LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic: Serbia in EU as a whole – it’s either that or nothing (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbia is firmly on the path towards full membership of the EU, but wants to enter Europe as an integral whole – it is either that or nothing, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said at the central ceremony marking Serbia’s Armed Forces Day and Victory Day in Zrenjanin on Monday. “Some representatives of the EU are giving us a hint that Serbia’s entry into the European community of nations might be conditional on recognizing Kosovo and Metohija. If it really be demanded of us, it means that they do not want us. Serbia, a UN member, wants to enter Europe as a whole – it’s either that or nothing. That is the principle Europe was built on and that is a Europe we want. Our ancestors handed our fatherland Serbia over to us in its entirety and we need to keep it that way and hand it over to our descendants unbroken,” said Nikolic. Serbia is committed, by word and deed, to honoring the principles of freedom, understanding and cooperation, accepting differences and keeping the peace in the country, the region and the world, the President said. Nikolic also said that he was proud to see the central Victory Day celebration taking place in Zrenjanin, a city that had always been an example of how people of different nationalities could live together in harmony, a symbol of joint resistance to countless enemies and an emblem of perseverance, acceptance of differences, understanding and one of those cities that we could proudly call historical and cultural centers of Vojvodina and Serbia.

Davenport: We support any government willing to reach EU faster (Tanjug)

The Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said Monday that he was confident that the EU Delegation would be able to efficiently work together with any new government in Serbia that wanted to step up the pace and efficiency of Serbia’s European path. Speaking at a press conference in Belgrade on the occasion of Europe Day, Davenport told reporters that he hoped Chapters 23 and 24 would be opened as soon as possible. The European Commission has already given its recommendation on these chapters. It now rests with the member-states to make a decision about them. I hope that we can expect opening them as soon as possible, and I believe the priority at this moment is to implement the action plans for the chapters without delay, Davenport said.

Miscevic: Serbia has done everything EU required (TV N1)

Serbia has done everything required by the EU in relation to Chapters 23 and 24, the Head of the Serbia’s EU negotiating team Tanja Miscevic said on Saturday. “The story about the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 goes on for Serbia. However, I have to repeat – it is out of our hands now,” Miscevic told TV N1 in Budva, Montenegro, where a security forum took place. “That is not just an action plan for the rule of law, but also the protection of minorities,” Miscevic said, adding that 27 EU member stated agreed with that, and only Croatia remained. “Croatia is insisting that this refers to the EU acquis, but what I find interesting is the explanation that says this is not the fundamental law but rather regional conditions,” she said, hoping that a solution would soon be found.

Bulgaria and Romania could join Croatia in blocking Serbia (Novosti)

Bulgaria and Romania could soon deliver their demands in order to approve the opening of Chapter 23 in Serbia’s EU accession talks, writes Novosti. Bulgarian and Romanian demands will concern “improving the rights of their ethnic minorities in Serbia” – while Bucharest also wants “the Vlach issue” solved, and guaranteed seats in parliament for their representatives.  Novosti writes that these two countries are the only EU members who have “quietly backed” Croatia’s policy toward Serbia.  Bulgaria and Romania are now revisiting their old demands, “above all, increased participation of their representatives in all state administration organs in Serbia”, according to the article. But unlike Croatia – “they are willing to compromise”, writes the daily, adding that, “in case of great pressure from EU’s most powerful members, they will after all vote in favor of opening Chapter 23, but ask that their demands be built into the transitional criteria and fulfilled during the negotiating process”. Officials in Belgrade are saying that Serbia will continue with its good-neighborly policy and try to solve all open issues with neighboring countries through bilateral discussions, the article concluded.

Stefanovic discusses migrant situation with Spindelegger (Tanjug)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic informed on Monday Director of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Michael Spindelegger about the current migrant situation, underscoring that Serbia is investing major efforts in responding to the crisis properly. Stefanovic and Spindelegger discussed the current migrant situation and improvement in the cooperation in the field of migration policy. In the meeting, the officials also touched upon the 2020 strategy, a five-year document outlining the cooperation between ICMPD member countries in the implementation of migration policies, the interior ministry said.

Dveri, DSS to form separate parliament groups (Novosti)

The Dveri movement and the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) will form separate parliamentary groups in the new parliament, Novosti reports. Bosko Obradovic and Sanda Raskovic Ivic will be at the helm of the parliamentary groups. The parties made the decision because of the accompanying perks – separate time slots during parliamentary debates and offices in the parliament building, the daily learnt from party officials. Their MPs will coordinate activities and will, in fact, act in concert, Novosti adds. The Dveri-DSS coalition secured 13 seats in the recent parliamentary elections.

RIK rejects complaints to the report on general election results (Novosti/Tanjug)

The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) has rejected the complaints to the report on general election results for Serbian MPs. RIK rejected the complaint by the citizen group “Serbia’s Left – Borko Stefanovic” and by Sava Pilipovic from Zemun to the report on general election results who noted in separate complaints that the SNS received 657 votes at Leposavic polling station n. 9 Lesak, even though 766 votes were written in the record of the work of the electoral committee by adding the votes of other electoral lists. Both objections note that the SNS was added the votes from the SDS-LDP-LSV list, which was stolen 50 votes, from the DSS-Dveri list which was stolen 12 votes, and from the Borko Stefanovic list which was stolen two votes. RIK rejected the complaint as unfounded. RIK unilaterally rejected the complaint by the Republican Party over the denial of this party’s right to copy the record of electoral committee from all polling stations. RIK unilaterally rejected the complaint by the citizen group “General Momir Stojanovic – Lawyer Srdjan Aleksic Sincerely for Nis” over the irregularity during voting at polling station n. 18 in the Crveni krst Municipality in Nis. Since, I hope, all complaints that have arrived to the reports on election results have been rejected, the decision, whereby we established election results, has become final, said RIK Chairperson Dejan Djurdjevic, adding that RIK will schedule a session and distribute mandates to members of the parliament.

Local elections not repeated in Bela Palanka (RTS/Beta)

The repeated local elections were not held on Sunday in Bela Palanka, while it is unknown when will this happen. The Municipal Electoral Commission (OIK) in Bela Palanka passed the decision on repeating local elections at all 37 polling stations on 8 May. The opposition parties that submitted more than 60 complaints to the regularity of the local elections opine that the OIK decision on holding repeated elections on 8 May is illegal and illegitimate. According to unofficial results, the SDS won 14 of 29 mandates, the SNS won seven, the SPS won five, the JS won two, and the civic group won one mandate at the local elections held on 24 April.

Vukasin Obradovic: The media are the extended arm of the government (N1/Beta)

“The media are not part of the democratic process, but the extended arm of government. The media are not what they should be – the controllers of government and representatives of citizens. Here, they are a bulletin board of the government and are under great pressure, including the journalists who are exposed to censorship,” said NUNS (The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia) President Vukasin Obradovic. Obradovic believes that the essential problem is that Serbia is one of those countries with limited freedom of media. “The government does not see the media as participants in the public dialogue, does not tolerate criticism,” says Obradovic. News agency Beta and Politika daily paper published the text about the European Commission (EC), which followed the developments regarding the prosecution of the editor and a publisher of the Serbian newspaper Kurir after they criticized the work of the government and prime minister. EC spokesperson Maja Kocijancic on that occasion said that they “believe that the Serbian government and Serbian political environment are going to continue to support the rule of law” and added that she expects Serbia to ensure freedom of expression, condemn the threats and physical violence and react when they happen. Many media are offering themselves to the government, because they want to survive, says Nedim Sejdinovic, CEO of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina. “The current government recognizes the media as their main tool. There are media that are being used for promotional purposes, and there are media that are being used as some kind of a beating baton which is in the hands of the government,” says Sejdinovic. “We have the media for dealing with other media. Aside from the government, we have a group of pro-governmental media used for persecution of other media and journalists and all those who think critically. That’s why we have someone like Zeljko Mitrovic preaching about “morality”, and the main positions on the Serbian media scene occupied by people posing as journalists like Dragan J. Vucicevic,” says Obradovic. Nedim Sejdinovic says that our politicians do not recognize “the phenomenon of media freedom”. “In Serbia, censorship has been introduced before the press was introduced. Politicians “by default” are not friends of media freedom. We constantly have to fight for every inch of media freedom. The attitude of the current government towards media freedom is totally disastrous,” said Sejdinovic. This year Serbia has progressed to the eighth place in the document of the international organization Reporters without Borders, which has published its annual report on the situation in the media in the world. Nedim Sejdinovic says, commenting on a report by Reporters without Borders, that such research should be taken with a grain of salt. “Studies of the media and media freedom which are comparative are always prone to different interpretations. Freedom House report says something else, but if Serbia is progressing on a scale of press freedom, it could mean that other countries are slipping back. We have a global trend of violation of media freedom. I think that large international organizations should clearly say how they came to these conclusions, because the reports differ from each other,” says Sejdinovic. Nedim Sejdinovic believes that in the coming period the journalistic solidarity is going to be crucial. “The government wants even stronger influence on media freedom. We have a difficult economic situation, and the government controls the marketing companies and so can blackmail the media,” says Sejdinovic.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: RS wants a strong and powerful Serbia (Srna)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said that the RS wants a strong and powerful Serbia and stressed that the cooperation between Serbia and the RS reached its highest level during the term of President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minster Aleksandar Vucic. “Thanks to them, the most important dates from the recent history of the Serb people are being marked jointly,” Dodik said in Kozarska Dubica at a joint press conference with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. Dodik said that everyone must gather and remember sad events when the sufferings of Serbs and other peoples in Jasenovac are marked. He expressed satisfaction that representatives of opposition political parties attended the commemoration in Donja Gradina, saying that he, as the President of RS, is grateful to them. “This speaks that there are many places where we are united, and I want us to be united in memory of tragic days of our history, but also in memory of our important victories,” Dodik said. He did not want to answer the questions about opposition’s protests and a rally of the ruling coalition scheduled for 14 May in Banja Luka. A commemoration was held in Donja Gradina on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the suffering of the victims of the Ustashe crime of genocide in the Jasenovac concentration camp and its greatest killing ground, Donja Gradina, and it was attended by the highest officials of the RS and Serbia and a great number of citizens. Dodik said that neo-Ottoman messages of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Banja Luka indicate that the RS must strengthen its capacities as a state since the Serb people in these parts cannot be free without it. Dodik said that Davutoglu did not hesitate to send neo-Ottoman messages from the ceremony of the opening of the Ferhadija mosque in Banja Luka which undoubtedly point out to Serbs that Turkey will not give up interfering with the internal affairs of B&H, considering that this is their natural right. “Their promotion of this whole area as their own speaks that we must strengthen RS institutions, that RS as a state must strengthen its capacities and that we are aware that we cannot be free in this area without RS as a state,” Dodik said. At a joint press conference with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic in Kozarska Dubica, Dodik said that Turkey’s messages indicate that they respect only Bosniak people here. Dodik said that he attended the ceremony of the opening of the Ferhat-Pasa Mosque in Banja Luka in the capacity of the RS President, and that he did not speak at the ceremony because his request that a RS flag be raised, having in mind that the event was held in the territory of RS, was not accepted.

What Dodik said at the opening of Ferhadija Mosque? (Klix)

The RS President Milorad Dodik said that Ferhadija Mosque, which was officially opened in Banja Luka, sends a message of life together. He said that everyone who lives in this city respects the right of others to express their religion, and the fact that “we all together need to build society in peace.” Dodik did not address the guests at the opening ceremony of the reconstructed Ferhadija Mosque, because he believes that politicians should not do it on religious gatherings. “Maybe it would be the best if the politicians did not speak at all. The most important thing was that representatives of religious communities addressed the attendees, especially from the Islamic Community of B&H. When politicians intervene in these things, it’s not good, but I attended the opening of the mosque and I want to pay tribute to the Mufti of Banja Luka Osman Kozlic, who made an effort for this day to come,” said Dodik. He is grateful to Mufti Kozlic for ensuring that this day passed with dignity. “Banja Luka renewed Ferhadija Mosque, before that the Temple of Christ the Savior, and the Catholic Church at Peticevac was also renewed,” said Dodik, adding that it shows that Banja Luka and RS support the reconstruction of destroyed religious objects during the war and the normalization of life. He congratulated to believers of Islamic religion on renovation of Ferhadija, to which RS helped as well.

Covic: Meeting with Chancellor Merkel comes at the perfect time (Fena)

“The visit of members of the B&H Presidency to the Federal Republic of Germany and meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel will be the crown of our foreign policy activities before the start of the summer vacation and taking over the new reform commitments,” said the Croatian member of the Presidency of B&H, Dragan Covic. The Presidency of B&H accepted the invitation of Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, for meeting in Berlin on 30 June this year. Covic said that this visit was long agreed and that it comes in the “ideal time, for us as three members of the Presidency, to send a message when it comes to B&H foreign policy. I am confident that that this will coincide with the signals that we are expecting from Brussels. Until then, we would have to finish everything we promised when submitting the applications for membership in the EU and I believe that we will receive a questionnaire right after and that our European path will be accelerated to the extent that, as planned, we get the candidacy status next year in the seventh or eighth month”, said Covic. He believes that members of the Presidency of B&H will use this visit and conversation with Chancellor Merkel to define the position of B&H on the international political scene. “There is a great responsibility and the importance of the fact that we talk about all the issues that are put before B&H as a center of stability in Southeast Europe. We in B&H must not underestimate this role nor deny it,” said Covic.

Kovac: B&H Croats most important link to Euro-Atlantic integration (Hina)

Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miro Kovac, who attended an election convention of the HDZ 1990 party in Mostar on Saturday as the Croatian Democratic Union’s (HDZ) envoy, said that Croats in B&H had rescued the country and were currently the most important link to European and Atlantic integration processes. “Croats in B&H have rescued the country. We should be aware of that and we convey this to our friends in the world. Without Croats there is no state of B&H,” the Croatian Minister said. In the political sense, Croats in that country “are the most European people”, strongly connected with Croatia, a European Union and NATO member, according to Kovac. He called on local parties representing Croats to join their forces and together run in local elections set for early October.

Croatian President says will advocate faster ratification of Montenegro’s NATO accession protocol (Hina)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said in Budva on Saturday she would personally advocate the ratification of Montenegro’s protocol on association with NATO in the Croatian parliament as soon as possible. “I am confident the Croatian Parliament will ratify the protocol as soon as possible, and I will personally advocate that,” Grabar-Kitarovic said. She underscored that in her opinion the issue of Prevlaka should not be an obstacle for Croatia to ratify the protocol. “We agreed to proceed with this process. A temporary regime has been functioning since 2003, it is time for us to resolve this issue,” Grabar-Kitarovic told the press in Budva. According to her, Montenegro’s membership of NATO and the EU was very important to Croatia as membership would strengthen the borders, saying that the membership invitation to Montenegro was an exceptional signal and a message to everyone. Congratulating Montenegro on getting invited to join NATO, Grabar-Kitarovic said that the country now must think of an accession strategy. Grabar-Kitarovic, together with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, on Saturday took part in a panel debate of the To Be Secure (2BS) Forum. Asked if Croatia was blocking Serbia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process, Grabar-Kitarovic said Croatia was not blocking anyone, including Serbia. “Croatia is not blocking Serbia, but is asking Serbia to respect international standards regarding minority rights, including the rights of the Croatian minority,” Grabar-Kitarovic said. Slovenian President Pahor said that NATO member countries have a responsibility in the region to cooperate more. “We respect Serbia’s decision not to apply for membership of NATO with which it cooperates, but we also respect Montenegro’s decision to apply. It is important that B&H applies for NATO membership and its application would mean better security in the region,” Pahor said. He announced Slovenia would ratify the protocol on Montenegro’s admission into NATO in June. “It is important that all 28 EU members do that as soon as possible, as the security situation is changing and deteriorating,” Pahor warned, pointing to problems in Ukraine, the Middle East, northern Africa. Montenegrin President Vujanovic said it was important that his country joined NATO as soon as possible in order to prove that reforms are accepted, respected and valued, expressing confidence all member state would soon ratify the accession protocol. “This is a sensitive period with many global challenges, but also a period in which the enlargement policy proves to be an adequate response to those global challenges,” Vujanovic said.

Mesic: Djukanovic is needed until Montenegro joins EU (Pobjeda)

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s ability to keep the course on the EU road, reaching goals one by one, getting support left and rights and staying centered is what keeps him in leadership positions for so long, said former president of Croatia Stjepan Mesic to Pobjeda. He said that Montenegro could live on tourism, but warns that it does not use its resources. He also spoke of strengthening of the right in Europe, war against terrorism, cooperation with Russia and situation in Croatia. In ten years since regaining independence, Montenegro has acquired a sense of identity and sovereignty, Mesic said. “Montenegro was not occupied by anyone, it chose to enter a bigger community thinking it would be better, and then it went even bigger, later getting narrowed down, finally concluding to return to itself. Separation of Montenegro and Serbia provided each country with the possibility to choose their own road. Montenegro has given a chance for Serbia to become independent, doing it a big favor. Many in Serbia are still not aware of that. As far as economy goes, Montenegro must work harder in tourism and tourism adjacent activities, such as organic agriculture. One of the most beautiful countries in the Mediterranean can live on tourism, and you need to use it,” Mesic said. Commenting on the current political events in our state, Mesic said that he sees Djukanovic as a strong point in the system. Wherever he is, he is a strong point – whether he is prime minister or a president. “This sort of s strong point is much needed until Montenegro joins EU. Montenegrins know this already. On the other hand, he has instincts that let him use his position and say to the opposition – you can’t do much without me. His ability to keep the course on the EU road, reaching goals one by one, getting support left and rights and staying centered is what keeps him in leadership positions for so long,” Mesic said. Speaking of the new government in Croatia, Mesic said that their Prime Minister is a man who practically never lived in Croatia. “He is a financial expert, but Croatia needs managers. Financial experts are people who follow events financially, but they do not create events. Croatia needs political and economic management and we do not have that type of resource. We need people who will do reforms, who will create new job opportunities and better salaries. This is what is asked of politicians today,” he said.

Djukanovic proposed Popovic, Danilovic, Konjevic and Maric for government members (CDM)

According to the proposal that prime minister Milo Djukanovic submitted to the Parliament on Friday evening, the government of electoral trust will include candidates from the list proposed by URA Civic Movement, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Demos, and not by the Socialist People’s Party (SNP). Thus, the post of the minister of agriculture remained vacant, although it belongs to the opposition according to the agreement on free and fair elections. The PM stated he had offered opposition political entities to enter the executive branch after confidence vote in the 40th Montenegrin government on 27 January 2016, in order to create conditions for strengthening trust in the electoral process. “After months of political dialogue and the signing of the agreement on free and fair elections on 26 April, a number of opposition political entities that signed the agreement proposed candidates for the members of the government. Thus, conditions for proposing changes in the composition of the 40th government of Montenegro are created,” the PM said. In accordance with Article 176 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Montenegro, Djukanovic proposed dismissal of finance minister Radoje Zugic, PhD, the minister of labor and social welfare Zorica Kovacevic. He also proposed appointing Milenko Popovic, PhD, as the deputy prime minister, Goran Danilovic as the interior minister, Rasko Konjevic as the finance minister and Boris Maric as the minister of labor and social welfare. Thus Djukanovic accepted the list proposed by Demos, URA and SDP, whereas he did not select any SNP members to be ministers in the government. SNP has conditioned signing the agreement with getting of two ministerial posts. SNP previously proposed Radivoje Rasovic for the minister of agriculture, whereas the deputy president of the party Aleksandar Damjanovic rejected to be a candidate for finance minister. The PM said on Friday that he considered SNP as a signatory of the agreement. He said he respected the fact that Demos, URA and SDP had earlier signed the agreement and that the Positive Montenegro (PCG) had been the initiator of this document. “But I also respect that the SNP party bodies, a couple of days later, decided to sign the agreement. Whatever the epilogue regarding the election of the government is, I think that signing the agreement is very good for a democratic development of Montenegro,” Djukanovic said. After Djukanovic submitted his proposals to the parliament, the ball is in opposition’s court. “They need to think in terms of their interests and responsibilities of their own parties for the democratic development of Montenegro,” Djukanovic said referring to the opposition representatives. After this decisive step, the conditions have been met for holding a session of the Pprliament at which lex specialis, the government reshuffle and Ranko Krivokapic’s dismissal should be discussed. The President of SDP, Ranko Krivokapic, said on Friday that there was only one opposition list with candidates for ministers in the government of electoral trust. He added that SDP, Demos and URA wanted SNP to enter the government too.

Vujanovic: I believe that the new government will be efficient (RTCG)

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic said that he believes that the government of electoral trust will be efficient in its achievements. The structure of the new government has been put in as a suggestion to the parliament by Prime Minister Mile Djukanovic, and it features a list of candidates suggested by URA, SDP and Demos, but not Socialist People’s Party. The government of electoral trust that will include representatives from the opposition should be formed during next week. Vujanovic said that it would be good if SNP was a part of the Agreement on free and fair elections. “I am of firm belief that the new government will run more efficiently and that it will accomplish its goals in an efficient manner,” he said in Budva. He said that the new members of the government dedicated to its good work have his respect. “I believe they will be dedicated and demonstrate the full sense of this arrangement by achieving its goal,” Vujanovic said.

Marijana Petir: Interfering in internal relations of Macedonia is not good (Telegraf.mk)

Przino Agreement is undermined, the elections are repeatedly postponed, and the political dialogue is not at the expected level, Marijana Petir, MEP from Croatia says. In an interview for Telegraf.mk she says that, as a great friend of Macedonia requires politicians to join forces and demonstrate wisdom to overcome all differences and to return the country on the right path towards the EU.

Telegraf: How do you rate Macedonia’s political crisis. Whether the government and the opposition could find common ground on the main issue, which is the date for the parliamentary elections, which are part of the Przino Agreement?

Petir: Lack of political dialogue and boycott of parliament walked out of the desired goal, and that is joining the European Union. The EU has made great efforts to mediate and support the Przino Agreement. But we can see that the agreement is being undermined, the elections are repeatedly postponed and the political dialogue is not at the expected level. Politicians must join forces and demonstrate wisdom to overcome all differences and to return the country on the right path towards the EU. The agreement should be respected, and leaders must communicate and continue to cooperate with the mediators from the EU to demonstrate a commitment to the mission for Macedonia to join the European family.

Tefegraf: Do you think there is a connection of the protests in Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, and whether the opposition parties in these countries are controlled from one center?

Petir: I believe that interference in the internal relations in Macedonia, as I see that someone does, is no good and cannot contribute to solving the crisis, but it deepens it. I am confident that with a little good will you can find a solution on your own. Help is always welcome, but I strongly believe that Macedonia does not need tutoring and that the Macedonian people in recent elections will alone choose what government they want.

Tefegraf: In the EP you lead an informal group “Friends of Macedonia”. Does Macedonia have real friends and lobbyists such as Croatia once had Germany?

Petir: The purpose of our informal group, consisting of thirty parliamentarians from different countries and parties, is to increase the visibility of Macedonia in the European Parliament and the promotion of the country. I invited colleagues to join me and help the European future of Macedonia and the entire region. I am sorry that the Greek colleagues responded with protests, strikes and obstructions. But I will persevere. I am not alone, Macedonia has many friends in the EP, but the efforts of all politicians must be present.

Telegraf: Do you think that the EU under-appreciates what Macedonia has done during the migrant crisis. At this point at the Greek-Macedonian border there are about 10,000 migrants who want to enter the EU?

Petir: In the refugee crisis Macedonia proved to be a faithful partner of the European Union, which could be seen from the protection of the external borders. In these circumstances it is important for Greece to make efforts in solving the refugee crisis at their common borders and rely on EU values. It is necessary to act responsibly and to make greater efforts to find a solution to the open issues and it would allow the entry of Macedonia into the European family.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

News Analysis: Elections put Serbia’s distant EU future on thorny path (Xinhua, by Nemanja Cabric and Wang Huijuan, 8 May 2016)

BELGRADE — The coalition around Serbia’s ruling Progressive Party led by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic won 131 seats in the 250-seated parliament, according to final results of the April 24 snap parliamentary elections revealed Thursday. That enables the coalition to form the government independently, even with 27 less seats than the previous term. While Serbian Progressive party called the election victory a confirmation of the path of European Union (EU) reforms, some see the results as a failed attempt to win absolute power and others expect the new government to face a tougher-to-handle parliament on EU accession and other issues in the future.

EU REFORMS TEST OR REACH OUT FOR ABSOLUTE RULE

Serbia opened two chapters of EU accession negotiations last December, and expects to open two more chapters this summer. Vucic, hoping that Serbia will finish all relevant reforms by 2019 and enter EU in 2020, referred to the elections as a test of people’s willingness to continue with reforms and EU negotiations. “In order to secure European living standard and define a clear and unambiguous future path of our country, there is a need for a fresh power of a united Serbia with a clear mandate to complete reforms and enable the country to step towards the front door of the European family of nations,” Vucic wrote in a March letter submitted to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic to request snap elections. To Dusan Janjic, political analyst and director of the Forum for Ethnic Relations in the Balkans, the elections are not an “EU referendum,” but an attempt of the ruling party to strengthen rule and reconstruct government, both of which, however, did not entirely go as planned and have been only partially fulfilled by final election results. Sociologist Milan Nikolic told Xinhua that he believed the Progressive Party had expected 50 percent or even 60 percent of the votes based on previous polls, so Vucic wanted to take Socialists, a smaller coalition partner led by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, out of the government, in order to form a new coalition with some even smaller parties or minority parties. On several occasions after the elections, Vucic expressed his uncertainty over whether to invite Socialists in the government or not. Moreover, Nikolic does not see EU membership as the main future goal of the government, and instead he believes the fresh mandate will be to continue “unpopular austerity measures, restrictive economic reforms and cutting the number of employees in public sector,” which are demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). “EU is a carrot on a long stick. The process is going to take long time,” Nikolic said.

TOUGHER-TO-HANDLE NEW PARLIAMENT

Many believe that the opposition in this term, which will include not only pro-EU parties, but also anti-EU, pro-Russian far-right ones, will be much harder to deal with for Vucic.

“Aleksandar Vucic got a tougher parliament after the elections and is now forced to cope with the right-wing Radical Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia,” said Zoran Panovic, a journalist with the Danas daily newspaper. “Elections were good for the prime minister as he strengthened the legitimacy of his rule, but are also unfavorable because they (ruling coalition) have less mandates,” he said at a local TV show. Bosko Jaksic, a commentator of the Politika daily newspapers, said that Vucic secured mandate for Serbia’s EU integration, but “paid a price” for it. “With the victory of the Serbian progressive party, Aleksandar Vucic has secured a strong mandate for the policy of European integration and ever-tougher economic reforms, but the most persuasive result in the history of the Serbian multi-party system in the past 26 years was paid with lost MP seats and the monopoly of pro-EU parties who ran the parliament in the previous term,” he wrote in an article. According to Janjic, Serbia’s future parliament will “reflect more realistically the country’s reality” after these elections. The reality, according to him, includes the renewed Radical Party, known for extreme anti-European views and pro-Russian orientation, and several strong Eurosceptic parties of the far-right that will oppose Vucic. The Progressive Party did get the “political legitimacy and parliamentary seats but not the one they hoped for, and especially not the two-thirds majority they only wished for,” Nikolic said.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD

Vucic said on April 29 that “Serbian EU path depends on the change of its constitution by 2018,” for which he will need a two-third majority in the parliament, which is 167 out of 250 votes. With only 131 seats won by his coalition in the elections, Vucic will have to make compromises to secure Serbia’s EU future. Nikolic told Xinhua that a change to the Serbian Constitution is needed due to the preamble concerning Serbia’s south province of Kosovo. The current constitution, adopted in 2006, defines Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia, although the province declared independence in 2008, which Serbia categorically refuses to recognize. Well, this is just among many challenges for the future government. According to Vucic’s post-election statements, Serbia will strive to attract more investors, improve business climate and judicial system and will also seek solutions for its bankrupt public companies, as well as restructure large state-owned companies to make budget savings. Nikolic doubts that the austerity measures and the “belt tightening” policies proposed by IMF, the World Bank and EBRD will lead to economic growth or higher employment. “In a national economy like ours, which is not export-oriented but oriented to domestic market, if you reduce salaries and pensions you will decrease local demand, and this cannot lead to growth and increased employment,” he explained. In his opinion, priority of the future government should be achieving economic growth, and increasing employment, with greater attention paid to the industry and agriculture that “have good chances.” Janjic, however, believes that Vucic’s priorities should be to clearly set the country’s future path whether towards EU reforms or on cooperation with Russia. “If he decided on this issue, than its clear what the priorities are. First is the restructuring of administration, second is to determine its strategic partners,” he said, adding that Serbia needs to improve its economy, invest in energy sector and infrastructure as well as food industry. Since the elections night Vucic has repeatedly said that he is working on the new government’s plan that will be explained in front of lawmakers after he is officially proposed for the new prime minister’s position. Vucic said the new government will be formed after the session of the Progressive Party presidency which was scheduled for May 28.

Turkey reiterates support for Bosnia’s EU, NATO bids (hurrietdailynews, 7 May 2016)

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia

Turkey will continue to support Bosnia’s EU and NATO membership bids, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on May 7. Speaking in Bosnia’s second biggest city, Banja Luka, where he was attending the opening of a renovated 16th century mosque, Davutoğlu said he had discussed the country’s applications with Bakir Izetbegovic, the Muslim member of Bosnia’s three-way presidency, according to Anadolu Agency. “Turkey will continue to support Bosnia-Herzegovina in all the processes related to NATO and the European Union,” Davutoğlu said. Earlier on May 7, Prime Minister Davutoğlu said that the reopened historic Ferhadija Mosque sends a message of peace to all people in Bosnia-Herzegovina as well all citizens of the world. Davutoğlu made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the renovated 16th century Ferhadija Mosque. The mosque is considered a cultural symbol of the country but suffered extensive damage by dynamite in May 1993 during the Bosnian War. In his speech, Davutoğlu highlighted three significant aspects of the mosque’s reopening. “The first is in terms of humanity’s conscience,” he said. “Those who bombed and destroyed Ferhadija Mosque 23 years ago not only destroyed a mosque, they also destroyed humanity’s conscience. Today by rebuilding this mosque, we are in fact rebuilding the conscıence of humanity. Let it be known that as long as this mosque is here, payers voicing humanity’s conscience will speak to the skies in Banja Luka.” Davutoğlu continued: “The second aspect is our common cultural heritage. Bosnia Herzegovina’s common cultural heritage is under our auspices. We were together at the opening ceremony of the [rebuilt] Mostar Bridge, now at the opening of Ferhadija, and inshallah we will also be together at the opening of Alaca Mosque in Foça.” Davutoglu also promised further support for restoring destroyed heritage in the area. “I promise on behalf of Turkey: Every single destroyed common object of our cultural heritage will be reviewed so it can reach its historical value. “We are here for fellowship, for humanity, for multicultural Bosnia-Herzegovina. We were here, we are here, we will be here for eternity.” Davutoğlu also stressed the importance of unity between people of different faiths in Bosnia. “The third aspect is about the future of Bosnia. Bosnia is a whole with Muslims, Orthodox, Jews, and Catholics. Whoever wants to separate Bosnia, in fact wants to separate the people’s heart. Banja Luka can never be separated from Sarajevo, Sarajevo can never be separated from Mostar,” he said.

BFP Exclusive- What is Cooking in the Bosnian Pot? CIA Director’s Visit to the Balkans (BFP, by Filip Kovacevic, 8 May 2016)

The preparations for the new stage of the U.S.-Russia Cold War in S. Europe

On April 21, 2016, under the cover of darkness, a U.S. military plane landed on Sarajevo international airport.[1] The mysterious guest was greeted by Osman Mehmedagić, the chief of the Bosnian intelligence agency – the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA).[2] Mehmedagić was appointed to this position recently (November 2015) and replaced the long-time OSA director Almir Džuvo who held the position for more than 10 years. Mehmedagić’s appointment was not without controversy concerning his activities during the Bosnian war in the 1990s. He was one of the closest associates of the then-Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović and had allegedly coordinated the arrival of various Islamic militants from the Middle East to fight on the Bosnian Muslim side.[3] These militants later committed some of the most heineous crimes against the Christian (Serb and Croat) civilians. Their recruitment and financing could be linked to the military-intelligence structures of Saudi Arabia and Turkey on one hand and Iran, on the other. Paradoxically, but not surprisingly, it appears that these states, though opposed in other areas of the world, developed an indirect common front in Bosnia. There are some credible sources who claim that the U.S. intentionally turned the blind eye to these comings and goings of radical Islamists. These sources also directly implicate Michael Hayden, who later became the head of both the NSA (1999-2005) and the CIA (2006-2009), as the key person who let this happen under his watch.[4] At the time, in the early 1990s, Hayden was the director of U.S. European Command Intelligence Directorate which was operationally responsible for the Balkans. Hayden occasionally accompanied the chief U.S. negotiator Richard Holbrooke on his missions to Croatia and Bosnia. Holbrooke’s dealings with the warring Bosnian factions can best be described as Machiavellian. His priority was to insure the permanent U.S. military presence in the Balkans at any price, no matter how this would impact the possibility of the long-term, sustainable peace and stability in the region. Was Hayden’s later leadership position in the NSA and, then, the CIA, a reward for his efforts on this issue as well? Be that as it may, there is no doubt that the CIA was well-aware of what was taking place in Bosnia in the mid-1990s regarding the strategic positioning of the militant Islamic groups in close proximity to the Western European targets. The ex-CIA officer, turned prolific writer, Robert Baer discussed in detail his Bosnian covert activities in the 2012 book “The Company We Keep: A Husband-Wife True-Life Spy Story.”[5] Obviously, there was much he could not tell as his book had to be approved for publication by the CIA censors. The mysterious visitor? The first reports in the Bosnian and other regional media were that the mysterious visitor came unannounced.[6]  It later emerged that this was only a surprise for some, but hardly for all Bosnian politicians and high-level security officials. After all, this is a standard CIA operational procedure. It’s called ‘compartmentalization’: in the know are only those who need to know. The CIA director John O. Brennan’s visit to Sarajevo was actually carefully planned and scheduled at least two months in advance at the time of Mehmedagić’s first visit to the U.S. Brennan flew into Sarajevo directly from Riyadh where he accompanied the U.S. President Barack Obama and attended a meeting of the regional Arab security heads.[7] Brennan’s links to Saudi Arabia go a long way back to the time when he was the CIA station chief in Riyadh in the mid-to-late 1990s. Just like Hayden, he must also have been aware of the Saudi logistical and financial support for the Islamic militants in Bosnia. As can be clearly seen from later developments, neither he nor any of his superiors did anything about that. Today the Balkans (Bosnia and Kosovo in particular) represent the key European recruiting, logistics and weapons hubs for Islamic fighters (whether under the Al-Qaeda or ISIS labels). It should be kept in mind that the U.S. and NATO have troops stationed in both Bosnia and Kosovo and that there is also the heavy presence of the Western intelligence agencies personnel. Those who trust in the official narratives probably believe that all these Western military and intelligence structures in the Balkans have had a positive effect on what is referred to as the “fight against terrorism.” However, the opposite appears to be the case. Since the end of the Bosnian war in 1995, there have been at least five violent attacks on soldiers and civilians attributed to the followers of radical Islam. The best known occurred in October 2011 when Mevlid Jašarević sprayed with bullets the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo and wounded a police officer on duty. Not long afterwards, he was hit by a sniper and arrested. Jašarević claimed that he “does not have to explain why he attacked Americans. They fight against Islam and Muslims, they kill Muslims and rape their wives. Americans, together with Serbs and Croats, are preparing a new massacre of Muslims.”[8] There is no doubt that this kind of twisted rhetoric and hate-filled state of mind was caused directly by the radicalization perpetrated by the imported Islamic militants that the West could have stopped in the mid-1990s. Instead, they were allowed to establish themselves and even augment their presence. This is yet another example of the short-sighted post-Cold War geopolitical vision fueled by the private gain-oriented myopia among the Washington and Brussels decision makers. In other words, had the process of the Yugoslav dissolution not been “assisted” from the outside, radical and extremist views would never have had a chance to gain prominence in the region. In the case in point, while Jašarević was sentenced to 15 years in prison, many of his ideological associates have remained on the loose, open to planning and perpetrating similar acts of terror. The most recent terrorist attack in Bosnia occured in November 2015 when Enis Omeragić killed two Bosnian soldiers and wounded one in Sarajevo after which he committed suicide.[9] It is curious to note that this incident happened just a few days before Mehmedagić officially assumed the position of the OSA director. Was this attack planned as a welcome gift for the new chief? It certainly does not bode well for the future. What does the CIA want? Some experts claimed that Brennan’s visit to Sarajevo should be viewed in the context of the recently completed operation “Balkan Trigger” which involved more than 5,000 police officers in several countries and was directed against weapons smuggling.[10] It is true than a dozen people were arrested and a fairly large quantity of weapons and ammunition was seized. It is also true that most of the weapons used in the recent terrorist attacks in Western Europe can be traced back to the Balkans. However, in my opinion, this does not seem to be so important as to warrant a personal visit on such a high level. There must have been some other things involved as well. Considering that the CIA is hardly oriented toward the past (it acts according to the moto – “what’s done is done”), let’s hypothesize what its future “headaches” in Bosnia might be caused by. In this respect, it should be noted that for the past 20 years the CIA has considered Bosnia and Kosovo as its key regional strongholds. However, its unilateral intelligence domination over the large portion of the Balkans has recently been challenged by the increased Russian involvement. It has become obvious at least since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine and the Russian military involvement in Syria that Russia will try to oppose the U.S.-dominated international order in any and all regions of the world in which it can find allies. In the Balkans, Serbia has been a traditional Russian ally since the 18th century and today’s Bosnia includes the Serb Republic [Republika Srpska] as one of its autonomous components. If we look, for instance, at the recent public statements by the autocratic president of the Serb Republic Milorad Dodik, we will see a much more pronounced praise of Russia and the Russian influence in the Balkans than ever before.[11] There is no hiding that it is precisely this that has caused a major wave of concern in the U.S. intelligence community. The rub (in Hamlet’s sense) is that the Russian ‘footprint’ will not go away any time soon. In fact, I expect the Russophile tendencies to intensify all across the Balkans, not only in Bosnia, but also in Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Greece (the two latter being the members of both NATO and the EU). In this connection, it should be noted that Brennan’s hosts in Bosnia did not include any of the top Serb Republic officials. So the “lines of exclusion,” which can quickly deteriorate into the “lines of fire,” have been drawn. All this leads me to think that there is a strong possibility that the issue of Islamic radicalism in Bosnia was only a convenient cover story for the actual discussions and preparations for the new stage of the U.S.-Russia Cold War in Southern Europe. The latter, in my opinion, was the primary reason for Brennan’s visit. In this new stage of the perennial struggle with the “Main Enemy,” both the ISIS fighters and their helpers in Bosnia and beyond will also, no doubt, have various roles to play. From the useful idiots to the cynical and murderous proxies.

Filip Kovacevic is a geopolitical author, university professor and the chairman of the Movement for Neutrality of Montenegro. He received his BA and PhD in political science in the US and was a visiting professor at St. Petersburg State University in Russia for two years. He is the author of seven books, dozens of academic articles & conference presentations and hundreds of newspaper columns and media commentaries. He has been invited to lecture throughout the EU, Balkans, ex-USSR and the US. He currently resides in San Francisco.