LOCAL PRESS

Kosovo police official arrested on terrorism charges (Beta/Tanjug/B92/RTS)

The Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) confirmed today that the Serbian police have arrested the director of the Kosovo police for the region of Kosovska Mitrovica, Nehat Tachi. Tachi was arrested on Wednesday, at the administrative crossing of Konculj, on an arrest warrant issued in 2010 for the crime of terrorism, the MUP added. Based on the 2010 decision of the Higher Court in Nis, southern Serbia that ordered his detention, Tachi has now been taken to a detention unit.

The Kosovo police have also confirmed that the arrest took place, but Kosovo police spokesman Daut Hoxha said on Thursday morning that when it happened, Tachi was on his way to a Western European country, traveling in a car through the territory of Serbia. According to the same spokesman, the arrest happened after midnight on Thursday, at the Bela Zemlja crossing, near Bujanovac. Hoxha could not say why Tachi was arrested, and added that he should appear before the Basic Court in Nis during the day on Thursday.

Without progress in Belgrade-Pristina negotiations on telecommunications (Tanjug)

After the third day of Belgrade-Pristina talks on telecommunications there are no visible results or statements from officials. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija told Tanjug that they have been discussing for three days the ways of transferring property of Telekom Srbija to the daughter-company that should be established in Kosovo and Metohija, in line with the agreement on telecommunications. It is stated that there has been no agreement so far, but that certain progress has been reached in view of procedures. Talks were also conducted on the number of locations for the base stations south of the Ibar River and frequencies, which are very important issues that directly concern the coverage of Serb regions with the signals of the Serbian company. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija states that the Belgrade negotiating team has not accepted for the Serb regions in Kosovo and Metohija to be limited to the 2G technology without internet and only to voice calls, which the Pristina side wanted to impose and thus discriminate the users of the Serbian company in the province. It is added that the Republic of Serbia remains devoted to respecting the agreed to the extent in which the other side is prepared to fulfill the assumed obligations, i.e. the Republic of Serbia is prepared to concede to Pristina to use one dialing code for the geographical are if the provincial institutions implement everything they had committed to do with the agreement on telecommunications. This primarily refers to transferring the property of Telekom Srbija in the province to the daughter-company in the Pristina system and securing conditions for its unhindered operating throughout the territory of the province, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated. Technical talks will continue tomorrow, though Brussels circles speculated that the talks could continue on Friday as well.

Drecun: Pristina avoiding property issue (RTS)

The Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun has told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that Pristina is avoiding to place on the agenda the property issue, not only state property but also private, which is crucial for creating normal conditions for the return of Serbs to the southern province. Drecun claims that Pristina has proposed the law for the formation of their verification commission that would be include one nation, instead of the agreed tripartite commission that would decide on the owner of the property, which would include one representative from Serbia, one from Albania and one international official. Drecun assessed that this represents an attempt to conduct legalization of seizure of Serbian property. “Belgrade insists on this issue. It is directly linked to creating normal conditions for return. If this issue would be resolved, then many more Serbs would wish to return to Kosovo and Metohija. Yet, the property issue is crucial here. Pristina is avoiding to discuss the property issue in the normalization process. If there is no Community of Serb Municipalities then it is pointless to even discuss the continuation of this process,” said Drecun.

Vulin: Balkan route still active (Beta)

Serbian Labor minister Aleksandar Vulin stated that the Balkan migrant route was still active and announced the submission of a request to the EU representatives for more help to Serbia in the prevention of the illegal crossing of borders. “Regardless of the formal decision of the EU countries about the closing of the Balkan route, it is still active. There are fewer migrants than last year, but their numbers are still high and there are still many people who are attempting to enter our territory,” Vulin said at a news conference in Leskovac. The migrants entering Serbia are controlled by a large number of members of the police and of the Army of Serbia, and Vulin will seek greater financial assistance for their engagement from the EU representatives in Brussels and from international humanitarian organizations in Geneva. To a question about the possibilities for the construction of a fence along the Serbian state border, Vulin replied that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic had not accepted that proposal. “Minister Stefanovic and I proposed to the prime minister that we strengthen the protection of our borders by means of certain physical barriers, in No. 5028 2 2 order to make the job easier for the police and the military, but he does not share our stands. I will respect that and accept it, as will Minister Stefanovic,” Vulin said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Salihovic to appeal against decision on his suspension (BHT1)

Chief B&H Prosecutor and Prosecutor in the B&H Prosecutor’s Office Goran Salihovic announced that he will appeal the decision of the First-Instance Disciplinary Commission. “I am confident that my decisions are correct and legitimate. I want the procedure to be completely public. I was not given an opportunity or right to make a statement about the allegations referred to in the proposal for suspension, nor was I provided with an insight into the evidence that the Disciplinary Commission obviously did not take into account. I will use all available legal means for the truth to be revealed”, reads a statement issued by Salihovic.

Mektic: Salihovic should have been suspended much earlier (N1)

B&H Minister of Security Dragan Mektic told reporters that suspension of Salihovic was expected, adding that he should have been suspended much earlier. According to Mektic, there was sufficient evidence which proves that the Chief B&H Prosecutor has been obstructing several investigations and interfering with decisions of judges and prosecutors with an aim to obstruct their activities. Mektic stressed that Salihovic stopped the fight against corruption, expressing his hope that the vacancy for the post of new Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H will be opened soon. He added that it is not just coincidence that investigation into the referendum on the RS Day was opened right before Salihovic’s suspension. Mektic also stressed that there is no indictment in the ‘Bobar Bank’ case for which the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H announced will be forwarded to the B&H Court for confirmation soon. According to Mektic, Salihovic has seized the whole documentation in the ‘Bobar Bank’ case from the competent prosecutor.

Cvijanovic: Izetbegovic and his policy are biggest and only source of instability and destruction in B&H and region (Srna)

In her interview to Srna on Wednesday, RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic commented on the invitation for interrogation sent to RS President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik by the B&H Prosecutor’s Office due to the referendum on the RS Day, calling it a “farce”. She reminded that a total of 91 decisions rendered by the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H have never been implemented – and no one has ever been held accountable for that. Commenting on the referendum on the RS Day, Cvijanovic said that the RS has proven to be a “mature democratic society, capable of successfully implementing referendum without a single incident.” Cvijanovic stated that SDA leader and BiH Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic and his policy are the biggest and the only source of instability and destruction in BiH and the region. She assessed that it is interesting that everyone has something to say about Dodik’s statements, while in the same time Izetbegovic’s inflammatory rhetoric remains unnoticed. She reminded that Izetbegovic’s statement that Dodik will end up like Muammar al-Gaddafi also remained unnoticed, adding that Izetbegovic is responsible for raised tensions in B&H that caused radicalization. Cvijanovic stressed that the international community is turning a blind eye to Izetbegovic’s policy “because it is easier for them to deal with imaginary issues and false threats, than with real problems and threats to security and coexistence in this country.” “The FB&H is a hotbed of discrimination, segregation and lawlessness,” Cvijanovic said and accused Izetbegovic of being the main culprit for such a situation. She noted that while Serb children in the FB&H are not allowed to study the ethnic group of subjects, Bosniak leaders are trying to accuse the RS of all problems. Cvijanovic reminded that the fact that Serb Caucus in the FB&H House of Peoples (HoP) has never been established in line with the law is also one of the examples of discrimination in the FB&H. She added that foreigners do not seem to care about this fact, or about the fact that dozens of B&H CC’s rulings have never been implemented in the FBiH, including the one related to the electoral system in Mostar.

Commission for European integration formed (Oslobodjenje)

On the proposal of the Directorate for the European Integration (DEI), a decision to form a Commission for European Integration, which will work in the system of vertical coordination, was passed on Wednesday. Chairman of the Commission is going to be DEI Director Edin Dilberovic, while representatives of entity governments will be his deputies and members will come from cantonal governments and the Brcko District Government. In a statement for the daily, the DEI said that when sending the questionnaire, the European Commission determines a deadline, which is usually between two and four months. “It is very important for B&H to respond to the questionnaire in time, clearly and in single voice,”believed DEI. Spokesperson for the DEI Marina Kavaz-Sirucic told the daily that the questionnaire contains different sets of questions, from rule of law to statistics and politics and agriculture. “Overall integration process also depends on strong political support without which qualitative steps forward in the process are impossible,” said Kavaz-Sirucic and noted that until the questionnaire is sent they cannot say how many questions it is going to contain. Daily noted that recently adopted Coordination Mechanism will help communication and speed up cooperation of the institutions, and it represents a tool that is supposed to help B&H reach the goal of the EU membership.​

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Western Balkans to grow by 3.2 pct in 2017, 3.6 pct in 2018 – World Bank (Reuters, 28 September 2016)

Economic growth in the Western Balkan region will accelerate to 3.2 percent next year and to 3.6 percent in 2018 on the back of recovering domestic consumption, rising investment and higher exports, the World Bank said in a report published on Tuesday. The bank had previously forecast 2017 growth of 3 percent for the region, which comprises Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro – all candidates for European Union membership. It also slightly raised its 2016 growth forecast to 2.7 percent from 2.6 percent, but added a note of caution. “The sluggish expansion in the EU, the uncertainty about the implications of Brexit, continued weakness in Greece, the political tensions in Turkey and the refugee crisis will continue to weigh on growth prospects,” it said. Britain voted in June to leave the EU in a process, known as Brexit, likely to take years. Heavily indebted Greece remains dependent on international loans to keep its economy afloat and investors also remain concerned about Turkey’s prospects following a failed military coup there in July. Despite such concerns, the World Bank raised its 2016 growth forecast for Serbia, the largest economy in the Western Balkans, to 2.5 percent from 1.8 percent. However, the bank cut its forecast for Macedonia to 2 percent from 3.7 percent due to a domestic political crisis that has hampered investment. The political uncertainty could continue to weigh on growth prospects in Macedonia and Kosovo, it added. Near-term economic growth should help reduce regional unemployment, which it expected to average 20.3 percent in 2016. But youth unemployment remains as high as 54.3 percent in Bosnia and nearly 39 percent in Montenegro. Across the region it is especially elevated among young women and ethnic minorities. Before the 2008 global financial crisis, the Balkan states were flooded with cheap capital that fueled average growth of 5-7 percent a year. The World Bank and other international organisations have called for structural reforms, including reductions in the public sector, pension reforms and privatisations to tackle a sharp rise in budget deficits and the high unemployment. To secure lasting growth the Western Balkan nations need to improve their business climate and public services, ensure the sustainable use of energy and natural resources and eliminate barriers to formal employment, the bank said in its report. (Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Thomas Escritt and Gareth Jones)

‘EU Member Candidate’ Montenegro Cracks Down on Political Opposition (Sputnik, 29 September 2016)

A major trial kicked off in Montenegro as Andrija Mandic and Slaven Radunovic, leaders of the Democratic Front opposition alliance, are being accused of attempting to incite an insurrection during the last year’s government protests. The protests, which took place on October 24, 2015, turned violent and were dispersed by the authorities, who used stun grenades and tear gas. Mandic and Radunovic, however, argue that the aggressive ‘protesters’ who incited clashes with law enforcement units were in fact provocateurs, and that the trial is in fact politically motivated and is being used by the government to strike a blow against the opposition. Historian and political analyst Cedomir Antic, who, along with a number of prominent intellectuals, joined a special committee that was formed in Belgrade to help defend the accused politicians, told Sputnik that his group seeks to shed light on what kind of injustice is being perpetrated in Montenegro. “Our primary goal is to raise awareness about the fact that a European country which is also a candidate for EU membership allows the persecution of political opponents and the use of courts to pursue political agendas,” Antic said. He also added that Montenegro’s authorities have enacted a “chauvinistic policy” against the Serbs living in the country, who comprise 29 percent of the total population, according to the latest census. Meanwhile, over 50 percent of Montenegro residents speak Serbian, despite the fact that the state language is Montenegrin. If the government recognized the cultural and political rights of all of the country’s ethnic groups, then Montenegro would become a democratic country, though most likely without Milo Djukanovic at its helm, Antic remarked. At this time however, it appears that there’s no way that Djukanovic’s government can lose the upcoming October elections. “If he loses, then he would simply falsify the results. But as soon as Montenegro joins NATO, the West will no longer have any use for Djukanovic, because every powerful state has two goals: to implement its own egotistical agenda and to promote its values. And according to one of the Western values, there should be no people like Djukanovic in Western countries. Be as it may, any Montenegro government – except for the Djukanovic administration – would have to recognize the rights of [people from all ethnic groups] inhabiting the country, finally turning Montenegro into a true multinational state. And there’s no risk that the country would become ‘a part of Serbia’ or some sort of new Yugoslavia, though it will be close to Serbia just like Cyprus is close to Greece and Azerbaijan to Turkey,” he surmised. Djukanovic and two associates from the Communist League effectively seized power in Montenegro in 1989, and has been either president or Prime Minister of Montenegro for most of the time since then, having retired briefly in 2006-2008 and again in 2010-2012.