LOCAL PRESS

Ljajci: Vulin illegally entered Kosovo and Metohija (Politika)

Serbian Minister without portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin has illegally entered the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, “most probably by an alternative road” because he didn’t cross the border between Kosovo and Serbia at Brnjak” so he will “bear consequences” in the future, while his eventual arrival again will be examined at the level of the premiers of Belgrade and Pristina, Politika was told by Driton Ljajci, the spokesperson of Hajredin Kuqi, the vice president of the Kosovo government, pointing out that Vulin’s visit was not approved yesterday after he had violated agreement in the Pec Patriarchate and Gorazdevac and “led a campaign.” Since the arrival of Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic is expected on Saturday, we asked Ljajci to tell us whether an official request was sent to Pristina for this visit: “I will be able to say something on this tomorrow, but everyone in Belgrade knows that Belgrade’s officials may visit Kosovo only if the visit is religious.” The EU Office in Pristina didn’t wish to comment the denial for Vulin’s visit. Stojan Pelko, the spokesperson of the EU Mission Head in Pristina Samuel Zbogar, told Politika: “We are postmen in this process, but we can’t discuss the details, because this is an issue of Belgrade and Pristina.” EULEX wasn’t happy to discuss this as well, but EULEX spokesperson in Pristina Irina Gudeljevivc told Politika: “EULEX has no information whether Mr. Vulin arrived and how he entered the Kosovo territory. We have nothing to do with the approval process for visiting permits, known to everyone for years. There is an agreed procedure where EULEX is not included in any case.”

Chepurin: We will not be bigger than Serbs than you (Novosti)

“Russia is always interested in a prosperous Serbia. Strengthening of Russia has always strengthened Serbia. Your country will always be our ally because this is geopolitical reality,” the Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin tells Novosti. “The most important issue is energetic economic and social development and preservation of identity without which there is no perspective. Both for Russia and Serbia. We have had vast history, but we are persistent – victorious nations. Despite challenges, we managed to preserve identity. As Slavs, together, we are the best in many fields: mathematics and physics, hockey and tennis, ballet and literature, basketball, music…It is important that we establish at present long-term, lasting, close cooperation with mutual interests.”

Serbia is not capable of blocking alone Kosovo’s path towards the UN. Can we count on the Russian veto in the SC if Kosovo’s membership issue is raised in the UN?

“That is an issue, primarily, of Serbia itself and its political will. There is a banal but precise expression – We can’t be bigger Serbs than the Serbs themselves. Russia wants to support Serbia in the UN if necessary. We have stressed several times that Serbia has our full support, but here it is important to understand correctly Belgrade’s strategy. Our stand on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is clear and we have always, directly or indirectly, supported Serbia’s efforts in preserving integrity, along with international law. We advocate the resolution of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, along with respecting the interests of the Serbs who live there and guarantee that their cultural values will be preserved. Otherwise, we have no influence on the course of the present negotiations, because the request of the previous government was that they be conducted via the EU and not the UN. We were asked to support this decision and we did. We still haven’t seen any paper as the result of the negotiations with the EU mediation that we can officially support and take a stand towards it. We have noticed that pressure has been exerted on Serbia during the entire year. But this was only to the joy of Ms. Ashton’s fans.”

Are Belgrade’s firm endeavors to join the EU in conflict with Kremlin’s strategic interests in the Balkans?

“That is Serbia’s choice. If it considers that this will be better for its people – then it is its full right. Russia has no allergy towards the EU. As regards the non-alternative of the choice – then it is a disputable issue.”

Have ties between Belgrade and Moscow strengthened since the new government has come to power?

“Compared to the previous authorities that called Russia only when there was no other solution, two factors are now noticeable: first, these relations are leading to acceleration of our mutual cooperation which is now in some fields in an embryonic state, and second – mutual benefit. Presidents Putin and Nikolic have met twice in Moscow and Sochi. Deputy Prime Minister Vucic also visited Russia and also took part in private meetings. Prime Minister Dacic also visited Moscow last spring. Such meetings are undoubtedly useful.”

What would be Russia’s response if Serbia would head towards NATO membership?

“Russia’s stand on this issue is clear: NATO is an atavism of the past century. The wounds of the NATO bombardment and death are still fresh – and not only in Serbia. I will never understand and accept those who are pushing the country into this military alliance for the sake of 30 silver coins, whereby they are betraying elementary human values, eroding the memory of the victims. Serbia has a long tradition as a non-aligned country.”

Your country has been focused here on projects in the oil-gas sphere. Do speculations - on the existence of a strong lobby in Belgrade that is stopping the beginning of the construction of ‘South Stream’ – seem realistic?

“Russia and “Gasprom” have chosen for the gas pipeline to pass through friendly territories. These are usually useful projects for transit countries. Each state has its own interest for the projects to be realized. However, excessive bureaucracy can quash the project. We should resolve various obstacles, and then both development and the future are certain. One should not forget that there are various interests and lobbyists in the sphere of energy throughout the world. We have common interests with the Serbs.”

Does the West have the right to fear the possibility of the humanitarian centre in Nis turning into a military base?

“If there is Belgrade’s support, the Russian-Serbian humanitarian centre for emergency situations will open in Nis by the end of the year. It will guarantee better security of your country and the entire Balkans. Russia is investing more than $60 million, practically as a donation. We purchased the equipment for fighting natural and technogene disasters, what the country needs. The money will be invested in fire engines and ambulances, robots, helicopters, demining assets. Both Russian and Serbian experts will work there.”

Will Putin visit Serbia at the end of the year, as announced?

“We expect President Putin to visit Serbia when we receive a message that all necessary preparations for the beginning of the ‘South Stream’ are complete. If the Serbian energy bureaucracy operates normally there will be no problems. I am convinced that the Serbian leadership will realize the significance and rationality of the project. We hope soon for a message, we are waiting for a signal. The ball is on the Serbian side.”

 

REGIONAL PRESS

Sorensen met with representatives of the SDA, SBB and HDZ 1990 (Oslobodjenje)

The EU Special Representative in B&H Peter Sorensen spoke today with representatives of the SDA, SBB B&H and HDZ 1990 on the implementation of the Strasbourg Court decision in the Sejdic-Finci case and coordination mechanism towards the EU. Details and location of the meeting are confidential, since it was agreed not to make them public, BHT 1 conveyed.
President of HDZ 1990 Martin Raguz told Srna it was agreed with the EU Delegation that at this stage of talks, which will last for the next few days, the participants at the meetings do not address the media.

Eduard Kukan, MP in the EP: Desperate for good news from B&H (Dnevni Avaz)
Chairman of the Delegation of the European Parliament (EP) for Relations with the Western Balkans Eduard Kukan warned in an interview with Dnevni Avaz that B&H is dangerously lagging behind its neighbors and that the mood within the European Union (EU) is changing.
“ We strive to do the best possible thing for B&H, but the results are not seen amongst your politicians. We have nice talks with them, promises are given and then nothing is done.

And situation in the EU is changing. The voices that the next European Commission won’t have the Enlargement Commissioner can be heard. I do not know whether this is going to happen. But even without that, B&H should not miss any offered opportunity anymore,” Kukan said.

During the presentation of the report you spoke on progress towards the EU. How do you evaluate a report on B&H?
“I think that the report is objective. There has been a slight improvement in some areas, but in general, B&H lags behind its neighbors. The divisions among politicians and fragmentation of political levels burden the situation in the country. A slight economic improvement is mentioned, but there is almost none when it comes to laws that have to be made. You have the Sejdic- Finci problem that was not solved for already four years.”

During your speech emphasized the frustration you have with the situation in Bosnia and complained that you cannot find good news from Bosnia, except for the success of the football representation?
“Yes. It is obvious that we are frustrated. And this can be seen in the overall atmosphere at the EP and other European institutions. We are trying to help, but there are no results.

Discussions are conducted, but there is no progress. We are frustrated. We do not know what else to do in order to see the results, and which instruments to use. We meet with your representatives, we talk, but there is no progress. We miss that, and we are trying in every way to accomplish that.”

Why isn’t there progress?

“It seems to me that some politicians in B&H don’t want your country to progress. Look, for example, Commissioner Stefan Fule called them on several occasions for talks in Brussels. The talks were nice and then nothing happened. Without a united view on how the country should progress, it is clearer that it will be difficult to see B&H’s progress towards the EU. Thus, agreement on this is needed among the B&H politicians. Since there is none, clearly there is no progress either.”

Can you name the politicians who don’t wish to join the EU?

“Sorry, I can’t.
If the system of talks doesn’t yield results, should one reach for sanctions?

“That is the last instrument that didn’t turn out to be good in many countries. We have mechanisms to press politicians to agree. Suspension of IPA funds, which are important for each state, is one of the possible mechanisms. We wish very much to see these positive changes and we desperately hope for good news from B&H.”

How does lack of good news from B&H reflect the mood inside European institutions?

“I don’t expect dramatic changes or that B&H could be treated by using discriminating methods. The current team in the EU institutions that is working with B&H is made of experienced and kind people. They are trying to help as much as possible, we’ll see what will happen after the elections for the EP and how the new European Commission will look like. Use the offered opportunities and reach agreement!”

Bevanda insists on passing a coordination mechanism (Srna)

The Presiding of the B&H Council of Ministers Vjekoslav Bevanda has voiced regret over the fact that the B&H political leaders, participants of a series of meetings with the EU officials in Brussels, have not reached consensus in view of adopting a model of an efficient coordination mechanism in the European integration process of B&H. Bevanda presented that model to members of the Joint Commission for European Integrations of the B&H Parliamentary Assembly and explained what were the disputable points over which this proposal didn’t receive full support. According to him, the model that received in February initial support of all leaders is hierarchically based on the functioning of five levels, where the collegium is the highest political body, followed by the ministerial conference, political advisors, commissions and working groups. “I consider this model to be good, necessary and justified, because it respects both exclusive and shared authorities of different levels of authority in B&H, including the principles of responsibility and trust,” said Bevanda. He said this model “failed” in April, and as disputable principles they marked participation of cantons in the coordination mechanism, decision-making via consensus, existence of political advisors and ministerial conferences, as well as presiding over the ministerial conference and expert working groups. Bevanda didn’t wish to clearly point to the main culprit for the delay in the process, but he noted that, when it comes to decision-making via consensus, he personally voted for this principle, and he received support from the governments of the Republika Srpska and the Brcko District, but not from the B&H Federation. According to him, the problem is that he hasn’t received from anyone objections to the offered model in written form. “It would not even cross my mind now, or then, to insist on the final solution being imposed or passed by outvoting,” says Bevanda.  Speaking about the results of the meeting of the B&H leaders with the EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule in Brussels, Bevanda notes there is no progress when it comes to the Sejdic-Finci decision and that intensive talks of the B&H Federation leaders are underway.

Vigenin and Venizelos dance sirtaki over the name (Dnevnik)

The ball is in FRYOM’s hands and now Skopje will have to react to the progress report of the European Commission (EC) and to the open questions with the neighboring countries. This is the position of Bulgarian and Greek Foreign Ministers Kristian Vigenin and Evangelos Venizelos, who met in Athens on Thursday, writes Dnevnik. The two ministers, who met right after the release of the EC progress report, said that Greece and Bulgaria had good bilateral relations and strong cooperation in many fields. “Analyzing the diplomatic vocabulary of the two ministers at the press conference, which was focused on only two issues, then it becomes clear that the Vigenin assumed entirely the role of sending the major messages to neighboring FRYOM. He even got out the official framework of the bilateral cooperation with FRYOM and while being in Athens he used the name Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia instead the constitutional name of the country,” Dnevnik comments.

Greece, Bulgaria set the barrier again (Utrinski Vesnik)

Without a positive evaluation on the neighborly relations from the neighboring countries there will be no green-light for the EU accession talks, assessed Bulgarian and Greek Foreign Ministers, Kristian Vigenin and Evangelos Venizelos, writes Utrinski Vesnik. According to the newspaper, the two countries expect the FRYOM government to solve the open issues so as to back its EU membership. Utrinski Vesnik remarks that this was the first visit of Kristian Vigenin to Athens as a Bulgarian Foreign Minister. Minister Venizelos, on the other hand, said that Greece should not be expected to green-light FRYOM’s EU talks this year.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Kosovo: 10 Albanians Jailed For 'Terror' (RFE/RL/AP/AFP, 17 October 2013)

A European Union-led court in Kosovo has sentenced 10 ethnic Albanians to prison terms for an attack on a Serbian police checkpoint.
The sentences range from 26 months to nine years.
EULEX, the EU’s rule of law mission in Kosovo, said in a statement that the defendants had been found guilty of "terrorism" and participating in a "terrorist group," which carried out an armed attack on a Serbian checkpoint in southern Serbia in June, 2012.
One officer was reported slightly injured in the attack.
The panel of judges said the group had sought to trigger conflict in the Presevo Valley in a bid "to compel the international community to intervene" there.
Serbia’s Presevo Valley, which borders Kosovo, is mostly populated by ethnic Albanians whose political leaders have sought for their community to join Kosovo.

Serb Central Bank Cuts Rates as Inflation Returns to Target Band (Bloomberg, by Gordana Filipovic, 18 October 2013)

Serbia’s central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate more than most economists forecast after a three-month pause as inflation dropped into its target range for the first time in more than a year.

The Narodna Banka Srbije in Belgrade cut the one-week repurchase rate by a half point to 10.5 percent, according to a statement on its website today. Four of 24 economists in a Bloomberg survey forecast the move. Eleven saw a quarter-point cut and nine predicted no change.

Inflation was the slowest in 16 months in September, with consumer prices rising 4.9 percent from a year earlier after a 7.3 percent increase in August. The monetary authority is seeking to keep price growth at 4 percent while tolerating a possible 1.5 percentage point deviation on either side. Inflation was last within the target band in June 2012.

“By making the decision to lower the benchmark interest rate, the executive board had in mind weaker risks related to fiscal developments,” the central bank said in the statement. “Weak demand, along with fiscal consolidation measures, will represent a strong disinflationary factor next year.”

The dinar traded weaker against the euro at 114.01 at 12:12 p.m. in Belgrade, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Yield on Serbia’s 10-year Eurobond maturing in 2021 fell 3 basis points, or 0.03 percentage point, to 6.148 percent.

IMF Advice

Serbian rate setters are brushing off the advice of the International Monetary Fund to pause easing until fiscal consolidation takes root. The Washington-based lender recommended on Oct. 8 that Serbia remain cautious with loosening policy, which “has been appropriately put on hold.”

Policy makers cut the key rate in May and June by a cumulative 75 basis points to 11 percent. They surprised most economists by holding borrowing costs in July after the IMF said relaxing policy would be premature.

The Balkan nation must cut public wages and state subsidies to fend off looming insolvency, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said Oct. 6, adding that Serbia is “on the verge of bankruptcy.”

The IMF also called for “steadfast” and “credible” implementation of measures announced by Premier Ivica Dacic’s cabinet to contain public debt. These include tax increases, a higher retirement age for women, crackdown on the shadow economy and lower subsidies to public companies.

Belgrade Awaits Post-‘Coup’ Provisional Rule (BIRN, by Gordana Andric, 18 October 2013)

The Serbian government is set to choose who should run the capital on a provisional basis after the political putsch that ousted the previous city leadership.

The Serbian government must propose to parliament before October 24 which parties should to be invited to participate in the provisional city assembly and who should be the five members of Belgrade’s provisional council.
The council will run Belgrade until the next local elections, which must be organised by February 24 2014 at the latest, according to the law.
The appointment of the provisional administrations comes after mayor Dragan Djilas was ousted in a vote last month which has been described as a political coup.
According to Aleksandar Jovicic, the head of the country’s ruling Progressive party in Belgrade’s assembly, decisions about who to appoint have not yet been made.
“There are several names that we are considering,” said Jovicic after the assembly’s session on October 15, adding that those chosen would be professionals who know how Belgrade and its services function.
The Democratic Party, DS, and the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, still haven’t decided whether they will take part in the provisional city rule, if asked.
The DS mayor Djilas was removed from office on September 24th, when 60 of the 110 deputies in the city assembly voted for his dismissal.
The move came after the Progressive Party and the DSS submitted a proposal to axe him.
The motion claimed that Djilas bore the most responsibility for the poor financial situation of the Serbian capital.
The Socialist Party, which before the ‘coup’ was in coalition with the Democrats in the city, withdrew its support and also voted against the mayor, assuring his defeat.
Djilas described his removal from office as the result of a “political deal”, and said it “had nothing to do with the results that the current city administration has achieved”.
According to Serbian law, if a new mayor is not elected by the Belgrade assembly within a month, the state parliament must appoint a five-member provisional city’s council to run the city until elections.
The provisional body however has no power to adopt any new regulations or decisions, as its jurisdiction is limited to ensuring the normal functioning of municipal services.
Jovicic insisted that the city, despite all this, would continue to function normally.
Djilas however claimed that Belgrade was effectively being thrown into an undeclared state of emergency and urged the state government to call for elections in the capital as soon as possible.
He alleged that the government was “dragging its feet over calling the elections in order to have as much time as possible to run the campaign against me”.
The Progressive Party responded by stating that it was “not afraid of the elections”.
“We are prepared to test Belgraders’ will and our legitimacy at any time,” the party said in a statement on October 15.
On the same day, the outgoing Belgrade assembly met for the last time to adopt several measures necessary to ensure that the city functions normally under provisional rule.
The directors of six city’s public companies whose mandates were about to expire were named acting directors, while the director of Belgrade Public Transport, Nebojsa Ceran, was replaced with Milan Sofronic.
Ceran was arrested on September 9 on suspicion of abuse of office while he was working as a director of the Kolubara mine.
The assembly also adopted several decisions allowing the city to give financial help to pensioners and kindergartens.
In the last local elections in May 2012, the DP won 50 of the 110 seats in the Belgrade city assembly.
A Socialist-led bloc won 13 and decided to form a coalition with the DP, as it had done before.
The Progressives won 37 seats, while the DSS won 10.

Serbia’s Nis Urged to Honour Wartime Hero (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 18 October 2013)

The authorities in the Serbian city have been urged to name a street after Srdjan Aleksic, a young Serb who died saving his Muslim friend during the Bosnian war.

Members of the local parliament in Nis filed a request on Thursday for the southern city to emulate Belgrade and various other towns across the Balkans and dedicate a street to Aleksic, who was killed 20 years ago while trying to defend his Muslim friend from an assault by Bosnian Serb troops.

The request was filed to the city parliament and the commission for naming streets by the ‘Story of Nis’ parliamentary group.

Belgrade’s city assembly agreed to name a street in the capital after Aleksic on Monday in response to an online petition.

Aleksic was killed in 1993 in the southeast Bosnian town of Trebinje, at the height of the Bosnian civil war, after a gang of Bosnian Serb soldiers who had been combing through traders and shoppers in the market, looking for Muslims, found Glavovic and started to beat him.

After Aleksic came to his friend’s aid four soldiers turned on him and beat him to death with rifle butts. He fell into a coma and died on January 27,1993.

One of the four attackers was killed during the war, while the remaining three were sentenced to two years and six months in prison each.

The story of Aleksic’s wartime heroism, at a time when Serbs and Bosniaks were portrayed as enemies, has spread across the former Yugoslavia.

Aleksic’s story is also the focus of the award-winning movie ‘Circles’, which was recently selected by the Serbian Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the country’s candidate for the foreign-language Oscars.

“The film deals with the consequences of a heroic act and follows the lives of the people who participated in an event that changed their lives,” its director Srdan Globovic said at the time the movie was filmed.

Albania: Marijuana Village (Deutsche Welle, 14 October 2013)

Farmers in a mountain village in southern Albania harvest a whopping 900 tons of cannabis every year, with an estimated market value of four and a half billion euros - even though cannabis cultivation is illegal there.

The villagers of Lazarat keep to themselves and threaten strangers with weapons. For years, law enforcement agencies have taken scarcely any steps to prevent cultivation of marijuana. Criminal networks from Albania and Italy are said to be in control of the trade, in most cases protected by members of the judiciary and politicians in exchange for hush money. A camera crew from European Journal has been one of the first to be allowed to enter the village.