LOCAL PRESS
Belgrade-Pristina talks resume today (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)
The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, headed by Marko Djuric, continues in Brussels from 28 to 30 November, with focus on the implementation of the agreements reached in connection with the Community of Serb Municipalities, the judiciary, telecommunications and freedom of movement, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said. The Belgrade delegation includes representatives of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the Office for Coordination in the Talks with Pristina’s Provisional Self-Administration Institutions, and the authorities in charge of the areas listed for talks.
Djuric: ZSO needs to be formed in line with Brussels agreement (Tanjug)
The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric met on Friday with north Kosovo Serb political representatives who conveyed to him concern over Pristina’s refusal to launch the process of the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO). The representatives pointed out that, without institutional mechanisms enabling the ZSO, the Serbs will not be able to resolve their problems that are accumulating as a result of the radicalization of leading Albanian parties and more present political instability in the province. According to them, the Serbian government should exert pressure, through the dialogue in Brussels, for finally creating conditions for the establishment of the ZSO, so additional escalation of distrust and tensions in relations would be prevented between the Serb and Albanian political elites in Kosovo and Metohija. They told Djuric that they don’t need the kind of ZSO offered at present by Pristina and that, if it were to have competencies of an NGO instead of municipal competencies, it would be more detrimental than beneficial to the Serbs.
Djuric voiced understanding for the stand of the Serbs and its political representatives in northern Kosovo and Metohija, and asked for some more patience for the finalization of the formation process of the ZSO in the manner that would guarantee effective protection of collective rights to the Serbs in the province. He agreed that the ZSO needs to be formed with those competencies envisaged by the Brussels agreement and reached supporting agreements in the sphere of education, healthcare, economic development, spatial planning, rural development, environmental protection and information. Everything else would imply avoiding of assumed obligations and rendering pointless the dialogue process with EU mediation, said Djuric.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for Local Self-Administration in Pristina’s Provisional Institutions Ljubomir Maric, and heads of provisional institutions and mayors in the north of the province, Aleksandar Spiric, Goran Rakic, Ivan Todosijevic, Vucina Jankovic, Zoran Todic and Stevan Vulovic.
Greater Albania ushered in through the back door (Tanjug/B92)
The Union of Albanian Municipalities in the Region has been formed in Tirana, Albania, on the occasion of the Albanian national holiday, 28 November. This union is made up of Tirana, Pristina, Tetovo, Ulcinj, and Presevo, with an agreement of cooperation signed by the mayors of the five towns.
Repchekova: No one asks Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence (Beta)
Slovakian Ambassador to Serbia Dagman Repchekova said that in order to join the EU, Serbia was not required to recognize Kosovo’ s independence, but that Belgrade had to reach an agreement with Pristina to govern their relations. “No one is asking Serbia to recognize the independence of Kosovo. Out of 28 EU members, there are still five who have refused to recognize Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. Slovakia is one of them. On the other hand, if the EU wants to secure stability and prosperity, it cannot afford to let in a state that has failed to reconcile regional relations,” the Ambassador said in an interview with Novi magazin.
Cadez: Important step in Serbia-Albania economic ties (Tanjug)
The establishment of the Serbian-Albanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is major step in the history of economic relations between the two countries, as well as for economic ties throughout the region, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS) President Marko Cadez said Friday. The association is a service for all entrepreneurs wishing to do business, forge ties, work and manufacture products together and operate in third-country markets, Cadez told a press conference in Tirana. Speaking at the PKS booth at the Tirana international trade fair, he highlighted the large support of the two countries’ business communities for establishing the chamber, and urged all companies to actively participate in its work.
Around 1,000 Serbian Army members protested in Belgrade (Tanjug)
About 1,000 Serbian army soldiers and supporters have taken to the streets of Belgrade to demonstrate against low wages and poor working conditions in Serbia’s military. The demonstration in front of Serbia’s Defense Ministry on November 27 was the first-ever public protest of its kind. The protesters also delivered a letter to the office of President Tomislav Nikolic, who is the supreme commander of the country’s armed forces, calling on him to “protect” them. Tanjug reported that the protest was organized by the military trade union and backed by their police counterparts. Union leader Novica Antic told the rally that “if a Serbian soldier cannot feed his family… it is a problem.” The union says more than three-quarters of the army’s employees have monthly wages lower than Serbia’s national average, which is about $389. Antic said about 1,000 people left the armed forces in 2016 because of low salaries and poor working conditions.
Djordjevic: I am proud of majority of army who did not protest (Tanjug)
Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic said that he was “proud of majority of the army who did not protest” and accused Serbian Military Trade Union for giving “political statements that were not in accordance with trade union activities” at the rally. “There were just approximately 200 members of the army at the protest and I have been concerned that the protest also gathered members of nationalist and extremist groups. There were more than 99 percent of soldiers who did not come to the protest, because they knew that the army was one with the people and they were faithfully serving their country”, the Minister stated in the announcement. Djordjevic added that he stayed by the claim that salaries would not be decreased and there would be no sacking, but also that the salary would be increased by five percent early next week.
REGIONAL PRESS
Dodik: Law on Constitutional Court of B&H has to unite Serb political representatives (Glas Srpske/Srna)
President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik said that adoption of the Law on B&H Constitutional Court will be the priority for the RS in the upcoming period. Dodik also said that he will insist on unity of all Serb political representatives when it comes to this issue. According to President of the RS, the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H is “a decadent place”; Dodik added that foreign ambassadors – those who support the work of the B&H CC and foreign judges – would never accept foreigners being in charge of making decisions in their own countries. He added that the RS will criticize competences transferred to the level of B&H and demand for those competences to be returned to the level of entities. President of the RS concluded that the RS will prepare laws in due time, which will “restore those things to their original state”.
In comment to the upcoming presidential elections in Serbia, Dodik says current Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic deserves to win another mandate. According to Dodik, the current leadership of the Republic of Serbia has been “good and helpful associate” of the RS, especially bearing in mind their relation towards the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). In a statement, Dodik characterized Nikolic’s work as good and added that even in delicate time, he often expressed very clear stances about the DPA and other issues of huge importance for the RS. “This is very important for us”, concluded Dodik, adding that he does not want to interfere with internal relations of Serbia.
Population census necessary in order for B&H to complete EC’s questionnaire (TV1)
In order for B&H to be able to complete the European Commission’s (EC) questionnaire when applying for the EU membership, it will need accurate and precise statistical data from the 2013 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in B&H, given that one chapter of the questionnaire deals exclusively with statistics. The most recent census of B&H, i.e. the 2013 Census, took place from 1 October until 15 October 2013, more than 20 years after the previous census. The final data were due to be released back in February 2015. However, the authorities were only able to share some preliminary results, which showed the geographical distribution of the population. The elaboration process was delayed because of a methodological disagreement between the statistics agencies of RS and the Federation of B&H. B&H will soon face a new challenge, i.e. filling out the EC’s questionnaire, adding that B&H Statistics Agency will have to provide answers to issues related to official statistics of B&H, while each entity institution will have to provide answers to issues from its competent field.
Serbia-Croatia relations crucial for region – conference (Hina)
Relations between Serbia and Croatia are crucial for relations in the Balkans and affect the whole of the region, the last foreign minister of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), Budimir Loncar, said at a conference in Belgrade on Friday, held to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Serbia. The relations between the two countries have entered a new stage that implies acceptance and mutual respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty, Loncar said among other things. Speakers pointed out that permanent reconciliation and dealing with the past were preconditions for solving the bilateral issues. They also said that bilateral cooperation depended on who was in power in the two countries. Some of the participants noted that cooperation was sometimes conducted under international pressure and pressure from the European Union. Efforts to establish the fate of people who went missing in the 1991-1995 war were also highlighted as being important for further development of bilateral relations.
Russia cancels Economic Forum with Croatia (N1/Vecernji list)
Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Croatia Anvar Azimov confirmed on Monday that the Croatian-Russian economic forum has been cancelled, reports N1 on November 28, 2016.
“I have a very difficult task. I love Croatia and I deeply respect Croatia, and we will not forget that for more than 50 years Russia and the Soviet Union were one of the major players in Yugoslavia. However, I am deeply concerned for the future of Croatian-Russian relations. My task, as an ambassador, is to minimize any consequences”, said Azimov. “It is no secret that trade in goods with Croatia has decreased by nearly 50 percent. That is a disaster. First of all, Croatian exporters and farmers are suffering. Croatian-Russian economic forum was supposed to be held in November. However, Russian entrepreneurs are very patriotic. They do not support the regime of sanctions. They do not agree with the fact that Croatia supports these sanctions. That is why Russian entrepreneurs were not interested to come to Croatia. And that is the reason why Croatian-Russian economic forum did not take place”, continued the Ambassador.
Embassy denies US interference in border arbitration (Hina)
The United States Embassy in Ljubljana on Friday denied allegations that the US had handed over to Croatia recordings of conversations between a Slovenian government official and a Slovenian judge sitting on the border arbitration tribunal, which prompted the government in Zagreb to declare the process contaminated and consequently withdraw from the arbitration.
On Thursday, ahead of a working visit by Croatian Foreign Minister Davor Ivo Stier to Ljubljana, Slovenian media ran a story blaming the Americans for Croatia’s withdrawal from the arbitration process because they had allegedly recorded unlawful communications between Slovenian agent for arbitration Simona Drenik and Slovenian arbiter Jernej Sekolec. Both officials later resigned. In response to queries from the Slovenian press, the US Embassy issued a statement denying any involvement in the matter and saying that the US had made it clear to both Slovenia and Croatia that it was not taking sides in their dispute.
Resolution of bilateral disputes between EU and NATO member states is the responsibility of the two governments and the US is confident that they will find a solution, the statement said as quoted by Slovenian television. Slovenian media said late on Thursday that Slovenian Constitutional Court judge Mitja Deisinger had allegedly heard that a US security agency had provided Croatia with recordings of conversations between Sekolec and Drenik in order to spite Slovenia for its getting closer to Russia.
Opposition will not enter parliament (MINA)
The Montenegrin parliament can function even without 39 representatives who are boycotting it, said newly appointed President of the parliament of Montenegro Ivan Brajovic. He invited the opposition to return to the parliament. He said that he would not introduce financial punishments for the opposition, but he would also not give his agreement for their official trips abroad until they start working. There are some opinions, he said, that the opposition should be punished financially. “I do not support this type of sanctions. Citizens chose them for these positions and boycott is one of the ways and manners in which they express their attitude at this time,” Brajovic said. He said that it is possible the boycott could last until the vote for NATO membership comes up on the schedule. They also discussed DF protests announced for 19 December. “Everyone creates their own strategy, but I believe this one is not good. We will see what happens. I believe the state should be ready to efficiently react to anything that could endanger normal functioning. I do not want to make guesses, but I like to be prepared for everything,” Brajovic said.
DF concept of protests unacceptable (CDM)
The opposition still has not reached a decision on protests, but it is certain that GP URA does not accept the concept of protests earlier implemented by DF, said leader of GP URA Zarko Rakcevic. “URA does not exclude the possibility of protests, but the concept must be civil, and agreed on by five subjects of civic opposition – Democrats, Demos, SDP, SNP and URA. Protests based on DF concept are unacceptable to URA,” he said during a press conference.
Gjorcev: We Need 63 MP seats to uphold Macedonia’s Constitution (Telegraf.mk)
List carrier of electoral district 6, Vlatko Gjorcev, called on undecided voters, as well as SDSM voters, to opt for VMRO-DPMNE in order to uphold the constitutional system of the country. “If the referendum in 1991 aimed to establish Macedonia as an independent country, then the 2016 elections represent a referendum for ensuring the future of our country,” Gjorcev said.
INTERNATIONAL PRESS
Tomislav Nikolic: Serbia won’t align with East or West (Al Jazeera, 26 November 2016)
The president discusses Serbia’s non-alignment stance, why it will never recognise Kosovo, and its commitment to Russia.
Tensions between Moscow and the West have reached new heights. Not since the end of the Soviet Union has the division between the two sides been so apparent. Many talk of a new cold war. NATO is moving into Russia’s backyard and Moscow isn’t happy. When NATO just made Polish-based parts of a European missile shield operational, Russia announced the deployment of long and short-range missiles to Kaliningrad, close to the border with Poland. And Russia’s annexation of Crimea led to wide-ranging sanctions from the European Union. One country is now finding itself squarely in the middle of all this: Serbia. It continues to push for membership in the EU and has taken part in NATO military exercises, but at the same time, it has long and strong historical ties with Russia, making it unclear where Serbia will go if it has to choose sides.
Belgrade has also found itself caught up in the Syrian conflict with serious allegations that the weapons it sells are ending up in the wrong hands on the battlefield. The conflict is not just dividing the West and Russia, it also led to a refugee crisis that is threatening European unity and has drawn in Serbia.
We discuss all this with Tomislav Nikolic, the president of Serbia, on Talk to Al Jazeera.
We speak to Nikolic about the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network’s claims to have found evidence of a new arms pipeline which goes from the Balkans directly to the Arabian Peninsula and countries neighbouring Syria. According to the claims, these weapons end up in Syria and in the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, which is also known as ISIS), which, if true, could be a violation of international law. “Serbia produces light weapons and exports them to several countries in the world,” Nikolic says. “But all of this is done under the control of the UN. There is a UN commission that determines the end users, the countries you are allowed to sell arms to, and these are never insecure countries, unstable countries.” According to Nikolic “Serbia has never participated in any type of arms trade prohibited by the UN.” It’s up to the UN, he says, “to control how these weapons from legitimate buyers end up in the hands of illegal ones, and to take those legal end users off the list of legitimate buyers.”
Serbia faces tough political and possibly military choices going forward. It applied for membership in the European Union 16 years ago, held up by EU demands that the country recognise Kosovo, which it refuses to do, and it’s backed in that position by Russia, a country with whom it has deep historical, cultural and religious ties. We ask the president whether Serbia, at the crossroads of East and West, would ever look to one more than the other. “Serbia lives in unity with both the East and the West … Serbia wants to become a member of the European Union. In that regard, it could be said that it cooperates more with the West because it fulfils the requirements that the EU has for each new member … But at the same time, we have great friendships in the East, close relationship, historical, religious, linguistic connection by origin with the Russian Federation,” he says. Asked why, in seeking EU membership, Serbia does not join NATO, Nikolic says, “NATO is a different story. We were attacked and bombed by NATO in 1999 for no reason. That had enormous consequences, not only for our economy, but also on the attitude of our citizens towards NATO. I am convinced that I speak for the majority of citizens when I say that Serbia will never be in NATO.” This year, Serbia has held over 100 military exercises with NATO member states, says Nikolic, and two with Russia; however, he maintains that this should not be construed as where Serbia’s alliances are at. “We belong to ourselves,” he says. Nikolic calls Russia’s intervention into the Syrian conflict a “turning point”, saying that “until then, there hadn’t been a sincere fight against the so-called Islamic State, which is the greatest evil the world is facing. After that, everyone sobered up a bit, came to their senses and seriously started putting an end to it.”
On the issue of refugees and migrants, for which Serbia’s role has been commended by the EU, Nikolic says, “We treat these ‘new’ refugees with absolute humanity, and we share with them as much as we have.” Yet, he says EU support for their efforts is not sufficient and if northern Europe closes its borders, they would too. “Serbia can’t become a ‘funnel’ into which migrants are pouring in but not coming out. This would cause great distress,” he says. Nikolic says Serbia is not viewed by refugees as a destination, but that in talks with Brussels, “we said we could accommodate up to 6,000 refugees until some solution was found”.
On why Serbia wants to join the EU, Nikolic says: “It [the EU] is an organised family of nations. There is a single market which means that investors can freely come to your country and that your country is recognised as an orderly and stable country.” He continues: “There are two conditions Serbia will not meet even if that means it will not become an EU member. The first one is to recognise the independence of Kosovo and Metohija. We will never do that. The second one is to have a quarrel with countries that the EU quarrels with. Here, I primarily refer to the sanctions against the Russian Federation or any other sanctions the EU many impose.”
Sad Day for European Values: EU Anti-Sputnik Resolution is ‘Audacious Hypocrisy’ (Sputnik, 27 November 2016)
The EU parliament resolution which equates Russian news outlets with Daesh propaganda is a consequence of historical revisionism in the EU, which has long abandoned the values of liberty and free speech, Serbian journalist Miroslav Lazanski told Sputnik.
The EU parliament’s approval of a resolution which equates Russian news outlets such as Sputnik and RT with Daesh propaganda strikes at the very same values which the EU professes to hold dear, renowned Serbian journalist Miroslav Lazanski told Sputnik Serbia.
Lazanski, a commentator for Serbia’s Politika newspaper who specializes in political and military affairs, told Sputnik that historical revisionism has contributed to the EU’s misguided policy towards Russia, which could have dangerous consequences. “This kind of resolution in the 21st century reminds me of Kristallnacht. This isn’t the first time the EU has taken a, let’s say, strange decision. Remember the resolution which equated Nazism with Communism,” Lazanski said. “We are witnessing revisionist politics in some European countries which lost the Second World War. It’s interesting that when the Baltic countries hold Nazi or fascist marches, when they honor the memory of the SS, Europe doesn’t pay any attention. All this raises serious concern, and the question – where is Europe heading?” The journalist said that the resolution is an affront to the liberal European values which the EU professes to be founded upon. However, the EU’s attempt to suppress Russian media reflects the fact that journalism in Europe and the US has long ceased to represent freedom of expression. “For years we have lived with the illusion that Western journalism itself means freedom of the press. When people mention the New York Times or Washington Post, some of our journalists still almost fall on their knees. However, Western journalism hasn’t been free for a long time, which was demonstrated, for example, by the recent elections in the US,” Lazanski said.
“The voting in the EU parliament makes one wonder, are these the same European values which we are striving for in Serbia? Of course, this is a slap in the face for European democracy.”
The resolution regarding alleged “anti-EU propaganda” was passed by the European parliament on Wednesday by 304 votes to 179, with 208 abstentions. Proposed by Polish lawmaker Anna Fotyga, the resolution equates news from Russian outlets such as Sputnik and RT, with propaganda from Daesh, Al-Qaeda and other violent jihadi terrorist groups. In order to counter this so-called “propaganda pressure,” the resolution proposes to reinforce the EU’s “tiny ‘strategic communication’ task force” with up to one million euros ($1.06 million) to carry out media campaigns. Lazinski said that the EU decided to pass the resolution because of the success of Sputnik and RT in reporting stories which go untold by the mainstream media.
“Clearly, some circles are frightened of Sputnik and RT, which show the other side of the coin and breach the monopoly on information. In fact, Russia uses the same weapons which the West has been using for a long time. I wouldn’t call it propaganda. It’s hard to find arguments in the stories of Sputnik and RT which aren’t supported by the facts. It’s not really propaganda, but they call it that because it doesn’t correspond to the interests of certain countries,” Lazinski said.
“As for the comparison of RT and Sputnik with Daesh, that is some nerve. Why hasn’t the EU ever thought about where these terrorists came from? Why doesn’t the EU talk about how France and Great Britain used the (UN Security Council) resolution about a no-fly zone above Libya to their own interests, and destroyed that country?” “Why don’t they talk about why crowds of refugees have surged from the Middle East, and who are now staying in our country because those same Great Britain and France aren’t in a hurry to take them? It’s clear why the EU is silent, because they are members of the EU, although you could say one of them is a former member. Comparing Sputnik and RT with Daesh is audacious hypocrisy,” Lazinski said.
