LOCAL PRESS

Vucic: Kosovo is Serbia’s biggest EU problem (Beta/TV Pink)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the rule of law was not the most significant problem for Belgrade, but that was the Kosovo issue, Beta reports. Speaking to TV Pink, Vucic said that the European Commission would soon report significant progress made by Serbia in the rule of law, adding that the Venice Commission approved the constitutional amendments and that everything goes in right direction. Commenting on the European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn’s statement that Kosovo was not the only condition Serbia had to fulfill, Vucic said that Belgrade carefully watches everything that is going on in the EU. “We are on the EU path because we want a democratic society, an organized country, but Kosovo is our most serious problem,” Vucic said. He added that a foreign factor does not want an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina and that it is increasingly difficult to preserve the stability in Kosovo. Vucic reiterated that Serbia wanted a compromise with Kosovo Albanians, but “that it is now clear that it is next to impossible to achieve due to the political climate both in Serbia proper and in Kosovo and Metohija.

Dacic: How long will Albanians be tolerated in not fulfilling obligations (RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has told RTS on Tuesday evening that the initiative for the transformation of the Kosovo security forces is an attempt of some Western countries to satisfy the Pristina authorities. He recalled EU spokesperson Maja Kocijancic’s statement, noting that she has always been speaking with the stand that condemns all sides or calls on all sides, but adds that today she clearly stated that they supported the transformation of the Kosovo security forces but only according to the constitution. “This is opposed to the constitution. Therefore, nothing will come out this,” said Dacic. He says that the US was fierce in their reaction last time, but not they let them a bit over their internal political scene. Dacic says that ever since the Brussels agreement was signed, a search for an alibi has been constantly searched for it not to be fulfilled. “This is what irritates. How long will the Albanians be tolerated as someone who doesn’t fulfill what was signed and as someone who provokes instability in the region,” said Dacic. Speaking about the initiative for Kosovo to be admitted in Interpol, Dacic says this is a crazy situation because Kosovo cooperates with Interpol through UNMIK. “Kosovo doesn’t want to enter Interpol in order to cooperate in the fight against crime and terrorism. Kosovo wants to join Interpol in order to demonstrate and prove itself as a state. That is why it will not join Interpol,” said Dacic. He wonders why the Pristina authorities need an army. “UNSCR 1244 speaks about the fact that the only armed force in Kosovo and Metohija is KFOR. It has not changed, it has not been abolished. While it is in power, there is no army of Kosovo,” said Dacic. He says that the Serbs in B&H also don’t like the High Representative. “What is the High Representative doing in B&H for 25 years after the war? But here, in Kosovo, they say they need to leave,” says Dacic in regard to the request for UNMIK’s withdrawal. He says this request is not coming from the US but from Pristina. “There is a big difference when someone from Pristina speaks and when Nicki Haley is speaking. But they can speak all they want,” says Dacic, noting that the UN Security Council is a collective body and that, as long as Russia and China are in the SC, this will never pass.

When it comes to the resolution of the Kosovo issue, Dacic says that two proposals are being heard in public. One is that Kosovo should be an independent state and that Belgrade should recognize Kosovo the way they defined themselves as a state, and the other proposal, based on the Serbian Constitution, is that Kosovo is an autonomous province within Serbia. “The Albanians don’t want the latter, and we don’t want the first. Is it possible for this to remain a frozen conflict? In the Cyprus case they agreed for this to remain a frozen conflict. Cyprus was admitted in the EU. Is Serbia’s cased, Serbia will not be able to proceed further with the frozen conflict if it really wishes to go along EU integration,” said Dacic. He says he is not an Euro fanatic and that he is speaking of Serbia’s national and state interests. He says that we need to look for a proposal that will be accepted by both the Serbs and Albanians. “Otherwise there is a big risk of Serbia getting nothing. To have a blitzkrieg in the north of Kosovo after which Serbia would be in a position of having to intervene or not to intervene. If it intervenes then it is already a conflict with KFOR and NATO which would, in return, mean that Serbia could call Russia for help. Well, you know what, we went too far in this entire scenario,” said Dacic.

Stefanovic: I don’t expect Kosovo to join Interpol this year (Beta)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said that he didn’t expect Kosovo to join Interpol this year, and that he could hardly expect the organization to breach its own resolution, according to which a state that wasn’t a member of the United Nations couldn’t be a member of Interpol either. Stefanovic recalled that at last year’s session, Interpol adopted a resolution that states that countries seeking admission to Interpol must be members of the UN or must have the status of an observer in the UN, and “Kosovo” is neither one nor the other. He estimated that it is hardly imaginable that a reputable and professional police organization like Interpol would have violated its own resolution, expressing the expectation that member states would not allow the politicization of this police organization. The reception of “Kosovo” would constitute the worst violation of international law, Stefanovic pointed out, and stressed that self-proclaimed Pristina institutions are not able to ensure a minimum security for citizens living in our southern province. It is absolutely absurd that people who are themselves on the Interpol warrant lists for the most serious crimes now want to decide who should join them on that list, and not based on legally substantiated arguments, but in the staged processes whose scenario is known in advance, he underlined

Vulin: I hope Montenegrin officers know where they are (Tanjug/B92)

“Montenegro, which has joined KFOR, should know that this mission was established on the basis of UN Resolution 1244, and this resolution does not mention the state of Kosovo,” Serbian Defense Minister Vulin has responded to his Montenegrin counterpart Predrag Boskovic, who said that Kosovo was a sovereign state. “Members of the KFOR mission must be status neutral and therefore statements made by the Montenegrin minister of defense about supporting the state of Kosovo are not in accordance with the KFOR mission. I hope that Montenegro knows it has sent its officers to the KFOR mission, not to the Kosovo Security Forces,” said Vulin. By supporting the unrecognized Kosovo state, the Defense Minister of Montenegro is undermining the trust of Serbs in KFOR, and that is too high a price to pay for the participation of two staff officers,” Vulin said in Beijing, where he is attending a security forum at the invitation of the defense minister of China, a press release said.

Kocijancic: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue ongoing (Beta)

The Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is ongoing at a technical, expert level, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said on Tuesday. She told Beta that the goal was to schedule the next high-level meeting between officials from Belgrade and Pristina. She said that Belgrade and the European Commission have different views of the dialogue with Belgrade and some international officials feeling that it was stopped because of the conflict among Kosovo Albanian leaders and Pristina’s announced intention to form a military. “Our assessments of the state of the dialogue are clearly different,” Kocijancic said.

Scott expresses condolences to Serbian war victims (Beta)

US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott expressed condolences on Tuesday to the families of all the people killed in the wars of the 1990s, including those who died in the NATO air strikes of 1999. “I want to use this opportunity to express my condolences to the families of the people who died in the wars of the 1990s, including those who died in the air strikes by NATO forces,” Scott told a wreath laying ceremony at the monument of American doctor Rosalie Slaughter Morton who provided aid to Serbia in World War 1. Scott said that the US and Serbia were on opposite sides in the 1990s but added that this is all part of the two countries’ “common history”. During the 1990s, the American government and the government of Yugoslavia under Milosevic found themselves on opposing sides. That is part of our common history and we see that as momentary turn from the years of being allies and friends, the Ambassador said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Not a single world power interested in situation in B&H (Dnevni list)

Daily notes there is no single world power that is interested in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the situation in the country, which is contrary to what some individuals in B&H are claiming. Daily stresses that as long as there is peace in B&H and as long as there are no security threats, not many people in Europe and the world will be interested in what is happening in B&H. Daily carried Croat member of the Presidency of B&H Dragan Covic who told RTRS that ‘we’ had hundreds of meetings with foreign officials and that certain issues have been initiated by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, however “there are only a few of them who understand what is going on in B&H”. Covic added that interests of big powers, when it comes to the region, are focused on resolving disputes between Macedonia and Greece, and Kosovo and Serbia. Daily further carries member of the Presidency of B&H from Republika Srpska (RS) Mladen Ivanic who said earlier there are not many people who understand and who are interested in situation in B&H, adding it is German Chancellor Angela Merkel who understands and follows the situation in B&H. Ivanic is of opinion that after the international community (IC) resolves disputes between Macedonia and Greece, and Kosovo and Serbia, that the IC will get more involved in B&H. Daily also carried US Senator Roger Wicker who recently said that the US’ interest in the Western Balkans, particularly B&H, has decreased, which has to change. “It is important for this Senate and this country to again be interested in B&H” said Senator Wicker.

Covic repeats request for changes to Election Law or there will be no formation of authorities (TV1)

The Presidency of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) held a session in Mostar on Tuesday. Their conclusion was that there are no legal and constitutional ground for implementation of election results. ˝We have no conditions for formation of authorities considering the fact that the B&H Constitutional Court decided that some parts of the Election Law are not applicable and they were not changed yet˝ said President of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic. He said that the Croat people will not allow other people to elect their representative. Covic stressed that the election of representatives for the Croat people by others is completely unacceptable, a bit irritating and politically irresponsible. He stressed that the key principle is the constituent status of the three peoples, they need to be equal and their vital interests need to be protected. ˝The message is clear – the election of the Croat member of B&H Presidency on behalf of the Croat people is unconstitutional, illegal and illegitimate and we will have adequate argumentation for this˝ Covic said. Covic stated his belief that he has support for election of legitimate representatives not only by the Croat people, but also from representatives of other people, primarily SNSD President Milorad Dodik. Covic stressed that B&H will “never be a civic, unitary state of one people”. Instead, B&H must maintain the preamble of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) and the Annex 4 of the B&H Constitution. HNS Presidency believes that the political parties within the HNS are the only carriers of Croat election legitimacy after the recent elections. Covic stressed that they have the answer of the Croat electorate in B&H and the assessment is that more than 98% of Croats voted for the HNS parties that were present at all authority levels. He announced that the partnership in the authorities will be defined by those who have the legitimacy among their people.

SNSD and SDS close to joint authorities (EuroBlic)

Sources close to top of SDS claimed that SDS Main Board will hold a session over the weekend and it is already certain that it will conclude to launch talks on formation of authorities with everyone, including SNSD. Sources also said that some members of SDS Main Board already softened their stances when it comes to cooperation with SNSD, primarily because of their personal interests because they think possible entry of SDS members in Bosnia and erzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) would create possibility for entry of SDS members in B&H Parliament. Some other, according to sources, think that cooperation with SNSD would help them preserve their seats as heads of municipalities in Repubika Srpska (RS) while majority is of the view that calming down of tensions between two political blocs in the RS would be beneficial for interests of the RS. A source from SNSD told the daily in an unofficial conversation that SNSD would be willing to discuss cooperation in joint institutions with SDS, but cooperation in the RS might be possible as well “if some of current coalition partners present unrealistic requests”. NDP leader Dragan Cavic reiterated that it is necessary to first clarify the situation related to final election results and only then to decide on the course of action. “If SDS gets closer to SNSD, this would disturb relations in general and there is no doubt about this”, Cavic said and added that sessions of NDP Main Board and Presidency will take place shortly after election results are confirmed and only then suitable decisions will be made.

Leaders of SBB B&H, NBL and NiP meet, discuss formation of authority (Dnevni avaz)

Delegations of SDP, DF and Our Party held a working meeting on Tuesday, continuing negotiations on formation of authority in the Sarajevo Canton; daily unofficially learned that they discussed details of the program coalition and a document that should be a guideline for the future authority. The coalition agreement should be completed by the end of the next week, when it is going to be revealed to the public. The three parties then plan to negotiate with other political parties in order to form a wider coalition. In the meantime, SBB Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) hosted a meeting of its leader Fahrudin Radoncic with NBL leader Ibrahim Hadzibajric and NiB (People and Justice) leader Elmedin Konakovic on Tuesday.

In a statement for the daily, Hadzibajric said that the three parties discussed formation of authority and concluded they are ready to launch negotiations with the left-wing parties.

“When we receive an invitation, we will be ready to talk. If everything goes as planned, we can start formation of authority” he said. Commenting the stance of SBB B&H, Hadzibajric said that Radoncic is not interested in distribution of ministerial seats, but SBB B&H plans to offer support to this bloc through its parliamentarian capacities. He added that they also discussed formation of authority at higher levels.

RS waiting for agreement in Federation of B&H, all cards on table in Federation of B&H (Nezavisne)

Daily claims that the RS is waiting for an agreement in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the majority in the House of Representatives (HoR) of the parliament of B&H. At the same time, according to daily, literally everything is possible in the Federation of B&H. The B&H HoR is made up of 42 MPs, out of which 28 come from the Federation of B&H. SDA and HDZ B&H have won a total of 13 mandates combined, meaning that they need several more to establish the majority, while other parties – gathered around SDP – do not want to cooperate with SDA and have more MPs than possible SDA-HDZ B&H coalition. SDP leader Nermin Niksic has already announced that SDP and other parties will try to create majority at all levels without SDA. Future DF representative in the B&H HoR Dzenan Djonlagic told daily that it will come down to one or two votes, meaning that formation of majority will be a difficult job. “We will insist on program coalition, at all levels in B&H”, Djonlagic said, and expressed hope that DF will be in coalition at all levels of authority with SDP, Our Party and other parties from the civic bloc. SDA MP Semsudin Mehmedovic told daily that it would not be a good thing to throw SDA out of authorities at the level of B&H and at other levels, adding that “mathematical coalitions” would be against the interest of peoples. HDZ BiH leader Dragan Covic reiterated on Tuesday that there can be no formation of authorities before an agreement is reached on changes to the Election Law of B&H. At the same time, SNSD’s MP Stasa Kosarac told daily that it would be good to establish authorities in which there would be no blockades. Kosarac believes that blockade in the process of formation of authorities would be a consequence of obstructions and unresolved relations in the Federation of B&H, as parties are trying to find a way to leave SDA out of authorities. Kosarac concluded that negotiations will commence after the publishing of the final election results. “I expect that there will be enough maturity and wisdom to establish authorities, although some destructive forces in B&H want to keep the current Council of Ministers for as long as possible”, said Kosarac. He added that HDZ B&H should not be bypassed in the process of forming authorities, as they have won the majority of Croats’ votes. “I am convinced that patriotic bloc will be created to preserve the interests of the RS, and that SNSD Caucus will grow bigger,” Kosarac concluded.

Croatian MoI will not allow entrance of unregistered migrants (N1)

The Croatian Ministry of Interior (MoI) stated on Tuesday that they will not allow entrance of unregistered migrants on the Croatian territory. The MoI stated that false information is being spread among migrant population on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Serbia that Croatia will allow entrance to their territory and further passing towards western European countries. The Croatian MoI underlined that they will apply national and European legislation and will not allow illegal crossing of their state border, i.e. the external border of the EU.

The latest data read that by October 20, around 19,500 migrants entered B&H, while the Border Police of B&H prevented nearly 13,000 of them to enter the country. Deputy Director of the Croatian Police Jozo Suker stated that information that Croatia will be opening its border crossings with B&H to allow passage of migrants to the EU is false. He said that the role of Croatia in the migrant crisis is to stop the crossing of migrants into the EU, since the Croatian border is the outer border of the EU.

Robertson: Stars align for Macedonia, not to repeat in next 40 years (MIA)

Former NATO secretary-general, Lord George Robertson, addressed the Atlantic Council on Monday, saying time has come for everyone in Macedonia to look to the future and defend the country’s national interest, MIA reports from Washington. “Remember the courage of your politicians during the 2001 crisis. They saved their country from certain bloodshed. Certain politicians are now demonstrating such courage” said Robertson. According to him, the referendum was organized for the erasing of word fYROM from the world map. “If we talk about national identity and national sovereignty, then word FYROM is completely minimizing your identity,” added Robertson. He compared the vote in the Macedonian Parliament to the one in the UK Parliament back in 1972, when 30 Labor MPs voted opposite the stance of the party and in favor of Britain’s accession to the European economic community. “They did this because they put national interests before partisan interests. We never regretted this decision, but we are regretting the current situation of Britain trying to leave EU, which is very difficult,” said Robertson. He noted this chance for Macedonia will not repeat in the next 30-40 years.

“The overlapping of Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev is like a rare star alignment” said Robertson.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

The knot will be cut by elections (ekathimerini.com, by Nikos Konstandaras, 24 October 2018)

It is difficult to know whether Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias’s resignation in itself will greatly affect Greece’s foreign policy; what is certain is that the departure of a prominent left-wing member of SYRIZA so that the marriage of convenience with Panos Kammenos can continue unimpeded will make domestic politics much more complicated for the prime minister. This will, in turn, create added problems in the exercise of foreign policy. Alexis Tsipras has made it a personal wager that the Prespes agreement will be ratified and he is expected to focus his energy on that, as Kotzias had done. To a great extent, though, the issue is not entirely in the prime minister’s hands. The agreement’s fate depends, on the one hand, on political developments in Skopje following last Friday’s vote (which cleared the first hurdle for eventual ratification there), and, on the other, on whether enough members of Greece’s opposition parties feel the need to support its ratification. The way that Tsipras handled the issue from the time that it appeared an agreement with Skopje would be reached showed that he was not interested in forging alliances that would have supported the deal. Instead, he appeared to use the Macedonia issue as a wedge aimed at splitting the opposition parties. Now, as the fate of the deal lies in the hands of others, the prime minister could be forced to pay the price of this recklessness. In foreign policy, the absence of Kotzias will be apparent mainly because of his powerful personality and personal strategies that often ignored his ministry’s diplomats and technical experts. There might be fewer ambitious initiatives but we may see a restoration of the ministry’s institutional functions in the service of the new minister, who is the prime minister himself. This would be a positive development. The Prespes agreement, however, is not the only issue that needs attention. Developments in the region are rapid and the problems complicated and often interlocking. Among these: the dynamic return of the United States after years of near absence, which follows the rising influence of Russia and Moscow’s decisive intervention in Syria; the Cyprus problem with all the ramifications arising from the possible discovery of exploitable hydrocarbon reserves in the island’s exclusive economic zone; negotiations with Albania and, separately, Egypt on their EEZ delineation with Greece; the trilateral initiatives that Greece and Cyprus have undertaken with Israel and Egypt. Turkey’s aggression will most likely increase with the hydrocarbon exploration around Cyprus and over Turkey’s challenges to Greek and Cypriot rights. Migration flows (and the negligence in managing the issue of the immigrants and refugees who are already here) will also demand constant attention. Foreign Minister Alexis Tsipras is called on to marshal knowledge and determination in a situation that is continually changing under the influence of forces that Greece cannot control. It is fortunate that after the nonsense of early 2015, Greece’s alignment with the United States and the European Union is unquestioned. These frameworks may have kept our country in the eurozone, but conditions demand continued wakefulness and flexibility. Whether Kotzias stayed at the Foreign Ministry or not, it is clear that the government which has relied on a cynical deal with Kammenos cannot overcome the limits of this cohabitation. As long as Tsipras bases his power on Kammenos’s desires, demands and explosions, the more he will try to overcompensate by showing off his “leftist” credentials to his left-wing critics. These may mean even greater tolerance of anti-establishment attacks on the state and society and greater undermining of the education system. Despite the cost to society, which is already great, Tsipras will find himself having to fulfill the ever-greater demands of both Kammenos and anti-establishment groups. He will also have to deal with Kotzias’s heavy shadow. These problems will compound the government’s dysfunction in politics, in the economy and in society. This knot will be cut only by elections.