LOCAL PRESS
Margallo: Spain will never recognize Kosovo (Tanjug/Radio Belgrade)
Spain supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and it will never recognize Kosovo’s independence, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel García-Margallo said on Wednesday. This year marks the centenary of the diplomatic relations between Serbia and Spain, where Spain’s support for Serbia’s territorial integrity is a crucial pillar, Margallo said after a meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Spain also supports Serbia’s path towards EU membership, he said, but noted that economic ties are lagging behind political relations, being very modest and in need of improvement. The level of economic cooperation is very low, agreed Dacic, adding that it amounts to around 340 million Euros last year. Spain has invested over 125 million Euros in Serbia since 2005, including around 40 million in donations – there is room to enhance that cooperation and we will be working on that, Dacic said. Spain has always been with Serbia, supprting it in the fight against the illegally declared independence of Kosovo and as regards European integration, and we must never forget that, Dacic said. The two ministers also discussed the fight against terrorism and the migrant crisis.
Dacic attends ministerial meeting of Berlin Process (Tanjug/RTS)
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic attended in Paris the meeting of foreign ministers of the Berlin Process who discussed current political issues in Western Balkans, strengthening of regional cooperation, reactions to the migration issue and current security issues. The ministers exchanged views on cooperation among young people in the Western Balkans (the launch of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office) and reviewed achievements in implementation of infrastructure and energy projects agreed at last year’s Western Balkans summit in Vienna, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Dacic also met with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault. The two ministers agreed that bilateral relations are good, and Dacic noted Serbia’s readiness to develop and enhance overall cooperation with France, the statement said.
The gathering represents one of the key preparatory meetings for the Western Balkan Summit that will be held in Paris on 4 July, reads the statement by the Serbian Foreign Ministry. The Paris summit is the resumption of the meetings held in Berlin in 2014 and in Vienna in 2015.
Stefanovic: Response to terrorism must be strong (Beta)
Serbian Minister of Interior Nebojsa Stefanovic said at an international meeting of high representatives for security in Grozny, Russia, that the response to terrorism had to be strong, at the national and international levels alike, and based on mutual assistance and cooperation. “Terrorism is a global problem. Closer cooperation and a timely exchange of relevant security information will be very important in meeting the challenges ahead. We need to exchange continuously all information available, and to carry out coordinated activities to curb potential threats,” Stefanovic was quoted as saying by the interior ministry. The interior minister also said that Serbia was committed to taking part in all regional and international security processes, and to offering full contribution to stability, based on extensive cooperation with international partners. “Serbia’s objective is to reduce the advertising of radical ideologies, and prevent the recruitment of potential terrorists. The country also wants to cut financial and communication channels the terrorists use, to thwart their plans and process them in court,” Stefanovic underlined. A potential security threat to Serbia lies in the return of Serbian citizens from foreign battlefields, especially jihadists from Syria and Iraq, who fought for terrorist organizations active in the region, the minister cautioned. Stefanovic also warned that those people might continue radicalization upon return, adding that seven citizens of Serbia had been charged with taking part in a joint terrorist enterprise for their role in the wars in Syria and Iraq.
Lawsuit filed to court over Kosovo’s admission to UEFA (Tanjug)
The Football Association of Serbia (FSS) has filed a lawsuit to the court in Lausanne since the UEFA admitted the Kosovo Football Association even though it doesn’t fulfill conditions according to the Statute. Tanjug was confirmed by Gabriel Lanski, partner in the attorney office that the FSS engaged in representing it in this case. “Our office represents the FSS interests against this decision, and this is why we filed the lawsuit to the Court,” said Lanski. He says that the UEFA violated its own Statute, according to which UEFA members can be only the football association of a country that is also a member of the United Nations. “As we know, Kosovo is not a member of the United Nations, so the Kosovo Football Association also cannot be a member of the UEFA,” said Lanski.
Movement, practicing and shooting at “Morava 2016” Exercise (Tanjug/Politika)
Within the command-tactical exercise dubbed “Morava 2016”, the Serbian Army command and units are performing tasks in movement, at permanent and temporary training grounds, polygons and airports, along with occupation of command locations outside peacetime locations. The units of the land forces are conducting shooting from personal and collective weapons along with practicing tactical actions and procedures. At the “Pasuljanske livade” polygon near Cuprija, part of the units of the Third Brigade of the land forces has also conducted tactical exercises with battlefield shooting. In order to check the ability for realizing anti-aircraft activities, the command and units of the 250th missile brigade for anti-aircraft activities have launched preparatory activities, while part of the units of the brigade have conducted occupation of shooting positions outside their peacetime locations and transferred the means of missile technology to the highest degree of combat readiness. Members of the 98th and 204th aviation brigade have conducted the occupation of sports airports “Divci”, “Trstenik” and “Leskovac” towards creating conditions for rebasing helicopter squadrons. Reception of people from the reserve started at the first training center in Sombor and the Development Command of the Banat brigade in Zrenjanin, who will be trained to shoot from armored units. The reserve unit has been engaged in some units of the land forces. In order to create conditions where the command and units are performing tasks that are as close as possible to war conditions, the leadership of the exercise is undertaking a series of measures that makes the performance of tasks very complex for the training units.
The exercise will be conducted by deputy Chief-of-Staff of the Serbian Army lieutenant-general Jovica Draganic. Various units will take part in the exercise, from tactical to strategic and operative levels, as well as ground and airborne forces, the Defense Ministry stated.
The plan is also to involve a certain number of reserves and work obligation units that, according to Politika, mostly imply heavy mechanization of construction companies. The Defense Ministry did not specify the duration of the exercise, but Belgrade media report that it will last a few days. The number of members of armed forces who will take part in the exercise – reportedly the largest since the formation of the Serbian Army i.e. in the past ten years – has not been revealed. The objective of the exercise is to verify the ability of the Serbian Army to plan and conduct response to crisis that might occur in real situations, the Ministry stated.
PDD wants to enter government (B92)
The Party of Democratic Action (PDD), which rallies Albanians from south Serbia, is interested in entering the new Serbian government, the official of that party Fatmir Hasani announced on Tuesday. “We have been a parliamentary party since the 1990s and we have always been in the opposition; we believe that now is the time for us to become part of the government”, Hasani told TV B92. “We wish to have a positive influence on stability, to be a bridge between Serbia, Albania and Kosovo. It is our goal to influence the development of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac,” said Hasani, who will be the only PDD MP in the new parliament.
Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to resume on Thursday (Tanjug)
The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will resume, at expert level, in Brussels on Thursday, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced. The two-day discussions will be held at the European External Action Service headquarters, with the agenda to include all open issues from past discussions between Belgrade and Pristina. Belgrade’s delegation will be headed by the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric.
NATO expert team in Belgrade in June (Tanjug)
An expert team of NATO will be arriving to Belgrade in June, to verify how Serbia is implementing IPAP (Individual Partnership Action Plan), the agreement with the Alliance, it was announced on Tuesday from the Serbian Foreign Ministry. “We were obligated to comprise an annual report on the implementation of IPAP for last year and in March this year we submitted it to the NATO Secretariat. According to my opinion, I believe that these are very, very positive results bearing in mind that this is our first IPAP, that we are beginners at this”, said the Head of the Department for NATO and Partnership for Peace in the Foreign Ministry, Dijana Ivancic at a press conference held in Belgrade. The Head of the Department for public relations with the Defense Ministry, Colonel Petar Boskovic, said that he did not expect any objections to the implementation of the IPAP agreement and that he hoped for a continuance of “an extremely good and fruitful cooperation”.
An unusual proposal between two UN vehicles (Novosti)
An unusual proposal from Lebanon has been the main topic in Kursumlija these days, but also a hit on Facebook. Aleksandar Filipovic (31), member of the Serbian Army, who is presently in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, has proposed to his girlfriend Suncica Ivanovic (33) with a message written on three large billboards between two UN vehicles – “Suncica, marry me”.
REGIONAL PRESS
Republika Srpska does not wish to deceive or trick EU (Srna)
The head of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) caucus in the B&H parliament House of Representatives has called on the ministers from the Alliance for Change sitting in the Council of Ministers, as well as the RS representatives and delegates in both houses of the State Parliament to take part in the work of those bodies but not to make any decision until the problem related to the common census data processing program is resolved. “Government at the B&H State level has once again failed an exam,” Stasa Kosarac told reporters after the House of Representatives failed to support a modified proposal of the SNSD caucus to submit, for the next session of the Council of Ministers, the information on the common census data processing program, which was adopted by Agency for Statistics Director Velimir Jukic, with MPs from the Federation of B&H refusing to support the proposal. Kosarac made a conclusion it was obvious that the Council of Ministers was not willing to prepare information on the census in a serious manner and in accordance with procedures. It is inexplicable that the Council of Ministers has not demonstrated any political will yet and failed to prepare such information even though Jukic made the disputed decision on 18May, said Kosarac. “According to the official views of the RS institutions and representatives in the joint B&H institutions, Jukic’s decision is illegal. We, the RS, demand only accurate data. We don’t aspire, like the Council of Ministers does, to deceive the European Community or the EU. The SNSD will not support forged census results,” said Kosarac. It seems, he said, the Federation is trying to destroy the census and its results, which sends a very bad message. Kosarac is also concerned about the fact that the Federation of B&H MPs did not accept the initiative to discuss the matter at the next, 31st session of the House of Representatives, scheduled for June 15. “It is absolutely clear that only political actors from the Federation are competent here. The SNSD considers that unacceptable and thinks that RS should be consulted equally,” said Kosarac. RS has the capacity to temporarily halt the decision-making in the B&H institutions, because it has three ministers in the Council of Ministers and chairpersons in both houses of the state parliament, who can create the conditions through joint and harmonized action, for Jukic to retract his illegal decision as soon as possible, he said. RS has to make sure, like it has over the past eight years, it is an equal partner and that no decisions can be made without it at the State level. “Unfortunately, today we have a situation where only the Federation is consulted while the views from RS are ignored,” reiterated Kosarac. He recalled that RS’s views had also been ignored during the adoption of the Reform Agenda and the coordination mechanism, and that the same was happening with the publication of the census results.
Bosniaks in RS government request publishing of census results (Fena)
Coordination of Bosniak representatives in the institutions of the B&H entity Republika Srpska (RS) support the publication of the census results of B&H’s population in accordance with the law and the recommendation of an international monitoring team, concluded the sixth session of the Coordinating Bosniak political representatives in the institutions of the RS.
Ferguson: Census should be seen as economic and not political tool (Fena)
The British Ambassador to B&H Edward Ferguson pointed today to the importance of the population census, saying that it should be seen more as an economic and not political tool. “But it is evident that there is a political debate on this issue,” said the Ambassador. Ferguson recalled in Banja Luka that his colleagues from the European delegation welcomed the decision regarding the list and stated that the EUROSTAT experts are in the official visit to B&H, so we should wait and their assessment of the issue list. The Director at EUROSTAT, the Statistical Office of the European Commission, and Chairman of the Management Group of the International Monitoring Operation (IMO) for the 2013 Population and Housing Census in B&H, Pieter Everaers, will be in official visit to B&H from 25 to 27 May 2016.
Head of the B&H Islamic Community delivered a scandalous speech full of insults against Serbs (Srna)
The Head of the B&H Islamic Community, Husein Kavazovic, delivered a scandalous speech full of insults against Serbs at the recently held gathering in Switzerland. Reacting to the incident, the Head of the SNSD Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives, Stasa Kosarac, said that the statement of the head of the B&H Islamic Community, Husein Kavazovic, that “it should not be allowed that a “Vlah” (derogatory term for a Serb) be at the helm of Srebrenica,” is a very tendentious, ugly and unnecessary message.
Implementation of the Reform Agenda opens the issue of the capacity of B&H (Vijesti.ba)
If the principles of the Reform Agenda are satisfied in the coming period, then it is possible that B&H obtains the candidate status in 2017. Only when we resolve all political problems, the issue of our capacities in terms of accession to the EU will open, said the EU integration analytic Adnan Huskic. Speaking of the elections in Austria in the context of strengthening of the radical right in Europe, Huskic said that it is important that the first appearance of the extreme right in the framework of mainstream policy occurred precisely in Austria, when some 15 years ago the left-right coalition split and then the party of the candidate who now has great chances to become the President of Austria appeared on the political scene. Huskic considers that such result of Hofer is a consequence of inability of the classical political parties, especially those determined to cope with issues that countries in Europe face with. “That is not necessarily related to economy, but for immigration and even EU integration,” Huskic says. Huskic assessed that the voters became fed up with the standard policy which is not changing, which is repeated over and over again, and voters opt for radical moves more often. Huskic thinks that such political tendencies in Europe are not good for B&H and that such development of situation cannot be considered positive for B&H and for the rest of the region as well. Huskic commented on the current issue of the publishing of population census results in B&H. Current authority in Republika Srpska (RS) has been blackmailing the entire population in B&H that census results will not be published unless the methodology that the Institute for Statistics of the RS advocates for is accepted and that approach leads to nowhere, Huskic believes. Huskic adds that there is no choice at this moment but to launch the process of publishing the census results. Moreover, Huskic does not exclude the possible obstructions aimed at destabilization, especially considering the electrified political atmosphere in RS. The census itself, Huskic believes, will become a victim of political bargaining, and many fronts have already been opened. There is simply a situation which leads to local elections and the stakes are high, especially in the RS. Speaking of the candidate status of B&H for membership in the EU, Huskic believes that if the principles of the Reform Agenda are satisfied in the coming period, then it is possible that B&H obtains the candidate status during 2017. Huskic added that average length of the candidate status is seven years. Only when we solve all political issues, the issue of our capacities in terms of accession to the EU will open, said Huskic.
HDZ 1990: Archbishop Komarica is right, RS is the new Bleiburg (Patria)
HDZ 1990 condemns attacks on Archbishop Komarica by the Republika Srpska (RS) Government in Banja Luka, following his statement that RS is the new “Bleiburg” for Croat people. The RS government requested Archbishop Komarica to withdraw his statement but he refused to do so. Killings in Bleiburg are a war crime and crime against humanity done by Yugoslav Army. The tragedy dates back to 15 May 1945 when Croatian Armed Forces and civilians started retreat in order to surrender to British Army situated near Bleiburg in Austrian province Carinthia. British Army, however, refused to accept the surrender of the armed forces of Independent Croatian State (NDH) so they ordered them to surrender to Yugoslav Army after which they were killed. Komarica said that his recent comparison of Banja Luka with Bleiburg was not meant to insult his fellow citizens Serbs and Serbs who were war victims, and anyone who was affected by the war in any way. In the press release issued by Archbishop Komarica, he explained that his metaphorical comparison of Banja Luka with Bleiburg should serve politicians in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to start correcting injustice done upon many of his fellow citizens over the past 25 years. Some of the existing politicians who were involved in the war and postwar doings should accept that responsibility. HDZ 1990 publicly support Archbishop Komarica. They call upon institutions in charge to protect his basic human rights and freedom of speech. They further said that this B&H entity is an epitome of new Bleiburg. Croats living in the RS are in a rather difficult position. HDZ 1990 reminded that RS expelled more than 200.000 Croats during the war.
B&H’s Islamic Community supports Banja Luka Archbishop (Hina)
The leadership of the Islamic Community in B&H on Tuesday expressed full support to Banja Luka Bishop Franjo Komarica, strongly condemning attacks he has been exposed to lately for recalling the persecution and suffering of Croats in the area of Banja Luka in the 1992-95 war. “The Islamic Community in B&H respects very much Archbishop Franjo Komarica. With his words and deeds he has shown that he is worthy of respect as a bishop, Catholic believer and human being,” reads a statement released by the Islamic Community. “In the most difficult days (of war), he stayed in Banja Luka with his people and together with the late Banja Luka Mufti, Ibrahim Halilovic, he offered hope to Catholics and Muslims in that city. The Islamic Community deplores any pressure or blackmail against this good, honorable and noble man,” reads the statement. Komarica recently compared the expulsion and exodus of Croats from the RS in the 1992-95 war with the plight of Croats at Bleiburg, Austria at the end of WWII, which was met with strong condemnation by the entity’s leadership.
The mastermind of the terrorist network in Bosnia and Herzegovina is former head of the Islamic community (RTRS)
Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) published parts of the documents of the Austrian Association for the Protection of the constitutional order which label Mustafa Ceric as a creator of the terrorist network in B&H. Mustafa was at the time the Imam of the Zagreb mosque, and later on reis-ul-ulema of the Islamic Community in B&H. The documents of the Austrian Association for the Protection of the constitutional order, which RTRS presented, state the existence of the evidence on the roles which the former head of the Islamic Community in B&H Ceric and many leaders of Islamist organizations had. It was stated, namely, that in November 1992 a project of presenting the Serbs as a genocidal nation was launched. Ceric informed Alija Izetbegovic about the project, who received 400 million US dollars from Saudi King Fahd, reported RTRS and published a list of phone calls between the members of the “El Mujahedin” and the world leading terrorists.
Objective: To introduce the Muslim world with the war casualties
As stated, Ceric organized an event in November 1992, the International conference on the protection of human rights in B&H, with the secretariat in Vienna. It brought together about one hundred representatives from more than thirty Islamic countries led by prominent figures of the Islamic world, who later became the leaders of extremist Islamist organizations. In the report which was submitted to the President of the B&H Presidency Alija Izetbegovic, whose facsimile was published on the RTRS portal, states that the aim of this conference was to introduce the Muslim world about the war sufferings, especially of Muslims, and invest into an effort to urgently help “the just fight in B&H”. In this regard, 13 decisions were adopted at the conference. The Executive Committee and the Secretariat were elected at the Conference, while Ceric was elected as the first President of that board.
Start of the terrorist attacks
Regarding this issue, the expert for the fight against terrorism Dzevad Galijasevic stated that Ceric, using the power of these organizations, became reis-ul-ulema, and that he can be directly linked to the first terrorist attacks in B&H. “Immediately after this international conference we will have virtually the first terrorist attack on the Council of the Islamic community, the murder of four persons, wounding of the Secretary Omerdic, killing of former son-in-law and grandson of the Reis Hadziavdic, of course since it was a time of the war, all that will be attributed to the Serb stray shells,” Galijasevic told RTRS.
Meeting in Saudi Arabia
The Executive Board of the newly established Islamist organizations after the first meeting in Zagreb met again in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Headed by Mustafa Ceric, Salih Sabic as a personal representative of Muslim leaders in B&H, Alija Izetbegovic and renowned Islamic scholar – Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghazali –at the new meeting they have agreed that the goal of this organization is going to be “spreading the truth about the genocide against B&H Muslims”. Saudi King Fahd supported Ceric’s project with 400 million US dollars, while Qatar and the Emirates each gave 20 million US dollars.
Propaganda – Stories of genocides that didn’t happen
“It is important to point out that in October 1992 the genocide on three locations against B&H Muslims was mentioned, although by then we did not have any serious war conflicts. Already then it was visible that the project of labeling the Serbs started and that it was pushed from the highest Islamist level,” says Galijasevic. Those Islamist elites, according to him, launched a strong chain of support and pressure on terrorist groups who started to arrive to B&H during the war. The first one who came was the Sheikh Abdelaziz, called Barbarossa – the first commander of the Mujahedeen’s in B&H. The documents of the military war intelligence’s directorate of the so called B&H Army’s 3rd Corps in Zenica, show the phone numbers and faxes to which the members of the “El Mujahedin” have been sending messages. Among them are the phone numbers of Abu Musab al – Zarqawi and Osama Bin Laden. Communication was conducted over the telephones registered in the UK, Italy and the United States, reports RTRS.
Expected decision: Assembly’s dissolution was unconstitutional (Telegraf.mk)
The Constitutional Court has passed a decision on Wednesday to annul the decision on the Assembly’s postponed dissolution, with all nine judges accepting the proposal made by DUI lawmaker, Talat Xhaferi, Telegraf.mk reads. At the session held a week ago, the court expressed doubts regarding the postponed dissolution decision and decided to initiate a procedure to assess the constitutionality of that move, i.e. the dissolution of parliament on 18 January 2016 and the second decision on its dissolution that took place on 18 February the same year. At the same time, the constitutional judges have passed a temporary measure to halt all elections-related activities. Court officials say this means the realization of the acts and actions arising from these decisions should also be suspended. On May 18, Parliament convened and made several legal changes and amendments, including the Electoral Code, thus postponing the early parliamentary elections. Judge rapporteur Ismail Darlista said at last week’s session that the disputed decision is not in accordance with the Constitution because its puts the rule of law and the legal safety into question. He also suggested the court to launch a procedure. The head of the Constitutional Court, Elena Goseva, said she would make a precedent and vote in favor of launching the procedure on the assessment of the disputed decisions’ constitutionality, taking into consideration the situation the country is faced with, which is quite specific and where the state organs are trapped in a functional blockade. The initiative to examine the dissolution decision was filed by DUI MP Talat Xhaferi. The Constitutional Court said the motion contains new elements and the case required a fresh analysis. In February this year, the constitutional judges already discussed and rejected the initiatives submitted by Democratic Alliance MP Pavle Trajanov and the one filed by the head of the World Macedonian Congress, Todor Petrov, both referring to the postponed dissolution of the Assembly.
Macedonia: Electoral roll to be revised again, voter issue corrected (Telegraf.mk)
Even though the parliament has officially cancelled 5 June elections, the State Election Commission (SEC) is continuing with its regular activity. The current format of the Commission has support from the local parties, as well as from the international factor and it will continue to do its job undisturbed. The SEC informed that they are quite certain that the Electoral Roll is purged, but they expressed readiness for checking it again in order to clear all doubt. SEC said that the field and administrative checkup proved that the electoral roll is regularly updated, but said that if necessary it can be checked again. The revision of data from several state institutions so it can be compared to the Electoral Roll is not ruled out. It is almost certain that there will not be another field checkup. According to information from SEC, it is becoming clear that the Electoral Roll does not contain so called phantom voters, as was claimed by SDSM. What could be corrected is the issue about the 100,000 voters, who, according to SDSM, need to be erased because they have valid driving licenses, but they are not registered in any other data base. They can be put in a separate graph. These voters are in fact currently holding temporary jobs abroad, but most of them return home for elections. The last changes to the electoral roll should encompass further specifications about the electronic access to the Electoral Roll. More specifically, this will allow for SEC to provide electronic access to the Electoral Roll, so there will be options for reporting irregularities and misuses. The Electoral Roll, published by SEC, has 1,817,691 registered voters.
Macedonian President’s impeachment proceedings is complex and highly unrealistic (Telegraf.mk)
President Gjorge Ivanov’s impeachment, which is being announced by opposition SDSM party, is a complex and lengthy procedure, which is unlikely to take place, Telegraf.mk reads. Analyzing the deployment of forces in the Assembly, it is unrealistic to expect the gathering of the necessary two-third majority, in order for the initiative to get the green light. If it is put on the parliament’s agenda, the impeachment of the chief of state will be discussed by lawmakers for the first time in Macedonian history. The opposition is calling for the president’s withdrawal because of the general abolition decision with which he pardoned 56 individuals, most of whom are suspected by the Special Prosecutor’s Office of affairs that have arisen as a consequence of the publicly shared wiretapped phone conversations. The demolished presidential people’s office as citizens demonstrated against his general abolition decision. Ivanov decided to pardon these people last month, which was the reason for the emergence of voiced objections by the international factors, but also by the domestic public. The move also prompted daily protests that have been ongoing for over a month. After the 5 June early general elections were cancelled and after the Assembly was reconvened, changes to the Law on Pardoning were passed, under which the abolition could be revoked if the president decides on his own to do so, and he is not obliged to provide an explanation. The second possibility entails a demand filed by the pardoned person, and the president would then be obliged to remove his decision within 30 days the latest. The impeachment assessment proceeding is likely not to win the necessary two-third majority in the Assembly. But if this prospect is realized, then the constitutional judges need to vote in favor of the president’s withdrawal by a two-third majority as well, as they are the sole legal entities who can determine whether the chief of state acted in line or against the laws and the Constitution. Provided the Constitutional Court passes the decision, the term of the country’s president will end immediately and new elections will need to be called.
INTERNATIONAL PRESS
Serbia’s prime minister promises new-style government (Reuters, 24 May 2016)
BELGRADE Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic promised a more open style of government on Tuesday, saying he would meet citizens as early as 5 a.m. to hear their concerns and offering to talk to all political parties as he prepares to form an administration.
Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won nearly 50 percent of the votes in last month’s general election, securing 131 seats in the 250-seat parliament and enabling him to continue as prime minister for a second four-year term. “I will invite all (political parties) for talks about Serbia’s future next week,” Vucic told a news conference, adding that a final decision on potential coalition partners would be taken at an SNS board meeting on Saturday. In his first term he opted for coalition government to provide political support for a series of tough reforms, such as cuts in jobs, pay and pensions. Vucic said he would encourage ordinary Serbians to raise everyday problems with him in areas such as public services and healthcare. “I will talk to citizens from 5 a.m. until 8 a.m., at least one day a week,” he said. “And from 8 a.m. I will be able to carry out my other duties.” He said ministers would work in towns outside the capital for a week every few months to listen to people there. “We would be staying in army barracks to bring the cost of our stay to a minimum,” he said. Vucic’s opponents accuse him of authoritarianism, including strong control of media, charges the government denies. An ultra-nationalist during Yugoslavia’s wars of the 1990s, Vucic performed a political U-turn in 2008 and embraced Serbia’s drive to join the European Union. He has rebranded himself as a conservative reformer committed to cutting the budget deficit and debt and to shrinking the public sector.
(Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; editing by Giles Elgood and Gareth Jones)
Pro-Govt Media Leak Macedonian Activists’ Salaries (BIRN, by Meri Jordanovska, 25 May 2016)
Anti-government protesters complain of gross invasion of privacy after a media outlet published their earnings from NGOs in order to portray them as ‘mercenaries’.
More than 60 Macedonian anti-government activists are preparing a lawsuit against the media outlet Netpres, accusing it of breaching their privacy by disclosing their earnings from NGOs.
The news portal’s investigation, titled “mercenary revolution affair” – an ironic comment on the nickname of the protests that are called the “colourful revolution” – has since been republished by mainstream media close to the government. The portal did not disclose the source of its information, or say why it considered the earnings of the activists of public interest, or how the money they allegedly received in 2014 was connected with the ongoing protests. By law, each individual in Macedonia is obliged to submit a form disclosing his or her annual earnings.
The data published by Netpres refer to the earnings of over 60 people gained through their engagement in prominent NGOs. They include the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Forum, the Youth Educational Centre, Civil, September 8, the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, the Macedonian Centre for European Education, NGO Info Centre, the Centre for Media Development, the Centre for Civic Communications and others. Some of the people pinpointed are employed by these organizations and the portal published their annual gross salaries. Others received fees for participation in debates, for working on publications or for writing texts. In both cases the secrecy of their earnings should have been protected by Article 9 in the Law on Taxes. “I work and make earnings which I report to the UJP [the tax office],” one of the people who were named by Netpres said. “What is illegal is that [the data of] my earnings ended in the hands of media close to the government, with the goal of portraying me as a ‘traitor’. When did it became illegal to work, pay taxes and think critically?!” the person told BIRN. Predrag Petrovic, owner of the news portal A1 On, who was named as receiving 7,290 denars [about 120 euro], says he earned the money from the Centre for media Development as a fee for helping to write a rulebook on internet media conduct. “I did not buy an apartment or a car with this money. I walk each day to work and the feeling is great because no one can even think of terrorizing me by commissioning articles and telling me what to write each day. I am simply not for sale,” Petrovic told BIRN. BIRN asked the Public Revenue Office, UJP, to respond to claims that it may have leaked the personal data. “Information and other facts gained through the tax procedures carried out by UJP are subjected to tax secrecy and are not to be communicated to the public and the media” the UJP replied. “UJP cannot vouch for the accuracy of the [published] data, or for the source of those data published by Netpress, having in mind that other entities are holders of such information as well,” the tax office said. Macedonia’s Ombudsman, Ixhet Memeti, told BIRN that he was “concerned and condemned this act”. He added that what also worried him was the number of people whose privacy had been breached. However, Memeti noted that as Netpres is a private news portal, he has no jurisdiction to act against it unless the people who have been mentioned file a complaint. The former head of the Public Revenue Office, now head of the Directorate for Personal Data Protection, Goran Trajkovski, also said his hands were tied until the activists formally reported the case.
