LOCAL PRESS

The new Serbian parliament constituted (Tanjug/Beta/B92)

The new Serbian parliament was constituted today after the mandates of the 250 MPs were approved. The MPs, who were sworn in, are scheduled to elect the parliament speaker, the deputy speakers, the secretary general and the members of the parliamentary working bodies.
Maja Gojkovic, the previous parliament speaker, has been put forward for the post by the Serbian Progressive Party MPs.SRS leader Vojislav Seselj, who is back in parliament after a 13-year break, attracted the most attention.Deputies from the Dveri Movement first gathered in front of the St. Marko Church in Belgrade and then arrived to the parliament, in traditional Serbian folk clothing. Their leader Bosko Obradovic, however, was wearing a suit.

The Serb Progressive Party (SNS)-led coalition has 131 seats, followed by SPS-JS (29), the Serb Radical Party (SRS; 22), the Enough is Enough Movement (16), the Democratic Party (DS)-led coalition (16), Dveri-DSS (13) and LDP-LSV-SDS (13). Parties representing minorities have also won seats: the SVM (Hungarians – 4 mandates), Muamer Zukorlic – Bosniak (Muslim) Democratic Community of Sanzak (2), the Green Party (Slovaks – 1) and the PDD (Albanians – 1).Once the parliament has been constituted, Serbia must get a new government within the next three months.

Vucic: Decision on government composition due by end of next week (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister-designate Aleksandar Vucic said that he will make the final decision on the composition of the new government by the end of next week. Speaking to reporters in Baric in Belgrade’s Obrenovac municipality ahead of Monday’s start of consultations on the new government, Vucic said that this is a realistic timeframe if we want to go to the parliament on 15 June and then possibly complete the election of the government on 16 June,” Vucic said.
He said that he wants the government to be united, unite towards objectives and achieve good results. The deadline to form the government is 5 or 6 September, but the process will be completed much sooner, definitely before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Belgrade, scheduled for the end of June, Vucic said.

Djuric: Serbia condemns Rama’s territorial pretensions (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbia strongly condemns territorial pretensions expressed today in Pristina by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said. He told a press conference in the Serbian government that Rama, with “Greater Albania pretensions”, this time on our territory, insulted the Serbian people. “Instead of reducing tension in the region, he reinforces it. It would be far more useful if Rama and his associates would have sent a reconciliation message, wish for cooperation and stability in the region, as Serbia has been doing,” said Djuric. Noticing that the gathering in Pristina was held in the National Library, Djuric invited Rama to take one of the books and read that Kosovo will never be part of Albania and that the “dream about a great state and one nation will only remain a dream”. “I invite Rama once again that it is much better for him to take some of the books where he will most certainly find the facts as to where Kosovo and Metohija is located,” said Djuric.

Ljajic, Li discuss cooperation in telecommunications, IT (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic on Friday received Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang to discuss ways to improve bilateral cooperation in telecommunications and information and communication technologies. Ljajic and Li agreed that the signing of a Serbia-China agreement on an “IT silk road” should be the next step in strengthening the cooperation in the said fields. The text of the agreement has already been coordinated by officials of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and China’s National Development and Reform Commission, said Ljajic. The document will be signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Serbia, the Trade Ministry quoted him as having said. The “IT silk road” agreement between Serbia and China implies cooperation in e-commerce, development of broadband internet, satellite services and new IT-based business sectors.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ivanic: Deception must not be decision making method (Srna)

The Serb member of  the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic has said he will not let deception be affirmed as a decision making method in B&H, and stated that the census issue must be brought back again to the competent institutions, because everything has been done against the interests of B&H, especially the RS.He has announced that he will particularly seek to verify whether the B&H Prosecutor’s Office put some pressure throughout the process, given that he has information that Director of the B&H Agency for Statistics Velimir Jukic made a decision on a single program for B&H census data processing after the talks had been held with representatives of the B&H Prosecutor’s Office. Ivanic has stressed that the cooperation between the SNSD and the PDP is not possible at either the RS level or B&H. He has said that he met with Dodik as a member of the B&H Presidency, and will meet with the RS President whenever necessary, even though there are things they agree and disagree on. “There is no political disagreement over which I would refuse to meet with Dodik, if it is in the interest of the RS, and the population census is,” said Ivanic and urged all the parties to think twice about the political implications of such practices and to gain support for the joint position, because it is of the RS’ interest. Commenting on the fact that the B&H Presidency member Dragan Covic gave a certain amount of money to Banja Luka Bishop Franjo Komarica to go to Bleiburg, Ivanic has said it was Covic’s right to do so, unlike the Croatian political and church officials to transfer their attitude towards Bleiburg to Banja Luka. “Covic did not do that, for which I am grateful to him, but some other representatives did. I am afraid this is a return to the old subjects. These representatives partly created a kind of pre-war atmosphere, which B&H does not need,” said Ivanic.

Covic: Jukic’s decision cannot be withdraw (Nezavisne/Srna)
The Croat member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic said that the B&H Council of Ministers should open a debate on the decision on the program for the population census data processing brought by the Director of the B&H Statistics Agency Velimir Jukic. He reiterated that he wasn’t acquainted with that decision, didn’t influence it, and that it wasn’t harmonized or agreed with him, but that it cannot be withdrawn. Covic, who is the HDZ leader, thinks that Jukic should not be sanctioned and that there is no dilemma regarding the content, but the manner in which the decision has been brought, considering that new dynamics and harmonization had been agreed. “Now this decision is being interpreted differently and the Serb parties think they had been played out,” said Covic. Commenting on Mladen Ivanic’s claim that he influenced this decision, Covic says these are political spins that serve for reinforcing political influence on the eve of local elections. “This has nothing to with the reality. I didn’t know that the decision will be brought. There have been many political spins lately and I don’t want to be part of this process,” said Covic.

Kremic: Despite political pressures, census results will be published (nap.ba)

Director of the Federation Bureau for Statistics Emir Kremic that he would like “if a member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic remained consistent with his statement from 16 April when he said that the question of census is under the jurisdiction of the B&H Agency for Statistics”.

“The B&H Agency for Statistics is in charge for the census and no one else. Mr. Ivanic said this month and a half ago, and he should now behave according to that. The results of the census will be published in accordance with legal regulations. It will not succumb to political pressure on the statistical institutions, no matter who is involved. These are numbers, statistics and there is no place for politics, political deals and compromises,” said Kremic. Commenting on the meeting of Ivanic and the RS President Milorad Dodik, Kremic said that none of them is in charge of the census. “It would be better for them to deal with the devastating statistic which indicates that the largest number of unemployed citizens is between the age of 24 and 34, and that most of those who get their first job are 34 years old. Around 3.7 million people are on the list, so that’s kind of a petition of those 3.7 million people in this country who want B7H to continue its path towards the EU,” emphasized Kremic. He noted that Velimir Jukic protected the law by his approach and did not succumb to the pressures to work illegally, and that accordingly, census results will be published. “If some members of the B&H Presidency believe that there is dispute in all of this, he has the ability to initiate dispute in front of the B&H Constitutional Court. Everything else is just classic cheap politics, which does not give any results. If the deadline for publication of the results does not get respected, I will ask for video tapes from sessions of the Central Census Bureau to be given to the B&H Prosecutor’s Office and to get everything out in the public and to find who is guilty. I urge the politicians to leave statistical institutions alone to do their job in accordance with the law, and not political wishes and arrangements. I will send a letter to the international community and seek protection for employees in the statistical institutions from political pressures which are becoming unbearable. We will publish the results, and if someone is afraid of what the statistics will show – that is not our fault. Again, there is no political agreement with numbers and statistics,” concluded Kremic.

Consent for Serbia’s Chapter 23 means Croatia’s objections will be dealt with (Hina)

Croatia has consented to beginning the definition of a joint position for Chapter 23 in the accession negotiations with Serbia, which means that the three key objections because of which Croatia denied its consent will be dealt with in the position, the Council of the European Union said on Thursday. EU ambassadors on Wednesday adopted a report on Serbia’s compliance with the benchmarks for Chapter 23, paving the way for beginning the definition of the EU’s joint negotiating position on that chapter. After the ambassadors’ meeting, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country chairs the Council of the EU, welcomed the adoption of the report, saying he was confident that Croatia’s objections would be dealt with. I am confident that we will find a way to solve those issues in a way that will enable Croatia to agree to the opening of Chapter 23 by the end of the Dutch presidency. Chapters 23 and 24 should be opened first and will be closed only at the end of the negotiations, when all outstanding issues have been solved, Koenders said. The adoption of a report on compliance with benchmarks does not constitute a decision that a chapter can be opened. Only when member states have formulated the text of a joint negotiating position and unanimously endorsed the position can the chapter be opened. According to Council of the EU sources, at Wednesday’s meeting, the Croatian ambassador read out a statement in which he stated Croatia’s position on Chapter 23, which deals with the judiciary and fundamental rights. Croatia has set three conditions for opening the chapter: Serbia’s full cooperation with the Hague war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; full compliance with all national and international obligations in the protection of minority rights; and the issue of Serbia’s jurisdiction for war crimes prosecution. In the statement, Croatia says its three objections constitute the essence of Chapter 23 and that the way in which a candidate country approaches political criteria in the accession process should be dealt with at the very beginning of the process so that progress can be made during the process. Regarding Serbia’s full cooperation with the Hague tribunal, Croatia says it has reason for concern, as shown by reports from the tribunal’s officials, and that it expects Serbia to fully accept and implement all of the tribunal’s decisions and rulings. Croatia is especially critical of Serbia’s law on the organization and jurisdiction of state bodies in war crimes proceedings, whereby Serbia proclaimed itself competent for war crimes trials on the territory of the former Yugoslavia committed since 1 January 1991, regardless of a perpetrator’s or a victim’s citizenship. Croatia reiterates in the statement that said law is contrary not only to the principles of the rule of law, international law and international criminal law, but that it also poses a serious obstacle to regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations because it is discriminatory towards some EU member states. Croatia also says that, with that law, Serbia created an unacceptable and illegal situation and that it must align its legislation and practice in war crimes trials with European and international law standards, including avoidance of judicial conflicts in war crimes prosecution. Croatia also says that its consent to the adoption of the report on Serbia’s compliance with Chapter 23 benchmarks can in no way be interpreted as support for Serbia’s strategic documents on the prosecution of war crimes adopted on the basis of a Chapter 23 action plan, because they are based on political and legal qualifications which constitute an obstacle to reconciliation and regional cooperation. According to Croatia, those unacceptable qualifications bring into question Serbia’s commitment to the implementation of its Chapter 23 action plan. Croatia says in the statement that the implementation of the legal framework on minority rights in Serbia remains an important element, including democratic participation, as envisaged in legally binding agreements. Croatia also says that it remains committed to the enlargement process based on compliance with all the necessary requirements, and that it will monitor the implementation of all the necessary benchmarks in Chapter 23 and other relevant negotiation chapters.

Parliament impeachment Committee meets for a second day (Republika)

The Parliament Committee set up after opposition SDSM requested impeachment of Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov meets on Friday, for a second day of deliberation. On Thursday, representatives from the opposition blamed President Ivanov of deepening the political crisis with his decision in mid-April to pardon 56 politicians and their supporters. SDSM claims that the President did not have legal basis to issue the pardons, and that he should be impeached for violating the Constitution. Representatives from VMRO-DPMNE, on whose ticket Ivanov was elected twice, say that while they disagree with the pardons, the decision was legally sound. Ivanov revoked 22 pardons that were given to politicians after Parliament amended the law on pardons, and invited the remaining individuals to file a request with him to revoke their pardons as well, if they wish. The Committee is supposed to prepare a report by Monday, and submit it to the Parliament, which can then decide whether to advance it further to the Constitutional Court. This decision needs to be made with a two thirds majority.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Gloomy Future: Brexit Backers Scare Britons With Balkan Intrusion (Sputnik, 3 June 2016)

The long-awaited referendum on whether Britain should leave or remain in the EU is set for June 23. The public polls show that many are still undecided and supporters of the Brexit have resorted to different means to draw a gloomy picture of future membership in the Union.

The supporters of the exit from the European Union are trying to alarm their countrymen by speculating which country would be next to join the block. Brexit supporters, Vote leave movement led by top campaigner, the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson, are spreading the “scary” leaflets that these are Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey who are waiting in line for the membership. It echoes the recent remarks of Defense Minister Penny Mordaunt who referred to the residents of the Balkan states as “criminals, terrorists and gangsters” who will flood the UK when Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia join the EU. And even though David Cameron blasted the remarks as “absolutely wrong”, they made a strong impact on the electorate. Especially taking into account the recent polls which show that the majority is in favor of the exit. Political analyst Milos Damnjanovic, who has been living in England for a long time, has called such pictures a cheap populism. “This is a cheap populism which is playing upon British superiority over other nations, which average British don’t know much about,” he told recently Blitz magazine. Meanwhile, he added, what is the most ironic is that the British traditionally support the expansion of the EU, and, among others, by means of accepting Turkey. James Ker-Lindsay, an expert on the politics of south east Europe says that “Balkan-phobia” is not that strong in the UK. The residents of the Balkan states are feared due to the recent huge migrant influx. He noted that since the expansion of the EU in 2004, somewhat two million people have come to the UK. And while many complain that there are “over the top” migrants in the UK and that they intruded the country violating its way of life, it is not true. The migrants are working and paying taxes. A new generation has already been born and integrated into the British society. However average people still perceive them as a threat regardless all the above. London-based Serbian journalist Sinisa Ljepojevic told Sputnik that apparently the British elite can’t offer the average Britons anything apart from fear and lie. The journalist regards all the above as “part of the global political chaos just before the referendum”. However he thinks that the Britons can’t be scared by the Balkan states. He said that up to 140,000 Serbs are now living in the UK and half of them in London. However they have never caused any problems. They are very hardworking and he doesn’t know any single Serb who is receiving any social benefits. Ljepojevic suggested that these countries are simply being used for internal political infighting, however he doubts that it might bring any benefits.

Divided Montenegro Marks Decade of Independence (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 3 June 2016)

Montenegro marks the tenth anniversary of its independence in 2006, still facing old divisions between supporters and opponents of the former union with Serbia.

Montenegro’s parliament holds a special session on Friday marking the tenth anniversary of the day when the former Yugoslav republic quit its loose “state union” with Serbia. On June 3, 2006, Montenegro formally declared independence after parliament by a majority vote accepted the results of the referendum held on May 21, in which voters backed splitting from Serbia.

According to official results, the turn-out in the referendum was 85.5 per cent, or 419,240 people. About 55.5 per cent of eligible voters, or 230,661 people, voted in favour of independence, and 185,002, or 44.5 per cent, voted against. The large Serbian ethnic community, making up about 30 per cent of the population, overwhelmingly voted against breaking away – and those divisions over independence remain fresh. The session on Friday will be led by the new speaker, Darko Pajovic, who was voted into office on Thursday, without the presence of pro-Serbian opposition MPs who boycotted his appointment. Pajovic leads the opposition Positive party, whose five MPs on January 27 helped Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic survive a no-confidence vote, angering the rest of the opposition. “Parliamentary debates, as well as all events prior and after the January 27 vote, suggest that we in this chamber, as well as in Montenegro, have very different opinions about who we are and in what direction we need to move. Unfortunately, it also turned out that we all have little sympathy for the views of others,” Pajovic said after the vote. His appointment also showed that old political and ethnic divisions remain strong in Montenegro. The pro-Serbian opposition bloc of parties also refused to join the Djukanovic’s new cabinet, approved in May and reconstituted to containing members of three, more moderate opposition parties. While accusing the Djukanovic administration of election fraud, corruption and bad privatization, some pro-Serbian parties also still refuse to recognise the state’s independence, claiming that the results of the referendum were faked. Ahead of the independence anniversary, a leader of the pro-Serbian Democratic People’s Party, Milan Knezevic, revealed the results of a study which showed that if a new referendum took place, only about 50 per cent of citizens would vote for independence, while 30.9 per cent would support union with Serbia. “It proves how Montenegro remains deeply divided society and that there are no indications that this gap will disappear any time soon,” he said. Prime Minister Djukanovic has also admitted that Montenegrins are still almost evenly divided about the country’s independence, with about 60 per cent of citizens on one side and 40 per cent on the other. Another survey, this time in Serbia, published on May 19, however, suggested that Serbian citizens are not much interested in restoring a federation with Montenegro. Only about 20 per cent of Serbians would support a new federation with Montenegro, a survey conducted for the weekly Nedeljnik shows. Branko Lukovac, former leader of the Movement for Independence, a civil bloc formed in 2006 and bringing together parties, organizations and intellectuals, said significant progress in reducing the divisions in Montenegro – political, ethnic, religious and social, has yet to be made. Lukovac told BIRN that the current government, and all political parties, have a responsibility to show commitment to eliminate the causes of division, and strengthen tolerance, dialogue and cooperation. ‘We have yet to see essential and necessary changes in the system of values, so that knowledge and ability, justice and fairness, morality and ethics, become the most important values and criteria, instead of domination by party affiliation, widespread nepotism, greed, corruption and crime,” Lukovac said. Montenegro’s divisions over independence are not only a reflection of recent events but date back generations. Unlike most other former Yugoslav republics, the country did not gain independence following the break-up of Yugoslavia but re-gained it. Never subjugated by the Ottomans, or by the Austrians, it was an independent principality for centuries, whose statehood was formally recognised by the Great Powers at the Berlin Congress of 1878. Its ruler, Prince Nikola, upgraded himself to king in 1910. It only lost its independence in 1918, following a referendum whose fairness is disputed, when it was absorbed into the new Kingdom of Yugoslavia.