LOCAL PRESS
Brnabic concerned over treatment of Serbian prisoners in The Hague (RTS)
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met today with ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who is on a visit to Belgrade within preparations of the regular six-month report for the UN Security Council session at the beginning of December. Brammertz told the Prime Minister that the ICTY will be working until the end of the year and that the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mechanism will take over the remaining tasks of the Prosecutor’s Office. He stressed that despite the closure of the court it is necessary to continue the work of the court and implementation of justice for war crimes victims in the former Yugoslavia, adding that submitting six-month reports to the UN Security Council will continue.
Brnabic reiterated that Serbia is committed to reforming society and reconciliation in the region, and to continue cooperation to prosecute war crimes, but that it believes that the International Criminal Tribunal did not contribute to the reconciliation of countries in the region and the objective prosecution of war crimes, regardless of nationality. She expressed concern about the treatment of Serb prisoners and asked for greater transparency when it comes to health documentation. At the meeting, it was pointed out that the implementation of Chapter 23 and the consistent implementation of the National War Crimes Strategy are of great importance for Serbia.
Vucic-Brammetz meeting (RTS)
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz. “Talks of President Vucic and Chief Prosecutor Brammertz were open and concrete. They launched six questions that refer to cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the ICTY Prosecution, regional cooperation in the judiciary and processing war crimes in Serbia,” the statement from the Serbian Presidency reads. It was stated that Serbia, even though there are different stands regarding some issues, will continue to strengthen cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mechanism, which will succeed the ICTY after its work ends at the end of the year. Vucic pointed out that Serbia will support cooperation and work of war crimes prosecutors in the region, with the support of the Prosecution of the Mechanism of International Criminal Tribunals, in order to contribute to stability and accession of nations in the region.
Brammertz underlined that, after the ICTY ends its work, through the work of the Mechanism of International Criminal Tribunals, continuity will be maintained regarding cooperation with Serbia’s support in implementing the national strategy for processing war crimes.
Selakovic: Bitter taste remains behind the ICTY (RTS)
The General Secretary of the Serbian President Nikola Selakovic has told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that a bitter taste and hard image remain behind the ICTY over the fact that precisely those who suffered the most were the most convicted ones. I am saying this as a lawyer, as a man and as a Serb, he says. Commenting the fact that the Serbs were convicted in The Hague to a total of more than thousand years of prison, but that the on the other side Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markac, Ramush Haradinaj and Naser Oric were acquitted, Slekaovic says that a bitter taste remains after one-quarter of a century of the work of the ICTY.
He says that the talks between ICTY President Carmel Agius and President Vucic were difficult. “Agius said there is no way of avoiding the procedure at the request of the ICTY that is stopping to operate in two months. In the case of the two members of the Serbian Radical Party, the existence of the request for the extradition of Vjerica Radeta and Petar Jojic will continue,” said Selakovic. According to him, President Vucic explained that Serbia had a law on cooperation with the ICTY that clearly prescribes that it concerns people who are indicted of war crime. “Here at issue is not a war crime and we adhere to our laws,” said Selakovic.
Commenting Agius’ assessment that the engagement of General Lazarevic at the Military Academy is unacceptable, he says he doesn’t see anything disputable here. He was convicted, he served his sentence and returned to his country. He was invited to hold one lecture, he was not a lecturer, said Selakovic.
Asked about the dialogue on Kosovo, Selakovic says that it will be running its own course and that academic communities, representatives of respected national culture institutions will join.
Criticizing objections about the dialogue, Selakovic says that the point is that they have nothing to say about this dialogue, they don’t have a policy or a serious approach, no plan and feeling for what is preserving Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija. “The state is not the organizer of the round table, this was a conference of Serbian law faculties. Parliamentary parties will be able to organize themselves, but why shouldn’t they also say what they think outside the parties,” said Selakovic.
Regarding the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections, he expects Vucic to present his stand in two weeks, but he points out that this will not be the interest of the SNS, but of Serbia.
Serbia consistently against politicization of UNESCO (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in Paris that Serbia is committed to consistently respecting the UNESCO Constitution and an approach based on dialogue and agreement instead of unilateralism. At the general debate of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Dacic said that Serbia thinks that the world needs UNESCO more than ever before. On the tragic case of its cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbia has shown the extent to which UNESCO’s role and support for the preservation and preservation of heritage are essential, especially at the most critical moments. By placing them on the World Heritage List at Risk, four universal valuable gems of our medieval cultural heritage are preserved, but hundreds of goods are still endangered, he said. Serbian historical, cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo-Metohija is of immense significance not only when it comes to the national identity of Serbia, it is also a part of a worthy European and world heritage that is necessary to protect further.
Unfortunately, in the last few years, UNESCO has been facing many challenges as an organization, which significantly impedes its work in the areas of its primary competence.
Serbia is committed to the de-politicization of UNESCO because the upward trend of politicization jeopardizes the fundamental values on which the organization’s concept rests and, consequently, seriously undermines its reputation and influence in the world.
On the margins of the 39th session of the General Conference, Dacic met with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. Dacic expressed his gratitude to Bokova for respecting UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on issues of interest to our side, as well as on the efforts she made to protect and preserve cultural heritage in the areas of armed conflicts. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the successful cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and UNESCO, as well as work in the UNESCO Executive Council, where Serbia has been a member since 2015. Bokova stressed that during her term, she had the support of Serbia in the activities that are in the jurisdiction of the UNESCO.
Djuric: Second and third round table on Kosovo in November (RTV)
The internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija is aimed at hearing and considering the opinion of all Serbian citizens, while more than 40 law professors and deans of all law faculties in Serbia gathered at the first round table, from whom we could hear very creative ideas, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric told a Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV) broadcast “Right Angle”. He says that he is refraining from rendering judgement about the proposals heard at the round table, but that it is very important that we engage the entire intellectual capacity, because the multi-million Albanian nation in Kosovo and Metohija, Albania and the Diaspora, is very much engaged.
Djuric responds to objections that an invitation for dialogue has not been sent to parties, as it was sent to law professors, that Kosovo will be discussed with parties in the parliament. “Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sent an invitation to everybody, and the first ones to respond to it were law professors. We, as the working group, will try to attend and take part in other gatherings that we will not organize,” he said. He announced intensification of activities of the internal dialogue for November, saying that the second and third round tables will be held during this month. “We have been addressed by representatives of institutes, primarily of social sciences and we will offer them support,” he says, adding that there is a website of the working group, and that some round tables will be broadcast live.
Tadic on internal dialogue (FoNet)
Any participation in the so-called internal dialogue serves only to Aleksandar Vucic for cowardly division of responsibility for the Brussels dialogue whereby Serbia recognized the constitutional-legal system of an independent Kosovo, the leader of the Social-Democratic Party Boris Tadic said. With this agreement Serbia has given almost everything, but received only a cat in the bag, the Community of Serb Municipalities, which doesn’t have bigger jurisdictions than a NGO. I don’t see what the purpose of this dialogue is and what consensus they are looking for if he didn’t even present a clear plan, said Tadic. It is untrue that the Brussels agreement was a necessity stemming from the inherited state-of-affairs. We also inherited a difficult state-of-affairs, but this was not an excuse for handing over Serbian institutions in Kosovo and servility to the international community in exchange of electoral victories, said Tadic. He thinks that whenever some government in the Balkans is
Radeta: I would be the happiest person if Serbia would not join the EU over me (N1)
One of the two members of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vjerica Radeta has stated that the request for their extradition is absurd since they are protected by the verdict of the Higher Court in Belgrade. She assesses that the ICTY President Carmel Agius, since he is at the end of his post, had decided to tour a little bit our country, to stop by, because he has nothing to do. “Since it can be heard here and there that our, that is my, non-departure to the ICTY could be an obstacle for Serbia’s EU membership, I would be the happiest person if Serbia would not join the EU because of me,” Radeta told N1.
REGIONAL PRESS
RS Assembly Collegium to decide about request to organize special session dedicated to suspension of decision to organize referendum on B&H judiciary (RTRS)
At its session scheduled for Friday, Collegium of the Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly will discuss the request of ruling parties in the RS to organize a special session of the RS Assembly dedicated to suspension of the RS Assembly’s decision to organize a referendum on the B&H Court and the Prosecutor’s Office. RS President Milorad Dodik said that the ruling coalition has been calling SDS to be “part of the decision on the referendum.” He went on saying that SDS was asked whether they want to be part of the RS Assembly majority supporting the decision to organize the referendum. Dodik added that if SDS replied positively, this referendum would be organized. “This is the situation in which SDS as a parliamentary party has to support formally, through voting in the RS Assembly, the decision to organize the referendum. Since this is not happening, we will wait and will not give up on it,” explained Dodik.
On the other hand, representatives of the opposition parties said that they were aware that the referendum will not be held due to numerous facts, including postponement of publishing of the decision to organize the referendum in the RS Official Gazette for two years and the fact that the RS continued to participate in Structured Dialogue on Justice. PDP’s Perica Bundalo stated that there will be many consequences of the decision to suspend the RS Assembly decision on the referendum, including deterioration of the RS institutions, including the RS Assembly and RS President. “The second consequence is humiliation of the RS and its citizens. The third one is devaluation of institute of the referendum,” emphasized Bundalo. SDS’s representative in the RS Assembly Davor Sesic stressed that the decision to organize the referendum on B&H judiciary exists and called on the ruling authorities in the RS to implement it. Leader of SP RS Petar Djokic said that the opposition presented their stance on the referendum when they ignored Dodik’s initiative to reach consensus of all political parties in the RS regarding this issue. Djokic also stated that the RS authorities should soon organize signing of a petition among citizens of the RS to establish their stance regarding the work of the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H.
Zvizdic: Signing of Protocol on cooperation between Croatia and RS represents very unpleasant surprise (N1)
Commenting on the fact that the RS and Croatia signed the Protocol on Implementation of the Project of Gasification of Oil Refinery ‘Brod’, Chairman of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic said that signing of this protocol represents a very unpleasant surprise considering the fact that no institution of executive or legislative authorities at B&H level participated or was informed about this process. Zvizdic underlined that he was specially surprised by the fact that one the EU country which should respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries including B&H, ignored competent B&H institutions in this situation, as well as the fact that state and not entities’ institutions are authorized to conduct foreign policy of B&H. The Chairman of B&H CoM underlined that considering the abovementioned facts, legal validity of the signed Protocol is questionable. He added that it will be necessary to request additional legal interpretation of this type of violation of international-legal subjectivity of B&H and make decisions regarding protection of this subjectivity.
Radoncic: We will not be following Turkish-Russian path (Dnevni avaz)
SBB B&H leader and delegate of B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Fahrudin Radoncic stated that he did not take for serious recent statement by SDA leader and Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, who said that none of Bosniaks should ever enter a coalition with Radoncic again. SBB B&H leader recalled that Izetbegovic once already said “melodramatically” that he would never enter a coalition with SBB B&H but then he begged for it. He reiterated that SBB B&H joined the coalition for general good and not because of posts.
Asked if policy of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik is good for B&H, Radoncic replied by saying that just like he says to Izetbegovic that B&H will not take Turkish retrograde path, he is saying it to Dodik that B&H will not be a Russian pendant and will not seek for its civilizational circle in Russia. As for Covic, Radoncic said: “Mr. Covic was brought to situation where Croats are outvoted, that Bosniaks elect Croat member of B&H Presidency twice, and on grounds of that political stupidity, which was projected by someone, you have Croats who feel jeopardized and who demand equal rights”. According to him, Covic managed to “internationalize” the issue of electing B&H Presidency members and that there is enough of room for Bosniaks to make some smart concessions. However, he added that “Mr. Covic should show some corrective factors” in his policy too. Radoncic dismissed the reporter’s remark that he has highest degree of agreement with Covic, explaining that their private relationship is very good just like he has good and fair relations with SDP leader Nermin Niksic, DF leader Zeljko Komsic, Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, etc.
Mladic’s lawyers ask ICTY to postpone handing down ruling in Mladic’s case (BHT1)
The former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic’s defense lawyers asked the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Wednesday to postpone the delivery of the verdict in his trial and suspend proceedings to determine whether Mladic is capable of standing trial because of his poor health. The lawyers asked for Mladic to be examined next week by a Serbian neurologist and cardiologist, and for the verdict, currently set for 22 November, to be postponed until their opinions are given. Mladic is on trial for genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, which reached the scale of genocide in several other municipalities, terrorizing the population of Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.
Doris Pack wants to reconcile opposition? (Pobjeda)
Former member of the European Parliament (MEP) and a member of the European People’s Party presidency, Doris Pack, said that Montenegrin opposition should act in unison in order to achieve its goals, Pobjeda learns. She said that on Tuesday in Podgorica at separate meetings with opposition leaders. She talked to DF leaders Andrija Mandic, Nebojsa Medojevic and Milan Knezevic, as well as leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Democrats, Ranko Krivokapic and Aleksa Becic. According to Pobjeda’s reliable sources, Pack met representatives of opposition media in Montenegro. The official reason of her visit was participation at an international conference on security on the Western Balkans.
In a press release after the meeting with Pack, DF stated that the crisis in Montenegro was deep and that the prosecution of DF destroyed parliamentarism and jeopardized the constitutional order. As the political alliance said, “Pack expressed her concern because of persecution against DF leaders and their families and pointed out that the abuse of courts in the crackdown against opposition was incomprehensible and unacceptable for an EU candidate country”.
In the last two years, the former MEP has sided with Montenegrin opposition.
Political asylum to Nikic (Pobjeda)
Ananije Nino Nikic (59), who was charged with being part of a logistic network that was preparing bloodshed in the streets of Podgorica, after closing polling stations on 16 October 2016, received a kind of political asylum in Russia, the Ministry of Justice explained to Pobjeda.
On 9 October, the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation sent a letter to the Ministry of Justice announcing its “sudden” decision that the official interpreter of Democratic Front (DF) Ananije Nikic would not be extradited because he has been granted a refugee status.
It is clear that Moscow does not want Nikic to face Montenegrin investigators because he could reveal what was prepared for 16 October in order to take power violently and occupy the Parliament. According to the indictment, key role was played by agents of the Russian GRU intelligence service Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov.
Future cooperation in gov’t coalition to be discussed in coming days, says PM Zaev (MIA)
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he hadn’t discussed yet with the political parties the prospect of some of them leaving or joining the government or the appointment of office holders, i.e. ministers, deputies and directors, after the local elections. “I expect it to happen in the coming days after the dust settles. Now, we can see that some politicians need to get their heads together. Hopefully, in a peaceful atmosphere, sometime this weekend, we can open the processes of how to proceed further, because several posts have been made vacant, namely a minister, deputy minister, and several directors,” Zaev told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the Macedonian 2025 Summit. Asked whether the Alliance for Albanians (AA), led by Zijadin Sela, would be still part of the government coalition, Zaev said it didn’t depend only on himself, but is also depended on Sela and the other coalition partners. He also stated he hadn’t discussed yet with Menduh Thaci the possibility of his party, DPA, joining the coalition. Asked whether the majority in Parliament would be maintained had Zijadin Sela quit the government coalition, he said even without Sela there would be a majority. “I’m championing the majority to be strengthened as much as possible. Macedonia is faced with serious decisions, we must roll up our sleeves and work. It would be possible and more successful provided that we had bigger and stronger majority,” Zaev told reporters. As regards the nomination of candidates for ministers and deputies, he said the government would remain committed to its already established criterion – ‘professionals who enjoy public trust and who have demonstrated serious capacity to be considered candidates for the vacant posts.’
Rama presents 12 new prefects (ADN)
Prime Minister, Edi Rama presented on Wednesday the 12 new prefects of Albania. According to him, these posts are not lethargic anymore, but will fulfill the citizen’s needs. “The prefect’s role is very important in the war against cannabis, for security and the public order. The prefects will have a new role, to monitor all state activity in the territory. They will be accountable to the government for the territorial control situation in their regions in terms of getting real-time aware of all the issues that other institutions have to deal with,” said Rama. All the new prefects are from the military forces, not active anymore in the Army.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
Vucic’s Fears For Belgrade ‘Pushing Serbia Into Elections’ (BIRN, by Filip Rudic, 2 November 2017)
As Serbia’s President hints at another snap election next year, in tandem with the local elections for Belgrade, analysts believe the move reflects the ruling party’s fear that it could lose control of the capital.
After weeks of rumours that Serbia might face another snap general election – the third in five years since the Progressive Party came to power – Serbian President and Progressives’ leader Aleksandar Vucic said the majority of his party looked confidently towards fresh polls.
“We will consider that option [an early election], and I have asked them whether they are ready and sure of the citizens’ support,” Vucic said in an interview with TV Pink on October 29.
He added that if he does opt for fresh general elections, they would be held together with the local Belgrade elections next spring. Although Vucic said that his party was happy to allow early elections, because it wants to give the opposition an opportunity to take power, some analysts believe the real reason for such a move would be because the Progressives fear losing control of the capital in the local election. They say the Progressives therefore wish to link the local Belgrade elections to national elections, in order to harness Vucic’s personal popularity to the former, which any other Progressive candidate would struggle to do in a city seen as a stronghold of the opposition. Experts say a defeat for the Progressives in the capital could deal a serious blow to Vucic’s authority. However, they also say that possibility depends greatly on whether the fragmented opposition can come up with a joint mayoral candidate.
Independent MP Djordje Vukadinovic, who describes the Vucic regime as verging on “totalitarian”, says people need to recall “what the then opposition’s victory in Belgrade meant in the 1990s. “It served as an introduction to the defeat of [President Slobodan Milosevic’s] government in the rest of the country,” he said. Milosevic had ruled Serbia unchallenged since the late-1980s. But, in late 1996, the opposition won the local elections in most of the major cities, including Belgrade. Analysts recall this as a prelude to the September 2000 presidential elections, in which the united opposition’s candidate, Vojislav Kostunica, defeated Milosevic, leading to the collapse of the then regime.
Political expert Vladimir Goati, who heads the corruption watchdog Transparency Serbia, told BIRN that he also believes voting trends across the country will be revealed by the outcome of the Belgrade elections. “Before October 5 [the start of the protests in 2000 that overthrew Milosevic], voters in Belgrade successfully challenged the domination of Milosevic’s Socialist Party,” Goati noted.
Another political commentator, Cvijetin Milivojevic, who writes for the liberal Danasnewspaper, agrees. He says a victory for the opposition in Belgrade, where around a quarter of Serbia’s population lives, would spell the gradual decline of the regime.
Opposition remains divided
However, the various opposition parties have yet to agree on a united front and on fielding a joint candidate for mayor, which some analysts believe is their only chance of winning the election.
“The opposition can only threaten Vucic if it overcomes its ideological polarization and unites on certain topics [which] I believe is possible,” MP Vukadinovic said. Goati and Milivojevic, however, doubt the opposition’s ability to reach such an agreement, saying there is no unity as yet among the different parties and movements. “I’m not one of those who think the opposition needs to form a ‘single file’, I don’t even think this would be good, but ten different ones is not good, either,” Milivojevic said. He believes that three or four opposition coalitions, formed around different policies, should publicly agree to support each other if they together win enough seats to take power in Belgrade. However, Balsa Bozovic, a member of the opposition Democratic Party’s presidency, is enthusiastic about creating a closer alliance of parties sharing the same values. His party has called for a “synergy” of the opposition. “What’s important to us is to gather all the forces that can defend citizens from this regime. I believe that only a broad civic choice can win the coming elections,” he told BIRN. However, Ne Da(vi)mo Beograd [Let’s Not Drown Belgrade], a campaign group that began by resisting the controversial Belgrade Waterfront redevelopment project, has already announced they it intends to field its own mayoral candidate. One of the group’s organisers, Dobrica Veselinovic, said they had been more active regarding the city’s issues and policies, while the opposition busied itself considering coalitions. It is now asking the other opposition parties to back their candidate, once they settle on one. “The most logical choice for them [the opposition] might be to support us,” Veselinovic told BIRN, adding that the movement is talking with citizens on the ground to help define its programme for the upcoming elections.
Testing the waters
In the meantime, some groups and individuals have begun to explore potential candidates for mayor. Former Belgrade mayor and ex-Democratic Party chief Dragan Djilas has announced a potential run in the election and quickly gained the backing of some key opposition players.
Former Serbian presidential candidate Sasa Jankovic described Djilas in an interview for regional N1 television on September 28 as “one of the more acceptable” potential candidates.
Bozovic, from the Democrats, said there had been no discussion with Djilas about his potential candidacy but told BIRN he considered Djilas had been a good mayor when he held the post from 2008 to 2013. Former presidential candidate Vuk Jeremic has also said he is open to that idea. “It should be a joint effort; everyone who is genuinely in the opposition and pledges not to cooperate with the Progressive Party is welcome,” Jeremic told N1. But others have dismissed the proposal. “Cooperation with the party-ocrats who were previously in power and now want it again … is not an option,” the leader of the opposition “Enough is Enough” movement, Sasa Radulovic, said on Twitter.
