area but the people who make it,” Grabar Kitarovic said. “The Croat people are one nation, one being. We in Croatia have a special, not just duty, not just moral or constitutional obligation, but a desire and strong urge to help you Croats in B&H to fully achieve your rights as an equal constituent people of this wonderful land and to create conditions for young people to remain here in Mostar, in B&H,” she said.

Croatian President calls for uniting on fundamental values, joint Jasenovac commemoration (Hina)

President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Monday she was worried about intensifying ideological divisions, notably concerning an upcoming commemoration for the victims of the Jasenovac WWII concentration camp, calling on all citizens, political parties, the government and parliament to unite on fundamental social values, specifically the commemoration. She said anti-fascism was in the foundations of the Croatian Constitution and that the present-day Croatian state rose up on the foundations of the 1991-95 Homeland War under the leadership of Croatia’s first President, Franjo Tudjman. The president said she had invited some of those that would participate in the commemoration to her office for talks, hopeful that they would find a solution. “My goal is to talk with everybody, to defuse tensions so that we can pay our respects to the Jasenovac victims in a dignified manner, with full acknowledgement and respect and, above all, to stop dividing on ideological issues”. The president said she and the US official also talked about the restitution of Jewish property which was confiscated in World War Two and later nationalized by the former Yugoslav communist government. She said they also talked about Holocaust education and honoring victims.

PM says government condemns Ustasha crimes (HRT)

Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic on Monday condemned the crimes of the Ustasha regime, adding that he regretted that marking the day of remembrance of WWII Jasenovac concentration camp victims was being used for politicization which he said was inappropriate and led to new divisions in society. “The Croatian government and I personally condemn the crimes committed by the Ustasha regime,” the PM told Croatian Radio Television (HRT). He recalled that 22 April was the day of commemorating innocent victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp which even the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac had said was the biggest stain on Croatia’s history. “I regret that this occasion (…) is being used for politicization, which is inappropriate and which leads to new divisions in society. All this not only offends the victims and their families, but it also causes great damage to Croatia,” Oreskovic said.

Markovic: Partners in the political dialogue to show responsibility (RTCG)

Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said that the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will not threaten the political capital made in previous negotiations between the government and the opposition and urged the partners in dialogue to show patience and responsibility and not to allow individual interests to jeopardize interest of the people and the state. “We have made a long way to reach a political agreement, while building political trust, and all for the sake of Montenegro. This is a common result of which was preceded by a clear and fair offer by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. DPS will not jeopardize the political capital. Therefore, we invite our partners in the political dialogue to show patience and responsibility and not to allow individual interests to jeopardize interest of the people and the state. We are aware that everyone does not understand this need in the same way, but let’s give them a chance”, the Deputy Prime Minister told Dnevne Novine. Earlier today, the president of URA Civic Movement Zarko Rakcevic said that dismissals in editorial board of the public broadcaster RTCG were a precondition for signing the agreement. The Montenegrin prime minister and the president of DPS sent a draft agreement on the creating conditions for free and fair elections to leaders of Positive Montenegro, SDP, URA and Demos on Friday, 1 April.

Montenegro hopes for the ratification of NATO protocol (RTCG)

The vice president of the Atlantic Council in Washington, Damon Wilson, said he hoped that the protocol on the accession of Montenegro to NATO would be signed by the current, the 114th US Congress, which would significantly shorten the period to full membership. “I sincerely hope that this Congress will ratify the protocol, because if is transferred to a new one, then more time will be needed and it depends on internal issues in the United States”, Wilson told RTCG. He added that he was pleased because another Balkan country would join NATO, adding he was sure it would provide a new level of stability to the region. “This decision will bring new investments to the region… This is also the message to Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Belgrade – the example of what should be done on the integration path”, said Wilson. He said that receiving NATO invitation did not mean that reforms should be finished – “it means more work, and more intensive efforts”, he said. According to him, by membership in the Alliance and the European Union, Montenegro would successfully position itself on the international scene. “This is a country that made good moves, renewed its independence and ensured a secure future for its people. This was a decade of big decisions the benefits of which would be felt by population of Montenegro. Independence has brought autonomy in decision-making and enabled the country to progress significantly,” Wilson said. He said that since 2006, people of Montenegro had decided on their own fate and that no one in the future must be allowed to tailor it on their behalf.

Council of Europe’s Robert Walter calls on SDSM to reconsider election boycott decision (MIA)

Robert Walter, Rapporteur for the post monitoring dialogue with Macedonia and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 2010 to 2015, called on the opposition SDSM party to reconsider its decision to boycott the 5 June election. “I would urge all political parties, but particularly the SDSM, to participate in the 5 June elections. They clearly represent a substantial proportion of the Macedonian population, who deserve to be represented in Parliament. It is the constitutional right of every citizen to elect their representatives. It is the duty of those they elect to represent them in Parliament. I believe a boycott of the 5 June elections by SDSM and other opposition parties would also be irresponsible, putting at risk Macedonia’s progress towards EU and NATO membership and undermining investor confidence in the country,” Walter said in a statement published on Monday. SDSM leader Zoran Zaev informed last week that the party will not take part in the elections, because, in their view, there is not enough time to properly prepare them. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party insists that the reason is SDSM’s consistently poor results in the polls. The elections, provided by the political agreement reached last summer, were already postponed once, to accommodate SDSM’s claims.

Balkan countries ministers to jointly discuss migrant/refugee Crisis (MIA)

Greece is to be the host of the mini Balkan summit on 20 April, dedicated to finding ways to tackle the refugees crisis, Telegraf.mk has learnt citing Greek media report. The meeting will most likely take place in Thessaloniki, where the host, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotsias, has invited his counterparts from Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Serbia to take part. Macedonia will be represented by its Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki. The summit will be an opportunity for the neighboring countries to prepare a joint strategy on the migrant-related problems that followed after the closure of the Balkan route, but they will also ponder the possibility of a new route to be formed through Albania and Italy. Besides the chief diplomats of the Balkan countries, Thessaloniki is also to see a conference of interior ministers. Whether the latest Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski will attend this meeting is uncertain, as he has submitted his resignation but continues to perform his duties.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

‘Who knows what spark might ignite Bosnia?’ (Politico, by Matthew Karnitschnig, 11 April 2016)

BELGRADE — Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić said growing political extremism in the Balkans threatens the stability of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the wider region, and warned that recent war trial verdicts at The Hague have left the environment more volatile than it had been in years. “My biggest worry is the situation in Bosnia…everything that is in and around Bosnia,” Vučić said during a lengthy interview in his Belgrade office. “Who knows what spark might ignite Bosnia?” The Serbian leader’s comments come less than two weeks before he faces reelection and will be seen by some as nothing short of scaremongering, intended to present himself as the sole voice of reason in the fractious region. Political calculation or not, it is also true that emotions are again running high in the Balkans, confronting Europe with another potential crisis it can do without. A pair of verdicts handed down last month by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia — one convicting Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, the other exonerating Serbian ultranationlist politician Vojislav Šešelj in connection with war-related crimes — has inflamed passions on all sides. Bosnian Muslims and Croats complain Karadžić’s 40-year sentence was too lenient and are incensed by Šešelj’s acquittal. Many Serb nationalists, meanwhile, regard the acquittal of Šešelj as proof that they have been unfairly targeted by the international community. Serbs have long complained they have been forced to bear the brunt of the blame for the Balkan wars in the 1990s that led to the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Under an international peace accord brokered in 1995, Bosnia was divided into two entities, one jointly controlled by Bosnian Muslims and Croats and the other, the Republika Srpska, by local Serbs. Yet the arrangement is fragile, with the Serbs pushing for more autonomy and the Croats seeking a slice of Bosnia for themselves.

‘A kind of time machine’

The court decisions come amid a resurgence of nationalism in the Balkans, including the recent return to power in Zagreb of the Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, the party of former strongman Franjo Tudjman. Some HDZ leaders have suggested they would block Serbia’s EU accession unless Serbia takes a harder line in prosecuting war crimes by, among other steps, making it easier to extradite suspects. “I don’t see any possibility for future clashes in Kosovo.”

Vučić warned that provocations following the verdicts on all sides, including victory celebrations by Šešelj supporters in Srebrenica, the site of the 1995 massacre of over 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Serb forces, had created a tinderbox. “Since [mid] March it has looked from time to time as though we were back in the 1990s,” Vučić told POLITICO. “The only important topics here were the Karadžić verdict, the Bosnia-Serbia relationship, the Serbia-Croatia relationship and when were we going to start with real conciliation. It’s a kind of time machine.” He said he was less concerned about the situation in Kosovo, despite recent political tensions in the breakaway province over its relations with Serbia. Kosovo, majority Albanian, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade does not recognize its sovereignty. “It is not a part of the western Balkans, a part of my country under the Serbian constitution, that worries me the most,” he said. “I don’t see any possibility for future clashes in Kosovo.” Vučić, a former ultranationalist who broke with Šešelj to help form the conservative Serbian Progressive Party in 2008, has steered Serbia onto a firm pro-EU course since taking power in 2014. Belgrade opened accession talks that same year. Despite his nationalist past, the Serbian leader has won the trust of Germany’s Angela Merkel and other European leaders who regard him as an anchor of stability in the troubled region. “The stability of the region is something we need to take care of. If I have to make more concessions, I have no problems with that.” With an eye towards the EU, Vučić insisted his government would not respond to provocations from Serbia’s neighbors and would continue “to respect the territorial integrity of Bosnia.” He said he would travel to Mostar on Tuesday to meet with Bosnian Muslim leader Bakir Izetbegović, in an effort to defuse recent tensions. He added he may make a similar trip to Croatia in the coming weeks. “The stability of the region is something we need to take care of and we need to understand each other more and better,” Vučić said. “If I have to make more concessions, I have no problems with that.”

Coming elections

The renewed political strains in the Balkans come at a crucial moment for Serbia.

In January, Vučić called new elections, which are scheduled for April 24. Though his government’s current term doesn’t expire until 2018, Vučić opted to seek a fresh four-year mandate before implementing a series of planned economic overhauls demanded by Europe and the International Monetary Fund. Those measures include trimming government spending and cutting about 70,000 public sector jobs, or about 5 percent of the total, over the next two years.

While economists argue the cuts are crucial for Serbia to resuscitate its battered economy, the short-term impact could be devastating. Serbia has yet to fully make the transition from its communist past to a market economy and the state sector still employs about half of all workers in the country. Half of Serbs want to join the EU, but ultranationalists are polling strongly ahead of April 24 election. Despite the inevitable pain the economic restructuring will bring, Vučić’s Progressive Party and its allies are the clear favorites to win the election. They have led recent polls with more than 50 percent. The Socialist Party, Vučić’s current coalition partner, is a distant second with about 13 percent.

Šešelj rising

The surprise has been the surge in support for nationalist parties, especially Šešelj’s Serbian Radical Party, which is polling at about 8 percent. Šešelj’s ultranationalists are not currently represented in the parliament but appear almost certain to cross the 5 percent threshold needed to secure seats. While the party, which opposes EU membership, advocates closer ties with Russia and pushes for a “Greater Serbia” that brings together ethnic Serbs scattered across the post-Yugoslavia Balkan borders, was polling well even before the Hague verdict, the acquittal gave Šešelj a significant boost. Vučić has responded by casting the election as a choice between Serbia’s troubled past and the promise of a future in the EU. “I will fight their ideas, I will fight their values,” he said. “We will see what people will decide…. I don’t think we need to have more wars, more clashes in the region.” With more than half of Serbians in favor of EU membership, Vučić would appear to have little to worry about. His biggest worry might be low turnout and he has tried to jolt voters by warning that the Hague verdicts could propel the nationalists to victory. He said in the interview that he would pursue a coalition with other parties after the election even if he wins an absolute majority. He ruled out any form of cooperation with Šešelj or other nationalist forces. Political observers in Serbia say Šešelj’s expected electoral success could play into Vučić’s hands. When times get tough, the presence of extremists in parliament could offer Vučić a useful foil to remind voters, and even the EU, what the alternative to his leadership would look like. Vučić’s critics worry that he has already amassed too much power and that the elections will only strengthen his hold on the country. In addition to the national poll, local elections will also be held, allowing Vučić to consolidate his power in key regions.

Azem Vllasi, ‘Vucic Understands the New Age’ (BIRN, by Slobodan Georgiev, 12 April 2016)

The veteran politician, rights activists and lawyer says Kosovo is on the right track, union with Albania is impossible – and Aleksandar Vucic is a more honest leader of Serbia than Boris Tadic was.

Amidst the political and ethnic divisions that still afflict Kosovo, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans, Azem Vllasi is one of the few leaders who enjoys respect across national, ethnic and political lines. It was evident as the nearly 70-year-old politician, human rights activist, publicist and practicing lawyer settled into a chair in the Montenegro House, a café nestled among newly-built high-rises close to his office.  “A perfect chance to freshen up my Serbian [language] a bit,” Vllasi said with a smile, preparing himself for the interview.

Democratization is a slow but positive process:

One of the most important politicians in Kosovo in the last 40 years, Vllasi has made the journey from top functionary in the former Yugoslavia to political prisoner under Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, to defender of civil rights in Kosovo and regular interlocutor for many newcomers to Pristina. Speaking about the problems of today’s Kosovo, an independent state under the auspices of EU and US, Vllasi says that he cannot be unhappy because insufficient time has passed for the system to fully consolidate and for institutions to function properly.

He believes that in time Kosovo will emerge from a period of political and economic transition, which has been prolonged compared to most other countries in the region. He hopes that with continued help from the EU and the US, Kosovo will move forward in the EU accession process.

“We have been traumatised as a society in many aspects, psychologically because of what we went through in 1999, to the time of UNMIK’s administration, when people and political formations without a day’s experience in making and leading a country infiltrated the political stage,” he says. “I would often tell them: your political experience consists of tearing down a state. They do not have state-building experience at all,” Vllasi told BIRN, stressing that nation building is a process that takes many years. According to him, it is important that Kosovo’s constitution excludes the possibility of it merging with any other country because potential union with Albania – which some political parties in Kosovo advocate – is neither possible nor a good idea.  “It is not possible to unite Kosovo in its current borders with Albania because Serbia would then say that Leposavic and the northern [majority-Serb] municipalities must not be in Albania,” he says.

International role in Balkans remains crucial:

“National unification of Albanians has happened and is happening. The concept of the national unification of Albanians lies in a Europe without borders,” he adds, noting that those who still talk about Greater Albania live in the past. Although the EU and the rest of the international community failed to prevent the violent break-up of former Yugoslavia, Vllasi believes their role remains crucial for ensuring safety and stability in the region. It is because of the presence of the international community in the region that a new, bigger conflict is unlikely, Vllasi adds. “In the early Nineties, they [the EU] came to their senses too late… Don’t forget that in 1989-90 the main preoccupation of the West was the collapse of the Soviet Union and collapse of communism,” he says. “This was an epic event and all attention of America and Western Europe was directed to that, so events within Yugoslavia were hardly noticed,” he adds. “US Secretary of State James Baker came and said we should resolve our problems within Yugoslavia and that it would be good to preserve Yugoslavia. They were too late because in 1991 they did not realise that what happened could happen,” Vllasi continues. Remembering the days of Milosevic’s rule, when he was arrested, Vllasi says Milosevic often changed his mind and disregarded policies he said he advocated. He says that arrangements made with Milosevic lasted only until he left the room, after which Milosevic would do things that had not been agreed. “He acted like a hard-core communist, which was the difference between him and many others then, including me,” he says. “I was much more liberal in my ideas. I always thought – we can reach an agreement politically, never by force. However, he wanted to be the leader at all cost and no longer cared about who was lining up behind him,” Vllasi adds. According to Vllasi, the former Yugoslavia started falling apart when Milosevic introduced a state of emergency in Kosovo. Albanians from Kosovo refused to accept the curtailment of the autonomy granted to Kosovo in the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, when Kosovo was more or less equalised in terms of status with the Yugoslav republics. “Milosevic counted on being able to achieve this with repression. Those methods are known – beat someone to calm him down temporarily,” he says. “He relied on my arrest, he was aware of my political influence among Albanians… He thought – state of emergency, pressure, Vllasi in prison, he’s set for 15 years. However, things happened faster, this scheme of his did not work and then that inevitably led towards the things that happened later,” Vllasi recalls.

Vucic more honest than Tadic:

Vllasi told BIRN that in his view the man who truly wants to resolve the problems that accumulated in the Balkans in the past decades is now sitting in the Prime Minister’s seat in Belgrade. According to Vllasi, Aleksandar Vucic honestly intends to reform Serbia and move it towards EU integration. “The fact is that people who were politically educated by Slobodan Milosevic are now in government positions in Serbia, but Vucic is the only man who understood better than anyone in Serbia the spirit of a new age. That Serbia should turn towards itself; mind its own business in the sense of recovery from the consequences of those politics which ended in 1999,” he said. Vllasi, who has personally known most Serbian leaders over the past 40 years, emphasizes Vucic’s significance. Speaking about his predecessor Boris Tadic, on the other hand, Vllasi said that his politics were false and dishonest, and he only “wasted Serbia’s time” when he had a major chance to regulate affairs in Serbia and normalize relations with Pristina. “He was selling himself to the West and Europe in some new European attire but he wanted to push Serbia’s ugly past under the rug; not to pull Serbia from Milosevic’s legacy, to really make Serbia different, but to push all the unpleasantness under the rug, and present himself to the West as a man of a democratic and pro-Western orientation,” Vllasi says. Although Vucic is compelled to flirt with nationalism, Vllasi believes that for him Kosovo’s independence is a done deal. “Vucic also says, ‘We will never recognise Kosovo,’ but he lets time take its toll. The international position of Kosovo is being consolidated, there is no more turning back, this is definite,” he concludes.

This piece was produced as a part of the Balkan Trust for Democracy’s Enhanced Policy Dialogue of Professionals in Kosovo and Serbia Program. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ.  The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.