LOCAL PRESS

Vucic, Eichhorst urge finding solutions through dialogue (Tanjug/RTS/Beta)

It is necessary to continue the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, in order to identify mutually acceptable solutions, agreed Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Angelina Eichhorst, Director of the European External Action Service for Western Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey. “Every solution so far has been very difficult for the Serbian side, which confirmed its commitment to peace and stability on countless occasions, but Serbia cannot voluntarily trample its own state and national interests either,” the Serbian cabinet quoted Vucic as saying.

The Serbian PM and the EU official said that the expected the planned dynamic in opening new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession talks would be maintained.

Dacic, Countryman agree Belgrade-Pristina dialogue needs to continue (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has met with US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas Countryman. In an open, constructive conversation on Tuesday, Dacic and Countryman, who is also the acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the US Department of State, exchanged views on the situation in the region and a range of matters concerning international security and the present security challenges. They agreed peace and stability in the region must be maintained and improved as a crucial condition for prosperity in the Western Balkans and the entire region, and that dialogue must be ensured to solve open issues constructively, a statement said.

They exchanged views on the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and agreed it needed to be continued to implement the agreements reached.

Djuric: Serbia is asked to give up its property (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric says that Belgrade is asked to give up property in Kosovo and Metohija when it comes to telecommunications. Belgrade is supposed to take a stand by Sunday whether it accepts a grotesque draft agreement on telecommunications. “Even worse, we are asked, by giving up property of Telekom Srbija, to agree that all our property in Kosovo and Metohija is not ours but that of the institutions of a false, illegal state in Pristina,” said Djuric. He says that difficult talks had been conducted in the government, and he is convinced that these conditions are unacceptable. “If Serbia accepts these unacceptable conditions I wouldn’t be able to remain where I am at present,” said Djuric. He says that Serbia is facing a difficult challenge and test and that it is looking for the best conditions for the Serbs. “We need to protect our state and property despite the pressures,” said Djuric. “Something very strange occurred last week in Brussels. Literally between Thursday and Friday, the paper in front of us was changed completely. The conditions have been fundamentally changed. Obviously an outsider, who is neither the EU or Pristina, interfered in order make these talks unsuccessful; in order to achieve a different political goal, in order to expose Serbia to pressure to which it hasn’t been exposed,” says Djuric. He points out that the conditions are unacceptable and scandalous and that at issue is an attempt to seize Telekom’s property and to trample any kind of commercial interest and possibility to communicate normally. He says that Telekom would be the first step, and then this would reflect on energy, so Gazivode and other power potentials would be seized according to the same model, both state and public property. “Therefore, either we accept the offered or there will be no EU integration. One can clearly see from the subtext that there will be no opening of chapters,” said Djuric. Asked who and when sent this ultimatum to Serbia, Djuric says this has been going on for the past two-three days, as a direct part of talks conducted last week in Brussels, and talks conducted by the Prime Minister with various international officials.” He thinks that what Serbia needs to decide by Sunday – whether it accepts that the property of Telekom Srbija be transferred to Pristina, and coverage of signals would not include entire Kosovo and would be even worse – brings its citizens into a position of second-class citizens, while Serbia’s property would be permanently alienated from its citizens. “Serbia is facing a serious challenge and difficult test. We must fight for getting the best possible conditions in Kosovo and Metohija for our people, so it can survive. We need to protect, regardless of all the pressures, our state and people’s property in Kosovo and Metohija. I am convinced that we cannot do this by accepting non-principled ultimatums,” said Djuric.

Djuric: We will protect Trepca in every way (RTS)

The Pristina authorities are trying again to seize Trepca from legal owners, i.e. the Development Fund of Serbia, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). He says that the new draft of the law has arrived from nowhere and it envisages nationalization of the Trepca plant and depriving Serbian of property and management rights. He pointed out that Belgrade will launch procedure in regard to the violation of CEFTA agreement and that it will inform the EU about everything. He says there is also the possibility of launching arbitrary proceedings and undertaking legal measures at disposal. He stressed that Trepca is not Pristina’s property but the property of companies from Serbia proper, and the property of foreign companies that are shareholders. Djuric says that the problem is not only in hundreds of millions or billions Euros, but the destiny of more than 3,000 employees in Trepca who would be endangered. He says at issue is a serious attack on Serb interests that threatens to cause broader destabilization. He stresses that more ore is located in Serbia proper and that entrances are from Kosovo and Metohija. Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Djuric says that Belgrade is negotiating only in the interest of Kosovo Serbs. He says that the EU integration process should not be conditioned with the dialogue results but should follow the results of the implementation of the agreement.

Nikolic: Influx of migrants will be stopped by engaging army (Kurir)

Serbia will not build any fences, but it will close the border to the migrants by engaging the army, President Tomislav Nikolic said on Tuesday. “We will not put up any wires. We can stop them, without inflicting anyone physical injury. Vucic knows my views; I know his and I believe that they are identical. I believe that, on this matter, we have shown to be much better than the EU members,” said Nikolic in a statement for Kurirtabloid. Nikolic claims that he had openly told the officials in Brussels that Serbia could not withstand “that principle of a funnel or an hourglass, in which nothing exits on the other side”. “It is impossible for Serbia to become some kind of asylum, quarantine, a shelter for an indefinite time to the migrants. We do not have the possibilities, the capacities, nor are we involved in this, apart from being a transit country,” Nikolic said. “We will prevent the migrants like those countries which did not raise a fence, and have secured the borders. A couple of months back, I approved for the army to help the police in securing the borders,” Nikolic added.

Rebic: Migrants have to respect law (Beta)

Serbian acting police director Vladimir Rebic said that Serbia would be a good host to migrants, but would not allow for any breaches to public order, traffic blockades or any attempts at making it impossible for citizens to perform their daily activities. “As much as the laws of the Republic of Serbia apply to our citizens, they will apply to the migrants to the same extent, and they will have to respect them,” Rebic was quoted as saying by the Ministry of the Interior. Rebic added that the police escorted a line of migrants heading for the border, in order to prevent incidents and to keep them safe. “The migrant crisis is still an open issue. Serbia will continue to treat our guests in a humane manner, but we cannot deal with the problem alone, without a united European stance,” Rebic said.

Ivanisevic: 6,000-7,000 migrants in Serbia (Tanjug)

Serbia does not want to change its current policy towards migrants and it will continue to help people in distress – currently, there are 6,000-7,000 migrants in our country, State Secretary of the Serbian Ministry of Labor Nenad Ivanisevic said Tuesday. At the regional conference “Migration, Displacement and Community Resilience”, organized by the UNDP European office, Ivanisevic underlined that the Balkan route is not closed and that currently there are 6,000-7,000 migrants in Serbia, mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Morocco. Ivanisevic thanked the UNDP for the help provided to municipalities and cities affected by the migrant crisis. The regional conference brought together representatives of local authorities from Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Greek and Turkish municipalities with large numbers of migrants and refugees to improve coordination.

REGIONAL PRESS

CEC published new results for Srebrenica; Grujicic in the lead (RTRS)

The B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) published on Tuesday new data about the results of local elections in Srebrenica, after processing the ballots from three more polling stations. According to the latest data, Serb candidate for the Head of Srebrenica Municipality Mladen Grujicic is in the lead with nearly 2,300 votes more than independent candidate Camil Durakovic. Representatives of the B&H CEC also confirmed that this institution will make a decision on the request of the Municipal Election Commission in Srebrenica for recounting of votes from five polling stations by the end of the day. Representatives of the B&H CEC also confirmed that this institution will make a decision on the request of the Municipal Election Commission in Srebrenica for recounting of votes from five polling stations by the end of the day.

Grujicic’s and Durakovic’s comments to new results (RTRS)

Mladen Grujicic has received new threats. This time, he and his family were being threatened with murder. Grujicic emphasized that such death threats will not intimidate him, adding that the police are familiar with the address from which they were sent. He argued that it must be hard for someone to accept the defeat, adding that the case is obviously about some people from the outside who used to cause problems in Srebrenica before. President of the Srebrenica Municipal Assembly Milos Milovanovic assessed that these threats are nothing but an unsuccessful attempt of intimidation. He called on the police to thoroughly investigate this case, stressing that nobody in Srebrenica should be threatened, not even “the new Head of Municipality” Grujicic. Commenting on the latest developments, Grujicic assessed that politicians are obviously trying to deceive the voters and to buy more time in order to stage a situation in which the results would somehow be changed. Milovanovic also assessed that there are attempts to deceive the public by presenting the situation as if the polling station commissions did not do a good job. “This morning, we could see that it is not true and that everything was done the way it was supposed to be done. Mladen Grujicic’s victory is unquestionable”, he concluded, referring to the latest preliminary results.

After Grujicic said he received threats, independent candidate Camil Durakovic stressed that he receives threats on daily basis. Durakovic said that he finds disputable how come that one candidate can win more votes than all political parties that supported him. He stressed that the run is not over yet until all the ballots of 3,301 voters who voted in absentia are counted, warning that there are many suspicious and illogical things in this case. “We will file complaints asking the CEC to review not just few polling stations but all polling stations in Srebrenica in order to get a clear picture and see what really happened in this case,” Durakovic announced.

US Embassy: Once election results are confirmed, we expect all relevant factors to respect them (Dnevni avaz)

The Press Relations Office of the US Embassy to B&H stated for the daily on Tuesday that the USA support democratic process in B&H, adding that “once the election results are confirmed, we expect all relevant factors to accept them”. Also, reads the statement, Head of Srebrenica Municipality is expected to advocate interests of all residents and to fairly represent them, regardless of their ethnic affiliation. “Monitoring teams of the US Embassy were present at polling stations across B&H on Sunday, including the Municipality of Srebrenica. We demanded from all actors to stop further escalation of tensions after the polling stations were closed and to work on preservation of order and peace. We are still calling on all factors to refrain from rhetoric of divisions and from provocations,” reads the Embassy’s statement. According to the Embassy, Head of Srebrenica Municipality has a unique responsibility to respect and preserve historic importance of that town and its heritage “as symbol that conveys a message to the world about how dangerous the hatred and intolerance are”.

Coalition ‘Bijeljina pobjedjuje’ accuses Alliance for Changes of election fraud, demands repeated counting of votes (Nezavisne)

Elections monitor of coalition ‘Pod lupom’ Predrag Ristic stated that repeated counting of votes will be held in Bijeljina on Wednesday if B&H Central Election Commission sends its approval on time. Namely, candidate of coalition ‘Bijeljina pobjedjuje’ for the office of Mayor Zlatko Maksimovic stated that his coalition has filed 31 complaints over suspected election fraud, and that repeated counting of votes is already taking place in some polling stations. Chair of City Election Board Ziko Krunic briefly told the daily that there is no repeated counting, and other members of the Board were not available for a comment. Maksimovic accused SDS of election fraud. He is convinced that he will be declared winner after repeated counting of votes, and that the candidate of Alliance for Changes Mico Micic will be defeated.

Local elections in Stolac most likely to be repeated (TV1)

CEC of B&H is yet to decide what to do when it comes to the issue of local elections in Stolac, which were interrupted because of several incidents that happened on election day. Before the CEC reaches any kind of decision related to the elections in Stolac, it will wait to receive all relevant data. In the meantime, the CEC ordered the main counting center to physically separate absentee ballots for Stolac from the rest of the voting materials. Spokesperson for the B&H CEC Maksida Piric said that ballots for Stolac Municipality that came from abroad will also be physically separated from the rest of the voting materials. “We also requested an urgent meeting with members of the Stolac Municipal Election Commission, which will take place Wednesday morning,” Piric underlined. Piric further said that they will request information about the current security situation in Stolac due to possible repeating of the elections in this municipality.

HDZ 1990 calls for repeated elections in Livno (FTV)

HDZ 1990 has called for repeated elections at five polling stations in Livno, due to alleged election fraud. HDZ 1990 leader Ilija Cvitanovic stated on Tuesday that more than 1,000 votes were stolen. According to HDZ 1990’s Nediljko Rimac, a person who inputted illegal ballots is willing to testify. HDZ 1990 in Prozor-Rama also warned on election fraud, due to malversation with votes of Diaspora. Director of HDZ 1990 Election HQ Luka Faletar said that 800 voters have fictitious places of residence in Croatia and added that the matter was reported to Croatian authorities. The party said that despite the malversation, the victory of its candidate for Head of Municipality Jozo Ivancevic was not jeopardized.

B&H MPs comment Covic’s initiative to merge local and general elections (Oslobodjenje)

Following the announcement of member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic that he plans to send an initiative to the B&H parliament related to merging of local and general elections in 2018 on Tuesday, SNSD has stated that they do not support this idea. SNSD MP in the House of Representatives of the B&H parliament Milica Markovic stated that Covic should be more concerned over the elections in Mostar than about merging of the two election processes. “That is completely marginal in comparison to the issue of Mostar, which has not had elections in years and where the human rights have been absolutely usurped… Mostar stands as a sealed city and Misters Covic and Izetbegovic should deal with that,” said Markovic. She also noted that status quo suits HDZ B&H, because if they cared for the city, they would have dealt with the issue of local elections there before they actually took place. Markovic also added that when the B&H parliament discussed amendments to the Law on Elections, HDZ B&H MPs were not concerned over lack of solution for Mostar. Member of B&H HoR Collegium Sefik Dzaferovic stated that if Covic’s initiative was adopted, it would mean changes to the B&H Constitution. “That is quite problematic issue when it comes to B&H because it is well-known the Constitution and the laws related to the election process can be changed only with difficulty. On the other hand, there is a more rational approach towards the election process, because every other year here is the election year and that is obstructing reforms. However, the fact is that we might have to reevaluate the will of the citizens every two years,” said Dzaferovic. He noted that SDA stated previously they would have nothing against the initiative, but they will wait for an official proposal. SDP MP Sasa Magazinovic said that the real question is why this initiative was not presented months ago, expressing concerns that this is just another attempt to deceive the public and have cover for the true project of ethnic division of the FB&H. PDP-NDP MP Momcilo Novakovic stated that a serious analysis is needed before such initiative is even considered in the B&H parliament.

Orepic: Croatia not to accept migrants who are currently in Serbia (Vecernji List)

There are more and more migrants in Serbia, and they are becoming restless. Will Croatia find itself flooded with about 7,000 migrants who are currently in Serbia, and who will not be able to go further to the West because other countries will not accept them? Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic announced on Tuesday that his country would send military to its borders with Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania and close them, reports Vecernji List. Serbia’s border with Hungary has long been closed for migrants due to fence and increased surveillance. This means that the easiest way for frustrated migrants is to go through Croatia. Despite such possible scenario, Croatia has no plans to put up a border fence or to send army to the border. “We cooperate with all our neighbours, including Serbia, when it comes to migrant crisis. All who tried to illegally enter Croatia have been returned”, said Foreign Minister Miro Kovac. Croatian Interior Minister Vlaho Orepic said that the police “was firmly protecting” the border and that 7,000 migrants who are now in Serbia will certainly not end up “trapped” in Croatia since they will not be admitted to enter. It can be assumed that Serbia, if Western countries decide they will not accept them, would send them back to where they came from – Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Deda: Binding agreement on the normalization of relations should be adopted within a year (European Western Balkans, 5 October 2016)

Two weeks before the Belgrade Security Forum we talked to Ilir Deda, member of the Assembly of Kosovo who will participate at this year’s BSF at the panel “The Belgrade – Pristina Dialogue and the EU Future”.

Asked how does he assess the current relations between Kosovo and Serbia and does he think that the dialogue is going in the right direction, despite the current stalemate, Deda said that it is difficult to say that there are relations between Kosovo and Serbia. “It would be most accurate to say that an unfinished peace governs between Kosovo and Serbia, and peace is what we must strive towards, on clear and equal basis”, said Deda. “All the shortcomings of the Brussels process, which has entered in its sixth year with no major results, are visible in the light of this. In fact, there are substantial results that must be met in order to talk about any relationship between the two countries, which are, as I said last year at the BSF panel: how can Kosovo become a full-fledged, functional member of the international community; and how should a legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia look like. When we try to answer these essential questions, we can see all the deep flaws of the existing Brussels dialogue.” he pointed out. Deda thinks that the existing agreement on demarcation with Montenegro will not get the necessary two-thirds majority in the Kosovo Assembly. He pointed out that it is good because it will open the door and enable to move from the arrogant and totally non-transparent policy of the Government to a different political culture – and that is transparent policy which requires political and social consensus on the most important national issues. “Otherwise, the demarcation of the border with Montenegro is not a key requirement for visa liberalization, but an efficient and measurable fight against corruption at the highest institutional levels”, Deda continue. Asked what does he think and what should be done to improve the relations between Serbia and Kosovo, Deda said that he thinks that we lost half of a decade in one process that did not lead to normalization of relations. “I strongly believe that within a year we have to reach a legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. We simply do not have more time to deal with each other, and we must complete the process of normalization. Naturally, civil society should be included in the process, but will also have a role after the conclusion of this agreement, to monitor the implementation”, Kosovar MP said. He concluded that the BSF is a very respectable annual event which addresses the most recent global challenges. “Within the framework of BSF, broader opinions and attitudes about the dialogue than those we are used to hear are exchanged, which I think is very positive. The exchange of such opinions certainly contributes to a better understanding of the parties. It is an honour to be a guest, once again, on the sixth BSF”, Deda concluded.

The content of this text and the opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the portal European Western Balkans and in no way reflect the views and opinions of the Belgrade Security Forum.

Ekonomi: Balkans needs a unified economic platform (ATA, by Sonila Mehmeti, 5 October 2016)

TIRANA – Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship Milva Ekonomi held on Wednesday a meeting with her Macedonian counterpart Arlind Zeqiri as well as the delegation accompanying him. First, Ekonomi made an overview of the official visits by representatives of both countries. The shared commitments to development of the region beginning with issues such as connectivity in the region are of high importance. Ekonomi pointed out that Albania and Macedonia cooperate in the framework of CEFTA agreement and as of 2011 the trade between the two countries has been liberalized. There are as many as 325 Macedonian businesses or joint stock companies operating in Albania. Touching on trade exchanges, minister Ekonomi said that they are following an upward trend. Over 2015 they amounted to EUR 108.62 mln or showed a rise of 11 % more than 2014. Specifically, exports increased to the extent of 22 % and imports to 4.2%. The main topics under discussion was intensification of economic cooperation and investments, trade exchanges, promotion of tourism, development of industry and other sectors of economy. Ekonomi also briefed Zeqiri with the preparations being made for the Diaspora summit slated for November 13 in Tirana, where MZHETTS will be chairing three panels. Zeqiri appreciated this initiative of Albanian govt. and also expressed his readiness to provide contribution. Regarding regional cooperation in trade, minister Ekonomi said that “Corridor 8 is pivotal to success of joint projects. As CEFTA members we need to use this tool for consolidation of regional market, including the removal of every trade barrier. For his part, minister Zeqiri added that the Durres Port needs to be further promoted for it acts as a linking bridge between Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo. Ekonomi also put the emphasis on drafting and implementing joint projects at regional level, such as the “Alps” project supported by GIZ, of high importance for our countries (Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo) as well as the role of UNESCO in encouraging tourism at the Pogradeci lake. As many as 223.000 citizens from Macedonia chose to spend their holidays in Albania this summer. The two ministers also put the emphasis on a unified economic platform for the region as a whole and transformation of the region into a common market for investments.