LOCAL PRESS

Djuric: Marathon round of dialogue, good for Serbia’s interests (Tanjug/RTS)

The last round of Belgrade-Pristina expert talks, which ended early Wednesday morning after 19 hours of negotiations, was good and positive for Belgrade’s interests, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said. “We fought for proper and efficient implementation of the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), telecommunications and the bridge in Kosovska Mitrovica. We protected our interests and agreed to resume talks in the following period,” Djuric told Tanjug in Brussels following a marathon round of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue that lasted until 4 a.m. Djuric said that they broke a record in the length of talks with representatives of the provisional self-government institutions in Pristina and the EU, but that talks need to continue.

Kozarev: Does Pristina consider EU mediators also infidels (Tanjug)

Deputy Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev asked the advisor to the Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Gecaj whether Kosovo Albanian political representatives consider EU mediators in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue also infidels since they also promised them the establishment of the ZSO with their signature on 25 August last year. Condemning Gecaj’s politically incorrect speech, Kozarev says that this is only a new, more primitive form of Pristina’s excuse for not implementing the agreement on the establishment of the ZSO, whereby they are trying to conceal the fact that deadlines for all activities envisaged by the agreement on the establishment of the ZSO, which Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa signed, have been breached a long time ago.

Chepurin: Agreements on Kosovo poorly implemented (Tanjug/TV Most)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin says he is optimistic about further talks between Belgrade and Pristina, but not about implementation of agreements reached.

“With Belgrade’s consent, the EU has assumed the role of a mediator in the resolution of the conflict, but today it is increasingly clear it lacks the strength to ensure the implementation of even the first agreement,” Chepurin told the Zvecan-based TV Most in an interview. Agreements are being made, but they are implemented very poorly, he said. The international community – all countries that supported the UN SC Resolution 1244 on Kosovo – should be contributing to its implementation, instead of working against it secretly and publicly, Chepurin said. As regards Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, Chepurin said everyone knew Kosovo was not a state but that much effort was being made to push it into an international organization. The UN SC Resolution 1244 is a fundamental, universally accepted document and a basis for solving the Kosovo problem, and it is important that Belgrade does not recognize the unilateral act of Kosovo’s secession, Chepurin said.

Dacic: Serbia will not amend laws pursuant to ICTY suggestions (Tanjug)

Serbia will not be amending its laws pursuant to suggestions from the ICTY, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said, adding that an ICTY suggestion that a law on cooperation with the tribunal be urgently amended was another attempt at pressuring Serbia. “Laws are passed by the parliament based on proposals from the government or MPs – the Hague tribunal is not envisioned to propose laws and I am not aware of it being able to do so. It is not possible anywhere in the world, and it is not possible in Serbia either,” Dacic told a press conference.

The law that the ICTY now sees as inappropriate was passed in collaboration with the tribunal itself and Western countries – it was verified internationally and no one objected to it, Dacic said.

“This is an attempt at exerting further pressure on our country. We will definitely not be amending laws pursuant to requests from the Hague tribunal,” Dacic said.

Selakovic: Pressure from ICTY (RTS)

When it comes to the ICTY request, Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) this was an attempt of pressure. “That request is unusual and I don’t recall that the ICTY requested the same thing when France and the US refused to comply with their demands for obstruction of justice and insulting the court. The ICTY is in charge of what is prescribed by its Statute, which was adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Our law on cooperation with the ICTY was passed in cooperation with ICTY representatives. Such practice has not been seen anywhere and it is completely unacceptable to amend the law at the ICTY’s request. We requested the ICTY to hand over the case to us, whereby we showed good will. The ICTY is trying to be in focus since it is expiring without fulfilling the purpose over which it was established – establishment of international justice,” said Selakovic.

Ljajic: ICTY request unusual (Tanjug)

The request by the ICTY that Serbia urgently amend its law on cooperation with the tribunal to ensure it can meet its international obligations is unusual and aimed at exerting additional pressure, says Rasim Ljajic, head of National Council for Cooperation with the tribunal. “It is an unusual request since no one has to date questioned our legislation on trying war crimes or our law on cooperation with the Hague tribunal,” Ljajic told Tanjug. The entire case was in the jurisdiction of a court and neither the government nor any other state authority was able to interfere in the work of the judiciary in this specific case, he said. “The court has made a decision that differed from the expectations of the tribunal’s trial chamber, and now an amendment to the law is requested. In previous cases the court acted independently and there were no requests to amend the law,” Ljajic said. The initiative is aimed at exerting additional pressure, which will only increase, Ljajic said.

Kocijancic: All must respect principles of reconciliation (Tanjug)

European Commission (EC) spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic confirmed Tuesday the EC had received and was considering a letter from Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic warning EU institutions of Croatia’s anti-Serb policy, and noted that the EC expected all Western Balkan countries to respect their obligations and European principles. “The accession process of the Western Balkan countries, including a country that is now an EU member state, is based on reconciliation, good-neighborly relations and regional cooperation. These principles continue to be implemented and they are seen as a commitment, as well as an obligation of the entire region,” Kocijancic told Tanjug in Brussels’ first reaction to Vucic’s letter. The EC’s official response to the letter can be expected soon, she noted.

Dacic: Discussions on government underway, SPS wants to join (Tanjug)

Discussions with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on the new government are underway and will be completed within the timeframe announced by Prime Minister designate Aleksandar Vucic, Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic said Tuesday, reiterating that the SPS wanted to join the government as it was in the interest of Serbia. Dacic told a press conference that he had spoken with Vucic Monday evening and Tuesday and that the discussions would continue. Vucic said Monday the Serbian parliament would discuss the new government within the next ten days. “Our orientation of wanting our coalition to participate in the government is known, because we believe it is logical and natural,” Dacic said. When asked if specific ministerial posts had been discussed, Dacic said he definitely did not want to talk about the matter.

Dikovic visits joint command of army and police in Nis (Beta/Politika)

Serbian Army Chief of Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic toured in Nis the command center of joint army and police forces engaged in securing the state border with Bulgaria and Macedonia, as well as joint units which are performing these tasks in the border area with Bulgaria, the Serbian Ministry of Defense has said. Joint forces commander Major General Zelimir Glisovic briefed Dikovic on the realization of tasks geared toward stopping the illegal crossing of migrants into Serbia and preventing smuggling, as well as the conditions that members of the joint army and police forces were working in. Dikovic said that apart from the army and police, there is no one else capable of executing these tasks professionally, expertly and responsibly. He said that members of the army and police were on a mission of importance to the country. “I am glad to see the army and police functioning together as one team. You have succeeded in organizing yourselves and securing the state border from illegal migrant crossings into our territory in a short time,” Dikovic added.

DSS appoints Marsicanin until new leader is elected (Tanjug/RTS/Novosti)

Vice president of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Dragan Marsicanin will be replacing Sanda Raskovic Ivic at the helm of the party until a new leader is elected, while all other party bodies will continue to work unchanged, the DSS announced on Tuesday.

REGIONAL PRESS

Delegations of SDA, HDZ B&H fail to meet; Izetbegovic criticizes HDZ B&H for not showing up (TV1)

Delegations of SDA and HDZ B&H led by Chairman of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic and Croat member of B&H Presidency Dragan Covic were supposed to meet in Orahovica near Konjic on Tuesday afternoon, in order to discuss the latest disagreements following the agreement on the Coordination Mechanism that Izetbegovic and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik reached on Sunday. However, the scheduled meeting was not held because the delegation of HDZ B&H did not show up at all, while the delegation of SDA, including Izetbegovic, Chairman of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic and Federation of B&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic, arrived at around 6 p.m. They were waiting for the delegation of HDZ B&H for 40 minutes, after which Izetbegovic addressed the reporters: “Our coalition partners from HDZ B&H did not show up for the scheduled meeting. We were waiting for them for about 40 minutes. They missed today’s opportunity to reach an agreement with SDA on things that are important for this country”. Izetbegovic stressed that such move certainly affects the relations between SDA and HDZ B&H, but as far as the work of the ruling authority is concerned, the institutions will keep doing their job. Asked to explain the differences between the agreement on the Coordination Mechanism that he signed with Dodik and the agreement he made with Covic, Izetbegovic said that he was insisting that the Coordination Mechanism should not be obstructed by not attending the sessions of coordination bodies. “Believe it or not, one of solutions was that the entire process would be stopped if only one of more than 1,000 participants in the Coordination Mechanism is absent. Everyone on the list, up to 80 participants in some of the working groups, would have to attend the sessions in order to be able to make a decision. It would be impossible,” Izetbegovic explained. He further explained that they agreed to introduce a quorum and obligation for everyone to attend the sessions, after being notified five days in advance. “Of course, nobody will be outvoted and everything will be done by consensus. Everyone from the cantons, entities and the Brcko District will have to participate. Of course, everyone must be interested in making progress,” Izetbegovic underlined. He reminded that the Coordination Mechanism is all about what its name suggests – coordination in the complex structure of B&H. “When we get a task to harmonize some law with the acquis, it must be done at the cantonal, entity and state levels. Everyone will have to introduce similar contents into their laws, so that an adequate solution is found and presented in relations with Brussels. That is all”, Izetbegovic stressed.

Asked to explain why the meeting was scheduled at a restaurant in Orahovica instead of government institutions, Izetbegovic replied: “Why not? They make a good meat pie here. You keep asking these questions. It does not matter where we will meet if we are going to reach some kind of agreement”. Asked to comment on speculations about the fears of the Alliance for Changes (SzP) that the ruling authority at the state level might be reshuffled, Izetbegovic dismissed these claims and explained that he and Dodik only reached an agreement on the Coordination Mechanism and loan arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which should be welcomed by everyone.

Speaking about other disputable issues that the two parties are expected to resolve, Izetbegovic noted that the issue of Mostar was not supposed to be discussed at the meeting in Orahovica and described the current stalemate in the work of the Federation of B&H Parliament as an artificial crisis. Commenting on the aforementioned developments, Zvizdic stated that it would be unrealistic to say that the coalition between SDA and HDZ B&H is now endangered because of only one meeting. He explained that the meeting between SDA and SNSD was aimed at creating positive atmosphere, so that the process of harmonization of the Coordination Mechanism and signing of the Letter of Intent for the IMF, among other issues, goes in line with the pace that B&H really needs.

Cormack and Ferguson warn of importance to resolve Mostar issue before local elections (TV1)

The US Ambassador to B&H Maureen Cormack and UK Ambassador to B&H Edward Ferguson published on Tuesday a joint post on a blog which reads: “HDZ B&H and SDA are most responsible for the mess that Mostar is in at the moment. And HDZ B&H and SDA hold the primary responsibility for finding a solution. As you well know, President Covic says he remains committed and optimistic that we can find a solution. But we’ve watched as he consistently rejected every effort to find compromise during recent negotiations. President Izetbegovic says he is pessimistic; he can’t overcome local political hurdles. But the Presidents are the heads of their parties – and it is their job to lead”. The post further reads: “Our first priority is to preserve Mostar as a single, unified and multi-ethnic city. But then we want people in Mostar to actually have the chance to vote – this year. The Central Election Commission has helpfully noted that they can be scheduled at any point when a plan is agreed. Only one thing has to happen for these elections to take place. The Constitutional Court ruling must be implemented”. “So why hasn’t this happened before? Let’s be blunt about it. It’s because it’s about power, and not about the people. The current situation suits politicians on both sides. But enough is enough,” Cormack and Ferguson concluded.

Inzko: It would be unforgivable to allow another local election to pass without elections in Mostar, Izetbegovic: I am not sure when SDA and HDZ B&H will talk about Mostar again (Klix.ba/Avaz)

High Representative Valentin Inzko said that the obligation of the ruling authorities is clear – to implement the ruling of the B&H Constitutional Court on the election system in Mostar, so that the citizens of Mostar can finally elect their local representatives. Inzko also assessed as positive the efforts of political parties to hold talks that are focused on the essential and urgent goal to make sure the local elections are held in Mostar. “It would be unforgivable to allow another local election to pass without the elections in Mostar, and HDZ B&H and SDA would be responsible. Therefore, both the international community and citizens of Mostar expect that over the upcoming days, the parties involved will make progress and do what is necessary to make sure that citizens of Mostar can enjoy the same basic democratic right as citizens all over B&H – the right to elect their local representatives”, Inzko underlined.

Meanwhile the SDA leader and B&H Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic said it is rather unfair to “equally distribute the culpability for Mostar and everything else”. He added that “this is their matter” and that “they are free to distribute it whatever they like”. He also said that he is not sure when SDA and HDZ B&H will talk about Mostar again after such move of HDZ B&H.

B&H MPs send letter to IC reps and Ambassadors due to announced referendum on RS’ Day (Oslobodjenje/Nezavisne)

Thirteen MPs in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) have sent an open letter on Tuesday to High Representative in B&H Valentin Inzko, Head of the EU Delegation to B&H and EU Special Representative Lars Gunnar-Wigemark and Ambassadors Maureen Cormack, Edward Ferguson, Claire Bodonyi, Christian Hellbach and Petr Ivantsov due to the announced referendum on the RS Day. The MPs called on Inzko and ambassadors of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) signatory countries to get involved in concrete prevention of further escalation of the unforeseeable, newly-created crisis caused by the unilateral, irresponsible and dangerous actions of the RS institutions. They stressed that a scheduled illegal referendum in the RS is a direct attempt to undermine the Dayton constitutional order. The letter was signed by Denis Becirovic (SDP), Mirsad Mesic (SDP), Semsudin Mehmedovic (SDA), Zeljko Komsic (DF), Mensura Beganovic (DF), Salko Sokolovic (SDA), Sadik Ahmetovic (SDA), Senad Sepic (SDA), Damir Becirovic (DF), Jasmin Emric (A-SDA), Zaim Backovic (BPS), Diana Zelenika (HDZ 1990) and Hanka Vajzovic (DF). And it was sent on occasion of “anti-Dayton, anti-constitutional, and illegal referendum, aimed at demolition of constitutional system of the state of B&H and bringing down the continuity of B&H guaranteed by the Constitution”. The note also reads that January 9th, which is marked as the Day of the RS, is offending for modern Europe and the United Nations, because it represents “formalization of policy that designed systematic mass crimes, ethnic cleansing, camps, mass murders of civilians, mass graves and Srebrenica genocide”. The MPs deem it is about time for representatives of the international community in B&H and the region, Europe and the UN to give answers to some crucial questions: who really stands behind the anti-peace policy of RS President Milorad Dodik and his followers, and is the destructive policy of Milorad Dodik more efficient than institutions and mechanism of protection that were established by the DPA. “Until when will be the policy of Milorad Dodik and his followers tolerated?”, ask MPs. One of the signatories of the letter, Senad Sepic, stated for the daily that nobody in B&H is free to take only what they like in the DPA, it has to be entirely respected.

Commenting a letter, member of the Presidency of B&H Mladen Ivanic stated on Tuesday that it would be good to hold the referendum on the Day of the RS after the elections, because that would send a stronger message, but he underlined that nobody has a right to challenge the referendum itself. “True peace in B&H will happen when those who challenge referendum realize the RS has its day, and when they respect that day. Until that happens there will be no peace,” said Ivanic. Head of SNSD Caucus in the RS National Assembly Radovan Viskovic stated that the RS has used its legitimate right to referendum, while the Federation of B&H politicians are now trying to challenge it. He noted that the referendum is neither anti-DPA nor anti-constitutional.

Inzko warns that decision on referendum on Day of RS is violation of DPA (Fena)

High Representative Valentin Inzko stated that the RS National Assembly’s (RS NA) decision on the referendum on the RS Day violates the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) because it requests citizens to present their opinion on the matter on which the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) already decided. Inzko reminded that the Constitution of B&H stipulates that decisions of B&H CC are mandatory and that the entities have the obligation to implement those decisions. Inzko urged officials of the RS to put the referendum aside and to undertake measures to implement the decision of B&H CC. “Decisions of B&H CC are not a la carte menu so that one can respect only those they like and reject those they dislike,” Inzko stated.

Kovac: Serbia should publish criticisms by ICTY rather than send protest notes (Hina)

The Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Miro Kovac, on Tuesday dismissed the accusations from Belgrade that Croatia was glorifying the pro-Nazi WWII Ustasha regime and terrorists, saying that instead of sending protest notes to Croatia, the Serbian authorities should inform their public of strong criticisms by the Hague war crimes tribunal about war criminals continuing to be glorified in Serbia. The Serbian government sent a protest note to Zagreb on Monday, the fourth in a week, accusing Croatia of rehabilitating the Ustasha movement, glorifying convicted terrorists and claiming that some of the decisions by Croatian courts were aimed against Serbs. Speaking at a press conference, Kovac again rejected these accusations, saying that the Serbian authorities had better inform their public about the latest report of the ICTY to the UN Security Council, which says that Serbia has deviated from the path of cooperation with the tribunal and continues to glorify war criminals. “It is important that Serbia works on itself, that it does not obscure the reality with letters and that it tells its public that the ICTY president has published a report clearly saying that Serbia is no longer fully cooperating with the ICTY, that it has the obligation to hand over three of its citizens and that war criminals continue to be glorified in Serbia. I think the public should know this,” Kovac said.

Drago Prgomet returns to HDZ (Hina)

The head of the political party Croatian Initiative for Dialogue (HRID), Drago Prgomet, confirmed for Hina on Tuesday he had decided to accept the invitation of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) chief Andrej Plenkovic to return to the HDZ which he left over disagreement with the policy of former HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko. “The invitation to return to the HDZ and Andrej Plenkovic’s first moves were a clear sign that the party is going back to the position which I have been advocating through my work so far. To the position of the people’s party which will bring together, which will respect diversity and in which dialogue will be a tool in the political fight,” Prgomet said. “This is a moment for us to make a turnaround,” Prgomet said. Asked if his name would be on election slates, given speculation that the HDZ would like to see him run in the Slavonia region or in Zagreb, Prgomet said that the decision on his place on the election slate would be made by the HDZ presidency. He added that a large number of members of the HRID party would join the HDZ.

Croatia will consider Montenegro’s letter of protest (RTCG)

Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovac said that his ministry received Montenegro’s letter of protest over putting up a memorial to Miro Baresic, the assassin of the Yugoslav ambassador to Sweden, Montenegrin diplomat Vladimir Rolovic. Kovac said that the letter of protest would be considered. “We have officially received the letter of protest today. We will consider it. Montenegro is a country we have a good cooperation with. We will support it on its way to NATO,” Kovac briefly commented, RTCG news portal carried. The minister said that the public would be informed about Croatia’s position regarding the Montenegro’s letter of protest.

URA ready to take part in the elections by themselves (RTCG)

Civic Movement URA should be ready to take part in the elections alone, but that does not mean closing the door to unification of the opposition, URA leader Zarko Rakcevic said. At a meeting with party activists in Niksic, he said that the URA worked on unifying the democratic islands from the very beginning. “I hope that others will recognize that. We are the only party that has clearly stated that we are for unification. That is not the act of weakness, but the act of sincere desire to change something,” Rakcevic said. He warned that he expects a very dirty campaign, but they have to show that they are different and that they have a concept to recover Montenegro. “URA should be ready for independent performance, and for such a scenario. URA has formed electoral headquarters, prepared the election program and we are ready to actively participate in the election, which does not mean that we close the door to unification,” Rakcevic said. URA President urged the activists to fight, as he said, against the octopus in power. “This fight is not easy, but if we believe in and if we are sure that we are right, and we know that we are, even if it might seem unattainable at first, the truth is stronger.”

Ivanov: We must put state before personal interests (Telegraf.mk)

After long exhausting negotiations, an agreement has been reached for surpassing the political crisis. With the assistance of international mediators, the leaders of political parties agreed on organizing early parliamentary elections. I am welcoming this agreement that brought relief to the citizens of Macedonia, President Gjorge Ivanov said Tuesday in his Ilinden Holiday speech at ASNOM Memorial Centre in the village of Pelince near Kumanovo. However more difficult part of this agreement is yet to come, Ivanov said, pointing out that everything that has been agreed should become reality. Restraint and responsibility are vital now not only for resolving the crisis, but also for Macedonia’s future, the President said. “Today, on the Ilinden Day’ on behalf of our heroes from the past, as well as our children ­ the heroes of the future, I call on you to put the common above personal interests, the state above the narrow party interests. Let’s promote a culture of dialogue and compromise, a unity for the state interests. Let’s have the dialogue in the institutions, not the embassies. Let’s seek for the citizens’ support not for the international one,” Ivanov said. He also called on Macedonia’s European, Euro Atlantic partners to not use the consequences of blockades as a reason for new ones. Eliminating of all obstacles on Macedonia’s road to the EU and NATO will restore the country’s stability, he added. He warned of a possible new wave of migrants and risks to Macedonia’s security as a result of the crisis and conflicts in Middle East and Africa. “We must be united to adjust to and function in the new reality, created by daily terrorist attacks across the globe,” Ivanov said. The President once again called for reconciliation and unity for persevering Macedonia’s independence and sovereignty.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia’s Vucic Defends Mideast Weapons Sales: “I Adore It When We Export Arms” (OCCRP, by Aubrey Belford, 2 August 2016)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleskandar Vucic has defended the country’s burgeoning arms exports to Saudi Arabia, in response to revelations that the country sold millions of dollars’ worth of arms that likely ended up with Syrian rebels. “I adore it when we export arms because it is a pure influx of foreign currency,” Vucic told a press conference in Belgrade on Monday. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) revealed last month that Central and Eastern European countries, including Serbia, have exported at least €1.2 billion (US$ 1.35 billion) in arms to Middle Eastern states sponsoring Syria’s armed opposition. The bulk of the deals, totaling €829 million, were made with Saudi Arabia. The amount that came from Serbia was €136.1 million. The bulk of that came in 2015, when the government approved a series of sales to the Saudis worth €135 million. Vucic told reporters he did not know why the deal was approved just two years after a 2013 proposal to ship a smaller amount of arms to the kingdom was blocked by the defense ministry – which he headed at the time – on fears they could end up with rebels. Vucic told the press conference that in 2013, while he was Minister of Defense, he “probably received” intelligence that the arms could end up in Syria. “Do not ask me what has changed,” he added. “In 2015, I was not Minister of Defense and I can’t know (what happened). I will take a look.” He argued that the arms industry was proving a boon to the Serbian economy. “It is one of the industries from which we earn a lot,” he said. “I want to increase it even more, to earn even more.” The OCCRP and BIRN investigation found exporting countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia – granted export licenses despite ample evidence that many weapons are ending up in Syria with armed opposition groups, including Islamists, who have been accused of widespread abuses. Arms trade and human rights experts have said the arms sales are probably illegal. The investigation, also published in The Guardian, has sparked reactions from heads of states and senior officials. On Friday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico responded to the investigations by arguing that: “If we won’t sell, someone else will”. The European head of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Vincent Cochetel, pointed out on Twitter that the countries’ arms exports are helping fuel the flow of refugees into Europe, but that some of these same countries have taken steps to block the flow of asylum seekers.

Serbian tabloid’s call for “mercenary” arrests criticized (BIRN, by Milivoje Pantovic, 2 August 2016)

Human rights advocates have condemned a Serbian tabloid for calling for the arrest of so-called ‘foreign mercenaries’, calling it part of an ongoing campaign against journalists and NGOs.

A prominent human rights lawyer in Belgrade has condemned a Serbian tabloid for calling for the arrest of alleged “foreign mercenaries” supposedly working to destabilize the country. The newspaper Srpski Telegraf (Serbian Telegraph) called for arrests after it previously published an article claiming that the Russian secret service, the FSB, had compiled a 552-page list of “foreign mercenaries” in the Serbian NGO, media and civil service sectors. The newspaper claimed that the alleged FSB dossier would be forwarded to Serbian intelligence. “The public prosecution should be dealing with this matter. There are numerous criminal issues in writings like this,” said Milan Antonijevic, from YUKOM – Lawyer’s Committee for Human Right. Antonijevic told BIRN that prosecutors should start by investigating how the tabloid might have got hold of such information, and also noted that spreading panic is a criminal act. He said that it is not clear whether Srpski Telegraf would go on to publish the names of the alleged “mercenaries” but added: “By law it is illegal to curse people just for advocating equality.” Vlado Mares, a member of Serbia’s Press Council, said articles like the one published by Srpski Telegraf clearly violated the ethical code that journalists in Serbia are supposed to follow. Mares argued that such articles insult people without any evidence, and argued that former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic used the same methods in the 1990s when dealing with critics of his own authoritarian regime. “These are the tested methods that were used back in the nineties, when people were sorted into ‘traitors’ and ‘patriots’. The ruling parties act today in the same way as in the Milosevic era,” Mares said. Concerns that the Progressive Party-led government is opening a new front against critical media outlets and NGOs grew after government ministers were prominent at the opening of an exhibition in mid-July in Belgrade, entitled “Uncensored Lies”. The exhibition of “lies” contained a large selection of articles drawn from weekly magazines and newspapers that have criticized Aleksandar Vucic’s government. While the organizers of the show claimed the intention was only to document what they deemed wrongful attacks on the government, many journalists felt it targeted them personally, and the show alarmed a number of editors and media watchdogs. BIRN made several calls to Srpski Telegraf but did not manage to get a comment by the time of publication.

Yugoslav Spy Saga Puts Assassinations in Spotlight (BIRN, by Sven Milekic, 3 August 2016)

The murder case against former intelligence officials Zdravko Mustac and Josip Perkovic caused political embarrassment for Croatia and revived questions about the killings of Yugoslav dissidents abroad.

The case against former intelligence chiefs Zdravko Mustac and Josip Perkovic, who were convicted in Munich on Wednesday of abetting the murder of a Croatian émigré in 1983, became the focus of much speculation more than a year before it reached court. In the run-up to Croatia joining the EU on July 1, 2013, there was the first talk of Germany bringing the two men to trial using a European arrest warrant, which compels any member state to arrest and transfer criminal suspects to the country that wants them. But on June 28, 2013, in the last days before joining, the Croatian parliament, on the initiative of the centre-left government and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, passed a law which stipulated that the European arrest warrant was only valid for crimes committed after 2002. This would have prevented the extradition of Mustac and Perkovic, causing the media to dub the legislation ‘Lex Perkovic’. The government claimed that it decided to adopt the law to prevent Croatian war veterans from being extradited, but there was unsubstantiated speculation that the former spy chiefs might reveal secrets in court that could embarrass the state. The passing of the law triggered a backlash from Berlin and Brussels. In September 2013, Mina Andreeva, the spokesperson for EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding, warned Croatia to change it “quickly and unconditionally” or the European Commission would take “appropriate measures”. Later the same month, the day after her Christian Democratic Party won parliamentary elections, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she hoped Croatia would harmonise its extradition law with European legislation “as it was agreed with the EU”. Just days afterwards, the Croatian government succumbed to the pressure and said it would alter the law, enabling the two men’s extradition after the legislation came into force at the start of January 2014. Arrest warrants for Perkovic and Mustac came in early January, and Zagreb County Court and the Supreme Court quickly confirmed the warrant for Perkovic, who was extradited the same month to Munich, while Mustac was sent to Germany at the end of April. The case – which was the first trial of former intelligence officials from the Croatian branch of the SDS (more popularly known as UDBA) – also raised the issue of the killings of Yugoslav dissidents abroad. According to the prosecution, from the 1960s until the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, there were over 60 murders of Yugoslav émigrés in West Germany which were probably carried out by the SDS. Twenty-two of them were Croat émigrés killed between 1970 and 1989. Yugoslavia justified some of these killings by claiming they were anti-terrorist operations, as some émigrés did use terrorist methods while fighting against the Communist state. After becoming independent in the 1990s, Croatia did not address the killings and gave jobs to former SDS officials. Perkovic joined Croatia’s defence ministry in 1991, where he was an assistant to the defence minister until 1992, after which he became the senior adviser to the minister. Perkovic claimed that Yugoslav federal intelligence agencies had killed the émigré Stepjan Djurekovic, while he had only worked for the SDS’s Croatian branch, but the Munich court rejected this argument. An authorised assassination At the time of the murder of émigré Stjepan Djurekovic in Munich in 1983, Mustac was head of the Croatian branch of the SDS and Perkovic was chief of its department responsible for émigrés. “In late 1982 or early 1983 Zdravko Mustac authorised Perkovic to begin preparations for the assassination of Stjepan Djurekovic,” presiding judge Manfred Dauster told the court while announcing the verdict on Wednesday. The court said that Mustac and Perkovic staged the killing to silence Djurekovic because he knew about the alleged criminal activities of Vanja Spiljak – the son of Mika Spiljak, a member of the Yugoslav presidency – at the state-owned energy company INA. Djurekovic worked for INA as its marketing director before he fled to Germany in 1982. He was killed in a garage in Wolfsrathausen near Munich, where he printed anti-Yugoslav propaganda material. “The motive for the removal of Djurekovic was his hostile actions [against Yugoslavia] and involvement in a fraud at [Croatian energy company] INA,” judge Dauster said. “It was believed that the elimination of Djurekovic would eliminate the problem with the INA, which had become a huge burden for the republican leadership due to the investigation of a fraud amounting to several million dollars,” he added. A crucial figure in the killing of Djurekovic was SDS informant Krunoslav Prates, who was jailed for life by a German court in 2008 for his involvement in the murder. Prates called Djurekovic to a meeting in the garage on the day he was murdered. The killers were waiting for him inside the garage after entering with a key that Prates gave them. As the head of the SDS section dealing with émigrés, Perkovic was Prates’s handler, the judge said. However, Prates said in court during the trial that the allegation about the key was “a made-up story”, going back on his previous statements to German investigators. Another important witness was former SDS agent Vinko Sindicic, who has already served prison time in Britain for the attempted murder of Croat émigré Nikola Stedul, in Scotland in 1988. Sindicic named the men who he claimed were Djurekovic’s murderers in court in July. Throughout the trial, the defence speculated that Djurekovic could have been murdered because he was passing Yugoslav military secrets to West Germany’s intelligence agency, the BND. The defence also argued that the intention was to kidnap Djurekovic, and the murder was not planned in advance by the SDS officials. According to the BND’s records, Djurekovic worked for German intelligence from 1975 to 1983. Former BND agent Rudolf Wollwerth also confirmed in court that the agency “was paying Djurekovic well”. However the court rejected this line of reasoning and found Mustac and Perkovic guilty. The defence lawyers for the two men have already said that they will appeal.