LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: We need compromise, not imposed solutions (RTS)

 

Following the United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has told the RTS correspondent in the US that there is still no agreement on whether there will be regular session on Kosovo. “We wish agreement to be reached on the dynamics (of sessions), but if it is not, then (the scheduling) will depend on who is the presiding in that month,” says Dacic. He says there is a small difference compared to past sessions, because now some big powers are calling on flexibility of all sides in the dialogue, which wasn’t the case in the past, but the expectation was for Serbia to only recognize Kosovo. Dacic says that there are still calls to countries that didn’t recognize Kosovo to do so and to vote for Kosovo’s admission in Interpol, adding that Belgrade is facing large lobbying of Western countries. He says that Kosovo’s membership in Interpol is a status issue, noting that Pristina doesn’t want to enter Interpol in order to fight against crime, but to show that it is an independent state, equal with Serbia. He notes there are no more precise numbers on how many states recognize independence of Kosovo. “Nobody has disputed my thesis that ten states withdrew recognition of Kosovo,” said Dacic, estimating that the number of states that recognized independence of Kosovo will be far smaller than now. Speaking about Pristina’s chances for admission in Interpol, he says it is difficult to speak about this since Belgrade is facing not only the Albanians, but also large lobbying of Western countries. He says that the Foreign Ministry is not directly in charge of this issue, but the Interior Ministry. Still, Serbia is fighting to tell everyone that at issue is a status matter, and that they don’t wish to fight against crime but to show they are an independent state. “I think this is our advantage because states are realizing that this is dangerous. We will fight until the end together with the Interior Ministry and the Serbian President,” said Dacic. He says he personally thinks chances are great for Serbia to win in this battel, but he knows that President Vucic will be angry if he says that they will experience a debacle, and that he will say this on Monday.

 

Dacic: Situation in Kosovo far from safe and stable (RTS/Politika)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic emphasized at a session of the UN Security Council that Serbia has tried to constructively contribute to the solution for Kosovo and Metohija and that it is ready to continue to talk with all interested parties in that spirit. Speaking at the session at which the report of the UN Secretary-General on the work of UNMIK from 16 July to 15 October, but also from 16 April to 15 July, was examined, Dacic voiced dissatisfaction over the decision of the United Kingdom as chair country not to include the topic of Kosovo and Metohija into the program of work of the Security Council in the previous period. The conflict is far behind us, but we are also far from a stable and safe situation that no longer requires the attention of this body, Dacic said, adding that with regret he can conclude that nothing positive has really happened since the last session of the Security Council – the Community of Serb Municipalities, which is the pillar of the Brussels Agreement, has not been established for more than 2000 days, conditions have not been created for the return of 200,000 internally displaced persons, the Special Court has not started with work, and almost a year after the murder of Oliver Ivanovic the perpetrator of that heinous crime has not been found. None of this happened. And it is hard to say anything positive about the things that did happen, and which are a gross violation of the Resolution adopted by this respected body, new provocations and new incidents. Dacic referred to the laws of the so-called Kosovo Assembly, which will practically enable the transformation of the Kosovo police into armed forces, which Serbia explicitly opposes, then to preventing President Vucic from visiting the town of Banje and to the incursion of special police forces at Lake Gazivode, as the most drastic example of provocation. Pristina, in an act of desperation introduced last week an additional 10% tax on products from Serbia as a punishment for our foreign policy activities, thus violating in the harshest way the rules of CEFTA which it currently chairs, and which was strongly condemned by all international actors, including the EU, Dacic underlined. Instead of focusing on dialogue, Pristina is focused on trying to gain membership in international organizations, thinking that thus it will prove its statehood, without realizing that this is not the path that leads to any solution. On the contrary, the unfoundedness of its demands and their direct opposition to the basic principles of international law only lead to the politicization of these organizations, division and unnecessary waste of energy. Serbia is most sincerely interested in reaching a compromise on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. We are determined to find a mutually acceptable solution. Such a solution cannot be found without the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, but without your support either, Dacic concluded.

 

Who was in Serbia’s corner, and who wasn’t (B92/Beta/Tanjug)

 

During the debate on Kosovo on Wednesday, the representative of Russia emphasized that he fully agreed with the assessments of Ivica Dacic, pointing out that there are serious and deep problems in Kosovo that require urgent resolution. “The stories about some about the ideal situation in Kosovo do not impress us at all,” the Russian representative said, adding that six years after the signing of the Brussels agreement, the Community of Serb Municipalities has not been formed, that Pristina blocked the process, while Belgrade fulfilled all its obligations.

As he pointed out, as soon as proposals for resolving the Kosovo issue arrived recently from Belgrade, the Albanian side used it to launch provocations and pretensions to the south of central Serbia, and the provocations also include the decision on additional tax on goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is a violation of the regional free agreement CEFTA.

According to the Russian representative, the situation in Kosovo is worrying, and possible re-emergence of the conflict would have catastrophic consequences for the entire region. He assessed that Pristina’s behavior during the visit of the president of Serbia to Kosovo and the arrival of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to Gazivode was nothing but provocation, while the storming into the north by the armed forces was a violation of all existing agreements.

He also referred to Pristina's plans to transform the Kosovo security forces, KPS, into the armed forces, stating that such a thing would represent a violation of Resolution 1244. “Pristina already says that a garrison will go to the north, which is a road to conflict,” the Russian representative said. The special court for the crimes of the former KLA has not yet started to work, he remarked. The final solution must be mutually acceptable and have an international legal form and support from the international community, the Russian diplomat said, and stressed that the Security Council sessions dedicated to Kosovo should not be made fewer, and that the attention of the UN towards Kosovo should not be reduced. China respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, said the country's ambassador to the UN Security Council this month. He said that Beijing welcomed the commitment of Belgrade and Pristina to normalize dialogue and calls for the implementation of the agreements reached. UK’s ambassador, as well as the representative of the US, spoke in favor of holding fewer sessions dedicate to Kosovo, and supported Pristina's membership in Interpol - something Serbia is strongly opposed to. The US representative said that "now is the time for both sides to be flexible in order to reach a compromise." He added that the United States will support the talks in every possible way, and that it will seriously consider any agreement that is durable and applicable in both countries and encourages stability. He added that the US supports the gradual and transparent transition of Kosovo security forces into a multi-ethnic army, which will be part of NATO. “We strongly support Kosovo's membership in all relevant international organizations, including the UN and Interpol,” the US representative said.

 

Chepurin: Russia’s stand on Kosovo is clear, we oppose artificial deadlines (RTS)

 

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin has assessed that political cooperation of the two countries is at a high level without precedent and stressed that Moscow advocates that the Kosovo problem be resolved politically within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. “The resolution of the Kosovo problem is possible only under the condition that this is accepted by Serbia and the Serbs. It is important that this is a compromise, and not a solution that is imposed from the outside. Our stand has been such in the past as well, it remains now and it will be so in the future as well,” Chepurin told RTS.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Authority formation in B&H (TV1/BHT/Hayat/Dnevni avaz)

 

The inaugural session of the new convocation of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency will be held on Tuesday, November 20. The session will start on 2 p.m. TV1 reminded that newly elected members of the Presidency are: Zeljko Komsic as a Croat member, Sefir Dzaferovic as a Bosniak member and Milorad Dodik as a Serb member. Thirty-five newly elected delegates in the Tuzla Canton (TC) Assembly took an oath on Wednesday during the inaugural session of the Assembly. SDP B&H has the highest number of delegates (10) and it is followed by SDA (9). However, right before the inaugural session started SDP B&H, DF, ‘Our Party’ (NS), SBB B&H and SB&H singed a framework agreement, thus defining the activity principles of the recently formed civic bloc. President of the SDP B&H Cantonal Board Enver Bijedic said that these five parties will launch activities for establishing of the majority in the Assembly, meaning that they will also form a Government. SDA and PDA will go to the opposition and they jointly have 16 delegates. SDA commented the signed agreement between SDP B&H, DF, (NS), SBB B&H and SB&H, saying that the coalition that has only 19 delegates in the Assembly does not have the necessary stability. An inaugural session of the Sarajevo Canton (SC) Assembly will be held on Friday. Outgoing Speaker of the SC Assembly Ana Babic stated on Wednesday that conditions for holding the inaugural session have been met after the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) submitted official certificates on awarding mandates. Parliamentary majority in the SC Assembly should be composed of Our Party (NS), People and Justice (NIP), SDP B&H, DF, SBB B&H and Independent Bloc (NB) which announced that they are close to formal and legal forming of the parliamentary majority. According to Hayat, this would be another canton in the Federation of B&H in which authorities were officially formed without SDA. Even though the inaugural session of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC) was not scheduled yet, a new parliamentary majority was agreed. SB&H signed the agreement on cooperation and joined SDP B&H, DF, ‘Our Party’ (NS), SBB B&H, ‘Independent Bloc’ (NB) and A-SDA. They will have 21 out of a total of 35 seats in the ZDC Assembly, which leaves SDA and HDZ B&H in opposition. The inaugural session of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Assembly has been scheduled for the next Friday, November 23. HDZ B&H has 13 representatives in the cantonal Assembly, followed by SDA with eight representatives, SDP with three, SBB B&H and HDZ 1990 with two each, and DF and HRS with one each. Daily noted it is interesting to note that HDZ B&H and SDA are yet to launch negotiations on authority formation in this Canton. President of HDZ B&H Cantonal Board in the HNC Ljubo Beslic stated that the negotiation process will be launched after the inaugural session. The inaugural session of the Republika Srpska (RS) parliament was scheduled for November 19. The session will be chaired by the oldest member of the current assembly convocation Dane Malesevic from DNS and three youngest members of the parties with the most votes: Denis Sulic from SNSD, Aleksandar Glavas from DNS and Davor Sesic from SDS. The representatives of the parties who received mandates in the RS parliament have already agreed where they would sit. It was not said how many deputy speakers this convocation of the RS parliament would have. RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic said that, according to the rulebook, the highest number of the deputy speakers is four. “It is ruled that one Deputy Speaker is a Croat, one Bosniak and one is a member of the biggest opposition party˝ explained Cubrilovic. He stated that the number of the Deputy Speakers would be determined later on. The delegates for the House of Peoples of B&H (HoP and for the Council of Peoples of the RS (CoP) would aslo be determined later on as well. The RS parliament will define what the deadline for delegate proposals will be. Cubrilovic explained that the initiative can be launched at the inaugural session and proposals should be filed until November 28. At this inaugural session, the MPs' mandates will be confirmed, the leadership of the RSNA will be elected, as well as the presidents and members of assembly groups and boards. Newly elected Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik will take his oath at this inaugural session, as well as newly elected RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic. The RS parliament will have 83 MPs and the majority will be made of 50 to 60 MPs this time, according to Cubrilovic.

 

President meets with Serbian Prime Minister Brnabic (Hina)

 

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic met with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic in Berlin on Tuesday and assessed the meeting as excellent. Grabar-Kitarovic said that during an official dinner given on the occasion of an Economic Summit in Berlin on Tuesday, apart from talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she also had the opportunity to speak with Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobdottir and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

"Our first encounter, I have to say regardless of what anyone will say in Croatia, was excellent. Ana Brnabic is quite concerned with the future of Serbia-Croatia relations and I hope that we will continue in that direction so that we can resolve burning issues in Southeast Europe," Grabar-Kitarovic said. She added that she had discussed the project of reconstructing the railway tracks between Zagreb and Belgrade with Brnabic.

 

Bosnian elections still a topic for Croatia’s politicians (Hina)

 

Vesna Pusic of the opposition Civic and Liberal Alliance (GLAS) said in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday that the results of the October 7 general election in B&H showed that two-thirds of Croats eligible to vote did not want to support Dragan Covic in the race for the position of Croat member of the country's tripartite presidency and that this was most likely why Zeljko Komsic won the B&H elections. "If anything is obvious from the election results in B&H, it's that two-thirds of Croats eligible to vote didn't want to vote for Dragan Covic and this is most likely why Zeljko Komsic was elected" Pusic said during discussion on the prime minister's report on European Council meetings and a meeting of eurozone countries, held in June and November. "Since Komsic has been elected member of the presidency, I guess it's in the interests of Croatia and all Croats in B&H that he does his job as well as possible, promoting the interests of Croats in B&H" Pusic said, adding that the fundamental interest of Croats in B&H is that the country succeeds on its path to EU membership. She commented on the fact that parliament should soon discuss a declaration on the status of Croats in B&H. "Imagine if Serbia, Slovenia or Hungary adopted a declaration in parliament demanding changes to the Croatian constitution and electoral law, everyone here would jump to their feet and say it was unacceptable," the former foreign minister said. Lawmakers from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) praised the prime minister for managing to push through the issue of the B&H election in the EU.

Josko Klisovic of the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) said that the prime minister's intervention in the European Council had been necessary, but that it was insufficient and belated. "You don't think we raised the subject of electoral law with our partners only after the election?" Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said, adding that previously the subject had not been raised "in a coordinated and harmonized manner. The problem is that those who should hear it at that level do not see this as a problem until it escalates," Plenkovic said. The international community's High Representative in B&H, Valentin Inzko, said on Wednesday he understood the dissatisfaction of the Croat people in the country over the election of Zeljko Komsic as their representative in the collective B&H presidency, warning however that it must be recognized that his election was lawful just as the election of Dragan Covic. Inzko also said Covic was elected four years ago under the same regulations, urging politicians to form a government at all levels as soon as possible. The new tripartite presidency of B&H, elected at the October 7 election, will be inaugurated on November 20, authorities in Sarajevo announced on Wednesday.

 

Orban: We received Gruevski, but we won’t interfere in Macedonia’s internal affairs (Meta)

 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has confirmed that former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski is in Budapest and that the authorities there are handling his asylum application in accordance with domestic and international law. “Nikola Gruevski has applied for asylum to the relevant Hungarian authorities. The former Macedonian prime minister has announced his intention to claim refugee status in Hungary,” said the Hungarian prime minister’s office, reports Deutsche Welle. As to the reason why Gruevski did not end up in a transit center, which is in accordance with Hungarian law, but in Budapest, Orbán’s office claims that security was the reason. “Given that he was prime minister for more than 10 years and for security reasons, Hungarian authorities allowed Gruevski to claim asylum and be heard at the Immigration and Asylum Office headquarters in Budapest.” Orban’s office say that Macedonia is a strategic partner and an important ally to Hungary.

 

Zaev: We expect Hungary to show that it won’t protect criminals (Nezavisen vesnik)

 

We expect Hungary to show that it won’t protect criminals Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said the Interior Ministry had acted in line with a court order and within its legal jurisdiction noting that the procedure for his extradition had been opened after the Hungarian interior ministry had sent a notification confirming former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s whereabouts in Budapest. “Without a court order, the Interior Ministry cannot approach anyone, they cannot approach neither me nor any other citizen… The law was respected very strictly in a careful and democratic way,” Zaev said when asked about the Ministry’s responsibility in Gruevski’s escape. On the police search of cars exiting the VMRO-DPMNE’s main offices, he said that law enforcement authorities acted in line with a national warrant for the arrest of Gruevski to serve his two-year prison sentence. “There was no search warrant for a political party, no one had any intentions in that direction. Actions had been taken according to the orders. Our country strives to join the EU. Regardless of what we might feel, it doesn’t give us the right to break laws, especially not the institutions. All institutions and the citizens in Macedonia are expected to respect the laws,” said Zaev. He said he expected Hungary to take actions in line with the international warrant for the extradition of Nikola Gruevski.

“We expect Hungary to show that it won’t protect criminals who have harmed the citizens of Macedonia. How can we, the candidate countries, be motivated, if an EU member becomes a haven of criminals and opts not to respect international law,” Zaev stressed. The Prime Minister ‘strongly and categorically’ denied speculation about a political deal with Nikola Gruevski in connection to this case. Asked who would be held responsible for Gruevski’s escape and whether it was part of the reconciliation process, Zaev stated that the government was committed to utmost transparency. “Not a single institution made a mistake. Perhaps only if the border services made a slip-up and let him cross an official crossing, but we have already ordered investigation into the whole procedure,” stated Zaev. According to him, the government cannot be blamed for everything. The government, Zaev said, acts in line with the law and has been always elaborating its actions publicly and transparently. He said he was confident that all processes currently conducted would meet the expectations of the people, i.e. ‘all convicts, including Gruevski, to serve time.’ “Macedonia has a future only if there is punishment for crimes committed. Everyone that is convicted should serve time. We will do everything in our power to bring Gruevski back,” pledged PM Zaev adding that everyone should take responsibility, including the judiciary if there had been shortcomings in the process.

 

Dimitrov: It is hard to digest that Gruevski is seeking refuge from an EU member state (Meta)

 

The idea that a strongman with such legacy, now a convicted felon facing many other trials, will seek refuge from the rule of law in a candidate country to an EU member state is impossible to digest.  Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov said in a written statement regarding the exile of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in Hungary. Nikola Gruevski is the one who managed to reduce Macedonia to a captured state under his reign, as per the report of the European Commission back in 2016. All of us here, but also in Europe, heard the phone conversations indicating massive abuse of office, electoral fraud, and corruption that were published in 2015. Not to forget that as a former PM, he also enjoyed police protection composed of officers of his choice, making his allegations related to his personal safety completely false.

 

Mogherini hopeful that 2019 will be Albanian year of success (ADN)

 

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday that she believes that 2019 will be the year of successes for Albania. She made this declaration at a joint press conference that was held in Brussels along with Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati and EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn. "Albania continues to play a constructive role in the region. We have been determined to prioritize security operations. The agreement between the Western Balkan countries and Europe is the country's strategy to advance. We will continue to work with Albania in order to meet all the conditions. We remain determined that 2019 will be a successful year for Albania as Albanian citizens want to," said Mogherini. Meanwhile, Bushati emphasized that in the framework of the integration process, the government is open and ready for dialogue with other political forces.

 

Bushati: Government open for dialogue with political forces (ADN) 

 

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati said that government is ready and open for dialogue with other political forces in Albania. Bushati made this declaration on Wednesday at a joint conference in Brussels with EU representatives, where he also was focused on recent police operations to crack down on criminal gangs. "Operations against gangs are encouraging and I am glad that the EU High Representative mentioned this fact. Law enforcement instances are on the front. We will continue with the implementation of the law on respect for the rights of national minorities. During the discussions at the 10th Stabilization and Association Meeting, we gave the message to keep open the door for cooperation with the political forces. We are pro-reform. By June 2019, together with the EC and the EU countries we should work together to transform this story back to success," said Bushati.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Talks Between Serbia, Kosovo Must Be Backed by Previously Agreed Trust-Building Measures, Special Representative Tells Security Council (UN News, 14 November 2018)

 

New momentum in talks between Serbia and Kosovo must be accompanied by the implementation of previous agreements and other measures to build trust between communities in Kosovo, the Secretary—General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today.

“Any process of political negotiation requires the full engagement and buy-in from societies, as well as from leaders and political representatives,” said Zahir Tanin, who is also Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), as he presented the Secretary-General’s latest report to the 15-member Council. Mr. Tanin said that prospects for decisive progress in the European Union-facilitated negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina had improved with support from both sides of a new framework for a comprehensive agreement, including the possibility of territorial exchange.  At the same time, however, he described the situation on the ground as adversarial, with economic steps and needed reform in economic and rule of law institutions undermined by, and contributing to, ethnic tensions. In order to build trust and build acceptance for political agreements, he underlined the importance of addressing those issues and implementing earlier agreements that included the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.  Ongoing efforts to deploy a Kosovo Security Force must also be handled with care to ensure a fully inclusive process. In addition, he highlighted the importance of UNMIK’s priority of long-term reconciliation through trust-building at the grassroots level in Kosovo.  Among other strategies, the Mission is promoting the use of innovative communication technologies to support interactions between communities, and addressing issues related to justice, human rights, women’s empowerment and youth.