LOCAL PRESS

Schwendiman: Special Court to open its office in Belgrade (RTS)

Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for KLA Crimes, David Schwendiman met on Thursday Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in Belgrade. Among other things the Chief Prosecutor asked opening of an office in Belgrade. Dacic voiced satisfaction over the establishment of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and Special Chambers that, as unbiased institutions, will investigate crimes against the Serbs. Dacic offered logistical and legal support to the Special Court, hoping that the Court would commence its work as soon as possible. Schwendiman said that he expects cooperation from the government and institutions of Serbia. Further he said that after four years of investigations, he expects concrete indictments to be filed. He said that he expects support for opening of an office in Belgrade, which will be used for easy access of witnesses and documents, a press release issued by the Serbian Foreign Ministry states.

The meeting was attended by Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry and President of the Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic, who spoke with Schwendiman about his experiences and knowledge in working with the families of missing persons. Schwendiman asked Odalovic to convey to the families of the missing his interest and commitment.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office will investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that were committed from 1998 until the end of 2000 in Kosovo and Metohija, to which the report of Dick Marty submitted to the Council of Europe in 2011 refers.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Schwendiman, was established on September 1, 2016, with the headquarters in The Hague and currently has 35 staff, with the plan to increase that number to 65.

Stefanovic: Bring to justice perpetrators of crimes in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said in talks with the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for KLA Crimes, David Schwendiman that he expected this court to collect enough evidence in order to prosecute and bring to justice all perpetrators of crimes against Serbs, but also other nationalities in Kosovo and Metohija. Schwendiman said he was aware he had a difficult task and that he would make effort to turn the past work on investigations into concrete indictments, the Serbian Interior Ministry stated. “It is very important to protect potential witnesses having in mind the impact of powerful people that can slow down or be an obstacle in bringing perpetrators to justice,” said Stefanovic. He noted that, due to the passage of time and the possible destruction of evidence, it was necessary to seriously approach the resolution of all crimes and voiced expectation that the perpetrators of the gravest crimes, as in the Yellow House case, would be processed and convicted, without exception.

Johnson meets with Vucic, Dacic and Gojkovic (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic had a working dinner during his two-day visit to Belgrade before addressing the media at a joint press conference. “It is fascinating to see how the country has changed. Serbia has achieved great economic success and political progress,” said Johnson. He also said the United Kingdom will remain a friend of Serbia, although out of the EU. “This is an old friendship that is always productive,” said Johnson. “We have a chance to improve economic and security cooperation. The United Kingdom is still present here and we have a tendency to cooperate. We need the United Kingdom as a pillar of stability,” said Vucic.

Vucic says that Johnson’s statement in the Kosovo Assembly – that all those guilty must be held accountable – is good, sincere and important. “Crime doesn’t have a nationality but a name of the responsible persons, thus of those who had committed crimes, and the blame cannot fall on entire nations but on those who committed those horrible things, so we will continue our work,” said Vucic.

Johnson also met with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic, and parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic. A statement from the Foreign Ministry said the ministers agreed to strengthen political dialogue and business cooperation between their countries. Johnson said Britain would continue to support Serbia’s accession to the EU despite the Brexit and Dacic believes relations between the two countries should be strengthened, according to the statement.

After his meeting with Gojkovic, Johnson stressed that Britain views Serbia as an important part of Europe.

Vucic: Romania not to change stand on Kosovo (Tanjug/Politika)

Turbulent times are ahead for Europe and the world so good-neighborly relations are a necessity and the people of Serbia and Romania should be benefitting from them, Vucic said in Timisoara Thursday. Speaking after a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, Vucic thanked him for Bucharest’s major support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and its support for Serbia’s EU path. I want to express great gratitude for the fact that Serbs and Romanians have had good relations for decades and centuries now, Vucic said.

Development of economic relations is particularly important, Vucic said, announcing that the border crossing between Nakovo, Serbia and Lunga, Romania, would start operating around the clock.

Enhancing cooperation with Romania in fight against cross-border crime (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic signed with Romanian Interior Minister Dragos Tudorache in Timisoara a Protocol between the two ministries on the establishment and activities of mixed patrols along the common state border. Stefanovic explained that the document will improve cooperation in the fight against all forms of cross-border crime and the establishment of a more efficient system of control and supervision of the state border.

He pointed out that the protection of the state border of one of the most important aspects of defense against illegal migration and cross-border crime, especially human trafficking, that follows the migrant crisis. The migrant crisis is a problem that cannot be solved by one country alone and it is necessary that all countries on the migratory route join actions, and it also calls for a clear response from the EU, Stefanovic said. The establishment of joint patrols is the best way to protect against the influx of illegal migrants who are not entitled to asylum, he said.

Guatemala thanked for supporting Serbia on Kosovo (B92)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic received on Thursday in Belgrade Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales Moscoso. During the talks it was noted that, despite the existence of bilateral and friendly relations, the cooperation in economic, cultural and educational areas lag behind the real possibilities of the two countries, the Serbian government said. According to the same source, Dacic informed Moscoso that the procedure regarding “the exchange of names of streets” named after Serbian and Guatemalan winners of the Nobel prize for literature has been completed on the Serbian side, and that a street in Belgrade will soon be named after Miguel Angel Asturias. He also expressed appreciation to Guatemala for its principled stance not to recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and for the support of our positions in preventing admission of Kosovo to international organizations. The two officials also agreed that a regular dialogue at all levels is necessary, and in this regard, to establish a mechanism of political consultation by signing a Memorandum of understanding between the two ministries of foreign affairs. Dacic and Moscoso signed an agreement on abolishing visas for diplomatic and official passports. Dacic has also been invited to visit Guatemala.

Nikolic to invite Trump to visit Serbia (Tanjug/B92)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has told the Belgrade media that he will officially invite the newly elected U.S. president, Donald Trump, to visit Serbia. Nikolic said he expected that after these changes, Serbia and other countries in the region would be treated equally. He added that Trump will receive the invitation in next few months, via the U.S. ambassador Belgrade.

“Trump has his own priorities and I am sure that he will come when I invite him. Trump is likely to first visit strategic partners. Our turn will come, too,” said Nikolic. He also stated that the U.S. president-elect is sure to receive such, at this time, courteous invitations from 100 countries. “All that matters is that he turns some of his campaign rhetoric into deeds, so that the world under the influence of the United States can change. Trump will accept the invitation, because he is a man who knows the mistakes made toward Serbia by the previous presidents,” Nikolic said.

He pointed out that the presidential visit should be organized at the highest level and that cannot be done by any ministry. According to the Serbian President, the open joy in many countries and the way in which the world media reported about Trump’s victory speaks about the awareness of all peoples that this event will greatly change the physiognomy of the world. “The policy announced by the new U.S. president is likely to be diverted from maintaining the dominance in international relations toward the strengthening of the national economy, the fight against corruption and job creation,” said Nikolic. According to him, the trend of turning toward the national started with Brexit, and is now spreading across Europe at an unstoppable speed.

“After these changes we expect to be treated equally with other countries in the region and to, after several decades, have the opportunity to implement a policy of peace and cooperation in accordance with our legitimate interests,” said Nikolic.

Miscevic: Opportunity missed, we are waiting for the translation (RTV)

“It is certainly important to state that the Serbian parliamentary Committee for EU Integration, who had invited the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport to speak about the report that was presented to the member states, missed an opportunity to hear from him how the EU presently sees us and what are the assessments and estimates not only on the EU path but also on topics for which I am certain that both the position and opposition have absolute interest to discuss, such as rule of law, fight against corruption and other,” the Head of the Serbian negotiating team with the EU Tanja Miscevic told Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV).

She explains that it was impossible to submit the report to the parliament in the Serbian language because this is a European Commission document that is yet to be translated. Miscevic says that Great Britain is a full-fledged EU member not only until the moment of launching the procedure for exiting the EU, but until the moment of finalizing this procedure, which needs to be two years at the latest since launch of procedure.

Schodder: About 50 refugees have chosen to live in Serbia (Tanjug)

A very small number of refugees – 50-60 – have chosen to stay and live in Serbia instead of moving on, and now they should have the opportunity to contribute to Serbian society in a positive way, the UNHCR Head in Serbia Hans Friedrich Schodder said. Today we continue the dialogue on possibilities available to refugees, Schodder told Tanjug, adding that the process of integrating refugees into society is a collective endeavour, where authorities work with civil society and the private sector in order to create possibilities, not only for refugees, but also for them to contribute to Serbian society. Speaking at a roundtable “Serbia from transit to destination country”, Schodder said that the way forward is clearly stated in Serbia’s laws and the EU accession process, but that the UNHCR and its partners are trying to support it.

REGIONAL PRESS

Izetbegovic: Dodik should change his behavior otherwise he will be replaced (Hayat)

Chairman of B&H Presidency and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic addressed a press conference in Sarajevo on Thursday. Izetbegovic assessed that High Representative Valentin Inzko’s report to the UN Security Council (UN SC) could have been even better if it were not for the policy conducted by Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik. Izetbegovic said everything Inzko presented before the UN SC is clear, noting that the European path of B&H is hindered by how the authorities of the RS acted including holding of an unconstitutional referendum. Asked by reporters why the international community has not sanctioned those who hinder the European path, Izetbegovic replied that he actually expects a reaction because Dodik’s behavior is no longer within the legal framework. Izetbegovic deems that Dodik will be inevitably exposed to actions of “courts in B&H, the IC, the Office of the High Representative (OHR), and the great powers”. “However, as I said it, it is his decision. I think it would be better for Mr. Dodik to change his behavior than to be replaced”, Izetbegovic added. According to Izetbegovic, there will not come to new conflict and destabilization of the Balkan region. Izetbegovic announced the authorities’ intention to maintain focus on the reforms stipulated by the Reform Agenda. Izetbegovic does not share the optimism of Croat member of B&H Presidency and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, who believes that the issue of the implementation of ‘Sejdic-Finci’ ruling could be solved by 2017. Commenting on this year’s local elections, Izetbegovic said that SDA has managed to win the greatest number of votes so far.

Dodik responds to Izetbegovic’s threats (Srna)

RS President Milorad Dodik says Bakir Izetbegovic poses the biggest threat to the stability of B&H and the region because he is trying in every way possible to fulfill his father’s dream of turning B&H into an Islamic country. “Due to such fatal Islamist policy, B&H has no future whatsoever with Bakir Izetbegovic,” Dodik stated for Srna. Commenting on Izetbegovic’s Thursday statement that RS and Milorad Dodik as its leader are slowing down the progress of B&H and that Dodik would be better off if “he changed his behavior so that he wouldn’t be changed himself,” Dodik said that as a friend and inspiration of terrorists, the Wahhabi and Islamists, Izetbegovic was the last man on earth who could make threats against anyone or change anyone. Dodik also pointed out that Izetbegovic had the duty, especially after the statements that Fahrudin Radoncic gave a court in Pristina, to offer a thorough explanation to the public, particularly the Serbs, as to what his role was in executing the Serbs and starting the war in B&H. “Neither me nor RS is going to be threatened or arranged by anyone, especially not an extremist like Bakir Izetbegovic. The times of foreign interventionism are long gone,” said Dodik. Dodik notes that Izetbegovic proved his extremist nature with his recent appearance in Brussels, which had not been harmonized with the other members of the BiH Presidency, where Izetbegovic used his meetings with EU and NATO officials for repeated, gross political manipulation to the detriment of Serbs and RS. “His appearance in Brussels only proves that he actually speaks in the name of radical Muslims who are ready for fresh conflicts. The claims that RS was established on crimes, that the Muslims in B&H were only defending themselves during the war – even though everyone knows his father was the one who dragged all of us into that war with his Islamist ideas – and justifying the ‘creeping’ creation of the Islamic state in B&H only go to show that RS has every reason to make itself and its institutions stronger by the day,” Dodik told Srna. Commenting on Izetbegovic’s views about the recent arrests of former Croatian Defence Council (HVO) members in Orasje and his “shock” over “the problem being addressed to the Bosniak politicians,” Dodik assessed that the whole matter has become a bit comical because everyone knows that the B&H judiciary is under Izetbegovic’s political influence.

“Everyone who committed a crime must be brought to justice, and I, as President of RS whom the people have trusted for years, am very interested in the prosecution of the crimes committed against Serbs. Unfortunately, that’s not happening to a sufficient extent due to the Bosniak political influence on the judiciary,” said Dodik. He recalled that even the US diplomat Nicholas Hill, who during his term in B&H definitely wasn’t a friend of RS, spoke when he was leaving about Izetbegovic’s SDA’s influence on the country’s judiciary. “It’s a Bosniak political party that has ‘built’ its people inside the Court and Prosecutor’s Office, inside the Constitutional Court, let alone the lower levels… There they don’t advocate justice but interests of the Bosniak political elite,” Dodik noted.

With respect to Izetbegovic’s stance that “Russia’s influence in the Balkans should be cut off” and that it should be “done in Belgrade” of all places, Dodik said the influence of both Russia and Serbia in B&H was positive, and that that was exactly what didn’t suit Izetbegovic. “Russia and Serbia have always supported only the consistent application of the Dayton Peace Agreement and that’s what B&H needs the most. That obviously doesn’t suit Izetbegovic because he has a plan for another structure of the country, such as the one described by his father in the ‘Islamic Declaration’,” Dodik underlined. The RS President stated that both Serbia and Russia, the proven friends of the B&H Serbs, would remain partners in RS’s development and growth despite the negative views of the Bosniak politicians.

Sinno presents EC’s Country Report on B&H to Novalic (Hayat)

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Khaldoun Sinno presented the European Commission (EC)’s Country Report on B&H for 2016 to the Federation of B&H Parliament and Federation of B&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic in Sarajevo on Thursday. The Report reads that progress has been made with adoption of the Transport Strategy, but it is still necessary to adopt the strategy for fields of energy, environmental protection and agriculture. According to the Report, a lot more needs to be done on improvement of the business climate and dealing with issues related to the rule of law. The Report, however, notes that backsliding has been recorded with the changes to the Federation of B&H entity’s legal framework for civil service, increasing the risk of politicization of civil service. Sinno welcomed the fact that the Federation of B&H Parliament is back to work. “We expect that the Federation of B&H Parliament will continue doing its job,” Sinno stressed and added that “this process implies engagement of all institutions at all authority levels in the whole country”. Sinno stated expectation that the authorities will continue working towards progress on the EU path. Novalic stated that 31.1% measures from the Reform Agenda have been implemented at the Federation of B&H level, which would be even greater if there were not for the delays in work of the Federation of B&H parliament. “As for the Federation of B&H government, a series of key laws from the Reform Agenda are currently in the House of Peoples and the House of Representatives,” Novalic said and added that a lot of effort has been invested in unblocking the work of the Federation of B&H parliament.

B&H CC rejects Durakovic’s appeal regarding election results in Srebrenica (N1)

The Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H has rejected the appeal filed by Head of Srebrenica Municipality Camil Durakovic against the decision of the Court of B&H that rejected his complaint to the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of B&H on establishing and publishing of the election results in Srebrenica. B&H CC explained that Durakovic’s right was not violated given that he had the possibility to apply for participation in the local elections. Durakovic handed over his duty to newly-elected Head of Srebrenica Municipality Mladen Grujicic on Thursday. Durakovic told reporters that his main interest is to make sure that Srebrenica citizens do not feel some kind of divisions and that he as well wanted to be engaged in Srebrenica in order to jointly preserve peace in the area of Srebrenica Municipality. “Being the Head of Srebrenica Municipality will be a big burden to Grujicic, since he will have to take over a big responsibility as a young man. He will be in the main focus of public,” Durakovic assessed. Grujicic said that he is thankful to Durakovic for undeceiving all those who thought that some obstructions will take place in Srebrenica and that the agony around the elections will last much longer. “However, this has not happened and we have shown through an informal meeting earlier that our common interest is to make sure that Srebrenica citizens can feel progress here and to do everything that would contribute to a better life in Srebrenica, regardless of ethnic affiliation,” Grujicic stated, adding that all Srebrenica citizens must be treated equally.

B&H Croat leader writes to EU, insists on amending election legislation (Hina)

The Croat member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic said in a letter to EU leaders on Thursday that the country’s election law disempowered local Croats, calling for the enforcement of the European Court of Human Rights ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case after Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic stated a few days ago that it would not be possible to resolve the two matters soon. Covic recalls in the letter that B&H has undertaken to implement the ruling in the Sejdic-Finci case by the end of January next year so as to enable also representatives of ethnic minorities in the country to run for the highest political positions in the country, and to tackle, within that issue, the problem of inequality of local Croats in relation to the other two constituent peoples, Serbs and Bosniaks. “Some regulations of the current election law disempower Croats in B&H. This is unacceptable for more than one reason, notably because Croats in B&H are willing to accept any model that will make it possible for them to elect the Croat member of the Presidency of B&H and representatives in the Parliament’s House of Peoples. By doing so, they are not seeking anything but an equal status and what the other two constituent peoples already have,” Covic said in the letter to EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn. Covic says in the letter that prolonging the status quo with regard to this issue is unacceptable to all peoples and citizens of B&H and that the Croat people cannot accept the possibility of their legitimate electoral will being disregarded and their institutional presence and action compromised, which further results in their not having any influence on decision-making processes, whether they concern the legislative authorities or the executive and judicial authorities. Covic says that the amendment of the election legislation will reveal whether political parties in the country are sincere in their commitment to EU membership.

PM, Banja Luka bishop talk status of Croats in B&H Serb entity (Hina)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Thursday received the Bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr Franjo Komarica, and discussed the difficult position of Croats over the past two decades in the RS, notably problems they are faced with in trying to return to their prewar homes, Plenkovic’s public relations office said in a press release. Bishop Komarica expressed his support for the Croatian government and Prime Minister Plenkovic and the activities and projects the government is undertaking to assist Croats in B&H. The prime minister underscored that an additional form of assistance would be training and counseling on how to apply for European Union funds, particularly for projects earmarked for the young. Plenkovic thanked Komarica for everything the diocese and the diocesan Caritas charity is doing for Croats in that region, including aid for the poor, the elderly and sick and children as well as projects in the economy that facilitate employment in that entity. According to the press release, the prime minister offered concrete help in those efforts, saying that care for Croats in B&H is not just a constitutional obligation but also a moral obligation for every Croatian government.

Vukovar mayor receives Albanian, Kosovo delegations (Hina)

Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava on Thursday received representatives of the Association of Albanian Defenders in the Croatian Homeland War and delegations of the Republic of Albania and Republic of Kosovo for talks at which the friendship and cooperation between the two peoples was stressed. The president of the association of Albanian defenders, Esad Colak, said that ethnic Albanians from Kosovo had always considered Croatia as their second homeland and found refuge, friendship and a job there, which was why many of them participated in the Homeland War. Kosovo Minister of the Diaspora Valon Murati underscored the help Croatia offered during the war for Kosovo’s independence and after the war, which he said made Croatia one of the friendliest countries in the region and Europe. “I am grateful that Croatia gives full rights to the Albanian ethnic minority and that we have a deputy in the Croatian parliament,” Murati said, adding that Croatia’s constitutional framework offers rights to all ethnic minorities. He added that there is an initiative in Kosovo to offer a seat in parliament to a representative of the Croat minority even though it is small. Kosovo Ambassador to Croatia Shkendije Geci Sherifi said that the two countries have excellent political relations and are interested in economic cooperation as well as that several bilateral economic forums have been held in Pristina and Zagreb. “The Albanians’ contribution in the Homeland War was great, particularly in Vukovar and Bogdanovci, but our two peoples also share historically good relations,” Mayor Penava said.

Vujanovic decided: Markovic to form a new government; Minorities will decide by the end of the week (CDM)

Montenegro will get new government in the next few weeks, outgoing Prime Minister and head of the DPS Milo Djukanovic said after consultation with the President of Montenegro on prime minister-elect. Upon Djukaniovic’s proposal Vujanovic decided to task Dusko Markovic with forming a new government. “I founded the proposal on the election results. DPS has triumphed in the elections. In the coming period we will reach a detailed agreement. No further than the next few weeks we will get a new government,” Djukanovic is sure. As for the opposition’s decision not to recognize the election result, Djukanovic says: “Let’s remember whether the opposition has recognized any election results during these 25 years, including the independence referendum. It is obvious that they rationalize this way – I run in the elections in order to win, but if I don’t win, then the conditions were irregular,” he said. Djukanovic sees that as an extremely infantile political approach, “which brings no good either to Montenegro or to those who think that way, and, as we see, it does not bring any good because their defeats are inevitably repeated”. “Instead of that, it is obviously necessary to understand that if you participate in a game, it is possible to win or to lose it. If you lose, you need to take a dignified attitude towards the result of the democratic will of the citizens,” Djukanovic said. According to him, the opposition seemingly cannot accept that and “they are apparently obsessed with the idea use various scenarios to get in power without elections”. “They tried that on 24 October last year with an imagined government of national unity, because they did not feel like going to the polls. They knew what results they could expect. Then they tried to get into power by providing assistance in carrying out terrorist acts. They continually show that they are not interested in the election results,” Djukanovic said. As he said, the opposition tried to rewrite the election results through the State Election Commission. “All in all – that is a political circus and frivolousness of the people who consider Montenegro as a primitive province where it is possible to get into power from the streets. We sent them a clear message that it will not be possible,” said Djukanovic. On the other hand, Vujanovic said he was glad because the opposition representative had come personally and asked to be tasked to form a government instead of doing that through the media.

The Democratic Front (DF), the Key coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Democrats were represented at the meeting by Dritan Abazovic. However, the president said they had different views on who should be tasked with forming a new government. “My constitutional duty is to suggest an MP from the candidate list that won the most seats. I think that’s the logic of the elections. Dusko Markovic should be prime minister-elect committed to integrations and economic progress,” said Vujanovic.

Minority parties negotiate with DPS first. DPS won 36 seats, DF 18, the Key coalition 9, the Democrats 8, SDP four, SD and BS won two seats each and the Albanians Resolute coalition and HGI one MP each. “National minorities will first agree on a common platform. Once we sign the platform, we will start negotiations with Dusko Markovic. First, we will offer the platform to the DPS”, the president of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) Marija Vucinovic said.

The president of the Bosniak Party (BS) Rafet Husovic confirmed that the minority parties received only informal offers of the opposition to form a government. “We got the offers through the media. Individual representatives had informal talks with the opposition. When we get an official offer, the party’s committee will discuss it,” he said. Nazif Cungu (the Albanian Resolute coalition) said that the minority parties would announce their decision by the end of the week.

SD believes that there should be no delays. The president of the Social Democrats (SD) Ivan Brajovic believes that Montenegro will get a new government before the end of the month. “We believe that there is a clear majority, and we think that we should not delay government formation,” said Brajovic. He did not tell reporters which ministries SD asked.

The president of the Liberal Party (LP) Andrija Popovic said that it was expected that DPS was tasked with forming the government. “I believe that the pro-Western option will have an absolute majority. It would be good if SDP and the URA Civic Movement joined us, since we all support NATO membership,” he said.

In addition to DPS, the opposition also wants minority parties’ support and offered them to form the government together in any way they want. The opposition (the Key coalition, DF, SDP and the Democrats) won 39 out of 81 seats in the Parliament. “Despite the atmosphere of a state coup, voters have decided that there should be changes in Montenegro. I informed Vujanovic that I represent the largest number of MPs. We have 39 seats and votes of 180,000 citizens. DPS and SD together have fewer MPs than we do. They have 38 MPs. In this atmosphere is not good to task someone who has fewer votes to form the government,” Abazovic told reporters after meeting with Vujanovic in the Gorica Villa. “We do not recognise the elections, but we want to form a government that would organise free elections. The offer to the minorities remains open – let them form the government by themselves or together with the civic opposition minus DF”, he said.

Djukanovic: A momentum in European agenda implementation gained (CDM)

High-ranking officials in Brussels assessed the things achieved in Montenegro as progress, Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said, adding that the country has entered a phase in which it can no longer be treated the same as other countries in the accession process. At the cabinet meeting on Thursday, the government adopted a communication on the European Commission’s 2016 Montenegro Report. As the government announced, Djukanovic said it was good that the country gained momentum in fulfilling European agenda objectives and that “high-ranking officials in Brussels assessed the thongs achieved in Montenegro as progress”. “With the 24 chapters opened and perspective that additional chapters shall be opened during the Slovakia’s presidency to the EU, the Prime Minister said that Montenegro entered a phase in which it can no longer be treated the same as other countries in the accession process, adding that our country went through a similar path in the process of Euro-Atlantic integration, until it emerged as a leader”, it was said in the statement carried by the Mina news agency. Djukanovic expects the challenges identified in the report to be introduced into the working guidelines for further action as soon as possible, with a view to further progress of Montenegro in the European integration process. Presenting the report, Chief Negotiator Aleksandar Andrija Pejovic said, that “despite the negative interpretation in certain local media, on one hand it is the best EC report on Montenegro so far, and on the other hand the document shows that Montenegro kept the leading role and progress compared to all the other countries that are in the process of accession to the European Union”. As announced by the government, Pejovic said that the ambassadors of EU member states, whom he met before the cabinet meeting also said that. “Although the reports are not called progress reports, we agree that in the case of Montenegro it is the progress,” said Pejovic. The cabinet particularly highlighted progress in Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamental Rights, with the assessment that the effort has paid off, although there are still challenges.

Will Trump give the Western Balkans over to Russia? (CDM)

The victory of the Republican candidate at the US presidential election Donald Trump was met with great satisfaction in the pro-Russian and anti-NATO circles in Montenegro and Serbia, which is not surprising after his statement that he would “relax relations with Russia” and that “NATO was obsolete”. Those who feared Trump’s victory now reasonably ask whether the incoming US administration will reduce military presence in Europe, give up NATO and left the Western Balkans at the mercy of Russian influence. “There are reasons for concern after Trump’s victory”, said Jelena Milic, director of the Belgrade-based Centre for European Studies (CEAS). She told CDM that America would change, but she hopes that the Republicans in Congress will be “more aware of the growing threat to the Balkans coming from Putin than it was the case with the Obama’s administration”. Hope in the tradition of Republicans. “Republicans are seen as those who favor the US military presence in the world. It is good that before Trump’s victory the United States decided to increase the number of its troops in NATO and in Europe outside NATO. Hopefully this decision will not be revoked because when it decided to cut the number of troops a few years ago, Russia attacked Ukraine with weapons and directed other type of influence against the Balkans. Let us hope that those responsible Republicans will curb Tramp’s policy and inaccuracies regarding NATO, and that, in this respect, the process of ratification Montenegro-NATO accession protocol will not be stopped”, Milic said. She is concerned about the statements coming from “alleged analysts” in Serbia according to which the US policy towards the region will not change. “Unfortunately, diplomats also claim that, but it is simply not true. Of course, it is important to see who will be the Secretary of State and the Defence Secretary, so that anything concrete could be said about the Trump’s victory effects in the Balkans. It is not a matter of whether the US is focused on the Balkans or not – of course that China, South America, India, Iran and Russia will be in a greater focus. However, the United States is large enough so that everything is in its orbit, so its focus has effects regardless of how small it is”, said Milic.

On the other hand, the director of the Alpha Centre Aleksandar Dedovic believes that US foreign policy will not change much. He told CDM that it is well known that the US is the biggest NATO contributor and that it is interested in the countries of the region. “The election of Donald Trump as the US president will not bring significant change in the US foreign policy. We have to remember that this is a country with a long tradition of democracy, which contains ‘antibodies’ that will prevent activities that are detrimental for the US and it is in their interest to support NATO”, said Dedovic.

Two men with links to IS arrested for preparing terror attacks in Macedonia (Telegraf.mk)

The Interior Ministry informed that two persons aged 23 and 24 were arrested a week ago over information that they were preparing acts of terror on Macedonian territory. The two were in contact with former fighters in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “As part of a wider regional operative action aimed at fighting terrorism, the Interior Ministry conducted searches at two sites, in Skopje and in Aracinovo on November 4th. During the search, one 24 year old person from Aracinovo was detained, and the other was detained in Kosovo. Their goal was carrying out terrorist acts in Macedonia. The intentions of this structure were foiled with timely acquired intelligence information,” said Mitko Cavkov, head of the Bureau for Public Security. During the raids, police took away computers and phones from the two persons. It’s estimated that over 150 Macedonian citizens have went to fight in the Middle East, joining Islamist groups, and that dozens of them were killed, while some are returning to the country.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

UK’s Johnson urges Kosovo to keep talking with Serbia (Associated Press, 10 November 2016)

PRISTINA, Kosovo — British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has urged Kosovo to continue its talks with Serbia since both nations “share a vital interest in a normal relationship.” Both nations want to join the 28-nation European Union, although their applications are at different stages. Serbia has launched membership talks while Kosovo last year signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step toward membership. “Kosovo and Serbia share a vital interest in a normal relationship,” Johnson said, speaking at the Kosovo parliament. As part of a Balkans tour, Johnson was in the Kosovo capital of Pristina on Thursday, meeting with top political leaders. He urged them to continue cooperating with the special court on war crime, created last year following pressure from Kosovo’s Western backers. “All those guilty of war crimes, on all sides, should be locked up,” Johnson said, adding he would say the same thing in Belgrade, his next visit. The pain and grievances of the past cannot be easily set aside, according to Johnson, but “cooperating with the special court for war crimes is so important for Kosovo, however difficult this may be.” “It also requires a sincere attempt to resolve the wrongs of the past,” he said.

Croatia Wants to Prosecute Alleged War Crimes in Bosnia (BIRN, by Sven Milekic, 11 November 2016)

After reports that Croatia’s Vice-Prime Minister is under investigation for war crimes in Bosnia, a Croatian expert says Zagreb could take over the prosecution of crimes allegedly committed by Croatian citizens in Bosnia.

Following the arrests of Bosnian Croats in the northern Bosnian town of Orasje, and reports of war crimes investigations into Croatia’s Vice-Prime Minister, Croatia could try to take over the prosecution of Croatian citizens accused of war crimes in Bosnia, Professor Vesna Crnic Grotic says. The professor of international law at the Faculty of Law in the Croatian city of Rijeka and former head of Croatia’s legal team for the genocide suit against Serbia told BIRN that there are no barriers against Croatia itself prosecuting Croatian citizens for crimes allegedly committed in Bosnia. She pointed to the protocol signed by Croatia’s state attorney office and the Bosnian state prosecution in 2013. “Croatia ran a war-crimes process against Fikret Abdic [leader of the unrecognised statelet of the Western Bosnia Autonomous Region in the 1990s] if you recall,” she said. “He was indicted by the Bosnian authorities for crimes committed in Bosnia but since he was then living in Croatia, and had Croatian citizenship, the two countries made a deal and he was tried and served his prison sentence in Croatia,” she explained. Crnic Grotic was speaking after reports that the Croatian Vice-Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Damir Krsticevic, is under investigation in Bosnia for crimes committed there during the 1990s. Following the report, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic also suggested that Croatia should on its own prosecute its own citizens for crimes committed in Bosnia. On Tuesday, she said the Croatian authorities should take over the cases made against its citizens recently arrested in the Bosnian town of Orasje. Bosnia’s authorities are meanwhile said to be investigating Krsticevic’s role in crimes committed in the towns of Jajce and Donji Vakuf in central Bosnia, where the Bosnian prosecution says 32 civilians and nine Serbian POWs were killed in the mid-1990s. Alongside Krsticevic, former Bosnian Croat General Tihomir Blaskic is investigated for crimes committed in the two towns. Blaskic was jailed already in 2004 by the International Criminal Tribunal, ICTY, for nine years for breaching the Geneva conventions and violations of laws or customs of war. Blaskic’s lawyer, Anto Nobilo, confirmed the existence of an investigation on Jajce and Donji Vakuf to BIRN. However, he said it was “most likely there will not be any indictment filed, at least against Blaskic”, partly because the charges are made “too high up the chain of command”, having in mind the extent of the crimes. Like the retired Croatian general, Kristicevic has for years been under investigation for war crimes – this time committed in the western Bosnian town of Mrkonjic Grad. Around 150 Serb civilians were killed there when the Croatian army entered Bosnia and fought Bosnian Serbs in 1995 following the victorious completion of Operation “Storm” against Croatian Serb rebels in Croatia itself. Although no indictment has been filed against Krsticevic, on Monday he cancelled a planned meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, scheduled for Tuesday. The Croatian daily newspaper Jutarnji list claimed that Croatian intelligence agencies advised him not to go. Krsticevic has dismissed this as speculation, claiming he stayed in Croatia to work on the state budget for the upcoming year.

Crnic Grotic explained that if an indictment is filed against Krsticevic, Croatia could take on the case, if the political will existed for this, and if it is given all the relevant documents. She explained that although those probed in the alleged investigation are people “with high ranks in the military”, Croatia cannot be a refuge for potential criminals and must prosecute those about whom relevant evidence exists. However, Crnic Grotic thinks that there is “minimal chance” of the persons arrested in Orasje being tried in Croatia. This is because the standard procedure in international law is that if a person holds a dual citizenship, the country persecuting that person on its territory treats him or her as solely its own citizen. The arrests in Orasje have created a strong political backlash in Croatia. The investigations against Krsticevic also open up the possibility of implicating Croatia over its role in the war in Bosnia.