LOCAL PRESS
Vucic supports maintaining format of Security Council sessions on Kosovo and Metohija (RTS/Tanjug)
International presence in Kosovo and Metohija is important for implementing the agreements reached within the Brussels dialogue, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at the meeting with UNMIK Head Zahir Tanin. Vucic and Tanin examined the current political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija on the eve of the United Nations Security Council session in mid-November, while Vucic advocated maintaining the existing dynamics and format of sessions in this body of the world organization. The three-month report on UNMIK’s work will be presented at the upcoming session. Vucic has underlined that UNMIK’s work is very important for Serbia, because the UN Mission, based on Resolution 1244, is a guarantor of the neutral status of international presence in Kosovo and Metohija. Vucic adds that less ethnically-motivated incidents have been noticed over the past two years in Kosovo and Metohija than ever before, and once again reiterated that the Serbian leadership appreciates the commitment of the UN Mission, reads the statement of the Serbian President’s press service.
The two interlocutors have also examined ways of how UNMIK, within its mandate, can contribute to resolving concrete issues with the goal of improving the daily lives of Serbs, Albanians and others in Kosovo and Metohija.
The UNMIK Head pointed to the necessity of continuing the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Vucic and Tanin also pointed out the importance of conducting an internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija. It was acknowledged in the talks that cooperation between the Serbian state authorities and the UN Mission was good.
Djuric, Tanin on political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija (Tanjug)
The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric met today with UNMIK Head Zahir Tanin, with whom he discussed the current political and security situation in the southern Serbian province and the upcoming Security Council session devoted to Kosovo and Metohija. Djuric pointed out that Serbia’s stand is that the United Nations Security Council needs to continue to discuss the situation in Kosovo and Metohija at the regular three-monthly level. According to him, Belgrade is grateful to the UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija for the quality work and neutral status, pointing out that political stability, legal security and better preconditions for progress in the dialogue would be achieved with UNMIK’s greater role. Djuric has once again underlined the sincere and consistent determination of Belgrade for peaceful resolution of disagreements in the region by political and diplomatic means, as well as the desire to continue the dialogue with Pristina. “Belgrade has demonstrated at work dedication for implementing the reached agreements, and now it is the move of Pristina to unblock the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities,” said Djuric, recalling that today is the 1.651st day since the signing of the Brussels agreement, when Pristina assumed this obligation.
Djuric has also acquainted the interlocutor with the idea of the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija that had been launched by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Yee: No similarity between Kosovo and Catalonia (FoNet)
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Brian Yee said in an interview to FoNet there were no similarities between the declaration of independence of Kosovo and the referendum on independence of Catalonia. Yee opines that conditions, history, the international community, the things that happened in order to create the desire for independence, are very different. In his opinion, by comparing Kosovo and Catalonia the essence is avoided, which is an attempt at searching for a solution for Serbia and Kosovo, the need for both countries to achieve normalization of relations so they can progress towards elementary national goals – drawing closer to Europe and EU accession. Both countries wish to do this. They can quarrel forever about history, precedents, double standards, but this doesn’t change the fact that both countries need to normalize relations in order to achieve the goal, said Yee.
He claims that the 2013 Brussels agreement didn’t intentionally define what comprehensive normalization between Belgrade and Pristina means. “The goal is for Belgrade and Pristina to decide on their own what normalization means, this should be decided by the governments. But we hope that the internal dialogue in Serbia and a similar one in Kosovo will lead to an agreement on how relations between Kosovo and Serbia will look like at the end of normalization, what are the conditions and what steps need to be made,” said Yee. According to him, this is the next important step in order to speed up the process – achieving better understanding of the two sides, governments and people, on what will be the status. This is not about one or another solution, explained Yee, but about an attempt to reach an agreement.
He said the US are not opposed to Russia maintaining relations with Serbia, adding that the US knows that those relations have always been very strong. Yee said that it is important for people in Serbia to realize that Russia’s vision of Serbia and the Western Balkans is very different to the vision which Serbs have about their country and the visions of partners in the US and Europe on Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans.
Serbian MPs discuss possible early parliamentary elections (N1)
Several members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have hinted in the last few days that the country could be heading for another round of early parliamentary elections. The issue was also discussed in the Serbian parliament. “MPs who are waving in front of your eyes actually want elections. Elections is what they are going to get,” Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic said on 25 October, N1 reported. This was confirmed by SNS MP Vladimir Orlic. “If you ask me for the date of early parliamentary elections, I do not have that information. But, having in mind what the parliament looks like these days and unfortunately for a longer period of time, I think there is a reason to think in that direction,” Orlic told journalists. However, he added that the party had not yet received instructions from Vucic to prepare for elections.
The Belgrade election must take place by spring 2018, but there is speculation that a snap general election could be called for as early as December. Alo quoted an unnamed high level SNS official that Belgrade and general elections would be held on 24 December. This would be proposed by Vucic during the week of 30 October-5 November when he would, reportedly, call for the SNS’ presidency and main board session. Kurir also reported that the general election would coincide with the Belgrade local election and be held on 24 December. The daily also quoted a high level SNS official who reportedly claimed that Vucic would call the party’s top leaders to discuss the idea and declare if they support it or not.
REGIONAL PRESS
Bosniak Caucus in RS CoP to request protection of vital national interest because of resolution on military neutrality of RS (EuroBlic)
The daily learned that the Bosniak Caucus in the Republika Srpska (RS) Council of Peoples (CoP) will launch the protection of vital national interests with regard to the Resolution on Military Neutrality of the RS, which was adopted by the RS National Assembly (RSNA) last week. Chair of Bosniak Caucus in the RS CoP Mujo Hadziomerovic did not want to prejudice a decision which the Caucus might adopt at its session on Friday, but some members of the Bosniak Caucus told the daily that it is almost certain that the protection of vital national interests will be requested. Delegate Kemo Camdzija assessed that the resolution is harmful, violates the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and undermines constitutional-legal order of B&H. Camdzija said that the resolution also represents a big obstacle on B&H’s way to Euro-Atlantic integration. “Apart from this, entities do not have their own ministries of defense or army, therefore they can have nothing to do with military alliances and admission to those organizations”, Camdzija said and reminded that defense is one of responsibilities of B&H.
RS Assembly decision on referendum on Court of B&H and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H still not revoked (ATV)
RS Assembly still has not revoked the decision on the referendum on work of the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office and added that nobody is in a hurry although the referendum is supposed to be held on 19 November. The deadline of 10 days, set by RS President Milorad Dodik for the opposition parties to present their stance on the referendum, expired.
RS Assembly speaker of the RSNA Nedeljko Cubrilovic stated that the RS Assembly still has not received a decision on the suspension of the referendum on the work of the Court of B&H and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H. “There is still time to talk and I believe everything will be done in line with laws,” Cubrilovic added. SDS leader Vukota Govedarica announced that his party will support the referendum by voting in the referendum if it is held and he said that it is not up to Dodik to define deadlines because deadlines were set by the RS Assembly. DNS leader Marko Pavic said that he does not support the idea of revoking the decision on the referendum and advocates holding of the referendum instead.
Komsic: Covic will not succeed with Elections Law (TV1)
Commenting on the fact that HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic lobbies abroad for changes of B&H Election Law, DF leader Zeljko Komsic said that Covic talks to everyone he is not supposed to talk to about the law. He stressed that Covic will not succeed, because his proposal is against all standards. According to Komsic, Covic is aware of the fact that he will fail, thus preparing tactics for pre-election and post-election rhetoric. He said that Covic’s statements are in cooperation with SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, who is Covic’s strategic partner. Komsic noted that with increase of Russian influence in the region, Croat politicians from B&H and Croatia got involved, and added that this game is more dangerous than it seems. Speaking about the statement of US State Department official Hoyt Brian Yee who said that Serbia has to choose between EU and Russia, Komsic said that the message was clear, but added that it is a questionable what level of US administration is dealing with this matter. He noted that Russia is thorough in their influence, while European countries and the US underestimate Russia. Komsic stressed that everything Russia is doing in the Balkans is not harmless, and added that no one is dealing with this issue in B&H. He noted that during her recent with to Russia, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic made some great moves for Croatia, and finally showed her diplomatic skills. Komsic said that it means that Russia will have both Serbia and Croatia as partners in the Balkans, while B&H could become a victim, because the neighbors may think that they do from B&H whatever they want. Komsic underlined that B&H is in dangerous crisis, because even citizens are losing hope that the situation can be normal.
Russia puzzled by Croatia’s move (Vecernji list)
Croatia has joined other EU member states in protesting Russia’s alleged propaganda.
In contacts with the Russian side, Croatian officials have never made any objections regarding the alleged anti-EU or anti-Croatian propaganda, or any other information activity that could be detrimental to Croatian interests, said a source from the Russian Embassy in Zagreb, reacting to information confirmed by the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that on 12 October Croatia sent a letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini demanding more efforts on suppressing Russian propaganda and hybrid warfare. The source from the Russian Embassy says they are “puzzled by the decision of the Croatian side to join the initiative to strengthen the strategic communications group’s potential, created for the information warfare against Russia,” and surprised that Croatia is “on the frontlines of a sophisticated and intensive campaign conducted by external factors.” “We are sorry that the Croatian side has moved in this direction at the time when we are activating bilateral cooperation, and after positive results of the official visit of the Croatian President to Russia,” the source added. Sending such a letter less than a week before the official visit of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic to Russia reopens speculation about whether it was timed to disrupt that step in relaxing the relationship between the two states. However, diplomatic sources say that is not true – the anti-propaganda initiative has been underway for some time, and it was not related in any way to the President’s visit to Russia. The timing of the letter was dictated by Federica Mogherini. And the focus of the Croatian side in the “information war” is not so much on Croatia, but on southeast Europe – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Still, diplomats say that Croatia has sent a wrong message. At a time when there are efforts to improve relationship with Moscow, the positioning against Russia offers two conclusions.
Markovic: Government does not terrorize anyone; DF does that to citizens (CDM)
The government does not commit terror against Democratic Front (DF), but that political alliance does that to the people of Montenegro, PM Dusko Markovic said during question time in Parliament which was attended in addition to the MPs of the ruling coalition, by 16 DF MPs. “The only terror we were eyewitnesses of is the terror DF was conducting for months against the citizens, which culminated on the election day. Then the terror threatened to become a terrorism,” said Markovic.
DF MP Andrija Mandic asked PM about risk assessments, as he said, to the overall security in the country due to the “state terror” against Democratic Front and its possible consequences. “I urge you, as the major authorizing officer in the state government, to immediately release our innocent members from custody and stop all fabricated police trials against DF politicians and their family members,” Mandic said. Mandic said that DF did not break the boycott. “We are here because we have made such a distinction, but we have not returned for good. We have very important questions and expect answers,” Mandic said. According to him, the government is abusing the system to crackdown on DF.
Mirjacic proposed as deputy secretary general (MINA)
Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro, Ivan Brajovic, proposed Mirjana Mirjicic as deputy secretary general of Parliament. Mirjic used to work in the Centre for Democratic Transition, the Agency for Peaceful Labor Disputes Resolution, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the Coastal Water Supply company. Administrative Committee proposed DPS MP Sanja Pavicevic to be a member of the Committee on Gender Equality and Education, Science, Culture and Sports. Momcilo Martinovic has been nominated as a member of the Committee on European Integration. Montenegrin Parliament will decide on these proposals.
Dimitrov: Macedonia to take into consideration everyone’s interest over Kosovo’s UNESCO bid (MIA)
Macedonia will make a decision over Kosovo’s bid to join UNESCO that is based on the interest of Kosovo, that of Serbia all the while being in line with its own interests, including the interests of the Albanian community. This was stated by Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov speaking at a joint news conference Wednesday in Skopje alongside his Kosovo counterpart Behgjet Pacolli.
“Macedonia is treating the issue with utmost carefulness, because the issue affects two of our neighboring countries, which we want to be on the same side. Macedonia will not play a key role in the process. Once it comes up on the agenda, we will take into consideration the interest of our friends in Kosovo, the interest of our friends in Serbia, and we will make a decision in line with the interests of Macedonia that include the interests of our fellow countrymen, members of the Albanian community,” stressed Minister Dimitrov. According to him, all the countries in the Balkans should as soon as possible accept the perspective of having no sides, even when the most delicate matters are in question, because ‘one day we will all be on the same side.’
On his part, FM Pacolli said that Macedonia’s membership into international organizations would also improve the quality of life of the citizens in Kosovo noting that the process applied ‘the other way round.’ “We support Macedonia and we expect the country to back us. We are neighbors and one cannot chose their neighbor. It is our destiny to cooperate,” stated the Kosovo Minister. Earlier this month, authorities in Pristina said they had dropped the country’s request to join Interpol and UNESCO. Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry called it a ‘pragmatic delay’ of the request made in accordance with the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy. The Kosovo government has said it was making efforts to join Interpol in 2018 and UNESCO in 2019.
Ivanov asks Tusk to send a positive message for unblocking the integration of Macedonia (Meta)
President Gjorge Ivanov, at the meeting with the President of the European Council Donald Tusk in Brussels, called for “a new impulse and sending a positive message” to unblock Macedonia’s integration into the European Union and start accession negotiations.
US-Adriatic Charter defense policy directors meet in Skopje (MIA)
Deputy Defense Minister Bekim Maksuti opened a meeting of defense policy directors of US-Adriatic Charter member-states and observers, held in Skopje on Wednesday. The meeting is attended by defense policy directors from Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, Kosovo and the United States. “Driven by our aspirations to join NATO, we are obliged to invest efforts for even greater and deeper cooperation in the defense field”, said Maksuti. He added that joint success and promotion of cooperation is the winning combination for the region’s peace and stability. The meeting will focus on coming meetings of defense ministers and army chiefs of staff, held in Macedonia by the year-end. Defense policy directors will also tackle future joint deployment in peacekeeping operations and the network of regional centers related to different aspects of defense.
Yee: Albania as an example of fighting corruption (ATA)
The USA supports the government of Albania that has set an example of being devoted to fighting corruption, said Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Brian Yee on Wednesday for the Voice of America radio in Kosovo capital, Pristina.
Speaking about the case of former minister of interior Saimir Tahiri, he emphasized that the individuals must not be targeted because they belong to a political party or another, but the fundamental principle is that nobody stands above the law. Hoyt Brian Yee expressed his satisfaction with Albania’s progress and also said he was happy that the USA had the opportunity of making a contribution in the reforms, the reform in judiciary included, as well as fight against organized crime and corruption. According to him, all these things raise Albania’s standard, but even back the country’s advance toward.
Basha raises allegations in Assembly: Crime and drugs have captured the country (ATA)
Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha stated that Albanian Assembly’s work is the best indicator that crime has occupied Albania, in his address to the parliament on Wednesday session following the rejection of Prosecution’s request to arrest MP Saimir Tahiri. DP’s leader Basha addressed allegations towards the government and added that rejection to arrest MP Tahiri constitutes a dark spot for the Albanian parliament. Basha underlined that the principal of power sharing has always been respected while emphasized that justice should undertake investigations not the Parliament. “This Parliament showed that narco-politicians are untouchable,” DP’s leader Lulzim Basha said.
Rama: MPs stripped of immunity; SP is not defending Tahiri, but justice (ATA)
“In no country on the planet a member of the parliament can be arrested without getting first the parliament’s approval or without having a court’s decision, “ Prime Minister Edi Rama told reporters on Wednesday after parliament turned down the prosecution’s request to arrest MP Saimir Tahiri. Reiterating that the government adheres to the Constitution only, the government head stated that “cabinet members, the Parliament and the Council of Mandates can play the role of judges.” “The immunity of the MP has been already removed. We are not here to discuss whether to lift or not to lift the parliamentary immunity,” Rama said, adding that journalists were uninformed. “We are here not to defend a MP, but to defend justice. It is your misfortune that you don’t read and do not even understand what you read, and don’t want to listen what it is all about,” he added.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
Serbia’s two chairs: On choices, democracy and ‘sliding toward the Kremlin’ (RT, by Nebojsa Malic, 25 October 2017)
Both the current and the previous US administration swear by sovereignty and the right of nations to choose their own way. In practice, however, only one choice is acceptable to Washington ‒ as Serbia discovered back in 1999, and was just reminded of.
On Monday, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Brian Yee told the government in Belgrade that Serbia “cannot sit on two chairs at the same time,” and “must very clearly demonstrate” the declared desire to join the European Union. “Countries must choose which path to follow; regardless of how difficult it would be, the country has to make its strategic choices which must be part of official policy,” Hoyt said, according to AP.
Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin called Hoyt’s remarks “hostile” and “very undiplomatic pressure.” “This is not a statement made by a friend or a person respecting Serbia, respecting our right to decide independently,” he said on Tuesday. According to AP, however, Vulin is “known for his pro-Russian stance,” and Serbia is “formally seeking EU membership, but under pressure from its historic Slavic ally Russia it has gradually slid toward the Kremlin.” In this bit of editorial guidance, one of the world’s biggest news agencies basically suggests that seeking membership in the EU, NATO and “other Western bodies” is normal and desirable, while any reluctance to do so must be down to Russian pressure. Anyone even remotely familiar with recent history, though, will recall why most Serbians might be opposed to that choice. The Deputy Assistant ought to remember as well: according to his official State Department biography, in 1999 he was Deputy Director of the Private Office of NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana. The war violated NATO’s own charter as well as that of the UN. For 78 days, NATO targeted civilian infrastructure, including the Serbian state TV station, in an attempt to force Belgrade to surrender its province of Kosovo. Yet the world’s most powerful military alliance, as NATO fancies itself, failed to achieve its objectives by force. It was political subterfuge that let alliance occupation troops into Kosovo, under the fig leaf of a UN peacekeeping mission (UNSC 1244). The ethnic Albanian rebels declared independence in 2008, and the government in Serbia has been under pressure to recognize the separation ever since.
While official NATO histories talk about the war being fought over the plight of ethnic Albanians, one Washington insider dared admit that Yugoslavia had been “disrupting plans to bring a wider stable of nations into the transatlantic community.” “It was Yugoslavia’s resistance to the broader trends of political and economic reform ‒ not the plight of the Kosovar Albanians ‒ that best explains NATO’s war,” wrote John Norris (‘Collision Course,’ 2005), with the endorsement of the State Department’s foremost Russia expert, Strobe Talbott. Yet it was NATO’s attempt to crush Yugoslavia’s stubborn resistance to its post-Cold War dominance that “lost Russia,” dispelling illusions about Western-style liberal democracy that had taken root in the Yeltsin era. “It is fair to say that all layers of Russian society were deeply and indelibly shocked” by NATO’s bombing, the legendary Soviet dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn told Der Spiegel in 2007. Just the other day, Russian President Vladimir Putin cited the bombing of Belgrade as the West’s response to Moscow’s trust after the Cold War: “What we got in return is well-known – a complete disregard for our national interests, support for separatism in the Caucasus, a circumvention of the UN Security Council, the bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq, and so on,” Putin said at the Valdai discussion club in Sochi.
Now, both the current and the previous US administration often speak of the “world order” the US has built and act as guardians of, in which countries are free to make their own decisions and choices as to who they associate with. “Like all independent nations, Ukraine must be free to decide its own destiny,” Barack Obama said in September 2014, addressing the people of Estonia. Three years later, his successor Donald Trump would tell the UN General Assembly that Americans “do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather, to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch,” and that he was “renewing this founding principle of sovereignty” in Washington’s conduct of foreign affairs. Ukraine, of course, was not free to decide its own destiny ‒ instead, US diplomats plotted and schemed how to “midwife” regime change under the guise of popular revolution. The “free and democratic” government thus installed in Kiev proceeded to crush dissenters with fire and blood, declaring them “terrorists” and “Russian invaders.” Nor has Serbia been allowed to make its own choices since its own “regime change” in 2000, with every government in Belgrade being “midwifed” and managed by the US ambassador or some Deputy Assistant or another. For all of Trump’s promises to “drain the swamp” and complaints he’s purging the State Department, this US policy has yet to change.
The current government of President Aleksandar Vucic was allowed to come to power only after bending the knee and letting Western consultants rebrand them as “progressives.” Since then, Vucic has implemented every US, EU and NATO demand, including the de-facto recognition of “Kosovian” independence in the form of borders, courts, government, documents, and international memberships. That’s not good enough, of course: the EU is demanding official recognition before talks on Serbia joining the mega-state can even start. According to the Deputy Assistant and mainstream media, such behavior amounts to choice and democracy, while any actual independent thought is “pro-Russian” and “sliding toward the Kremlin.” Good to know.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
Albanian Prime Minister Insults Journalists After Parliament Votes to Protect Lawmaker From Arrest (Global Voices, 26 October 2017)
After Albanian parliamentarians voted to protect a fellow members of parliament from being arrested on corruption allegations, Prime Minister Edi Rama took the opportunity to berate journalists for their coverage of recent events. The investigation of member of parliament Saimir Tahiri, who previously served as the country’s interior minister, became public after allegations surfaced on October 16, connecting Tahiri to a drug trafficking gang. Members of parliament enjoy immunity in Albania, and certain legal actions cannot be taken against them without parliament’s authorization. Albania’s public prosecutor filed a request with parliament to arrest Tahiri, but on October 25, lawmakers voted against it, thereby protecting Tahiri. Instead, they authorized the prosecutor to investigate Tahiri, a fact that some international media emphasized in their reporting. A syndicated article by the Associated Press, for example, ran with a headline that claimed “parliament lifts ex-minister’s immunity for probe.” Most local media, in comparison, focused on the parliament’s refusal to allow Tahiri’s arrest. In a press conference following the parliamentary session, Prime Minister Rama began insulting Albanian journalists, calling them “shameful and ignorant.” “It is your misfortune that you don’t read and do not even understand what you read, and don’t want to listen what it is all about,” he said, according to Balkan Insight. The prime minister refused to answer the journalists’ questions and instead accused them of spreading fake news and suggested that they learn about their role as journalists, rather than spreading gossip in the media channels. Though Rama has continuously labeled the media as a ‘cauldron’ in the past, he was notably more aggressive than before. The parliament’s vote to protect Tahiri and the prime minister’s subsequent railing at journalists flooded the Albanian media space to such a degree that reports about the death of 30-year-old miner in Bulqiza were almost completely neglected. The Albanian Journalists’ Union (AJU) issued a public statement criticizing Rama’s attitude as “arrogant and insulting, not dignified for a high political and governmental representative.” The union ended their statement calling on journalists to boycott the activity of the prime minister’s office on Friday, October 27. Even though the majority of journalists are limited in their ability to choose topics, due to pressure from media owners, lack of contracts and job insecurity, many still reported on the issue. Albanians were shocked by both the parliament’s refusal to allow Tahiri’s arrest and by the unprecedented attack on the media by the prime minister.
