LOCAL PRESS

Top state officials welcome Chinese president (B92/Beta/RTS)

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plane landed at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla International on Friday. Serbian state broadcaster RTS is reporting that Air China aircraft was welcomed in Serbia’s airspace by Serbian Air Force jets. On the ground, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his wife, Dragica Nikolic, as well as Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and National Assembly President Maja Gojkovic. The Chinese leader was also welcomed at the airport by children wearing folk attire, and with Chinese and Serbian flags. A half-hour cultural-artistic performance was also organized, according to reports. This is the first time 30 years that a Chinese president is visiting Serbia. During the first day of the visit, Nikolic and Xi will lay the cornerstone for the construction of the Chinese Cultural Center and unveil the monument to Confucius, as well as the plate of the newly-named Confucius Street and the Serbia-China Friendship Square. On the occasion, the two presidents will lay the wreaths at the memorial in honor of the officials of the embassy of China, who fell victims to the 1999 NATO bombing. The meeting between the president of the Republic of Serbia and the president of the People’s Republic of China is scheduled for the second day of the visit, followed by the two delegations’ bilateral meeting. Numerous inter-state agreements of extreme importance for the Republic of Serbia will be signed after the said meeting. Nikolic will decorate Xi with the Order of the Republic of Serbia on a Grand Collar. After the presentation ceremony, the president will meet with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and the members of the delegations, as well as the Speaker of the Serbian National Assembly Maja Gojkovic. On the third day of the visit, Nikolic and Xi will visit Zelezara Smederevo (Smederevo Steelworks), hosted by Aleksandar Vucic.

Dacic: Migrant crisis serious challenge for region, Europe (Tanjug/Politika/RTS/Beta)

The migrant crisis has been one of the most serious challenges facing the region and Europe over the past months, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at a Central European Initiative (CEI) ministerial meeting in Banja Luka on Thursday. Serbia registered and temporarily took in 600,000 migrants in 2015, as well as over 100,000 more since the beginning of this year, Dacic said. It is a fact that we only managed to reduce and regulate migration flows after realising that it is a common problem and that it can only be resolved together, Dacic said. Serbia has backed, and will back, any comprehensive and sustainable initiative in this regard, Dacic said, adding that he is pleased to say that both the authorities and the citizens of Serbia have demonstrated that they do not perceive migrants as the root of the problem, but, above all, as people who are in trouble. EU membership is one of the top foreign policy priorities for Serbia, Dacic said, noting that Belgrade expects Chapters 23 and 24 in its EU accession talks to be opened during the Dutch EU presidency. “I want to point out the significance of preserving a continued dynamics in the negotiation process with the EU. Serbia has met all the interim benchmarks for chapters 23 and 24 and rightly expects them to be opened during the Dutch presidency,” Dacic said

Stefanovic receives Belgium’s federal prosecutor (Tanjug)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic on Thursday received Belgium’s federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw to discuss the threat of terrorism and ways to enhance the cooperation between the two countries to deal with the challenge as efficiently as possible. At the meeting, also attended by Serbian public prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac, Stefanovic briefed Van Leeuw on the steps Serbia is taking in the fight against terrorism, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
“All our security services are watching closely the developments outside Serbia, as well as all people returning from war theatres abroad, in Syria and Iraq in particular. We have identified several persons who have taken part in activities aimed at radicalizing people and recruiting them to join terrorist organizations or depart for war theatres in other countries, and the prosecutor’s office has raised indictments against them accordingly,” Stefanovic said. Faced with the terrorist threat, Serbian and Belgian police have stepped up the exchange of information on people involved in war conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the cooperation will be continued in the future, Stefanovic said. “We are also exchanging much information on drug smuggling, smuggling of stolen motor vehicles, money laundering and illegal migration,” he said.

EU Parliament investigating case on exhibition devoted to Stepinac (RTS)

Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) was told by the cabinet of the European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz that they had received the protest note from the Serbian Ambassador to the EU Dusko Lopandic over the exhibition devoted to Alojzije Stepinac. The entire case will be investigated and then they will decide on a possible reaction, the cabinet stated, adding that the exhibition was approved by the EP services in charge and that it would be examined whether this was done according to rules.

REGIONAL PRESS

Ivanic: Republika Srpska should publish its own census results (Srna)

Republika Srpska (RS) member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic believes that RS should publish its own 2013 Population and Housing Census results through its Statistics Institute and that the Serb representatives in the State Agency for Statistics should withdraw from the institution. “It is obvious that the representatives from the Federation of B&H have continued the policy of outvoting and that no one takes it seriously that the only stable future for B&H in the long run is to achieve compromise, because outvoting will not yield any results,” Ivanic told Srna commenting on the outcome of the Wednesday’s emergency session of the House of Representatives of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly regarding the census. He believes that it is now time to execute the conclusion reached between him and RS President Milorad Dodik in Banja Luka. “I think that the representatives of the RS Statistics Institute from Banja Luka and the key RS representatives in the B&H Agency for Statistics should no longer give legitimacy to the census results with their presence,” said the Serb member of the B&H Presidency. According to Ivanic, the announcement made by Banja Luka that RS will publish its census results should be an official stance. Ivanic believes that the census will have no consequences in B&H whatsoever because it will never be applied or accepted as legitimate or complete. “This has been some sort of a needless conflict which never should have occurred,” he said. As far as further decision making goes, said Ivanic, his view has already been made public and he sticks by it. “Whenever there is any kind of risk for RS, I don’t intend to take part in making decisions at the level of the B&H Presidency. On the contrary, I will try to make sure that in every possible case decisions are made with full consensus. If I get outvoted, I will raise the issue of vital national interests,” Ivanic said adamantly. The emergency session of the B&H House of Representatives regarding the 2013 population census ended late on Wednesday with the representatives failing to uphold the conclusions of the RS deputies, who asked that the decision on a common census data processing program, which was made by Agency for Statistics Director Velimir Jukic, be declared null and void, that the deadline for the publication of the census results be extended until December 31, and that the decision on the common census data processing program be retracted.

RS representatives meet with most influential people of Russia (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik stated that the RS representatives met with the most influential people from the economic, business and political life of Russia at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg. “RS has been present for years at the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, and so far has done a lot. Guests of the Forum are the representatives of China and leaders of political parties from all over the world,” Dodik told the RS Radio and Television. He has stressed that it is good for the RS representatives to learn at the Economic Forum the directions the other countries are taking and how the economic policies will adapt. “I spoke last night with the external affairs advisor of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. We have the opportunity to talk with the business world, since Russia is an economic conglomerate of world importance,” said Dodik. The RS President has noted that he will try to rehabilitate the issue of financial cooperation with Russia at the Forum. “Russia has been put into a new political and economic situation due to the sanctions, but that what we had previously talked about would happen one day has never been ruled out. I’m not saying that it will be tomorrow, but this is a live topic which we will talk about,” said Dodik, adding that RS is facing economic challenges. He says that RS is interested in good cooperation with traditional partners and in meeting other countries’ opportunities. Dodik has said that he has nothing to do with the views of foreign embassies in B&H  on RS representatives attending the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, saying they can understand this however they want. “This is a legitimate and logical sequence of business operations, and what they do sometimes is neither legal or good in diplomatic practice, as they are interfering to much in B&H’s internal affairs,” said Dodik, who believes that B&H will collapse because of it. The RS President has reiterated that B&H must respect the Dayton Peace Agreement, which Russia agrees on too. He has stated how sorry he was for failing to meet in Banja Luka met with Johannes Hahn, the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiation, adding that RS wants more cooperation with Western countries. “I would be honored if I had a chance to talk with him. Earlier I assumed obligations and could not do it, but it is important that Hahn was in Banja Luka,” Dodik said, adding that Western countries must accept the reality that RS exists and its requirements.

Crnadak meets with Kovac and Dacic (FTV/BHT1)

B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Crnadak held a series of bilateral meetings on sidelines of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of countries of Central European Initiative (CEI), which took place in Banja Luka on Thursday. Crnadak met with Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs Miro Kovac and discussed the agreement on European partnership, which should be signed soon. Crnadak expressed hope that the agreement will be signed by the end of July, at the next bilateral meeting in Zagreb. Kovac expressed support to European path of B&H and added that certain bilateral issues will be solved by dialogue. Crnadak and Kovac agreed to organize a joint session of B&H and Croatian governments, but were not able to set the date. Crnadak also met with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic. Following the meeting, Dacic reiterated that Serbia is extremely interested in stability of the region. Crnadak and Dacic concluded that relations between B&H and Serbia are important for the stability of entire region. Dacic said that Serbia advocates stability in the region, as a guarantor of the Dayton Peace Accords. “It is very important to solve all open issues in B&H through dialogue. In this regard, Serbia wants to be of assistance only as a factor of stability in the region. We want to see all countries in the region progressing on the EU path, because it can additionally strengthen stability in the entire region,” added Dacic.

Mostar citizens will most likely be unable to vote in this year’s local elections (TV1)

Mostar citizens will once again be unable to vote in the local elections, because the key actors in the City of Mostar – SDA and HDZ B&H – do not even talk when it comes to this issue. The information about SDA and HDZ B&H not talking on this issue was confirmed to TV1 by the HDZ B&H City Board in Mostar. In a phone statement to TV1, Chairman of the HDZ B&H City Board in Mostar Damir Dzeba said that official talks are burdened by the issues related to organization of the city. Dzeba stressed the need to distinguish between the issues of the Election Law and seeking model to respect the Constitutional Court (CC)’s ruling on the City of Mostar. “It is not a problem, we can speak about it – but in the City Council or in some other context and time”, Dzeba remarked. According to TV1, this is nothing new because SDA and HDZ B&H have been finding reasons and excuses for years to maintain the status quo. TV1 assessed that, due to lack of dialogue between SDA and HDZ B&H, it is likely that the agreement on the City of Mostar will not be reached within the next 15 days when the deadline for it expires. Failure to reach an agreement would mean that citizens of Mostar will have to wait at least another four years to vote in the elections. The last in the series of unsuccessful meetings on this issue was recently held in Sarajevo. On that occasion, leaders of the ruling parties tasked the Mostar-based boards of political parties to agree on the solution for the City of Mostar. SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said after that meeting that the party leaders will be at disposal of the City Boards in case they come close to reaching a solution. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) warned that they will not do the job that should be done by the political parties. Namely, High Representative Valentin Inzko stated that representatives of SDA and HDZ B&H should sit together at the same table and work on finding a solution. “Do politicians realize what they owe to the citizens? Not to me, not to the international community (IC), but rather to the citizens. We call on all parties – especially SDA and HDZ B&H – to reach compromise by the beginning of July and enable voters in Mostar to exercise their basic right to vote, for the first time in eight years,” Inzko pointed out. According to Inzko, the solutions need to be found immediately. Inzko said: “After so many years, there can no longer be excuses or empty promises. Now we expect to see results. I reiterate that I will not do the job for them.”

Moore: Issue of City of Mostar represents biggest problem in regards to local elections (TV1)

Guest of TV1 evening news was Head of the OSCE Mission to B&H Jonathan Moore. Asked to comment on the issues concerning the election process in B&H ahead of this year’s local elections, Moore replied that “it is a little too late now to change the Election Law”. “Our Mission played a very positive role when it comes to talks and dialogue on the Election Law. There were also several reforms. Participants of the interdepartmental task force were very active. Several positive steps have been made – even in line with the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE”, Moore underlined. However, Moore pointed out that the issue of the City of Mostar represents a biggest problem in regards to the local elections. “We fully support the stance of the High Representative that it is on presidents of SDA and HDZ B&H to resolve that issue as soon as possible”, Moore stated. Asked whether he thinks it is possible to come to a solution that would enable for local elections in Mostar to take place this year, Moore emphasized that this is a matter of political will. “It is high time to resolve that issue,” Moore concluded.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic urged the Parliament Speaker to convene a session at which the 151-seat legislature would be dissolved (Hina)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Friday that no one had managed to persuade her during consultations at her office following the ouster of the Tihomir Oreskovic cabinet that they had the necessary parliamentary majority to establish a new government, and she therefore urged the Parliament Speaker to convene a session at which the 151-seat legislature would be dissolved. Elections must be held within 30 days at the earliest, and within 60 days at the latest after the assembly has been dissolved.

Croatian Government falls after no-confidence motion (Hina)

Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic’s cabinet fell Thursday after a no-confidence motion passed with 125 votes in favor, two abstaining and 15 against, increasing the prospect of early elections less than a year since the last polls. The no-confidence motion was launched by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the larger side in the government coalition, amid feuding with the non-partisan Oreskovic and junior partners less than six months since he took over. As the largest party in parliament, the HDZ now faces long odds to muster at least 76 out of the 151 votes within a one-month deadline to back its new candidate for Prime Minister, the outgoing Finance Minister Zdravko Maric. HDZ has 59 seats, four more than former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic’s Social Democratic Party (SDP), which backed the no-confidence motion against Oreskovic, but insists on snap polls without delay. Milanovic showed no interest in trying to snatch the majority in the fragmented parliament. The junior partner in the outgoing government, Most, also said it will not take part in any attempts to re-forge the cabinet, but instead wants early elections to produce a new parliament. A newcomer party, Most (Bridge) entered the parliament with an agenda of deep reforms, but was unable to push any of it past the HDZ. Additionally, Most leader Bozo Petrov accused the HDZ chief Tomislav Karamarko of corruption. Both men were deputy prime ministers in Oreskovic’s cabinet. The allegations gained credence Wednesday when an anti-corruption watchdog ruled that Karamarko violated rules by lobbying for a Hungarian petrol company in a contract dispute with Croatia. That further complicated the task for HDZ to find enough support from small parties and individual legislators for a new majority. It also fuelled infighting within HDZ, with several fractions pushing to oust Karamarko before the corruption affair inflicts more damage to the party. Rebuffing accusations from the HDZ that he was responsible for his cabinet’s inefficiency, Oreskovic told the parliament that the party moved to topple him because he asked Karamarko to resign due to the brewing corruption scandal. He also said that Karamarko only wanted to appoint his cronies to key positions in security structures. “He showed no interest whatsoever for the economy and reforms,” said Oreskovic, an international pharmaceutical executive before the HDZ invited him to take the government over following elections in November.

Oreskovic: Snap election best solution (Hina)

After the parliament voted no confidence in him on Thursday, Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic said that the best solution now would be a snap parliamentary election. “I’m sorry. I came with the best intentions to help our homeland. Initially we all had common goals and hope that we would boost the economy and raise citizens’ living standards. Unfortunately, communication with individuals, in this case Karamarko, did not function. Today we were here and we are where we are. As prime minister, over the past few months I have come to know Croatia well. I saw good and bad things. I believe in this country. We have great potential and I hope that that potential will be used to the maximum,” Oreskovic said. He did not wish to confirm or deny the possibility of further political cooperation with the Bridge party. “We are here as a caretaker government until a new government is formed and we will ensure security and focus on that,” Oreskovic said. He underscored that he did not take up office to be involved in politics but to help his country. He admitted that he didn’t expect the government he was heading to end as it did. “You come, you have some global experience. I believe that as far as the economic and financial sectors are concerned, I had a lot to offer. I thought I would have Karamarko’s support. I worked well with (Bozo) Petrov. It was believed that I was closer to Bridge than to the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), however, that was nothing more than cooperation. Petrov would come, he had ideas and we talked. Maybe that was the key problem,” Oreskovic said and added that he did not regret accepting the position of prime minister. “I’m a patriot. I like challenges and this was an experience. I wish to thank citizens for their support. I’m a little bit sad because I think that we could have done much more. This team had huge potential. In the end, when we look at the results, I believe that Croatia will have a good year because of entrepreneurs and the business climate has started to improve, and that things will get going. We could have done a lot with this team but we are where we are,” he said. He said that the government would not meet tomorrow as scheduled and that he would take a break over the weekend. Asked to be more specific about his claims that he had been exposed to pressure concerning the appointment of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA), he reiterated that he appointed Daniel Markic because he was a qualified professional. “There was quite a bit of talk about SOA. There was talk that I would be a puppet. I have 25 years of experience in business and when I need to select personnel, I select the most qualified person. There are some lines that I’m not willing to cross. Mr. Markic is a qualified person and has shown that. That is why the President (Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic) and I selected him,” Oreskovic said. Asked whether a parliamentary reshuffle should come next or rather a snap election, Oreskovic said, “I think that an election would be the best solution. You saw Bridge’s stance and citizens expect an election, so let citizens choose.”

Petrov: Bridge in favor of early election, hopefully in autumn (Hina)

Bridge party leader Bozo Petrov said after the impeachment of Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic that Bridge was in favor of an early election and hoped that it would not be held before the autumn. “I congratulate both the HDZ and the SDP because in the last six months they adopted their two most important decisions together – the appointment of Constitutional Court judges and today’s decision on the Prime Minister.” He said that citizens were aware of who cooperated with whom and how. “Those who were supposed to cooperate with us in the government did not but they did cooperate with the other side, and I congratulate them on that. I guess citizens will recognize that. They did not give this government a real chance and had a hidden agenda,” Petrov said after Oreskovic’s impeachment. He said Bridge was in favor of an early election and that it only remained to be seen when it would be held, expressing hope that it would be held in the autumn. Asked when his party would hand in a list of its MPs’ signatures supporting the parliament’s dissolution, Petrov said that that would happen after an agreement was achieved on the date of the next election. Asked if now, after its bad experience in the cooperation with the HDZ, Bridge would give the SDP a chance, Petrov said: “We won’t give any chances to either because they both cheated us, (the SDP) did so during the negotiations (on government formation) and (the HDZ) has revealed what it is like at the moment.” He ruled out any possibility of a parliamentary reshuffle. “The HDZ can talk about reshuffles and only dream about mustering the support of 76 MPs. I believe that if not yesterday, today they, too, have become aware that they do not have the support of 76 MPs. In my opinion, they have just jumped into an abyss fully aware of what they are doing but you have to ask them why they have done that.”  Asked if Parliament Speaker Zeljko Reiner of the HDZ could delay putting a motion on the parliament’s dissolution on the parliament’s agenda, Petrov said that too much stalling would not be possible. “As far as I know, the parliament’s summer recess starts on 15 July and there is not much room for stalling but that, too, will reveal how negotiations are progressing,” he said. Asked if he was sorry about having formed the government with the HDZ, Petrov said that he was never sorry to gain a new experience. “We had good faith because we wanted to change things and we really did our best to make changes, but unfortunately some other people obstructed that,” he said. Asked if Bridge would participate in the elections with Oreskovic on its slate, Petrov said that they had not discussed that yet. He would not elaborate on what Oreskovic wanted to say when he spoke about having been exposed to pressure in his address to the parliament, saying that Oreskovic said “what he should and could have said”.

Rocen: We did not expect Russia to applaud our decision (Pobjeda)

The way in which we restored the state independence and created conditions to decide on our future is the alpha and omega of our success, said chief political advisor to prime minister and former foreign minister Milan Rocen at the Faculty of Political Sciences yesterday. He expressed the belief that this was exactly the time which would be called the golden age of Montenegrin diplomacy. During a presentation on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the restoration of independence, Rocen called in mind the words of former US presidential candidate, Congressman John McCain, who said that the Montenegrin referendum was “perhaps the greatest democratic project in Europe since the end of the Cold War”. “Not even the greatest optimists among us could imagine in 2006 that Montenegro would be at the brink of NATO in only 10 years. Within less than a month after the accession protocol was signed at ministerial summit in Brussels on 19 May, it has been ratified by four member states. At the end of this month, on 29 June, it will be four years since we opened negotiations with the European Union at the first intergovernmental conference,” he said. Rocen added that out of total of 35 chapters, Montenegro had opened 22, with a good perspective of opening new chapters soon. “I believe by the end of this month, when the Dutch presidency ends, we will open two very important chapters 12 and 13 – food safety and fisheries,” Rocen said. He pointed out that the policy of good neighborly relations was a priority, adding that “regional cooperation is the basis for the successes we achieved in the integration process”. “The obligation of Montenegrin diplomacy, government policy and the entire Montenegrin society is to continue the course that we are currently on and to find a formula for full membership of Montenegro in NATO and the European Union”, he said. Rocen pointed out that the aim was to “make as many people as possible understand the benefits of membership of a small but prosperous Balkan country in the NATO alliance”. Commenting on the fact that there are 14.6% of undecided citizens in Montenegro, Rocen said that a “part of the existing skepticism represented a reflection internal political relations in Montenegro”. He said that he believed Montenegro would be a respected member of NATO and the European Union and a developed economy in ten years. “I expect a lot from the Berlin process, which is primarily oriented towards regional integration, and then to Europe. I believe that the energy and infrastructure connections would lead to accelerating the growth of our economy, better interpersonal relationships, better use of resources and involvement in big European market,” Rocen said. Asked whether he expected Russia’s response to Montenegro’s accession to NATO, Rocen said he was sure there would be no major problems, regardless of the fact that certain entities wanted to abuse Moscow’s position due to internal political reasons. “We did not expect Russia to applaud our decision to become a member of NATO. Developments at the global level have helped Moscow’s attitude on Montenegro’s membership in NATO to be better heard,” Rocen said. He added that Russia was traditionally friendly country and that both Moscow and Montenegro had their own interests. “I am convinced that the things are going in the right direction. Russia is a country that has excellent relations with many NATO member states,” he said.

Blocked Bridges: Dozens of cars of “Colorful Revolutionaries” paralyze Skopje traffic (Telegraf.mk)

Dozens of automobiles blocking the main bridges in Skopje have paralyzed the entire city. Citizens were unable to finish running errands, high school student could not arrive in school on time, because Goce Delcev brigde and Freedom Bridge near Holiday Inn hotel and MANU were blocked by activists of the organization “I protest”. The blockade caused anger among the citizens, and the revolt culminated when the opposition devotees decided not to let an ambulance through. The opposition activists want their demands to be met by Saturday – Constitutional court to declare its stance on the constitutionality of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, and acquittal of all protestors and resignation of President Gjorge Ivanov.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo Hacker Who Aided ISIS Pleads Guilty and Awaits Sentencing (Softpedia, by Catalin Cimpanu, 16 June 2016)

US Department of Justice officials announced today that Ardit Ferizi, 20, of Kosovo, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing data from a US company and providing personal data on US military personnel to ISIS members. Ferizi, known online as Th3Dir3ctorY, was one of the key members of the Kosova Hacker’s Security (KHS) crew that terrorized governments and companies across the Balkans in the early 2010s.

Ferizi has a prodigious hacking career

The group, in which Ferizi played a crucial role, is responsible for hacking and defacing government targets such as the Presidency of Macedonia, the Greek Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace (DAMT), and the Greek Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religion. On top of these and countless other website defacements, the group also breached the servers of IBM and Greek mobile telecoms firm OTE, from where he stole data. Ferizi’s tenure with KHS ended when he went to study computer science in Kuala Lumpur, after which KHS activity also died down. The hacker resurfaced on the grid in the summer of 2015, when he hacked the network of a US retailer from where he stole the personal details of countless customers.

Ferizi gave ISIS details of 1,351 military members

There are no details on how ISIS befriended Ferizi, and what happened, but the hacker forged a partnership with Junaid Hussain, at that time the leader of the Islamic State Hacking Division (ISHD). Ferizi filtered the information from the US retailer, and provided Hussain with the personal details of 1,351 US military personnel. The ISIS member then leaked this data on Twitter, urging fellow members located in the US to kill the listed targets in “lone wolf” attacks. Some of Hussain’s statements included: “We are in your emails and computer systems, watching and recording your every move, we have your names and addresses, we are in your emails and social media accounts, we are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah, who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!” On September 15, 2015, Malaysian authorities arrested Ferizi at the Kuala Lumpur airport while he was trying to return to Kosovo. The hacker was later extradited to the US, where authorities charged him at the end of January. The hacker has now pleaded guilty to all charges, and will be awaiting his sentencing, scheduled for September 16, 2016. Ferizi faces up to 20 years in prison for aiding a terrorist group and an additional five years for the US retailer data breach.

Applications deferred (The Economist, 18 June 2016)

A region still enthusiastic about the European Union is being rebuffed

FOR all the Euroscepticism that has swept across the continent in recent years, there is one region where majorities still long to join the European Union: the western Balkans. From Sarajevo to Skopje, governments all want in. Even Serbs, who resented European countries’ role in the wars of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, now want to join their club: polls show a plurality would vote for accession, though support has declined in recent years. But although the Balkans may be eager to join the EU, the converse is not necessarily true. The region has slipped “below the radar and is neglected”, worries Tanja Miscevic, Serbia’s chief accession negotiator. Brussels has no vision for the Balkans. And whatever the result of Britain’s Brexit referendum, the tensions it has unleashed may put any further EU enlargement on indefinite hold. Most Balkan countries that want to join the club are doing well at fulfilling the criteria. Officials in Brussels list many advances made by Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Albania. (Macedonia is going backwards.) The glass is “more than half full”, says an EU official. The union’s member states, however, are increasingly sceptical about admitting new members. Balkan governments were alarmed by Dutch voters’ rejection of an EU association agreement with Ukraine in April. What if their countries meet all of the EU’s arduous requirements, only to have accession scuppered by a referendum in one state? Meanwhile, says Ms Miscevic, the EU has been losing its credibility in the region. Macedonia has been in a deep political crisis for more than a year; a deal negotiated by an EU mission did not stick, and an exasperated Germany is now sending its own envoy to sort out the mess. Kosovo’s government has tried to curb the powers of the EU’s police and justice mission in the country. In Serbia pro-government media have accused the EU of being behind anti-government protests. Aleksandar Vucic, the prime minister-designate, says Serbia aims to join the union, but relations with Brussels have been frosty. The country which has made the most progress towards joining the EU is Montenegro. According to Daliborka Uljarevic, a civic activist, the EU integration process is the most powerful motor of reform in the region. But, she adds, while her country has assiduously changed its laws to meet EU requirements, it is only fitfully applying them: “When it comes to the rule of law, then we are failing.” This applies in varying degrees across the Balkans. For all its shortcomings, the EU integration process has done much good. Some changes are diplomatic: Serbia’s relationship with Kosovo, which declared independence from it in 2008, has been transformed by EU-led talks, although many of the agreements negotiated have not yet been implemented. Others have to do with governance. In Montenegro one of the country’s most powerful figures was convicted last month of corruption in his hometown of Budva; several associates were arrested with him. They may simply be scapegoats intended to show the EU that the country is serious about tackling corruption. But it is also possible that real change is afoot. What is clear is that the western Balkan states, an enclave surrounded by the EU, need friends. If the EU is too preoccupied by its own problems to accept them, Russia is ready to step in. Serbia is negotiating a trade agreement with the Russian-dominated Eurasian Economic Union. In a planned visit to Serbia, Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, will discuss expanding a Russian-funded humanitarian emergency centre to include an abandoned airport in the country’s north. Western officials fear that Russia’s real aim is less to help put out forest fires than to create a potential military airbase. If the EU’s Balkan enlargement process becomes nothing more than words, others will move in to fill the political and economic vacuum, to Europe’s disadvantage.