LOCAL PRESS

Scott: We need to know where Serbia is and where Kosovo (TV Prva/B92)

US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott has told the TV Prva that it is important to know where Serbia is and where Kosovo is. “I fully agree with Vucic, it is important for both sides to return to the table and to reach an all-encompassing solution through dialogue. Taxes are an obstacle. Trump wrote to Vucic that there is a real opportunity to reach agreement in the following months and not to miss the chance,” said Scott. “Every agreement requires compromise from both sides. This cannot be imposed from the outside, it needs to come from here and it needs to be an agreement that is lasting and implementable, not only on paper, but to be realized. We cannot force anyone, it is in the interest of Serbia and Kosovo to reach agreement. They should wish to return to the table and I think they wish,” said Scott. He says too much importance has been attached to the delineation term. “It is clear that borders must be clear and this is an element of an all-encompassing agreement, along with issues of management of resources, rights of the Serb community, issues of payments, missing, war crimes. Still, it needs to be known what the line is, where is Serbia, and where is Kosovo. The map of Serbia in the US and map of Serbia in Serbia differ,” said Scott.

Dacic: Serbia ready to give active contribution to fight against terrorism (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in a conversation with US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott that Serbia gives full support to the fight against terrorism. Dacic informed Scott that he will arrive in Washington on 6 February to participate in Ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and said that Serbia is ready to offer an active contribution to the suppression of terrorism. The interlocutors expressed interest in the further improvement of the positive dynamics of bilateral relations between Serbia and the US.

Lukashevich: Kosovo is a point of instability (Tanjug/Sputnik)

Russia’s permanent representative in the OSCE Aleksandr Lukashevich has stated that the authorities in Pristina have decided to intensify the Kosovo crisis, and that Kosovo is becoming appoint of instability. “The authorities in Pristina are conducting a policy of intensifying the Kosovo crisis, which threatens with an escalation of violence and war in Western Balkans,” Sputnik is quoting Lukashevich and having said. According to him, there are also signs that the leadership in Pristina is out of control of western countries. “There are more and more signs that the Kosovo-Albanian leadership of the province, 20 years after the barbarian bombardment of Yugoslavia and then years after the unilateral ‘independence’, is completely out of control of those western states that projected this ‘independence’,” said Lukashevich at the OSCE permanent council session.

Elias: UN tribunal contributes facts to reconciliation discussion (N1)

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals contributes to reconciliation in the region by establishing the facts which will give people a framework for discussion, Mechanism Registrar Olufemi Elias told N1 on Thursday. “If the international community takes these steps to establish tribunals one expects to see a big contribution by them in terms of reconciliation,” he said and added that it is not realistic to expect the judgements to solve all problems. That is not the function of the judges, he said. “This is a court and its main function will always be to decide cases. In doing that any court will establish facts. The records, the evidence given, the sentences are all matters of judicial record and they are objective fact. The members of the court are judges, they’re not negotiators, not politicians, they decide on the cases before them. If they did anything else, they would not be doing their job. Their contribution to the process of discussion and reconciliation is to establish the facts which will provide the basis for discussion and hopefully the establishing of those facts will give people a frame of reference for reconciliation,” Elias said.  “You can only put forward the facts as the judges see them. People always draw conclusions about things they see depending on their preferences,” he said. Asked about claims of torture and mistreatment of prisoners serving sentences handed down by UN war crimes tribunals, Elias said the Mechanism does not tolerate torture of prisoners and follows up on all complaints of mistreatment. “Torture cannot be tolerated at all and we have not had reports of that. We get a few complaints about mistreatment and this is of prime importance to us. We cannot tolerate that,” he said adding that the UN has very clear rules and standards for treatment of people in custody. “We follow this up regularly and we are always in contact with countries where people serve sentences. We meet with the people, look at the conditions and if this is not satisfactory we request changes. This is something we take very, very seriously. We make sure the UN standards are respected and when they are not we take steps and this is verified by third parties such as the ICRC,” Elias said. Asked about Bosnian Serb war-time political leader Radovan Karadzic’s request for access to Skype for communication with his family, he said that the rules allow that possibility but that there are technical and security concerns which Mechanism experts are dealing with. “There’s no problem with that and we’re working on it. The interpretation by judges is that he can have this,” he said. The Mechanism registrar said the tribunal does its best to finish cases as quickly as possible because that is part of its mandate. He said judges take care to shorten cases when possible but added that justice takes time. Speaking about cooperation with Serbia, Elias said that the “question of cooperation between the tribunal and Serbian government is intricate” because the Mechanism has three different bodies – the judicial arm, office of the prosecutor and the registry.  “One aspect of cooperation is the fulfilling of requests for assistance. We talk about a number of various issues such as the serving of sentences and situation of prisoners. On that level I believe that the cooperation is fine,” he said speaking of his meetings with Serbian officials. He expressed satisfaction that the Serbian government agrees to the opening of an information center which would allow access to the archives of the Hague Tribunal (ICTY). “This is not just for Serbia but for the whole region and given Serbia’s centrality this would be important in providing access to information,” he said.

Stanisic, Simatovic released until trial by 2 May (Beta)

Former heads of Serbian state security Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic Frenki, who were indicted by The Hague of war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), would remain released until trial, in Serbia, until early May, Beta reported. Stanisic was released until trial due to illness in summer 2017, immediately after the retrial had started. However, the information that Simatovic was also released until trial, back in September, when the last sessions were held, came from the so far unpublished documents, which Beta news agency got from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals that inherited the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). When asked why Simatovic was also not in the courtroom while the last witness of the prosecution Aleksandar Vasiljevic was at the stand, the court delivered to Beta a decision on prolonging Simatovic’s release until trial by 2 May, which showed that he was released back in 15 September. As one of the stated reasons for this decision was continuation of Simatovic’s medical treatment. The Hague’s prosecution was opposing it. The trial chamber reached the same decision for Stanisic also.

A retrial against Stanisic and Simatovic, which started in June 2017, was the last process of The Hague that would determine if Serbian officials were responsible for crimes in Croatia and B&H. No Serbian state officials were sentenced of these crimes at ICTY.

Opposition discussed document it calls Agreement with the people (Tanjug/RTV/RTS)

Representatives of part of the opposition gathered around the Alliance for Serbia (SzS) examined at a meeting the content of the document they call “the draft of the agreement with the people”, the SzS announced. They also agreed that all representatives submit suggestions for everybody to voice their stand next week on accepting the final versions of the document, as well as that the agreement, even after adoption, remains open for amendments and for all those from the opposition who wish to accept it subsequently. The representatives of part of the opposition met for the first time on 25 January in order to formulate a response to the demands addressed to them from the protest in Belgrade.

Tadic: Boycott is legitimate action (N1)

A boycott of parliament is a powerful legitimate political action not a sign of impotence, Social Democrat Party (SDS) leader Boris Tadic told N1 on Thursday. He said the goal of a boycott of parliament is to show that something is wrong with democracy in Serbia.  The boycott can only be effective if all opposition parties back the idea, the former president of Serbia said adding that the entire opposition is on the same track now. He said all institutions should also be boycotted.

Tadic said officials from all opposition parties opposed to President Aleksandar Vucic’s policies discussed the boycott at a meeting on Thursday.  According to the SDS leader, Serbia is in a situation when everything is under Vucic’s control and given those circumstances the opposition has to start a boycott and “obstruct the system that wants to destroy the basic principles of democracy”. A boycott is also a way to prevent the Vucic regime from taking control of all resources in the country, he said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik: Not to allow any review of SDA initiative (Srna)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said that the announced SDA initiative to re-examine the name of Republika Srpska (RS) before the Constitutional Court of B&H is not in accordance with the B&H Constitution and that even its submission should not be allowed. He has stressed that RS has a negative experience with the Constitutional Court of B&H and warned that two of nine judges are former SDA deputy leaders. “Majority decides. Majority is five. The Bosniaks and internationals in this court have always made unfair and wrong decisions. Therefore, we must not allow either its submission or review of this initiative” Dodik told reporters in Belgrade after a meeting with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. He has stressed that RS does not have confidence in that court. “We do not have confidence in such institution where a female judge from Macedonia who celebrates Ilinden is sitting, but when she comes to B&H she votes against 9 January as a bank holiday in RS. How can such an institution and such treatment be trusted,” Dodik has asked. He has thanked Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for giving a statement on SDA initiative earlier, and reiterated that it is impossible and not in accordance with the B&H Constitution. Dodik has asked is there a more precise example of overthrowing the constitutional order than the initiative calling for the abolition of RS’s name, which according to the B&H Constitution is an integral part of B&H. He has assessed that, in case RS did or said something similar what the SDA has done, it would probably be followed by a series of international meetings” to condemn RS and its anti-Dayton behavior”. “Article 1 paragraph 3 of the B&H Constitution says:’ B&H is composed of the Federation of B&H and RS; the full name is written in article 1 of the B&H Constitution. Does one need to explain it to a lawyer,” Dodik has asked.

Izetbegovic: We wanted to stop the discrimination in RS (N1)

The goal of challenging the name of RS, the Serb-majority entity, is to stop discrimination against non-Serbs in that part of the country, the leader of the party behind the initiative which caused tensions in B&H, Bakir Izetbegovic, said in a press conference on Thursday. “We will wait for six months to pass, then we will see what we will do and who will submit the appeal for the RS name change and when” Izetbegovic said. The SDA leader explained that the goal of the initiative was to “prompt certain forces” which could help stop the discrimination against Bosniaks and Croats in the RS. If it fails, there is no alternative other than appealing to the Constitutional Court and the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg and requesting for the names of the other two constitutional peoples to be included, he said. He also spoke about Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of B&H’s tripartite Presidency: “Mr. Dodik is a robust, capable, audacious and courageous politician who is checking how far he can go, insulting the OHR, the US Ambassador, honoring war criminals, calling upon Serbia to support the secession of RS,” Izetbegovic said. “Those are unthinkable things that everyone is slowly getting used to. Now Mr. Dodik expects us to support a man who will be his instrument in the Council of Ministers and who openly says he will not work in accordance to the Constitution and the law” he added.

Izetbegovic said it was time to “draw the line”, saying that “everyone will make a compromise” and that the SDA expects “from the Serb side nothing more or less than respecting B&H’s Constitution and the law.” If the SNSD respects the Constitution and the laws, we will have a new Council of Ministers within 15 days. It is up to them” he said, adding that B&H’s path toward EU membership will stagnate unless the government is formed.

B&H’s accession to NATO would mean further disintegration of RS (Srna)

B&H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said that further disintegration of RS is one of the primary reasons why RS considers B&H’s accession to NATO unhelpful. Dodik said that RS is constantly living under various pressures, which is the case with NATO. “So, there is a pressure in relation to what we need to do. We successfully react to it,” Dodik stated in a press conference, commenting on the question whether RS will resist the pressure concerning B&H becoming NATO member. He has pointed out that in the past years, NATO has worked hard to strengthen the position of the high representative in B&H who was disintegrating Dayton RS, and that NATO aviation bombed Serb positions during the war. “We do not trust it. That is the main reason we are against NATO,” Dodik has said. He has recalled that the RS parliament adopted a resolution citing that RS will remain neutral and added that he sees no benefits of B&H accepting the NATO Membership Action Plan. “NATO did not make an effort to come to B&H and say – here we came to build factories that will produce bootlaces and export it for our training program. NATO is trying to incur only higher costs. We have to allocate 100 percent more funds for the army, if we want to take that course. We do not have that money and that is the key reason,” Dodik has said.

Zaev hopes B&H will become a member state of both EU and NATO (N1)

The Macedonia-Greece agreement that solved the 27-year long dispute on the name of Macedonia means that “we have finally got a country that nobody disputes,” Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev said in an exclusive interview for N1. In his first interview for a foreign media outlet after reaching the name deal, according to which the country’s name will now change to North Macedonia and which opened door to membership in the European Union and NATO, Zaev also spoke about the situation in B&H and developments in the region. “We decided to make decisions. Our citizens vote for us to make such decisions. Citizens elect the leaders who will be making tough decisions. All of us in Macedonia knew we would have to solve that sooner or later. When I was honored to be appointed the Prime Minister, I was aware of that problem,” said Zaev, reminding that his country had bilateral problems with each of its five neighbors back at that time. The international community was encouraging the two countries to find a solution but the decision was on Macedonia and Greece alone, he said. “They wanted to have this dispute solved so that Macedonia becomes a member state of the European Union and NATO,” added Zaev. According to him, 70 percent support of citizens to the so-called Prespa agreement shows they are ready to follow their leaders. Hopefully, said Macedonia’s Prime Minister, this will encourage the leaders in rest of the region to solve problems in their bilateral relations. Speaking of the EU and NATO integration of the region, Zaev said these two were parallel processes. “I want B&H to become a NATO member. I honestly wish it will become a member of the European Union. NATO brings peace and stability, the European Union brings values,” he said. Politicians have to listen to the wishes of citizens when it comes to these two memberships, according to Zaev, and he is aware of the stance of the Serbs in Serbia and Republika Srpska (RS), both objecting the NATO membership. “This is my advice, let B&H take the path it has to take. I understand Serbia which went through the (NATO) shelling. It is all clear. But there is no alternative. What else could be an alternative? To be neutral? What will that bring?” Zaev said. Opening and not closing the borders in the region should be “an ideal” to follow and the region should cooperate more, which will make Europe respect it, he stressed.

“We on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia are brotherly people. I respect that. I was fond of Yugoslavia and I dream of all of us getting back together. That’s how it is going to be in the European Union” said Macedonia’s official. In a message he conveyed for the peoples of B&H, Zaev said they should all take care of each other. “They say there is 11-15 percent of the Croats (in Bosnia), some 30 percent of the Serbs and about 55 percent of the Bosniaks. The one who is majority must show generosity and respect for minorities. Because that’s a democratic value. The communities that are a majority must try harder for everyone in the country to enjoy the same rights and have same obligations,” he said. A civic state does not mean the rule of one ethnic group but the rule of citizens, Zaev concluded this topic. Explaining the reason behind his fondness for B&H, Macedonian official said it was about the same mentality and sharing the same values, and because “we were close in ex-Yugoslavia.” “We’re the same people, with the same mentality. We believe in the same values. We have the same dreams and I believe we can help each other,” said Zaev.

Germany signs the Protocol for Macedonia’s accession into NATO (Meta)

The German Federal government has agreed to sign the North Atlantic Treaty Protocol for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia, the German Embassy announced. “We are convinced that the accession of North Macedonia to NATO will contribute to the security and stability not only in the Euro-Atlantic area and will not only strengthen the transatlantic community, but it will be an important impulse for the further stabilization of the Western Balkans. So, it really is good news for Europe and for the transatlantic alliance,” said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert. According to Seibert, accession to NATO will happen after all NATO member states have individually submitted the information that they have ratified the Accession Protocol. “For this purpose, in Germany, a Law of Agreement is required. The Federal Government will advocate the speedy adoption of this Law of Agreement. From the moment the Accession Protocol is signed in Brussels, North Macedonia will have ‘observer’ status in the Alliance,” he added. Seibert explained that the European Council at the earliest in June, 2019, will decide whether EU accession negotiations will begin with North Macedonia, with the basic criteria for a positive decision being visible and sustainable reforms, the fight against organized crime and corruption.

Stoltenberg expects all 29-member states to sign Macedonia’s NATO Accession Protocol (Nezavisen vesnik)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday in Bucharest that he expects all 29 Allies to sign Macedonia’s NATO Accession Protocol. At the joint press conference with President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, Stoltenberg expressed expectations that all 29 Allies will sign the Accession Protocol soon and then Skopje will take part in NATO meetings as an invitee.

“Once all 29 Allies have ratified the Protocol, we will be able to welcome the Republic of North Macedonia as NATO’s 30th member,” Stoltenberg underlined. This will consolidate peace and stability in the region, and Europe as a whole,” he added. Stoltenberg noted that with Iohannis they also discussed NATO’s continued commitment to Open Door policy and congratulated both Skopje and Athens, and Prime Ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras for their courage and strong leadership in resolving the name issue.

Zakharova: Name solution should be acceptable for both sides (Nezavisen vesnik)

The name issue should be solved in a way that is acceptable both for Skopje and Athens, said Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday.

Zakharova told a press briefing that western countries have interfered in the name settlement with the only objective of getting Skopje into NATO. “Russia recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name. Moscow has always said that the name issue should be settled in a way that is acceptable both to Skopje and Athens,” said Zakharova in response to the question whether Russia will recognize name Republic of North Macedonia and the possibility of a discussion over the issue in the UN Security Council. According to her, the process of the Prespa Agreement ratification underwent serious violations of the national legislation in one of the countries, as well as international legal norms as a result of outside pressure. “We believe that no one should have doubts that the western countries are guided by geopolitical interests over Skopje’s NATO accession, not by the wish to help solve this bilateral dispute,” added Zakharova.

SDSM and DUI fight for the same pool of Albanian voters shakes their coalition (Republika)

The unexpected, unanimous decision by the DUI party leadership to nominate a candidate of its own in the presidential elections, despite the months of announcements that the party is seeking a joint candidate with SDSM, gave the impression of a crisis in the ruling coalition. DUI leaders met in their headquarters days after its leader Ali Ahmeti met with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev to discuss precisely the so-called consensual candidate. This candidate, who DUI described as not necessarily Albanian, but acceptable to Albanians (meaning DUI) would’ve represented both parties at the elections. The Albanian group in SDSM, represented mainly by Muhamed Zekiri, mocked the proposal after DUI put forward several Macedonian candidates who have or may have had an Albanian parent or more distant ancestor, like Denko Malevski. The dispute between the two ruling parties over ethnic Albanian voters, amid continued withdrawal of ethnic Macedonian from SDSM caused a deficit for this party, is making it more difficult to run the coalition. DUI also faced an announcement from the Alliance of Albanians that it will run an Albanian candidate, at least in the first round, exposing the party to attacks from Albanian nationalists that it is supporting a Macedonian for President and leading it to lose even more of its core support. Still, DUI did not close the door on its proposal entirely. Deputy Prime Minister Bujar Osmani said that talks will continue. The Presidency of the party empowered the leader to discuss having a joint candidate with other Albanian parties, or a joint candidate with parties from other ethnic communities, if conditions are made to have a consensual candidate, Osmani said. Running political battles through the courts is the defining feature of this government, with the trial primarily aimed at the opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, but SDSM is turning its judicial machine against DUI as well, even though the Albanian party was completely spared from all the allegations of war crimes and more recent allegations of corruption, in its term in office. Osmani demanded that the press apologize before him after the media merely reported the announcement from Labor and Welfare Minister Mila Carovska that a 19 million Euros hole in the PIOM public retirement fund, managed by DUI officials, was due to abuse. Osmani’s enraged reaction surprised the public and the media, who did not expect such an open display of coalition infighting. Still, DUI has another ace in the sleeve. If the talks for a joint candidate with SDSM fail, it is possible that the elections fail altogether, amid lack of interest. Presidential elections are famously low turnout anyway, which meant that they are usually held along with some other elections. SDSM and DUI are still thinking about the challenge from VMRO-DPMNE to hold early general elections along with the presidential elections. Either way, if the 40 percent turnout threshold is not met and the elections fail, the DUI appointed Parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi will become acting President, giving the position to DUI by default, if only for a limited period of time.

White House called Rama regarding the Kosovo – Serbia issue (ADN)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Thursday that he had a telephone call from the White House. Apparently, the issue of Kosovo was the focus of talks with US Security Adviser, John Bolton. Rama said that the focus of the conversation was Albania, the region and strategic objective for the peace agreement between Kosovo and Serbia to close historical conflict. Rama also said that the Security Adviser John Bolton, thanked him on behalf of the US President Donald Trump for the consistent position of Albania regarding these issues.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Melescanu: Romania supports opening new chapters in negotiations between Montenegro, Serbia with EU (Stiripesurse, by Roxana Ghiorghian, 1 February 2019)

Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu said on Friday before joining the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) that Romania supports the opening of new chapters in Montenegro and Serbia’s negotiations with the EU, appreciating that speeding up the process will allow faster accession of these countries to the European Union. “Romania supports the opening of new chapters in the negotiations between Montenegro and Serbia with the EU, and we believe that accelerating these negotiations will have to enable faster accession of these countries to the EU, although at the level of the Commission 2025 was given as accession horizon. We are convinced that this process can be accelerated and we will support the acceleration of this process,” Melescanu said in a statement to the press. The minister mentioned that on Thursday, on the first day of the informal meeting in Bucharest, the topic of the Eastern Partnership was also approached as it has a special symbolism for the Romanian presidency of the EU Council.

“It was a priority topic for Romania’s presidency. We discussed it. It has a special symbolism for us because it is ten years since the creation of the Eastern Partnership and our concern is to prepare a ministerial meeting in Brussels to assess the good things that have happened in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and to give a certain perspective on the post-2020 period of the Eastern Partnership. For us it has a dual significance. On the one hand, encouraging the Eastern Partnership countries to continue with reforms that will make them compatible with EU values. On the other hand, we must recognize that these Eastern partners are very important contributors to the security of Europe,” Teodor Melescanu said.

Bulgaria will build pipeline to transport Russian gas (Reuters, 31 January 2019)

SOFIA – Bulgaria will build a pipeline to transport mainly Russian natural gas to Serbia from its border with Turkey after three companies, including Gazprom, filed binding offers for capacity at its gas network, officials said on Thursday. The project, which forms part of Bulgarian efforts to set up a regional gas hub and win the extension of Russia’s TurkStream to central Europe, had hinged upon its ability to sell sufficient capacity to make the pipeline commercially viable.

TurkStream is part of the Kremlin’s plans to bypass Ukraine, currently the main transit route for Russian gas to Europe and strengthen its position in the European market. Its two lines that go under the Black Sea to Turkey, will each have an annual capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres. The first one is aimed at Turkey’s local consumption. State-owned gas network operator Bulgartansgaz said in a statement it took a final investment decision to build a new 484 km pipeline, estimated to cost about 2.8 billion levs ($1.64 billion), following the successful capacity booking. “We have very good news,” Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said in parliament. “The economic test for the project to expand the gas network completed successfully and the offered capacity was booked 100 percent.” The other two bidders who filed 20-year binding bids included Bulgaria’s state-owned Bulgargaz and Swiss-headquartered energy company MET, officials said. Bulgaria has been hoping to attract the extension of the second line of the TurkStream pipeline to run through its territory to Serbia, Hungary and Austria rather than through Greece. Bidders have booked to ship smaller quantities in 2020 that rise to 17.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) a year at the border with Turkey and to about 11 billion bcm/y at the border with Serbia from 2021 to 2039, Bulgartransgaz data showed. Energy analysts have expressed concerns that with the process Gazprom will be cementing its dominant position as gas provider in southeastern Europe. At present, Bulgaria meets all of its gas needs with Gazprom’s supplies.

“The biggest bulk of the capacity has been booked by Gazprom. This way the Russian company is strengthening its dominant position in the region,” said Martin Vladimirov with independent think-tank Center for the Study of Democracy.