LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Nothing in the world would make SPS leave government (Tanjug/B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says he doesn’t think the SPS would leave the Serbian government. Vucic at the same time stated that anyone who doesn’t like something is free to leave. He specified that this applies to some from his own, but also from other parties. “Just so long as there is no sitting on two chairs,” Vucic said, and added that when he made the remark, he had less the SPS in mind than some people from his own party, but also from some other parties. Answering journalists’ questions, Vucic said that, knowing the SPS this party would not leave the government for nothing in the world, while they might change their partners, and do it as soon as the opportunity arises. But, I made this comment in jest, although is legitimate for someone to be thinking about it. According to Vucic, it is normal, and everyone can think they would be better off with someone else, and that’s OK, but there is no real danger of that at the moment.

EC: Belgrade and Pristina should define sustainable solution (Beta)

The EC reiterated that Belgrade and Pristina should define a permanent solution in the dialogue on Kosovo that would be sustainable and realistic, while upholding international law. Asked by Beta about the state of the dialog, a spokesperson for EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that on 24 June the presidents of Kosovo and Serbia, Hashim Thaci and Aleksandar Vucic, had an intensive and productive discussion on the framework of an agreement on comprehensive normalization of relations and agreed to meet again in September and “to intensify the work in the coming weeks. “The EU-facilitated dialogue aims at promoting lasting cooperation between the two sides, helping them achieve progress on the path to Europe and improve the lives of the people. A lasting solution means a viable, sustainable, realistic solution, according to international law. Parties are defining the common ground for mutual consent,” the EC representative said.

Odalovic: We have gathered irrefutable evidence of KLA crimes (Beta)

Veljko Odalovic, general secretary of the Serbian Foreign Ministry, said on Aug. 14 that systemic and organized crimes had been committed in Kosovo and that a working group for investigating the Kosovo Liberation Army’s crimes in Kosovo had collected irrefutable evidence,

which would be handed to a special prosecution that would soon bring the first indictments.

At a conference in Belgrade titled Unpunished Crimes, Odalovic said that the working group had

collected around 3,500 documents that pertained to crimes committed in two KLA areas of responsibility – Drenica and Dukadjin, and that experts were working on evidence of crimes in three more areas of responsibility. “For the first time, we have gathered in one place 3,500 documents which can absolutely be part of the proceedings, which have legal weight, and cannot be contested and dismissed,” Odalovic said. According to him, a new special prosecutor for KLA

crimes will be chosen in September, and that that could mean that the first indictments will be raised before the Special Court, formed in 2015. According to Odalovic, many crimes committed against Kosovo Serbs and non-Albanians have not been solved and did not get an epilogue before The Hague Tribunal and EULEX and UNMIK courts. Serbian deputy War Crimes Prosecutor Miroljub Vitorovic agreed that official Belgrade was to blame for failure to punish criminals. “We can be angry with The Hague and Pristina but I am more angry with Belgrade,” Vitorovic said.  He recalled a 2013 Belgrade Appeals Court decision to pardon members of the so-called Gnjilane Group who had been sentenced for war crimes, saying it was not a judiciary decision. “I don’t know the reason, whether it was ignorance or ill intent, but this was not a judiciary decision,” he said and explained that the Appeals Court freed the KLA troops because it ruled that the war was over at the time of their crimes.

Arifi: Under no circumstances would we accept for Bujanovac and Presevo to join Kosovo and for Medvedja to remain in Serbia (FoNet)

The head of the Presevo municipality Sciprim Arifi said on Wednesday there was no way he would accept for Bujanovac and Presevo to join Kosovo and for Medvedja to remain in Serbia, FoNet reported. Arifi told Koha Ditore that Albanians would not agree that half of any municipalities remain in Serbia. “Under no circumstances, a single village should be separated from the whole of Presevo,” he said, adding there was a political party which was ready to exchange a village in Serbia for one in Kosovo but did not name it. “That’s senseless, and it violates the Republic of Kosovo,” Arifi said.

REGIONAL PRESS

RS parliament rejects Srebrenica Commission report (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) parliament has rejected the Srebrenica Commission Report on the events in and around Srebrenica in the period July 10-19, 1995, since it is not in keeping with the commitment of the RS institutions to objectively and truthfully interpret the said evens and strengthen mutual trust in B&H and the region. “The RS parliament demands from the RS government to withdraw the Srebrenica Commission Report on the events in and around Srebrenica in the period July 10-19, 1995, and to void it,” say conclusions Parliament adopted in connection with the Report. The RS parliament is of the opinion that for the sake of a comprehensive and truthful assessment of the events in and around Srebrenica in the period 1992 – 1995 and for the sake of strengthening mutual trust and tolerance between the peoples in B&H, it is necessary to form an independent international commission which would determine facts about sufferings of all peoples in that area and during that period of time in an objective and impartial manner. The RS parliament is of the opinion that the RS government should form an independent international commission which would determine facts about the sufferings of Serbs in Sarajevo in an objective and impartial manner, having in mind that the FB&H government did not form a commission which should have investigated the sufferings of Serbs in Sarajevo in the period 1991-1995, and make a report on this matter. RS MPs say that a deadline for forming both independent international commissions should not be longer than one year. Parliament’s conclusions say that the RS parliament is of the opinion that the Srebrenica Commission Report on the events in and around Srebrenica in the period July 10-19, 1995 was made under the pressure from the high representative with pre-defined results, because of which Parliament concludes that the Commission was not independent. The RS parliament has concluded that the Commission was prevented from investigating the sufferings of the Serbian people in the wider area of Srebrenica and that it said in its recommendations that a comprehensive picture of events in and around Srebrenica can be seen only after the overall historical context of these events is understood. The RS parliament says that reports with addendums, made by the RS government’s task force for the implementation of conclusions from the final report of the Srebrenica Commission of March 30, 2005 and September 30, 2005, were made outside the framework of the decision of the B&H Human Rights Chamber and under inappropriate and tendentious pressure from some international representatives in B&H, and that as such, they are not fit for the purpose and are unnecessary, demanding from the RS government to void them.

OSCE, OHR, US Embassy, EUD condemn RS parliament conclusions (Avaz)

The OSCE Mission to B&H, the US Embassy to B&H and the Office of the High Representative (OHR) issued a joint press conference on Tuesday in reaction to conclusions of the RS parliament rejecting the report on war crimes in Srebrenica in July 1995. They condemned “cynical use of the Commission’s Report on the events in and around Srebrenica from 2004 in political purposes in the pre-election period”. “Politicization of the Report does not contribute to justice and reconciliation, it undermines rule of law, it does not represent European values and, in the end, it does represent a threat to the process of attaining justice for all the victims of war crimes regardless of their ethnicity,” reads the statement, and points out the Report has helped communities in B&H to move forward and focus on reconciliation and peace, and many conclusions from the Report have been confirmed by the rulings of the international and domestic courts. “The fact is that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995 has been confirmed by two international courts. The facts are not going to change regardless of the effort invested in changing and rewriting history. To be clear, nobody is demonizing the RS, or speaks of collective responsibility of the RS or Serb people, as the RS President and others claim. There are victims on all sides, including Serb people,” reads the statement. The EU Delegation to B&H issued a press statement on Tuesday in light of the session of the RS parliament, rejecting any attempt of denial, relativization or misinterpretation of the genocide in Srebrenica. “We also condemn the use of inflammatory ethno-political rhetoric and actions.” The EUD called upon political leaders and others in position of authority in B&H to honor the victims and promote reconciliation. “The EU is a union of values; any country aspiring to join the EU is expected to comply with and promote EU values of democracy, human rights, tolerance and justice. This includes treating victims of genocide with utmost respect and dignity,” reads the statement.

Reactions to statements of Dodik given during RS parliament session (TV1)

Chairman of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic characterized on Tuesday RS President Milorad Dodik’s move to convene a session of the RS parliament to discuss a report on Srebrenica as a pre-election move. Zvizdic added that this also represents a way to obfuscate talks, discussions and facing the key economic and life-related topics that are important for citizens of B&H. Addressing a press conference in Sarajevo, Zvizdic vowed to return to serious issues, adding that the past can serve as an instrument for reconciliation and confidence only if this is based on the truth and relevant historic facts, established by relevant courts and not MPs of any party. Deputy Speaker of B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) said on Tuesday that Bosniaks will remember very-well all insults coming from Dodik, especially the ones directed against victims of the genocide. He assessed that Dodik is causing harm only to himself and the Serb people that he represents, by making insults at the expense of victims and all Bosniaks. SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic issued a press statement on Tuesday reacting to conclusions of the RS parliament regarding the Report on events in and around Srebrenica in July 1995, and he said that it is an attempt to falsify history and facts that have been determined by the ICTY. “Denial of genocide that was committed in Srebrenica is deeply, morally unacceptable political act, and another attempt of Milorad Dodik and his regime to insult the victims of genocide and change history,” reads the statement and points out that Serbian leadership is also to blame for failing to prevent genocide, which is why it is necessary for the official Belgrade to explain to Dodik in a transparent manner that such behavior represents an unforgivable insult to Bosniaks, insult to the victims of genocide, denial of international law and continuation on a political road detrimental to all the peoples in B&H. Vice President of the RS Ramiz Salkic said: “Activities that the RS assembly and the government (of the RS) carry out, with the support of President of the entity, show the real orientation of the authorities. They are on the line of total radicalization and causing instability in B&H, and it is final time to realize this in this exact way”. According to Salkic, it is about time for those who are in charge of implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement to react. Salkic argued that if they fail to react, citizens of B&H can say that they are left alone, just as they were left alone from 1992 until 1995. Chair of Bosniak Caucus in RS Council of Peoples Mujo Hadziomerovic stated that the only thing left for Dodik to do – bearing in mind that he is unable to solve everyday life problems of citizens – is to make constant threats to protect those whose hands are already ‘dirty’, threatening with abolition of courts and prosecutor’s office in order to avoid justice for those who committed crimes.

Macedonia’s government decides to launch referendum campaign (MIA)

At its regular session Tuesday, the government adopted a decision on launching a public campaign on the referendum question ‘Are you in favor of the EU, NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?’.

The campaign aims at sharing information with citizens/voters on the content of the agreement with Greece, the benefits of Macedonia’s accession to the European Union and NATO and the country’s plan of activities to that effect, the government said late Tuesday in a press release.

The campaign will be conducted in line with standards for public communications, namely in a professional, politically neutral and impartial manner. “During the campaign the Government communication and PR officials will perform their duties in compliance with the Law on Civil Servants, the Code of Ethics and universal principles of integrity, honesty and impartiality,” the press release reads.

Government to run ‘informative’ referendum campaign: spokesman (MIA)

At an upcoming session, the government will adopt a concrete plan and program on how the whole referendum campaign will be run, including the amount of the budget of the whole process, a government spokesman said Wednesday. Throughout the campaign, the government will be transparent, pledged spokesman Muamet Hoxha. “The government has tasked all ministries and other state bodies within three days to send an information to the Ministry of Finance about the funds they have at their disposal and whether they can be redirected for the referendum campaign,” he told a news conference. In preparing the plan and program for the referendum campaign, we will abide by the Law on Referendum, Hoxha said. According to him, an ‘informative’ campaign will be conducted in order to explain the benefits of the name agreement to the public. “The campaign will inform the citizens that a successful referendum paves the way for Macedonia to join NATO and the EU, it will elaborate the name deal with Greece and the benefits from it. All finances used to fund the campaign will be publicly revealed,” stated Hoxha. So far, 100 euros were spent for public ads on the Facebook page of PM Zoran Zaev as part of the referendum campaign, the spokesman said. On Tuesday, the government reached a decision to run a campaign of public interest for the September 30 referendum with the question being: Are you in favor of NATO and EU membership by accepting the name deal between Macedonia and Greece?

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Kosovo president says wants to ‘correct’ border with Serbia (Reuters, by Fatos Bytyci, 15 August 2018)

PRISTINA – A redrawing of the border to bring parts of Serbia with a majority Albanian population into Kosovo could end persistent tensions between Belgrade and Pristina and allow both nations to move towards EU membership, Kosovo’s president said on Tuesday. Hashim Thaci told Reuters in an interview that he would present his plan to Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic when they meet in September in Brussels as part of a dialogue sponsored by the European Union. Normalising bilateral relations is a key condition for both Serbia and Kosovo to advance towards their eventual goal of EU membership. The Balkan neighbours agreed in 2013 to resolve all pending issues but have so far made little progress.

“Definitely now is the moment to correct the border between Kosovo and Serbia, which is around 400 kilometres (250 miles) long,” Thaci said. “This would help avoid inter-ethnic problems and creating any sort of autonomous region such as the Serb Republic (in Bosnia).”

Thaci did not say what Serbia might receive in return for giving up such territory – home to about 55,000 ethnic Albanians – and rejected any partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines. “Correcting borders will definitely avoid Kosovo’s partition, swapping territories, more crises or problems or even possibly a new war,” he said.

“EU PERSPECTIVE”

Kosovo, whose population of 1.8 million is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence from Belgrade in 2008, a decade after NATO bombed rump-Yugoslavia to end the killing of Albanian civilians by Serb forces during a two-year insurgency. It is now recognised by more than 100 nations but not by Serbia, Russia and five EU states. Belgrade and Moscow have blocked Kosovo from joining the United Nations. Some Serbian media and politicians have suggested redrawing the border to bring a part of northern Kosovo populated mainly by Serbs into Serbia and in return to give parts of southern Serbia with an Albanian majority to Kosovo. Around 100,000 Serbs live in Kosovo, half of them north of the Ibar River in towns where they form a majority. The rest lives south of the river in areas with an Albanian majority. A majority of the Serbs living in Kosovo do not recognise that country’s institutions and still regard Belgrade as their capital. Vucic suggested last week he was prepared to compromise on defining Serbia’s borders with Kosovo, though observers say the two sides remain far apart. Most Serbs view Kosovo as the cradle of their nation and Orthodox Christian faith. Western countries are also uneasy about any redrawing of borders in the Balkans. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that the territorial integrity of Western Balkan states was “sacrosanct”.

The British embassy in Pristina said “calls for re-drawing national borders could be de-stabilising”. But Thaci said he was confident that Western countries would support any agreement signed between him and Vucic, which he believes can be reached by February 2019.

“If the parties agree in the process of the dialogue and they reach an agreement, the EU and the United States will support any deal on border correction,” Thaci said. “We are following a peaceful process and this will avoid problems, avoid crises and will open an EU perspective for both countries.”

(The story was refiled to correct the estimated number of Albanians in Serbia, in paragraph 6)

Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Ivana Sekularac and Gareth Jones