LOCAL PRESS

Debate on new govt. continues in National Assembly (B92, RTS)

A recess of a special session of the Serbian National Assembly called to elect the country’s new government was called overnight after a 12-hour debate.  The decision was made on PM-designate Aleksandar Vucic‘s proposal because of a storm that hit Pozega in western Serbia, “due to which some ministers had to leave the hall.” Vucic on Tuesday presented his proposed cabinet’s program and members, while the Assembly on Wednesday started a debate, that continued on Thursday at 10:00 CET. At the end of the debate, members of the Assembly (“people’s deputies”) will vote. A new government will be elected if it receives at least 126 votes. On Wednesday, opposition parties – LSV, LDP, SDS, DSS, Dveri, DJB, DS, and SRS – said they would vote against Vucic’s new cabinet, describing the keynote address he delivered on Tuesday as “merely a wish-list with no concrete measures that would contribute to improving the standard of living in Serbia.” The ruling majority – SNS, SPS, JS – said they would vote to elect a government they said would “improve and modernize Serbia.”  The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) said they would vote in favor, and announced they would “sign a coalition agreement in the coming days.” Another party representing ethnic minorities, BDZS, and its leader Muamer Zukorlic, announced they reached an agreement with the SNS, led by Aleksandar Vucic, “to work together to open a new page in Bosniak (Muslim)-Serb relations.” LSV leader Nenad Canak noted that Vucic’s address “did not mention the word Vojvodina” – i.e., the name of Serbia’s northern province, and described this as “a gaffe.” Canak also said Tuesday’s presentation contained “a number of interesting things that mostly have to do with the daily-political things, rather than the systemic changes that, it was said, had to come.”  Vucic said that leaving out Vojvodina from his address was “possibly a semantic error,” adding it was “our job to treat each part of the Republic equally.”
Head of the SDS parliamentary group Marko Djurisic said the party would vote against electing the proposed government, as its program lacked any concrete measures aimed at improving the lives of citizens and reducing poverty.  Head of the LDP-SDA Sandzak group Cedomir Jovanovic said he regretted being unable to reach an agreement with Vucic – “not to include me in the government, but about a way in which we will together respond to the key problems in the country.”
United Serbia (JS) leader Dragan Markovic Palma said he would vote in favor of electing the cabinet, and Ana Brnabic as one of its members – regardless of the fact she will be the first openly gay Serbian minister, and regardless of the fact he “opposes Pride (parade)”.
“We have nothing against these people personally, if they have the expertise – let them head departments, but we will never support gay parades and legalization of homosexual marriages,” Markovic said, and received the applause from a part of deputies present.
Vucic denied there were any plans to legalize same sex marriage in Serbia, adding that he chose Brnabic as a member of his cabinet for being “a capable and hardworking woman.”
He also noted that Brnabic will not be “LGBT minister, but minister for state administration and local self-government.”  Milan Lapcevic (DSS) addressed the Assembly to say his party will vote against the new government because they disagree with its strategic orientation to take Serbia to the EU. According to him, the new cabinet will be the same that was in power for the last two years, “the one that failed to live up to its promises.”
The Dveri Movement will also vote against, head of the party’s group in the Assembly Bosko Obradovic said, with most of his criticism concerning the demographic policy and the lack of ministries dedicated to “family and Serbs living outside of Serbia,” describing the new cabinet as “a reshuffle that didn’t require an election.” Pensioner Party (PUPS) group leader Milan Krkobabic said that “long-term stability has no alternative” and that the new government, that they will support, “must make strong moves and continue on the reform course.”
SRS party leader Vojislav Seselj then took the stand, saying that President Tomislav Nikolic‘s “criminal affairs” must be investigated.  Vucic reacted to defend Nikolic, saying he was doing his job well, and accusing Seselj of attacking Nikolic because the SRS leader wants to run for president next year. But Seselj said he was “ready to withdraw his candidature if legal measures are taken toward Tomislav Nikolic, that the state is under obligation to take.”
DS leader Bojan Pajtic said that the policy and the composition of Serbia’s new government were of poor quality, and suggested that Vucic nominated Mladen Sarcevic as education minister “only because Vucic’s son went to a school where Sarcevic was the headmaster.” The PM-designate, who previously accused Pajtic of giving his wife “a directorial position,” denied this, and called Pajtic “a dangerous man because he has no shame and no morals.”
SPS leader Ivica Dacic also spoke in the Assembly on Wednesday, saying his Socialists will vote in favor of Serbia’s new government “because of the results that the SPS-SNS coalition has achieved in the past four years.” Enough is Enough (DJB) leader Sasa Radulovic said that the prime minister’s job was to make sure that the system is functioning, “instead of saving a child in Feketic.”
Vucic replied to note it was good that Radulovic’s party had seats in the Assembly, “because otherwise they would be gaining the trust of citizens with their meaningless criticizing.”
DJB deputies, who will vote against, then walked out of the session.
In his address, SNS deputy Aleksandar Martinovic said that Vucic’s address on Tuesday was “a scientific work of its own kind,” and announced the party would vote in favor of the proposed cabinet.

Assembly: Accusations of greed, treachery – and kisses blown (B92)

National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojkovic said on Thursday that people’s deputy Djordje Vukadinovic (DSS) had walked out of the hall. As he did so, Vukadinovic “blew a kiss to the PM-designate,” Gojkovic said, adding that he also “left behind his card – and would it please be removed (from the slot).” All this was taking place on the second day of a debate on Serbia’s new government presented on Tuesday by PM-designate Aleksandar Vucic. Vukadinovic’s gesture today was preceded by his exchange with Vucic, who accused him of “taking money” from the State Lottery of Serbia, and also of “posing as a Vlach” – a member of an ethnic minority from Eastern Serbia – in order to become a member of the Assembly. “I, Aleksandar Vucic, am guilty because the State Lottery of Serbia is not paying racket to Djordje Vukadinovic,” Vucic said, and added that the deputy “changed his faith and nationality to serve his interest.” Vukadinovic then replied that Vucic and his comrades had “sold their faith for a dinner” and that, regardless of how much he wants to be like Merkel or Putin, Vucic is in fact “reminiscent mostly of Caligula and Nero.”

Electoral Commission hands seats to new MPs (Beta)

The Serbian Electoral Commission on Aug. 10 awarded seats to the new members of parliament who will replace their predecessors, who have resigned. The Commission voted unanimously to give the seats of Aleksandar Vucic, Rasim Ljajic and Ljiljana Djurovic, from the Aleksandar Vucic – Serbia Wins. Ticket, to Stanislava Janosevic, Nenad Mitrovic and Ivan Bauer, of the same ticket. Svetlana Kozic, elected from the Enough Is Enough – Sasa Radulovic Ticket, will be replaced by Jovan Jovanovic, while Dragan Vesovic will enter the parliament instead of Biljana Rubakovic, both from the Dveri-Democratic Party of Serbia-Sanda Raskovic–Ivic, Bosko Obradovic Ticket. Sulejman Ugljanin, who heads the Party of Democratic Action of Sandzak ticket, has also resigned as an MP. His replacement will be Bajro Gegic, as Minela Kalender, the next candidate on the ticket, did not accept the seat. The Commission was also unanimous in awarding a seat on the National Council of the Albanian ethnic minority to Emina Sinani, who was tapped after her predecessor Ljuljzim Sahiti died. The Electoral Commission session in the building of the National Assembly included 12 members of that body.

President and patriarch meet, urge “coordination” (Tanjug)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) met on Wednesday in Belgrade. They discussed “current social topics and agreed that coordination was necessary in joint activities aimed at protecting national interests.” “They agreed on the necessity of coordinating joint activities to protect national interests and prevent potential catastrophic historical injustices such as a canonization of Alojzije Stepinac. Such an injustice would impact not only the Serbs, but entire humanity,” a statement released by the presidential press office quoted Nikolic and Irinej as saying. They also discussed the preservation of the cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija and activities aimed at further preventing Kosovo’s admission to UNESCO. They agreed on the significance of insistence by the church and the state that the monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija be the responsibility of the Republic of Serbia and that the Serbian cultural heritage must not be allowed to be declared the heritage of so-called Kosovo. Nikolic invited the patriarch to take an active part in the centenary commemorations of the WWI Battle of Kajmakcalan, the statement said.

U.S. Vice President Biden in Belgrade, Pristina on August 15-17 (B92)

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden will visit Belgrade and Pristina on August 15-17, the Belgrade-based media carried the announcement of the White House on Wednesday. In Belgrade, Biden will meet with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. In Pristina, Biden will talk with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. U.S. Vice President will be visiting with his wife. They will attend an opening of a road in Kosovo which will be named after his son, Joseph Beau Biden III, who died of cancer in 2015. The road will be named after Biden’s son” as a sign of respect and gratitude for his contribution to Kosovo” the announcement of the White House read.

PM steps in, starts helping Jeremic in his UN bid (Nedeljnik)

Serbia got officially involved for the first time during the recent second round of voting in the process to elect the next UN secretary-general. This has been reported by the Nedeljnik magazine, which said the move “helped our candidate receive only two negative votes.” According to the article, Vuk Jeremic – Serbia’s former foreign minister and former president of the UN General Assembly – has thus become the front-runner in the race. The magazine writes that PM Aleksandar Vucic “ordered the formation of a team to support Jeremic, after realizing that his chances are huge, but also after a plea by our representative to send letters to the reluctant countries confirming that Serbia was standing strongly behind her candidate.” After this letter was sent, Jeremic’s four negative votes were reduced to two – “but more importantly, Britain abstained, although some media reported differently, so two permanent members of the Security Council from Europe – Britain and France – let our candidate pass.” Add to this that China and Russia gave negative votes in the second round to the Portuguese representative, Antonio Guterres, who had no negative votes in the first round – and it is clear that Jeremic is now the main favorite to become the next UN chief, according to the article. It is also noted that China and Russia’s second round votes came from their desire to respect the rotation principle, i.e., that the top UN job should this time be given to an Eastern European. If, however, this rule were to be broken, Antonio Guterres and Susana Malcorra of Argentina would be the favorites, according to Nedeljnik’s sources. “Playing into the hands of our candidate is the tanking of other Eastern European ‘favorites’, primarily of Miroslav Lajcak, who is expected to withdraw from the race, and of Irina Bokova, considered a favorite in recent years,” the article said, and continued: “The biggest change, however, is the active involvement of the government of Serbia and Vucic in the whole process, while the assumption is that it was Vucic who managed to soften the stance of the British, via the new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson.” Finally, the last obstacle for Jeremic remains the United States and its ambassador to the UN, “although the possibility of waiting (until after) the U.S. election in November is being increasingly mentioned on the East River.” New rounds of voting have been scheduled for August 20 and 26, “when everything will be much clearer and when a list of candidates for the (official) vote is expected to be determined,” Nedeljnik concluded.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnian Security Minister says new terrorist attack possible (Fena)

Bosnian Security Minister Dragan Mektic said in Mostar on Wednesday there was a real possibility of a new terrorist attack in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). “The biggest challenges currently burdening the overall climate in B&H are radicalism and violent extremism, which resulted in various terrorist acts which occurred in B&H,” Mektic said. “I believe there is a real possibility of them reoccurring,” he said, commenting on the launching of the Islamist portal “Vijesti ummeta“, which glorified Islamic State’s terrorist attacks around Europe. Mektic did not say if the authorities had concrete information on possible attacks. The gravest terror attacks in B&H in recent years were one on soldiers near Sarajevo, one on the police station in Zvornik, a bombing in Bugojno, and one on the US Embassy in Sarajevo. The biggest number of Islamic radicals in B&H is linked to the Salafi movement, whose members went to Syria and Iraq en masse. Security services said earlier that about 300 B&H citizens had been in Syria and Iraq and that about 120 were still on territory under Islamic State control.

Members of Salafi movement involved in shooting incident (RTRS)

After the shooting in Osve village near Maglaj which took place on Sunday, the police arrested Jasmin Batanovic, while two persons are still on the run – Adem Karamuj and Muhamed Tutmic. Most residents of Osve, including Batanovic, Karamuj and Tutmic are members of Salafi movement. Reporter noted that the shooting is result of disputes among residents of Osve related to water supply system in this village. Namely, several residents of this village were not allowed to use water supply system built by funds collected by majority of Osve residents. RTRS learns that before shooting there was dispute between informal leader of Salafi movement in Osve Izet Hadzic and Adam Karamuj (Note: Karamuj was arrested in 2014 within ‘Damascus’ operation under suspicion of being member of ISIL and fighting for ISIL in Syria and Iraq) Later, Karamuj threatened that he will poison water supplying households in Osve, which he allegedly did. Also, unknown perpetrator fired two shots to house of Hadzic. Spokesperson of Ministry of Interior of Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC) Aldina Ahmic stated that local water supply system was contaminated. “One person suspected of doing this was arrested. Currently, police is searching for another person”, explained Ahmic. Reporter commented that the public is concerned with amount of weapons owned by members of Salafi movement. Also, at least seven residents of this village are currently in Syria and Iraq, while five members of Salafi movement from Osve died fighting for ISIL. According to RTRS, certain Hamat, who is also a member of Salafi movement living in Osve, said last year in an interview for RTRS that a war is being prepared in this village and that all those interpreting Islam in different way will be facing problems. According to some speculations, children from Osve do not attend regular school classes and attend alternative classes organized in Osve. Five years ago, police agencies from Bosnia and Herzegovina with support of international forces conducted raid in Osve. No one was arrested in this operation.  According to RTRS, Osve is Mecca for followers of ISIL.

Dzinic charged with joining ISIL in Syria (Hayat)

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) filed an indictment against Almir Dzinic, who was born in Tesanj in 1997, charging him with having joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and participated in armed conflicts in Syria. Spokesperson for the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H Boris Grubesic stated that Dzinic is charged with having departed to Turkey at the end of 2013 along with his family, in order to reach the territories of Syria and Iraq to join the paramilitary structures of the ISIL terrorist organization. “According to the evidence, the accused joined the armed formations of ISIL and, as a member of this terrorist group, he participated in armed conflicts in Syria until July 2016, when he left this country”, Grubesic stressed.

B&H’s state and religious officials say FETO has its followers in B&H (TV1)

TV1 carries a feature about followers of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), in the wake of the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15. Turkish authorities believe that main suspect who orchestrated the failed coup is FETO leader and Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen, who immigrated to the United States in 1999. According to B&H’s state and religious officials, FETO certainly has its followers in B&H. Founders of educational institutions such as “Bosna Sema” International School are often mentioned in the media as Gulen’s followers in B&H. There are 15 educational institutions in B&H close to FETO. Right after the failed coup attempt in Turkey, the authorities in Ankara have called on the European states to arrest all Gulen’s followers and extradite them to Turkey. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally called on B&H to react when it comes to this issue. “Some of the countries already took certain measures. They closed the schools belonging to FETO or turned them into the public institutions, such as Pakistan, Sudan and Somalia. I think that these activities will be extended to the Balkans as well, and we have brother (B&H Presidency Chairman) Bakir (Izetbegovic) there. We believe that they will also take a serious stance when it comes to this issue. This process will take place in other countries as well – otherwise FETO will cause huge problems in these countries too. We are now warning them that they need to take certain measures or they will pay the price”, Erdogan has stated. Reacting to Erdogan’s warning, Izetbegovic stated that Turkey supports B&H unconditionally. “When it comes to educational and other institutions and individuals who are linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, we have been warned of danger that might come from them long time ago. After the coup attempt in Turkey it is logical that we ask ourselves why is FETO present in B&H and why it wastes money and time in this country? What are its final goals? Maybe unselfish and brotherly concern for Islam and our children? Is it really? The state needs to ask itself these questions, but parents in particular. It is wiser to learn from other people’s mistakes than from own ones”, Izetbegovic has said in a statement. The reporter reminded that “Bosna Sema” International School operates under B&H laws. After the failed coup attempt representatives of this institution issued a statement stressing that they are shocked and expressed full support to Turkey in the fight against terrorism. “B&H authorities did not try to close the school but the only pressure comes from Turkey. Parents sent a letter to the school and said that they have a feeling that problems from Turkey try to be passed on B&H. However, we are not pressured by local authorities of some political party”, “Bosna Sema” stated. At the meeting of religious leaders in Ankara on Tuesday, Head of the Islamic Community in B&H Husein Kavazovic said that FETO exists in B&H, the same as in all other parts of the world. He stressed that all necessary measures will be taken against this organization within the legal frameworks.

Federation of B&H Government will hold session next week (Oslobodjenje)

The Office of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Prime Minister confirmed for the daily that session of the Federation of B&H Government is expected to take place the next week, after the 15-day long break. The author notes it is expected that a meeting of partners in authority, whose relations have been disrupted, takes place prior to the Government’s session. The daily reminds that the agreement of SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik in Istocno Sarajevo led to culmination of a conflict between SDA and HDZ B&H, whose leader Dragan Covic did not show up at a meeting with SDA leader Izetbegovic. Despite these developments, the Federation of B&H Government stated even before that it continues with work regardless of what is going on. The daily reminds too that even before Izetbegovic-Dodik meeting a session of the Federation of B&H House of Representatives was postponed because HDZ B&H-HNS Caucus warned about being outvoted. HDZ B&H leader Covic also stated earlier that there is no parliamentary majority in the Federation of B&H, but that he is open for talks, while Federation of B&H President Marinko Cavara (HDZ B&H) noted that the entity is in crisis.

Decision of RS CC about Bosniak veto on referendum on Day of RS due today (Vecernji list)

Constitutional Court (CC) of Republika Srpska (RS) Council for Protection of the Vital National Interest (VNI) will decide on Thursday whether the decision of the RS National Assembly (RSNA) on calling the referendum on the Day of the RS violates the Bosniak Vital National Interest.  The Council will also take a decision regarding the Bosniak Caucus’ veto to the Law on Processing and Publication of Census Result of RS, which the RSNA adopted on July 13.

War criminals in B&H can exchange their prison sentences for fine (Hina)

Perpetrators of war crimes who have been convicted by courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) do not necessarily have to serve their prison sentences if they pay a certain amount of money to the state and so far, at least three war criminals have used that opportunity, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), an agency specializing in monitoring and reporting on war crimes trials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said on Wednesday.   Cantonal courts and the Brcko District Court have so far allowed five convicts who were given prison sentences of one year or less to pay a fine instead of serving their sentences. Each was fined an average of 18,000 euros. Three such decisions have already been implemented and the implementation of another two is under way. The fine is based on a calculation of the average cost of one day in prison, which amounts to some EUR 50. The crimes for which three of those persons were convicted are rape and the torture of civilian prisoners. The laws in force in B&H allow for the possibility that all persons who are given prison sentences of shorter duration can “buy” their freedom if they pay a fine, however, the question arises if this is moral and tolerable in the gravest cases such as war crimes. An additional problem is that legal regulations are not harmonized across the country. In the Croat-Muslim entity, the Federation of B&H, it is possible to exchange a prison sentence for a fine if the duration of the prison sentence is up to one year, while in the Serb entity of Republika Srpska (RS) the limit is six months. This is probably the reason why in that entity there have been no cases of war crimes convicts exchanging their sentences for a fine. Local court officials have different views on this practice. Senaid Ibrahimefendic, head of the Eastern Sarajevo District Court, said it was questionable if such a procedure served the purpose of punishment but that it helped free the prison accommodation capacity. Bojan Stevic, head of the Trebinje District Court, said that war crimes were a special category of crimes and could not be treated as, for example, traffic offences. “For me, paying a fine for a war crime is disgusting. It is a travesty. A war crime is grave in itself regardless of the sentence delivered… because it can be lenient for I don’t know how many extenuating circumstances, but a war crime cannot be treated as speeding,” said Stevic. Redzo Delic, head of the Zenica-Doboj Cantonal Department for War Crimes and White-Collar Crime, has a similar opinion. “Exchanging a prison sentence for a 100 mark fine is inappropriate. However, lawmakers have put us here before a done deal, they should have specified the cases where exchanging a prison sentence for a fine is not possible.”

US Condemn Violence in Kosovo Parliament (MIA)

The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie has voiced his disappointment from the violence during Tuesday’s meeting of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, when an opposition MP used tear gas to disrupt the session. “I am deeply disappointed that a member of Parliament chose to use violence in order to achieve political ends. I have to say, last week’s debate on the border demarcation agreement at the Assembly was what democracy looks like. People talking, not necessarily agreeing, but debating on important issues. Democracy does not look like tear gas, in Parliament. Political violence is an assault on Kosovo’s democracy, it is a rejection of the democratic and European values the people of Kosovo aspire to”, said Delawie. Opposition lawmakers disrupted the work of the parliamentary committee on a border demarcation agreement with neighboring Montenegro. The opposition says that Kosovo has lost over 8,000 hectares because of the deal. The opposition has been disrupting parliamentary work since last September to protest the Montenegro deal and another one with Serbia that gives more powers to ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. In May, the European Commission recommended allowing Kosovans to travel throughout Europe’s so-called Schengen zone without visas, but only after Kosovo fulfills certain conditions, including ratifying the border agreement with Montenegro.

After two decades Seselj coming to Montenegro (Dnevne novine)

After exactly two decades, leader of Serbian radical party Dr. Vojislav Seselj is coming to Montenegro, it was told to Dnevne novine newspaper by several sources from this party. Seselj is coming to consecration of the church of Archbishop Stefan, which is located in Gornje Lipovo near Kolasin. According to Dnevne newspaper’s information Seselj is coming to Gornje Lipovo upon invitation and in organization by Dr Milovan Bojic, vice president of the Serbian radical party, who is from Kolasin and is one of the biggest donators of the church in Gornje Lipovo.  Consecration of the church in Gornje Lipovo will be done on Saturday the 13th of August at 10 am.  Dnevne novine also report that besides consecration of the church, Seselj is coming to Montenegro due to political activities.  Namely, he planned to have meetings with followers in this area in order to strengthen SRS prior to parliamentary elections in Montenegro. Serbian radical party participated in elections in 2012 in coalition with several other small pro-Serbian parties but they won only 5.100 votes and didn’t manage to secure a seat in Montenegrin parliament.  Seselj had his last public speech on 11th of October in 1996 at central square in Podgorica, prior to campaign for parliamentary elections. He was banished from Montenegro after the meeting in Herceg Novi where he said many insults of Montenegro and its citizens. Under the orders of the then president Momir Bulatovic he was deported to Serbia.

Sabovic: Either altogether, or SDP on its own (Dan)

I believe that Social democratic party SDP should come out on October’s elections as a part of the wide opposition coalition that could defeat Democratic Party of socialists DPS. If such a coalition doesn’t happen, SDP should compete on its own at the elections, said the chief of parliament members of SDP Dzavid Sabovic. He emphasized that the decision on the module of competing at the election should be made as soon as possible, having in mind the campaign and the time of the elections.  “I wouldn’t specify who should be part of this coalition, but I think it is very important that this alliance is made of all the sides that want changes in Montenegro. It is definitely time for these changes. We have a big chance in October and we have to prove that we’re up to it. I want everyone to be clear – Dzavid is for coalition, but only if it’s the widest opposition block, which can defeat DPS. All other options, in my opinion, are not something SDP should agree to and that would mean we should go out alone”, said Sabovic for Dan. As he emphasized, general board of the Social democratic party should discuss some very important issues at the next meeting. Sabovic said that SDP needs to decide about its involvement in the government of electoral trust, in which they entered along with URA and Demos a few months ago. Chief of parliament club of SDP thinks that DPS is ready to steal the elections one more tie, and because of that everyone should very carefully examine what to do if it happens in October. He pointed out that the issue of regularity of elections was raised by European Union too. Elections for parliament members in Montenegro will be held on 16th of October.

Rudovic: We will respect the decision of Demos and SDP, whatever it may be (Pobjeda)

Member of coordination board of Civic movement URA Nedjeljko Rudovic said that URA will respect the decision of Demos and SDP whatever it may be. He emphasized that they’re hoping for the decision which will be in the best interest of Montenegro, and that is, as he said, a capable and responsible government. “Civic movement URA, along with its partners from Demos and SDP made an Agreement with the government in order to reduce the scale of electoral theft, but not to be the shield for implementation of politics of a handful of decision makers in DPS, said Rudovic for Pobjeda. URA decided last week to leave the government of electoral trust, and said that that they will wait for the reaction of their colleagues from Demos and SDP. “If we agree to not respecting the Agreement, we would lose a lot more than we would gain until the elections. We would lose the credibility of the civic opposition, and this is precisely what DPS wants. Everyone knows that DPS remained in power for so long due to lack of civic alternative in the opposition. Such alternative exists now and we cannot allow them to destroy it”, said Rudovic. “The way we see it, this should be a wide civic coalition which gathers political subjects that share values of civic, European country of Montenegro. From our beginnings we are for this arrangement and we’re doing everything we can for it to realize because we’re sure this is the right way for changing the power structures and the beginning of solving the crisis that DPS has led Montenegro into”, he added.

If the coalition of civic parties that definitely don’t want any deals with DPS, Rudovic is convinced that “all machinations and buying votes cannot save DPS of losing the majority support and that no-one of their traditional or new satellites will be able to help them”.

The deal between SNP and DEMOS possible (Dnevne novine)

Intensive negotiations between representatives of Demos whose president is Miodrag Lekic and Socialistic people’s party of Srdjan Milic lead to high level of compatibility and it is almost certain that they will come to a deal for a coalition on the upcoming elections, it was told to Dnevne novine from the top of these parties.  Information from the last meeting of the representatives of the two parties are that the deal is still not made regarding the percentage of the parliament members list.  According to Dnevne novine sources, Lekic wants 60 percent of the list to be from Demos. On the other hand, Milic feels that the list should be split evenly, each side to get 50 percent. Those familiar with situation in these two parties believe that the deal will happen anyway, and that the percentages on the list is not an issue that can prevent forming the coalition of these two parties. Daily write that besides Demos Milic has been active on other sides too.  He is trying to gather as many political subjects as possible with whom he could make pre-election or post-election coalition, depending on the decision of the genial board of this party regarding the upcoming elections. The plan is to make as wide a coalition as possible with SNP and Demos leading it. SNP is aware that after several inner shakes within the party and departure of several experienced politicians they are under pressure to secure the entrance in the parliament.

SEP Holds Coordination Donor Meeting related to flood damages in Macedonia (Telegraf.mk)

Secretariat for European Affairs (SEP) held Wednesday a coordination donor meeting, dedicated to the devastating floods that hit the western and northwestern parts of Macedonia last weekend. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Arbr Ademi, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Nikola Todorov, Deputy Foreign Minister Ilija Isajlovski, UN Resident coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton and Martin Klaucke, Head of cooperation at the EU Delegation in Skopje, SEP said in a press release. The meeting aims to coordinate the activities for distribution of the relief aid, Ademi told the gathering. Priority has been given to reconstruction/reparation of damaged houses and other significant buildings, reparation of the infrastructure and measures for further assistance for protection to SMEs, damaged farms and rehabilitation of agricultural land, as well as direct aid to the protection and rescue services, Ademi said. A satellite imaging process of the affected terrain has been already completed under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, while experts are on the ground to assess the initial needs of the population, Ademi said. He extended gratitude to all donors for their support and appealed for additional international assistance for Macedonia to cope with consequences of an extreme weather conditions.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia to highlight Croatia concentration camp at UN (BIRN)

Serbia plans to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day next year by organising an exhibition at the United Nations about the Jasenovac concentration camp run by Croatia’s WWII Nazi-allied regime.

The Serbian foreign ministry, which is intending to stage the planned ‘Hidden Holocaust’ exhibition at the UN in New York in 2017, told BIRN that it wants to draw attention to the rehabilitation of xenophobic and racist ideologies while commemorating the anniversary of the opening of the WWII Jasenovac camp.“This project is intended to mobilize the global public to contribute to the preservation of the universal values such as peace, freedom and the protection of human rights,” the ministry’s Department for Migratory Politics, Diaspora and Social Agreements said in a written statement to BIRN. The move is likely to anger Zagreb, but the Serbian foreign ministry insisted that it was not an anti-Croatian initiative. “The exhibition about Jasenovac is not a ‘Serbs against Croats’ exhibition,” the ministry said. But in what appeared to be a swipe at Croatian right-wingers who have downplayed the number of victims of Jasenovac, it argued that it was necessary to remind people about the atrocities of WWII. “The Allies were victorious in WWII but attempts to revise history are a wake-up call. One exhibition will certainly not change the world and eradicate dark ideologies, but it could certainly raise awareness about the problem,” it said.

The ministry said that visitors to the exhibition will be able to hear recorded testimonies of survivors and the personal possessions of some of the prisoners, as well as publications and posters from the NDH era. It is also planned that film director Emir Kusturica will contribute to the project, while artists Ljubisa Mancic and Katarina Tripkovic are already making sculptures inspired by the victims’ experiences at Jasenovac. “They will try to show the pain and suffering of the victims, if it is even possible since the horror at Jasenovac is hardly imaginable,” the ministry said. After taking power in April 1941, the Nazi-allied wartime Independent State of Croatia, NDH passed laws similar to Nazi legislation, targeting Serbs, Jews and Roma. On territory controlled by the NDH, encompassing today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Serbia and most of Croatia, the fascist Ustasa organization opened dozen of concentration camps, the biggest of them at Jasenovac.

Serbs, Jews, Roma and Croats who opposed the regime were killed. The death toll remains disputed; Croatia argues that around 83,000 people died at Jasenovac, but Serbia and the Yad Vashem remembrance center from Jerusalem claim that 600,000 people perished. Recently there have been attempts by Croatian nationalists to suggest the death toll was even lower. In April this year, Croatian director Jakov Sedlar made a film called ‘Jasenovac – The Truth’ which claimed there were 20,000 to 40,000 victims. Controversial Croatian culture minister Zlatko Hasanbegovic attended the premiere of the film and praised it for raising “taboo topics”, sparking a rebuke from the Israeli ambassador to Zagreb. During the nineties wars in the former Yugoslavia however, there was a tendency in Serbia to inflate the alleged number of the victims at Jasenovac.

According to the foreign ministry, representatives of the Serbian diaspora are working together with Jewish organizations on securing the exhibition space at UN headquarters. Partners in the project include Yad Vashem, the Andric Institute headed by Kusturica, the University of Belgrade, the Jasenovac Research Institute and a Serb diaspora NGO called 28. Jun, the ministry said.

Montenegro border villagers fear ‘trade-off’ with Kosovo (BIRN)

Montenegrin villagers living near the disputed border with Kosovo fear their government may sacrifice their interests when striking a final deal on the frontier with Pristina.

“I would not advise you to go down there, it’s not safe,” the Montenegrin police officer said, standing on the 1,849-metre-high mountain pass at Cakor that runs down from Montenegro into Kosovo. Standing there, nothing can be seen for miles except meadows and a few katuns, summer mountain huts used by shepherds.  After passing Velika, the last village on the way to Cakor, it takes around 20 minutes’ drive through meadows and pine woods to reach the mountain. The peak is not accessible by car and it takes several hours’ walk to get to the top.  An eerily empty road descends from Mt Cakor through the Rugova gorge and ends up in Pec/Peje, a city in western Kosovo. Police patrols might well be the only people you meet on the 36km-long road that leads from Velika to Peje. The officer, one of four border policemen patrolling along the border that day, explained that Montenegrin territory extends to the pyramids, border marks set by international KFOR peacekeepers following the NATO air strikes in 1999.  “That is the border between Kosovo and Montenegro, although there is no official border crossing,” he said. “You came, you’ve been there and there’s no need to go further down the mountain,” the officer insisted. The mountain region is the subject of long-standing border dispute between Kosovo and Montenegro. A demarcation agreement signed in August 2015 has left both Kosovo politicians and local Montenegrins disturbed. While opposition MPs in Kosovo denounces the deal as unfair to them, rumors of “Albanian bandits” roaming the area have alarmed the isolated Montenegrin villagers.
Some local Montenegrins also fear the deal will not resolve property issues and could impede their access their forests, pastures and meadows. While the two countries that both were once part of Yugoslavia signed the demarcation agreement in 2015, the Kosovo parliament has yet to ratify it.
The agreement, referring to the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution and to maps from 1974, sets the border several miles below the peak in the direction of Kosovo. The agreement has caused violent clashes in Kosovo, with some opposition and ruling party MPs claiming it deprives Kosovo of 8,000 hectares of land. They claim the true border between Kosovo and Montenegro lies on Zljepska Tower, on top of the Cakor peak. The ferment has caused the biggest political crisis in Kosovo since it declared independence in February 2008. Opposition Vetevendosje MPs have been setting off tear gas in parliament ever since the agreement was signed, from October 2015 until January this year. Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dusko Markovic in July called on Kosovo to honor its part of the border agreement without delay. “Not a single inch of someone else’s land has been taken [by Montenegro]… and several agreements have been signed that allow for the unimpeded use of real estate on the other side of the borderline, facilitate everyday life and improve the quality of life of the citizens of our two states living in the border zone,” he said. Since the demarcation deal was signed, more people have started coming to these border meadows. The Montenegrin police, located in a former army barracks on Mt Cakor, recently boosted patrols along the 79 km-long line between the two countries. The move came after several Vetevendosje members in June crossed into Montenegro and set up a plaque reading “Republic of Kosovo” as well as a Kosovo flags, protesting against the Kosovo’s government intention to ratify the deal. Locals in the Montenegrin border villages insist the demarcation line between the two lands was never on the top of the mountain. They admit that 640,000 square meters in the area are owned by Kosovo Albanians, citing cadastral records in the Montenegrin town of Plav. “But it’s one thing to own land on the territory of Montenegro and the borderline is another…. it does not mean that we should shift the border, so they can have their property in their own country,” Miro Vucetic, one of the border villagers, told BIRN. The Vucetic family spends each summer in the summer pastures on Mt Cakor in so-called katuns, temporary settlements in mountain regions where agricultural households stay with their livestock during summer.  Vucetic said recent months had seen new tension, more frequent police patrols, as well as unknown people coming and asking “strange questions”, which had aroused suspicions.  “This has been a forgotten area of Montenegro, and many Montenegrins have never set foot on this land, which is under snow for at least eight months a year,” Vucetic noted. “Some of my neighbors have warned people not go to the other side of Mt Cakor.

Apparently, Albanian bandits are hiding out in the rocks and pick off anyone trying to cross over into Kosovo that way,” he added admitting, however: “We did not have such experiences.”

The Montenegrin authorities have not reported any recent rise in crimes such as robbery or burglary on the border with Kosovo. However, the area is mentioned as a “black spot” in numerous international reports on drug smuggling along routes in the Balkans. That is one reason why Montenegro has urged Kosovo to complete ratification of the border agreement, so that an official border crossing can be opened as soon as possible. Several civic associations based in the area, mainly composed of ethnic Serbs, say they do not trust either the Kosovo or the Montenegrin governments to protect their assets in what they dismiss as “a political trade-off between Podgorica and Pristina”. The Velika association, named after the largest village in the area, claims that no one wants to properly resolve all the property and legal relations on Mt Cakor, where locals say they have difficulties already accessing and using their forests and meadows. A member of the association, Professor Marko Knezevic, said many do not want to acknowledge that the border between Montenegro and Kosovo on Mt Cakor involves not only administrative but ethnic issues.
“That border separates the ethnic Albanian villagers from Rugova on the one hand and the villagers of Velika – who are Serbs and Montenegrins – on the other side,” Knezevic said.

Drop in Albanian ISIS fighters reflects ‘Low Demand’ (BIRN)

A senior researcher on terrorism says the fall in the number of Albanians fighting in Syria has more to do with the situation in the Middle East than with any measures taken by Albanian and Kosovo governments.

Shpend Kusani, a senior researcher at the Kosovar Center for Security Studies, KCSS, told BIRN that the number of Albanians going to fight in Syria and Iraq alongside Islamist extremists has fallen because there is less demand for them. Almost no Albanians or Kosovars joined ISIS in the last two years, which Kusani ascribes to falling demand for their aid from the ground. “We hear stories about national projects to curb this phenomenon, such as indictments, laws banning the phenomenon and other measures … But what impacts on the rise or fall of the foreign fighter phenomenon has more to do with the demand side than the supply side,” he said. If there is no demand for them, there will be no supply of foreign fighters – even if and when the domestic conditions may exist for them, he says. Another factor that he considers important in the drop in the number of Albanians joining ISIS is what they have encountered on the ground and their feelings of disappointment. “Many returning foreign fighters who have spoken of the uncertainties and mess that exist there – even if they supported the cause, which has had an impact on people not leaving,” he observed. “They have shown that, after all, it is not as ideal as ISIS appears to be in its propaganda machinery,” he concluded. A report released in March 2016 by the Albanian Institute of International Studies, AIIS, said the number of fighters from Albania joining ISIS in Syria and Iraq peaked in 2014, when between 90 and 150 people departed from Albania, 31 of whom were children and 13 women. Arrests and tough legislation have in the meantime curbed the numbers. Authorities in Albania report that the number of those departing to Syria from Albania in 2015 was near zero. Meanwhile, around 60 persons are on trial in Kosovo in relation to terrorist activities, following the arrests of some 120 suspects there since September 2014. Kosovo authorities say that 300 people have left the country to fight in Syria for various Islamist groups, mainly ISIS and Al Nusra. Kusani welcomes the idea of opening a NATO excellence center that will conduct studies into foreign terrorist fighters this year in Tirana. “I believe Albania is a good place for such a center, for one simple reason that it is the only country in Europe, or the wider West, that has an overwhelming majority indigenous Muslim population, part of which has recently been affected by this phenomenon,” he said. He believes that one of the main functions that the center might have is to provide grassroots know-how. A survey released on August 10 by the Regional Cooperation Council, on initiatives to prevent violent extremism in Southeast Europe, concluded that the number of individuals from the Western Balkans going to fight in Syria/Iraq had dropped since 2015.

“The decrease is explained by a combination of fear of legal consequences and greater awareness of the risks … and increased domestic media coverage. However, nearly all respondents were clear in confirming that this drop does not mean that radicalization has stopped,” the report warned.

The report noted that social exclusion, marginalization and a search for belonging all contribute to religious radicalization. “There are few political trends in support of the greater inclusion of citizens in social and public life, or cultivating multi-layered and inclusive identities – in spite of the need for such policies,” the report added.

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