LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic, Vujanovic: Serbia-Montenegro relations intensive (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian and Montenegrin Presidents Tomislav Nikolic and Filip Vujanovic agreed in Belgrade Wednesday that overall relations between the two countries were substantial and intensive.
They concluded that Wednesday’s opening of a Montenegro House in Belgrade was a symbol of excellent relations and their historical perseverance as the best investment in a common European future, the Serbian president’s press office said in a statement. During a friendly and cordial conversation, Nikolic urged further improvement of bilateral relations as a must for maintaining regional stability and progress. Thanking for the cordial welcome, Vujanovic expressed a readiness to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation at all levels, highlighting cooperation in the economy and major infrastructure projects that would help bring the two countries even closer together.

Vucic: Government formation not urgent (Radio Belgrade)

Serbian Prime Minister Designate Aleksandar Vucic has stated that the government will be formed when it will be possible to form it, in line with the Constitution and law, and the humanitarian crisis is the only problem for Serbia at present. In regard to the migrant crisis, Serbia will need to pass decisions in the next two, three days that will not be easy, Vucic said in Arandjelovac. The migrant crisis is a serious problem, and not when the government will be formed, said the Prime Minister Designate. He added that he would travel to Brussels on 18 July for the opening of chapters in the negotiations with the EU.

Dacic: Taking Guantanamo detainees opens door to partnership (Tanjug)

Serbia’s decision to take two individuals formerly in detention at the Guantanamo Bay is a very significant signal for development of bilateral relations with the U.S., Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Tuesday. “Serbia has thus joined a group of 17 European countries that have done the same – the UK, France, Albania, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Georgia, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia and Estonia,” Dacic said in a statement. Serbia has in no way put its state interests or national security in jeopardy and it has also opened the door to development of its partnership with the U.S., he said. “Resetting our relations with the U.S. is in our national interest in our quest for common denominators for the future, despite the differences that exist between us,” Dacic said.

Serbian Interior Ministry, BIA without response (Politika)

The Serbian Interior Ministry and the Security Information Agency (BIA) didn’t respond to Politika’s questions regarding the Guantanamo detainees. Unofficially, the police sent Politika to the Justice Ministry. Politika asked the authorized whether there are security risks for Serbia since it received two detainees from Guantanamo who are suspected of terrorism, whether they were informed on their transferal, whether these people has the status of protected witnesses, whether they would be followed  and whether they had protection? Politika also didn’t give an answer from the authorized as to whether Serbia was planning to receive more detainees from Guantanamo

Vulin: Guantanamo prisoners accepted as favor to biggest power (Tanjug/TV Pink/B92)

Serbian Labor Minister Aleksandar Vulin told TV Pink that by accepting two former Guantanamo detainees, Serbia has not endangered its security, and did a favor to the world’s biggest power, and this is called a policy of balancing. ‘”I remember the headlines about Guantanamo being a disgrace for the humanity, and that it should be closed. I, too, think that Guantanamo should be closed, and if Serbia can help make sure that this place of torture never exists again – we’re here,” he said.  “You do what’s good, what suits you, what you think is right. And have you endangered yourself in some way? No, you are merely aligned with about 30 countries,” Vulin said.  Responding to criticism that the move may increase the threat of terrorism, Vulin responded by saying that Serbia already has troops deployed in a UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon – and that this could also be a reason for Serbia to catch some terrorist’s eye. He also noted that Serbs accused by the Hague Tribunal waited 9, 20, 12 years without a verdict, and that the two men who are now in Serbia were imprisoned for 9 and 14 years at Guantanamo without being indicted. “These are persons about whom it has been said, ‘we have been holding you for 14 years and we don’t know what to do with you, you’re not terrorists’,” said Vulin. According to him, the Serbian police cooperate with the whole world – and so it happens that protected witnesses from criminal gangs in America and Canada are sent here. According to him, this means that the police can handle these two men, as well. “However, we can’t handle the hypocrisy of a society that finds Guantanamo to be a disgrace one day, and then this transfer the biggest threat the next, and wants us not to help dismantle it,” said he. As for the migrant crisis, Vulin said that one EU country cannot be closing its border, while another opens them – and that this country will not be a reception center for those migrants that nobody wants.

Stojanovic: This is a precedent and this solution should have been avoided (Politika)

Retired general Momir Stojanovic tells Politika that he doesn’t know what is being hidden behind everything, but claims that accepting two detainees from Guantanamo is a bad move for Serbia from the aspect of national security. “If it happens that we get registered as a country that has accepted some leaders of terrorist organizations, convicted or not, we may become a potential target of retaliation of holders of international terrorism,” says Stojanovic. The former head of the Military-Security Agency Stojanovic adds that, as far as he knows from his carrier, Serbia has never accepted in this manner detainees from other countries. This is a precedent, adds Stojanovic, who opines that this should have been avoided: “The public deserves to know based on what paper, agreement and with what goal had it been decided for Serbia to accept two detainees from Guantanamo. Everything is shrouded in a veil of secrecy and causes suspicion, and we as a society should aspire towards transparency.”

Djuric: Pristina wishes to intimidate (Novosti)

The arrest of the president of the provisional institutions is not a coincidence. This is a conceived action of Pristina provisional institutions aimed at intimidating the Serbs and to dissuading from staying and expelling Serbian institutions from this region, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric tells Novosti in comment to more frequent arrests of heads and employees in the provisional municipal institutions in the province.

The Kosovo Police has recently detained at the Merdare crossing the president of the provisional institution of the Podujevo municipality…

“We reacted immediately and the international community opposed this injustice towards the Serbs. Thanks to that, Obren Andjelkovic has been released, but we are worried over the bad intentions of the Pristina institutions since we cannot build trust based on unilateral moves. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the government energetically react to every form of violation of human rights of Kosovo Serbs. Fortunately, we have understanding from one part of international representatives, but it would be much easier if the Pristina institutions would give up such behavior.”

Joksimovic: EU membership remains Serbia’s strategic goal (Tanjug)

EU membership remains a strategic objective for the Serbian government and the European integration process itself should be viewed as a mechanism of internal reforms in the country, Minister for European Integration Jadranka Joksimovic said during a meeting with German MP Florian Hahn. Joksimovic noted the significance of Germany’s unequivocal support for the opening of reform Chapters 23 and 24 in Serbia’s EU accession talks. The opening of the chapters in the wake of Brexit is a strong signal about the currency of EU enlargement in the future, an official statement said. Joksimovic and Hahn – a CDU/CSU Bundestag member from Bavaria, one of the most highly developed German states – agreed that opening the chapters and strengthening the rule-of-law state was exceptionally significant for improving the business climate in Serbia and attracting new investments. Joksimovic expressed the expectation that there would be even more German investments in Serbia. Speaking about cooperation and relations in the Western Balkan region, Hahn praised Serbia’s approach and role and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s leadership and consistency in promoting regional cooperation and stability, the statement said.

Hague indictee Goran Hadzic dies (Novosti)

Hague indictee Goran Hadzic (58), the former president of the self-proclaimed state of the Republika Srpska Krajina (RSK), died on Tuesday evening in the hospital in Sremska Kamenica near Novi Sad, Novosti reported. Hadzic’s state of health had deteriorated, because of which he was released from ICTY to temporary freedom in April 2015, for treatment.

REGIONAL PRESS

Inzko: Dodik opts for “civilization darkness” by denying Srebrenica genocide (Hina)

By denying the facts proven in court that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik is rushing into “civilization darkness” and it is high time that B&H starts treating denials of such crimes as a crime, as most European democracies do, the High Representative in B&H Valentin Inzko said on Tuesday. Commenting on a statement Dodik made at the 21st anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre that the events in Srebrenica do not qualify as genocide and that he would never admit that genocide was committed there, Inzko said this statement was deeply inhumane. “Renewed statements denying the genocide that was committed in Srebrenica are not only deplorable and regrettable, but also fundamentally unacceptable,” Inzko said. With this act, Dodik chose civilization darkness and he is leading the entity he is at the helm of to it. Genocide was committed in Srebrenica. This is a fact which was confirmed by ruling of the ICTY and the International Court of Justice, the Austrian diplomat said.

Dodik: It is better for Inzko to be silent (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik commented on the statement of High Representative Valentin Inzko by saying that Inzko’s statement is “confirmation of civilization darkness in which Inzko has been performing duty of a protector without any responsibility even 21 years after the war.” Dodik also stated that Inzko often acts as an unelected local politician who takes for his right to comment on many things. Dodik underlined that Inzko has no right to comment the RS President’s statements and things he does know nothing about and “to play a role of spokesperson of Bakir Izetbegovic. That is why it is better for him to be silent.” Dodik also criticized Inzko for dividing victims by their ethnicity in manner of some Bosniak politicians. “If he really advocates civilization values, why did not he attend the commemoration for Serb victims in Bratunac,” asked Dodik.

Kristo: UK leaving EU is not good for EU path of B&H (Vecernji list)

Deputy speaker of the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Borjana Kristo (HDZ BiH) was asked, among other issues, to comment on B&H’s EU road. Kristo replied by saying it is clear there are certain conditions B&H should meet, underlining that the Croat policy in B&H strongly supports European processes. Asked if the census results will influence political processes in B&H, Kristo says the results and the way how we came to them do have an influence on the situation in B&H. According to Kristo, as far as census is concerned, “we should not have tricked one sort of trust”, arguing that if the Agency for Statistics of B&H has one director and two deputy directors, then compromises should be found on basis of an agreement. “Now the census results have triggered additional mistrust. We did not need that,” added Kristo. Asked to comment on the Brexit and how it may influence B&H’s road to the EU, Kristo says it is hard to predict Brexit’s consequences. “We in B&H have strongly accepted the German-British initiative and now we are in the situation that one of the creators of the approach is leaving the EU. It is absolutely not good for the processes and relations because we now have uncertainty within the very Union”, said Kristo. Asked to comment on the daily’s remark that the Serbs have rejected the Stabilization and Association Agreement, whilst the Bosniaks have blocked the International Monetary Fund, Kristo says that “we always have the policy of outsmarting each other” and that, in practice, there are constant obstructions.

Trial of Oric continues before B&H Court (RTRS/Nezavisne)

Trial of wartime commander of RB&H Army in Srebrenica Naser Oric and soldier of RB&H Army Sabahudin Muhic, who are indicted for committing war crime in Zalazje village in 1992, was resumed on Tuesday. Forensic expert Rifat Kesetovic testified in this case before B&H Court on Tuesday. Kesetovic confirmed that body of Slobodan Ilic was found among mortal remains of 60 victims exhumed from mass grave located at landfill in Zalazje. Kesetovic underlined that autopsy showed that several bones of Ilic’s mortal remains were broken. He added that most probably cause of death of Ilic was head injury. The trial will be continued on 23 August when expert from Belgrade Zoran Stankovic will testify.

Cavusoglu: Turkey will protect Bosniaks in Bosnia (Dnevni avaz)

Turkey is determined to protect the Bosniaks in B&H and will not allow crimes such as the 1995 Srebrenica genocide to be committed against them again, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Dnevni Avaz, published on Tuesday. “I wish to emphasize that never again will Turkey leave its Bosniak brothers and sisters,” Cavusoglu said. He said that now everyone could see that the atrocities could have been prevented. “The United Nations were here, Europe and the whole world were here. We may well say that this crime happened under the patronage of all the observers. That should be the biggest lesson to anyone who has any doubts about the nature and scale of this crime.” He said that the Bosniaks had been killed just because they were Muslim, adding that those responsible must be punished and that the Bosniaks should build and develop the country together with the Serbs and Croats. Cavusoglu said he still believed that the different ethnic and religious groups in B&H could live together, but noted that it was the responsibility of the country’s politicians to work on strengthening its economy and reducing unemployment to ensure that B&H had a future.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Brexit Will Curtail UK’s Engagement in Balkans, Experts (BIRN, by Marcus Tanner, 13 July 2016)

An expert panel at London’s LSE said Britain’s exit from the EU will also lead to its de-facto exit from the Balkans.

Britain’s all-but-inevitable exit from the EU is likely to lead to a drastic curtailment of its influence and engagement with the Balkans – where it has been an active diplomatic force in favour of enlargement – a panel of experts told an audience at the London School of Economics, LSE, on Tuesday. James Ker-Lindsay, Senior Research Fellow on South East Europe at LSE, said Britain had been an active, benign force in the Western Balkans, especially in Bosnia and Kosovo, even though the level of its engagement had noticeably declined in recent years. Earlier, however, it had been “extremely important” in the context of Kosovo’s recognition as a state as well as “instrumental” in taking Serbia-Kosovo relations forward. In a post-exit UK, the future stability and integration of the Balkans will become “a very secondary issue” for Britain, however, as “the entire machinery of government” is reoriented towards managing highly complex negotiations on withdrawal from the EU, he warned. As Britain recedes from the Balkan scene, Germany’s role in the region will become ever more important. It was already the “unassailable central power” in the European club, Kerr-Lindsay observed, and Berlin was now “the place to go” for Balkan leaders seeking advice and encouragement. Denisa Kostovicova, Associate Professor in Global Politics at LSE, and educated at Belgrade University, agreed that the impact of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU was likely to be negative for the Balkan region. It would likely slow enlargement and thereby confirm a de-facto division of the Balkans into EU members like Croatia and a “non-EU enclave” comprising the rest, in which there was “divergence as opposed to convergence” with European norms and standards. She called this prospect worrying in terms of the region’s “shallow” integration with the EU, marked by superficial application of laws that are not implemented in practice.  While the panelists saw Brexit as a negative development for the Balkans in political and diplomatic terms, Peter Sanfey of the EBRD said the economic impact was least concerning. Most Balkan states had reasonable growth prospects by EU standards of 2 to 4 per cent and were seeing major EU-funded infrastructure projects that should assist future growth and integration with European economies. Regional banks were also well capitalized and resilient and, as relatively few people from the region lived in the UK, no impact was likely to be felt on the homeward flow of remittances – a highly important source of cash for some of the poorer Western Balkan states. Sanfey said that “the indirect impact [of Brexit] on the eurozone generally is the real issue”, as the UK is one of its more successful economies and a major contributor to EU funds.

Modest Progress Reported at Macedonia Crisis Talks (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 13 July 2016)

Fresh EU and US brokered inter-party talks on Tuesday are set to resume on Wednesday following reports that some agreement was reached on key issues.

Three issues, the cleaning up of the electoral roll, reforms designed to ensure balanced reporting for the upcoming elections and the outlook of the new interim government were raised at Tuesday’s marathon inter-party talks that lasted five hours. Some progress was made, informed sources said. Unofficially, the government and the opposition parties appear to have agreed that the format of the new government that will carry out the early elections will be the same as envisaged in last year’s EU-brokered accord. “This means the opposition will get two ministerial seats and an additional three deputy ministers,” a source close to the talks told BIRN. On media freedom, one proposition is for a special media monitoring body to be formed 100 days before the elections and for the opposition to choose a non-partisan expert to head the state broadcaster during the election campaign. When it comes to the vexed issue of the electoral roll, different ways of cross-checking more than 100,000 names were put on the table. The most likely date for early elections is November, party sources said, with an alternative of postponing elections until the start of next year. Talks between Macedonia’s four main parties gained fresh momentum after Monday’s visit by the US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland who expressed optimism about a breakthrough. However, the parties have remained silent about another controversial issue, which is the status and future remit of the Special Prosecution, SJO. The body was established last autumn as part of last year’s EU-brokered deal to investigate high-level corruption, mostly involving senior state officials. Government officials have accused it of working under opposition instructions. “There is time for that. All options are on the table,” one party source told BIRN. During her visit, Nuland expressed strong support for the SJO. Its future work was “vitally important to bringing true rule of law, accountability and clean justice system to this country, something that is absolutely essential if this country is to achieve its Euro-Atlantic objectives,” Nuland said. Asked whether the proposed formation a special court department to process SJO cases was also on the table, Nuland said that “there are ideas out there”, all intended to make Macedonia’s justice system accountable, clean and effective.The SJO itself has not commented on such a possibility. “The SJO is not competent to comment on possible special subjects/departments that will function as part of other state institutions,” it wrote on Tuesday, when asked whether the formation of special court and police departments was discussed at Monday’s meeting between Nuland and the SJO chief, Katica Janeva.