LOCAL PRESS
Guinea-Bissau unambiguously supports Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty (Tanjug/B92)
Guinea-Bissau unambiguously supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia. The country also respects UN Resolution 1244 which confirms that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, the President of the Assembly of Guinea-Bissau and President of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union Cipriano Cassama said in Belgrade. “During my visit to Serbia, I saw that Serbia is a rich and developed country, and I hope that I will see many more nice things,” Cassama said in the Serbian parliament, after his meeting with parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic. Gojkovic expressed her satisfaction at being able to announce to the public that Guinea-Bissau unambiguously supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, adding that the visit by a delegation of that African country demonstrates that. “Guinea-Bissau made it clear to the public of Serbia and to the international community that they respect international law, UN resolutions, Resolution 1244,” said Gojkovic, adding that Guinea-Bissau was among those states that recognized the dangerous precedent related to self-proclamations of independence. Gojkovic added that Serbia is grateful to Cassama, who came to reiterate his country’s political position on Kosovo, one of the most politically important issues for Serbia.
Cassama added that Guinea Bissau has a firm stand on the issue of the territorial integrity of Serbia. “Guinea-Bissau was at war for 11 years and we have no doubts on this issue. We will continue to support your country and support territorial integrity. We will also continue to support the UN resolution, and I will convey that to members of parliament and my colleagues when I return to the country,” he said.
Djuric: Preventing violence against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija (RTS/B92/Beta/Tanjug)
The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric strongly condemned the violence against Serbs who wanted to mark the Christian holiday of the Holy Trinity in Petrica near Klina today, and who were prevented by a group of Albanians, who did not allow them to enter the church. Djuric asked the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina and international institutions in Kosovo and Metohija to ensure respect for the right to freedom of movement and confession of faith to Serbian pilgrims. He said that the expelled Serbs from Metohija have been systematically prevented from marking Christian holidays in their villages for years, and those who actually exercise authority on the ground do not take any measures to sanction and suppress this type of extremist behavior. Today’s anticivilization protest in Klina shows that for the extremists it is not enough that the Serbs have been expelled from Metohija, but that they want to completely wipe away any recollection of Serb existence in that part of our southern province, he underlined.
Creators of fake picture of Serbia in France still there (RTS/Tanjug/B92)
Changing the image of Serbia in France is a very important, but difficult task, because the echoes of the propaganda that once existed are still being felt, French-Serbian humanitarian Arnaud Gouillon told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). He stressed that it was most important to explain to the French that what they have been listening to for years about Serbia and the situation in Kosovo – has been false, and added that his humanitarian organization has been trying to change that for the past 14 years. “We are succeeding in this, the best proof for this is that we have managed to gather over 12,000 donors around our humanitarian organization, that is to say, 12,000 families, a few dozen people who show solidarity with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, not only with their words, but also with their deeds, their donation,” Gouillon is quoted as saying. Asked how difficult it is to change this picture in France, he said it was not easy because Kosovo and the Balkans are no longer a current topic in France, where some others are more current. “The second reason that those who created a fake picture of Serbia in the 1999 are in most cases still present in the media and now they are not really willing to portray a different picture, to sincerely say, ‘we made a mistake, we lied, what we have been showing you on TV for years, it was fake, it was a part of the propaganda’,” Gouillon explained. He pointed out that censorship that existed on the issue of Serbia in 1999 no longer exists, but that propaganda is still there, and it is sometimes hard to reach the big media precisely because of these echoes. “What has been difficult for us is to explain is that what we have been hearing for years about Serbia, the Serbs, the situation in Kosovo and Metohija was false, that it was not the truth, and we have been trying for 14 years to change that,” said Gouillon, who this year’s received of the Charter for Humanitarian Work and Special Merits in Changing the Image of Serbia Abroad, which is given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Still, he emphasized that the organization is succeeding in changing that picture, and that they have had several articles published in Le Figaro magazine. “One must not despair, only with hard work, perseverance can we change things,” Gouillon stressed. He said that in the film “Kosovo, a Christianity in danger”, made by French journalists, has been shown in France. “They came to visit Kosovo and Metohija with us, they did not know much about this situation, and then what they found astonished them. They could not imagine that there are ghettos at the beginning of the 21st century in the center of Europe, those villages isolated from everything,” Gouillon said of Serb enclaves in Kosovo. He added that they made a 52-minute documentary that was shown four times on French television. “Without politics, without big words, they made a testimony about the life of ordinary people that we often do not think about when we talk about Kosovo and Metohija. This documentary tells about these people, how the monks live in (Serbian monastery) Visoki Decani, how the people live in Velika Hoca, and that caused interested in a part of the French public, and after the documentary many of them contacted us to become our donors. This is our goal, to turn the desire for truth into concrete actions,” Gouillon said. Speaking about the humanitarian work, Gujon said that a poultry farm – the sixth in all – is currently being built in Kosovo and Metohija. “A month ago, we opened a pig farm, we are now building this farm with the goal of allowing soup kitchens not to depend on external donations in food, and to enable people from these enclaves to live from their work, rather than from humanitarian aid,” said Gouillon. He also emphasized that the organization is working on a large project to take 42 children from enclaves in Kosovo on vacation. These children will see the sea for the first time, he said, and added that the project has been ongoing for seven years now. “It’s a really great project, I cannot wait to go with these children, to show them the magic of swimming, for them to discover the sea. To them it’s more than the sea, it’s about leaving their villages, their enclaves, it’s the discovery of freedom, they can socialize in this way, it is very important for their development,” Gouillon concluded.
The two CVs of Serbia’s new finance minister (N1)
Outgoing Belgrade Mayor, nominee for Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali is said to be a man with two CVs – his official CV on the web sites of the various bodies he has led claiming that he is a financial expert and a second one drawn up by investigative media and NGOs which claims that he was involved in scandals which have never been resolved. MPs in the Serbian parliament on Monday entered into a heated debate over Mali’s nomination for Finance Minister, with the ruling coalition lending him support and the opposition claiming he is the worst possible candidate. According to the Belgrade city hall web site, Mali holds a doctorate. The documents that accompanied his nomination by the Prime Minister claim that he is an economist who graduated and earned a master’s degree at the Belgrade University School of Economics, he earned a second master’s degree in the US and a doctorate at the Belgrade University School of Organizational Science in 2013. That doctorate is the first point of dispute in his CV.
Several hundred members of the Serbian academic community are demanding that his doctorate be taken away, claiming that he plagiarised it. Belgrade University said it would be forming a new commission to look into his doctorate again. The official biography says that he has had success as a businessman, that he formed a consultancy for the purchase and sale of companies but the media reported in 2015 that Mali is CEO of two off-shore companies involved in the purchase of 24 apartments in the Bulgarian holiday resort of St Nikola. Mali said later that he owns just one apartment in Bulgaria, adding that the scandal involved his consultancy before he took over as advisor to then deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia’s Anti-Corruption Agency launched proceedings in August 2016 to investigate his assets and income suspecting that he was CEO of two off-shore companies while in public office. Every subsequent report by the Agency noted that his assets and property increased constantly. The Higher Prosecution found no evidence of money laundering and sent the case to the First Basic Prosecution which only investigated whether Mali had reported all his assets when he took public office. Those proceedings are ongoing. Sinisa Mali’s official CV says that the halved the city’s debt as Mayor of Belgrade. Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the start of construction of the widely-disputed Belgrade Waterfront project is one of his top achievements and that is another point of dispute in his career. Several buildings in the Savamala neighborhood were razed to the ground by masked men with heavy machinery during his tenure as Mayor and no one was held accountable for the destruction.
Serbian passports second best in Western Balkans (Beta)
Serbian passports have been ranked 36th globally and 2nd in the region by the Henley & Partners firm which evaluates passports from each individual country by the number of countries their holders can enter without visas, Beta reports. According to the Henley Passport Index, Serbian citizens can travel visa-free to 130 countries, compared to Japan which tops the list with visa-free travel for its passport holders to 189 of the 218 countries in the world. Of the countries of the Western Balkans, Croatia is ranked 16th with its citizens able to travel to 169 countries without visas. Macedonia (FYROM) is 41st with 125 countries not requiring visas for its citizens, Montenegro is ranked 43rd with 123 countries and Bosnia-Herzegovina is ranked 47th with 118 countries not requiring visas of its passport holders. Serbia has advanced one step on the Henley Passport Index since the previous annual report. Henley & Partners says on its web site that the ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information.
REGIONAL PRESS
Serbs finally constituent in three Federation cantons (Srna)
The Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a decision on Tuesday according to which the Serbs in the Herzegovina-Neretva, West Herzegovina and Posavina Canton should finally become a constituent people and the Serbian language and Cyrillic script equal to the other two languages and scripts. The Court issued a ruling stating that certain provisions of the three Canton’s constitutions were not in accordance with the Entity Constitution for they did not recognize that the Serb people, Serbian language and Cyrillic script were constituent. The court ordered the three Canton’s parliaments to adopt amendments to their constitutions in accordance with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution immediately or six months from the day the judgement is published in official gazettes at the latest. Until those amendments are adopted, the provision of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution will be applied. The Court made the decision on the basis of a request by Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Prime Minister Fadil Novalic and one third of MPs in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. A public debate was held before the judgement was issued.
Dzaferovic: International community cannot leave us with this kind of Constitution (N1)
Deputy Speaker of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives and SDA’s candidate for member of the Presidency of B&H Sefik Dzaferovic told N1 that results of SDA’s convention, which was held on Saturday, denies claims that it was known in advance that he will be elected the SDA’s candidate for the Presidency of B&H. According to the daily, Dzaferovic did not speak about reasons why Denis Zvizdic withdrew his candidacy, instead Dzaferovic only said he was sorry to see it. Dzaferovic further noted that in case he is elected to the Presidency, he will be acting in line with the Constitutions of B&H and the Rules of Procedure, expressing conviction that he will be elected into the Presidency. Asked how he would cooperate with Milorad Dodik if Dodik were to be elected into the Presidency of B&H, Dzaferovic underlined that Dodik foremost has to carry out his constitutional obligations. Dzaferovic also said that the international community (IC) must have a better attitude towards the situation in B&H, arguing that “they cannot leave us with this kind of Constitution”. “They are withdrawing a bit, and are leaving B&H with disorganized constitutional-legal system” added Dzaferovic.
Becirovic is Bosniak favorite (EuroBlic)
Following the announcement of SDA and SDP that their candidates for the Bosniak member of B&H Presidency will be Denis Becirovic (SDP) and Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA), many assessed that Becirovic stands greater chances to be elected. Political analyst Ivana Maric said that the current rifts within SDA have shaken this party so it cannot hope to achieve results similar to ones in past elections, while Becirovic still has not used his “wild cards” in executive positions so it is quite likely voters will have more trust in him. Maric assessed that Becirovic would stand more chances to win even if Fahrudin Radoncic (SBB B&H) joined the race for B&H Presidency member, adding that Radoncic would have already announced his candidacy if he were convinced he could win. Analyst Vehid Sehic too thinks Becirovic has an advantage ahead of SDA’s candidate and he noted that he expects Radoncic to be SBB B&H’s candidate for the post of B&H Presidency member. Sources from the top of SBB B&H told the daily that SBB B&H will most likely present the name of its candidate for Bosniak member of B&H Presidency on June 10 and added that Radoncic is the favorite for the candidate of this party. Becirovic is known by his frequent statements and initiatives launched with the goal to abolish Republika Srpska (RS) and he often attacks officials of neighboring countries, especially Croatia and Serbia, in his public statements. The daily also noted that it is interesting to know that SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic said at the convention of the party that “SDP B&H candidate will not be a member of B&H Presidency but the President of B&H”.
Instead of joint participation in elections, left-wing parties are in conflict (N1)
Although left-wing parties in B&H, primarily SDP, DF, Civic Alliance (GS) and Our Party, were announcing joint participation in upcoming general elections in B&H, recent developments resulted in creation of two left-wing blocs and in open conflict between two strongest left-wing parties, SDP and DF. Reporter reminded that at Sunday convention of SDP, leader of this party Nermin Niksic said that those who have been talking about joint participation in elections with SDP call for abolishing of SDP, adding that this will never happen. Earlier, DF accused SDP of using “UDBA methods” (Yugoslavia’s secret police) to recruit DF’s members. Niksic commented these accusations and said that DF is actually surrounded by UDBA-like people. He criticized leader of DF Zeljko Komsic of leading DF as an autocrat. Also, DF and GS accused SDP and its leader of being a part of (HDZ B&H leader) Dragan Covic’s ‘Plan B’. Leader of GS Nihad Colpa stated that the goal of Covic and SNSD’s Milorad Dodik is to be elected in B&H Presidency and to resign to these posts in order to block the state of B&H. Colpa underlined that the goal of DF and GS is to prevent Dodik and Covic to implement this goal. Journalist Rubina Cengic underlined that the abovementioned developments are evidence that left-wing parties are not capable to overcome their vanities and to set future of B&H as their priority. She added that it is also possible that these parties do not want to take over responsibility for the future of B&H.
Venice Commission deems election legislation issue can be solved in Federation of B&H parliament (Hayat)
Experts of the Venice Commission concluded that the issue of election legislation can be solved at the level of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina parliament and defined a framework within which B&H should move in adoption of laws. Reporter said that with or without international experts, the issue of B&H Election Law is more complicated than it seemed. Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Irena Hadziabdic stated that the meeting with the Venice Commission was informative, about legal and constitutional provisions and contradictions, and added that CEC is looking forward to their opinion. State MP Momcilo Novakovic (NDP) stated that no solution will be found, regardless of presence of the Venice Commission, due to firm political stances of political parties. He noted that B&H Parliament is currently in a crisis due to the lack of majority, but added that without implementation of election results and formation of authorities the crisis will be even bigger. Reporter said that after B&H authorities receive advices of the Venice Commission, B&H will have to implement European standards. Deputy Speaker of B&H House of Representatives Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) stated that B&H must not be destabilized due to non-implementation of election results, and added that the High Representative should react in such situation. He said that the stance of HDZ B&H is unacceptable and added that SDA cannot accept the Federation of B&H House of Peoples without Bosniaks from Livno and Posavina and without Croats from Sarajevo. While visiting Croats in Germany on Sunday, HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic reiterated the stance that Croats have to fight for election of their own representatives. He said that since it was not possible to secure election of legitimate representatives of Croat people, the only solution is to motivate Croats to vote in elections. Representatives of the Venice Commission will meet with party leaders at the beginning of June.
NATO adopts declaration in Warsaw: Member states to help B&H in activation of MAP (BHT1)
During the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held in Warsaw on Monday, the NATO adopted a declaration that outlines unity and credibility of the NATO at the upcoming summit in Brussels. In part of the declaration dedicated to the open-door policy, the document highlighted that NATO member states are expected to help Bosnia and Herzegovina in creation of conditions for activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP) without any further delays. The declaration refers to other issues such as the fight against terrorism, dialogue with Russia and cooperation of the NATO and the EU.
President and Prime Minister hold a meeting of the National Security Council (HRT)
A meeting of the National Security Council was held behind closed doors yesterday. The meeting, which was agreed to last week by the President and Prime Minister, focused on the Agrokor email scandal. Speaking to reporters after the meeting of the National Security Council President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic declined to shed any light as to the details of the meeting.
“As you know I can’t discuss the details of the meeting. I am concerned about some elements in this case, but I can say that we have tasked all of the intelligence agencies to draft action plans and legal proposals with regard to how we use the various tools for correspondence and for the security of all classified documents” the President said. For his part Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the meeting had been fruitful and that they had reached an agreement on all issues. The President also said that she had raised the issue her attending a special cabinet session to address the country’s negative demographic picture, and that both had agreed to address the matter in detail at a later date.
Croatia refuses extradition of controversial Bosnian national to Tunisia (Hina)
The Croatian Supreme Court on Monday upheld an appeal by Bosnian national Alen Camdzic and refused a request for his extradition to Tunisia where he is suspected of involvement as an Israeli spy in the murder of Mohammed Zawahri, a Tunisian aviation engineer with alleged ties to the Palestinian group Hamas. The Supreme Court quashed the Velika Gorica County Court ruling of May 9 to extradite Camdzic and ordered that he be released from custody.
Contrary to the County Court ruling, the Supreme Court concluded that “in this particular case, with regard to guarantees, the applicant country did not provide Croatia with any guarantee that the death penalty would not be imposed.” “Even though it is without a doubt that the suspect is charged with one of the most serious crimes, when there is a risk that the suspect might be sentenced to death in the applicant country, extradition cannot be allowed,” the Supreme Court said in its ruling.
Total domination of the Democratic Party of Socialists (CDM)
Political opposition in Montenegro was defeated at the local elections held in ten municipalities in Montenegro and in a City Municipality of Golubovci. What President of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic, wished on 7 May, came true. Democratic Party of Socialists is an absolute winner of the local elections and, most importantly, it can form the government in Podgorica on its own.
The domination of the DPS at the local election was absolute. The ruling party will now be able to form the government in almost all municipalities, either on its own, or in a coalition. The most remarkable campaign was conducted by the coalition “For the 21st century”. They presented many conceptual solutions regarding the Capital City, convinced that the time has come for their new and young forces to take over management of the city. However, the situation turned out to be different. The DPS won 32 seats out of 61. Democratic Front – Socialist People’s Party coalition won 8 seats only, which fell short of expectations. DPS also won an important battle in Kolasin where it toppled the DF, Socialist People’s Party and Socialist Democratic Party from the throne. Democratic Front announced protests again. They want to show their revolt against, as they claim, an unheard- of election fraud so far.
Dimitrov tells ANA-MPA: Negotiations in final stage (MIA)
Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov in Brussels told Greek news agency ANA-MPA he believes the name negotiations to be in the final stage. Dimitrov told he hoped it was possible for a solution to be reached by the start of the EU Summit on June 28, adding that he had a ‘good meeting’ with his Greek counterpart. The Macedonian FM said the talks continue as legal experts from both countries discuss technical aspects. He also said he was expecting both PMs to have a phone conversation during the week, MIA‘s Athens correspondent reports. Dimitrov, according to ANA-MPA, briefed the EU Foreign Ministers on the latest developments in the negotiations, the efforts both countries have been making to reach an agreement on the name issue, as well as the importance of the dispute resolution for the Balkans as a whole.
Kotzias: Final agreement in PMs’ hands (MIA)
The foreign ministers have completed their part of the task, talks are continuing at the level of experts. When completed, the texts will be in the hands of the prime ministers for a final agreement, said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Monday, MIA reports from Athens.
“The foreign ministers have completed the task given by the prime ministers of the two countries. Negotiations at the level of experts regarding technical-legal issues will continue during the day and probably tomorrow. As soon as they are finished, the texts drafted at the level of foreign ministers will be handed over to the prime ministers, who are set to discuss and reach a final agreement,” said Kotzias.
Greek gov’t sources: Nothing is over yet, keep calm and wait for the Summit in June (MIA)
FMs Kotzias and Dimitrov have made significant progress, but the talks are not over yet. On the contrary, they have reached the most critical turning point, a government representative close to the negotiations told Greek news agency ANA-MPA, according to MIA‘s Athens correspondent.
“Some are in a hurry to count their chickens before Skopje hatches them,” the Greek government representative said, calling on everyone to keep calm and wait patiently for the EU Summit in June.
Roth: Don’t obstruct the peaceful process of finding a name solution (MIA)
German Minister of State for Europe at the German Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth expressed his support for the negotiations between Skopje and Athens and called for a peaceful solution without any obstructions. Roth, who took part in Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, said, “Today I met with Macedonia’s FM Dimitrov again. We are grateful for the ongoing talks between Greece and fYROM. We are ready to provide our support towards the resolution of the name dispute. We call on everyone not to obstruct the peaceful process of finding a name solution. The region’s stability and peace are at stake, and the European perspective is the best way for our principles to be taken into consideration. The resolution of the name dispute is very important, and I’m optimistic,” Roth said.
Hahn: Name solution a ‘game changer’ in Macedonia’s EU accession process (MIA)
Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn says the EU is encouraged by the latest round of name talks between Skopje and Athens.
Hahn, who attended Monday an informal breakfast organized by Bulgaria and Austria alongside Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and his European counterparts, stated that the meeting was fruitful and everyone expressed wholehearted support to the negotiations.
“Consensus in the room that a solution to the name issue will be a game changer for the next steps in the EU accession process of Macedonia,” says Commissioner Hahn. Diplomatic sources told MIA that FM Dimitrov opened the meeting by saying that a framework for a solution to the name has been reached with Greece, while experts are currently working on the text in Athens. He also briefed ministers over the course of reforms required by the EU, saying “this is a historic time for my country.” “When we launched the process there were significant differences, but I have the impression that we are increasingly on the same side as we move forward,” said Dimitrov. He referred to Macedonia’s efforts in the fields of judiciary reforms, fight against corruption, dialogue with the opposition, free media, as well as improvement of good neighborly relations. Dimitrov asked EU member-states to support Macedonia by giving it a date for the start of accession negotiations.
Mogherini: EU must take name deal into consideration (MIA)
The EU has clearly voiced its intention to support and accompany a possible Skopje-Athens agreement on the name issue, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini told a press conference in Brussels on Monday. The briefing by the Foreign Ministers of both countries on the progress made in name negotiations is rather encouraging and promising, Mogherini said, expressing optimism for positive outcome and affirming the EU intention to work, support and accompany a (name) agreement when it would be achieved and announced. The long-standing name dispute has been creating problems for years and if the strong political leadership with the UN mediation and intensive EU engagement may bring an agreement on such difficult matter, it will be an inspiration for others, as well as proof that multilateral approach is the one worth investing in, she said. “All of these should be recognized by the European Council. Let me remind that the European Commission has already recommended a start of (Macedonia) accession talks, based on reform-merit,” Mogherini said.
All countries should take into consideration a possible agreement, as the international community, EU will rather enthusiastically cheer the good news on settling the name issue, she said in regard to a question from MIA correspondent about the opposition of some EU members to the launch of Macedonia’s accession talks.
Kneissl commends substantial progress in name talks (MIA)
Substantial progress has been made in Athens-Skopje name talks, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said, notifying that the Western Balkans is EU’s geopolitical interest, MIA reports from Brussels. “I’ve met the Foreign Ministers of fYROM and Greece on several occasions. A substantial progress has been made (in name talks), but it remains to see if a solution may be expected. Further steps are needed, our eastern neighborhood is not only close to us in terms of history, but we simply wish to avoid vacuum that could be exploited by other forces. The region’s accession is a geopolitical interest of the European Union,” Kneissl said.
Court of Appeal: Saimir Tahiri released (ADN)
The Court of Appeal removed the ‘house arrest’ security measure against the former socialist Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri. The decision was taken this Monday during the trial on Tahiri’s case. The Court of Serious Crimes decided early this month to place former Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri under house arrest. Tahiri has been officially charged at the Prosecution Office for drug trafficking, membership of the criminal organization, and corruption. After he gives up from his mandate as a MP, the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office issued a warrant for the arrest of Tahiri, but court decided the lesser measure of house arrest.
Court decision on Tahiri, Basha: Mafia pact (ADN)
The Chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), Lulzim Basha, has reacted on Monday after the release of the former Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri from the Court of Appeal. According to him, the decision of the Court was a mafia pact and the ‘house arrest’ was a farce. “According to the mafia pact between Rama and Tahiri, the farce of arresting him has ended now. The release of Saimir Tahiri is the triumph of crime and drug traffickers and also a major blow to the European integration of Albania. This act reaffirmed that Edi Rama and Saimir Tahiri have been, are and will be one and undivided. They together used crime and drugs for money and now are using the power to guarantee Tahiri’s impunity,” said Basha. He added that the release of Tahiri, shows that the Judicial System is in the total control of Edi Rama and the criminals related to him.
Court decision to release Tahiri, US Embassy reacts (ADN)
The US Embassy reacted on Monday after the court decision to release former socialist Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri. In a short reaction this embassy declared that they do not change the stance that the court decision must be based on proves and not pressures. “Independent sources have reported serious pressure on this issue, including bribes offered to judges. We call on civil society and the media to follow this issue attentively so that the decision must be based on evidence and law rather than on pressure, threats or money. No one is above the law,” Lu underlined.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
Greek FM: Deal reached with FYROM ‘is in the national interest’ (ekatherini.com, 29 May 2018)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said Tuesday that a settlement reached with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the name dispute was in Greece’s national interest. “The agreement with FYROM was reached not because that country wants to join the European Union and NATO – which is something that we support – but because [reaching a deal] is in our own national interest,” Kotzias said in Berlin during a joint press briefing with his German counterpart Heiko Mass Tuesday. He did not provide more details about the agreement.
Kotzias said that the foreign ministers of the two countries had wrapped up the main round of negotiations, adding that the final stage of talks would be led by the countries’ prime ministers after technical and legal issues have been clarified.
Name Dispute talks progress as foreign ministers produce a draft agreement (New Europe, by Alec Mally, 29 May 2018)
FM’s kick the tough decisions up to the Prime Minister level
Macedonia/FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov announced they had completed work on the draft bilateral agreements under negotiation to resolve the Name Dispute. After a few days of technical review, these documents would be sent to their respective prime ministers to negotiate, at least telephonically at first, with a view to getting the deal hammered out in as short a time as possible. Recovering adeptly from the “Republic of Ilinden Macedonia” fiasco that emerged in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia during the May 17 EU-Western Balkans Summit, when both countries’ prime ministers met for an extended period, the foreign ministers of Greece and Macedonia/FYROM announced in Brussels on May 28 that they had completed their work on a draft agreement and would be handing the documents over to their respective prime ministers to negotiate and finalize. “We the foreign ministers have finished everything that was assigned to us by the prime ministers of the two countries,” Kotzias said. Foreign Minister Dimitrov was also extremely positive. “We had a constructive discussion and have the framework of a compromise,” Dimitrov said, also stating that his country’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev would be meeting his Greek counterpart within the next week to discuss the proposal. As this announcement was made on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers meeting (the Foreign Affairs Council), the reaction of EU FM’s and officials was enthusiastic and has opened a realistic prospect of achieving the June 28-29 EU Summit objective for extending an invitation to Macedonia/FYROM to begin EU accession talks, with Greece approving. “We are all very encouraged by the progress made especially on the negotiations between Skopje and Athens on the name issue,” said EU Commission Vice President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The documents going to the prime ministers for highest-level negotiation have not yet been released or leaked so far, so it is unclear how much progress on the core issues was made and what compromises were hammered out by UN Mediator Matthew Nimetz who worked intensively with Greek Foreign Minister Kotzias and Macedonia/FYROM Foreign Minister Dimitrov in New York on May 24-25. Nimetz’ s remarks to the press on the 25th did not leave observers with the impression that the phase of discussion by foreign ministers was quite so close to ending, although he clearly emphasized that differences had narrowed significantly. Nevertheless, the sense in Athens on May 28 was that some key questions remained unresolved and that the proposed sequencing of agreements and invitations would not give Athens the comfort of seeing its demands fulfilled for constitutional changes by Skopje in the short term.
Early Reaction – things to watch
With Greece already in pre-election mode and the May 28 announcement coming on a Greek Orthodox religious holiday, the political reaction will emerge gradually in the next days. The domestic reaction as the draft agreement is processed through the next phase in Athens will be intense, precisely because it factors so fundamentally into the current Greek electoral calculus. The two main points to watch will be the force of the planned “Macedonia is Greek” protest demonstrations set for June 6 in Athens and Thessaloniki, announced several days before the May 28 Brussels meeting of the foreign ministers, and the impact of any agreement on the ruling SYRIZA-Independent Greeks (ANEL) coalition. ANEL President and Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has repeatedly stated he would not support an agreement that allows the word “Macedonia” to be part of the new hybrid name which is yet-to-be-agreed. He is now in the difficult position of not wanting to precipitate elections before Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is ready and will have to face his NATO Defense Minister colleagues at the July Bucharest Summit and explain Greece’s actions nonetheless. That might turn out to be the least of his problems.
