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LOCAL PRESS

Nikolic: Serbia tied its destiny to EU (RTS)

With the start of the accession talks, Serbia has tied its destiny to the EU, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in talks with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico. Nikolic underlined that normalization of the Belgrade-Pristina relations does not mean recognition of Kosovo. 

Fico presents Dacic with keys to the EU gate (Radio Serbia/Tanjug/Beta)

“Serbia and Slovakia have exceptionally good relations they will continue to improve,” underlined Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico after the meeting in Belgrade. Slovakian Minister, the first foreign official to visit Belgrade following the commencement of Serbia’s negotiations on the EU membership, symbolically presented Dacic with keys to the EU gate. Dacic said that, when one considers the arguments for or against Serbia’s admission to the EU, one has to be malicious to say there is no interest in membership. We want the best for our people and this is why we want the Serbian people to be part of the European family of nations, Dacic emphasized. He thanked Slovakia for the principled stand on Kosovo and the support to Serbia’s EU integration. This reflects friendship of our two peoples, as well as an obligation to further develop our cooperation, underlined Serbian Prime Minister. The Slovakian delegation also included Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, and Dacic also thanked him for everything he did for Serbia.

Vulin: Europe isn’t mentioning UN membership for Kosovo (Novosti)

“Chapter 35 or the dialogue with Pristina isn’t a place where status issues are resolved. They are resolved at the United Nations Security Council. Serbia will not recognize Kosovo and there is nothing to discuss on this. Our partners in the EU understand this and they aren’t posing this question before us,” Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin told Novosti one day after the negotiations in Brussels on normalization of relations with Pristina.

Does the EU negotiating framework contain the request not to hinder UN membership of Kosovo? Are you certain that this issue will not be raised later on?

“Such ideas existed before the Brussels agreement was signed and we refused this. There is and there will be no such stand. In Chapter 35 we discussed how to implement the agreed things in Brussels and how to verify that it has been implemented. We haven’t launched new topics, we haven’t discussed status issues, and especially there was no mention of Kosovo receiving UN membership. Pristina will probably keep launch this topic constantly, but not with us and not before us because it knows the response.”

What issues will Belgrade initiate in the continuation of the dialogue, and in what direction should we expect the EU to direct this process?

“It is of greatest possible importance for Belgrade to resolve the issue of property in Kosovo and Metohija, our cultural and church heritage and the return of expelled Serbs. It is not necessary for the EU to set conditions or demands because it is someone who needs to strive to make life in Kosovo and Metohija better for all those who live there. In our opinion, three things I had mentioned would lead to that.”

According to what jurisdictions will the Union of Serb Municipalities differ from a NGO, without it being what the EU suggests it shouldn’t – a new Republika Srpska (RS)?

“The fact that it will have jurisdictions in the field of healthcare, education, urban planning and economic development goes to say that this is not a NGO. As it doesn’t have legislative function, it can’t be a RS either. The Management Team will present the statute of the Union, and then it will be negotiated as well as the proposed jurisdictions. Still, it is precisely the Serb municipalities that will have the last say on the statute.”

The elections in northern Mitrovica will be repeated on 23 February, do you know the new mayoral candidate of the Serbian (Srpska) Civil Initiative?

“The people who live in Kosovo and Metohija, members of the Serbian list are the ones deciding on the candidate. Let us not turn the Kosovo Serbs into dolls, because they are independent and they are the ones going to the polls. I have been informed about some proposals and I think that a specific name will be presented very soon.”

What is the essence of the dispute between you and Krstimir Pantic?

“The important thing for me is that Mr. Pantic doesn’t have a dispute with the state policy, and the fact that he has a dispute with me is normal in politics.”

If there are elections at the republican level, how much will party competing impede the formation of the Union?

“That would not postpone it for one second. If there are elections, there will also be electricity, even though members of different parties work in thermal power stations.”

Will participation of the Kosovo Serbs for the Serbian parliamentary elections be interpreted as voting of the Diaspora?

“The key thing is for the Serbs to take part in the elections for the parliament, government and president of the republic that they recognize and trust. What do I care if Pristina will recognize that in this or that way? When one arrives at Jarinje, we say this is an administrative line, while Pristina says it is a border. The same thing happens in Cyprus, Israel or any other country that has a problem with separatism but can’t resolve it at the given moment. Here it is important what we think and how we behave. Thus, the Serbs will participate in their elections and it doesn’t matter how Pristina will interpret this.”

Do you support Serb parties entering the Kosovo Assembly?

“We will discuss that in Brussels. We should see what the conditions will be and whether the guaranteed seats will remain. From this depends whether we will call the Serbs to go to the polls. The Kosovo Serbs trust their government and participation of the Serb community in central elections isn’t possible without participation of the state of Serbia.”

Djuric: Nothing should be requested of Serbia that is not in accordance with Constitution (Tanjug)

Serbian President’s Advisor Marko Djuric expressed the belief on Friday that at the end of the process of normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations, the EU will not require Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence unilaterally declared by Albanians. “Nobody in the EU requires Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence,” Djuric said in an interview for Tanjug and noted that the EU could not even make such a request from the legal standpoint. “We do not expect any EU institution would set such a condition for Serbia. We are currently conducting intense talks with EU partners as to the criterion which advocates of the Kosovo independence would acknowledge as measurable and politically acceptable in terms of normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations and the levels and degrees of normalization necessary for Serbia to be admitted into the EU,” Djuric said. He underscored that Serbia has demonstrated to its European partners and the entire world that it is willing to carry out internal reforms and normalize relations with those with whom it had most severe conflicts, but he also said that Serbia should not be asked to make a move that is impossible both according to the Constitution and the moral code. “Recognition of Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence is not on the agenda in Serbia and it will not be on the agenda at any point in the foreseeable future and in this sense, Serbia should not be subjected to pressures and requests to do the impossible. On the other hand, there is a lot that can be done to improve Belgrade-Pristina relations, ensure better functioning of institutions in Kosovo and raise the living standards for citizens,” he said. Djuric stated that the pragmatic approach to solving problems with tolerance and understanding led to the signing of the Brussels agreement on the normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations in April 2013. This is proof that such an approach produces results and helps remove tensions and create conditions to find a solution to the conflict in which the two relevant sides maintain diverging stands, the advisor said.

Belgrade representatives submitt cadastral documents to Zbogar (Radio Serbia)

Belgrade representatives have submitted scanned cadastral documents for the first three municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija to the EU Head in Kosovo and Metohija Samuel Zbogar. Serbian Minister in charge of Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin said that would enable citizens in Kosovo and Metohija to prove their ownership rights more easily. “There is a large number of property restitution applications and claims for damages due to property usurpation in Kosovo and Metohija. The completion of the cadastral document scanning process for the first three municipalities proves that Serbia is a responsible state, aware of its international obligations,” stressed Vulin.

REGIONAL PRESS

Raguz with Sorensen, Daviddi: Agreement on Sejdic-Finci certain (Oslobodjenje)

The HDZ 1990 leader Martin Raguz has stated at a meeting with the EU Special Representative Peter Sorensen and Renzo Daviddi, deputy head of the EU Delegation in B&H, that a final agreement on the Sejdic-Finci ruling is certain. Raguz and the EU representatives discussed possibilities of intensifying negotiations among party leaders on a final agreement connected with the decision by the Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg. He expressed the stance that an agreement is possible with the support of the EU and European Commission, and that there are clearly identified positions in the last negotiations. “The last meeting was a great move in relation to the previous, because the representatives succeeded in declaring stances on 14 points,” said Raguz. The interlocutors agreed that it is imperative to adopt a final agreement before the elections, and that, if changes to the Constitution and electoral law aren’t made, the elections will be without credibility and political valuation by European institutions, the HDZ 1990 said.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia ‘Unhappy’ Over Top Yugoslav Officials’ Jailing (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 24 January 2014)

Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic expressed concern after the Hague Tribunal upheld its guilty verdict on four senior Yugoslav state and military officials for war crimes in Kosovo in 1999

“These are not just verdicts on the individuals, but verdicts for acts that someone could think that the state was behind,” Dacic told Serbian media after the Hague Tribunal rejected the Yugoslav ex-officials’ appeal against their convictions on Thursday.The Tribunal ruled that former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic, former Yugoslav Army generals Nebojsa Pavkovic and Vladimir Lazarevic and former Serbian police general Sreten Lukic were guilty of the murder, deportation and inhumane treatment of Kosovo Albanians in 1999.

Dacic said that the government needs to rethink its position on the trials at the UN-backed international court and consider whether to give more assistance to Serbian war crimes defendants.

“During the past years we were only dedicated to the arrest of someone or to force someone to voluntarily surrender, and then these people would remain alone [in The Hague without significant state support],” he said.

Belgrade currently only provides limited financial aid to Serbian defendants and does not fund their defence teams, as other ex-Yugoslav countries like Croatia and Macedonia have done.

Dacic said however that it was positive that the prison sentences for the three of the four war crimes convicts had been reduced slightly.

Sainovic was sentenced to 18 years in jail, Pavkovic to 22 years, Lazarevic to 14 years and Lukic to 20 years.

The Hague Tribunal on Thursday upheld the original verdict convicting the four ex-officials in 2009, when the court found that “there was a broad campaign of violence directed against the Kosovo Albanian civilian population conducted by forces under the control of the [Yugoslav] and Serbian authorities, during which there were incidents of killing, sexual assault, and the intentional destruction of mosques”.

Serbia’s war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said that he was not surprised by the international court’s ruling, and vowed to continue working towards finding other perpetrators linked to the case.

“We will do that on the basis of documents gathered by the Hague Tribunal, but also on the basis of our own investigations so that victims can get justice and dignity,” Vukcevic said in a written statement.

The Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Centre said meanwhile that the verdict had revealed “the matrix of crimes in Kosovo”.

“The verdict gave a compelling historical record of systematic crimes that the Republic of Serbia committed against Kosovo Albanians,” it said.

It added that that because of the court’s ruling, all Serbian institutions are now legally and morally compelled to properly prosecute Kosovo war crimes suspects and pay reparations to the victims.

“This is especially binding for the office for war crimes prosecution to prosecute all perpetrators, no matter what their position in the former or current government,” it said.

Serbian Fighters Demand Acquittal Over Kosovo Killings (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 24 January 2014)

Eleven former Serbian fighters said they were innocent of killing at least 118 Kosovo Albanian civilians in the 1999 war, arguing that the prosecution was based on false witness testimony

During closing arguments this week in the trial of the 11 men accused of war crimes while fighting with the Yugoslav Army’s 177th intervention Squad, all of them insisted that they were not guilty of killing civilians during attacks on four Kosovo villages in spring 1999, and asked to be freed.

Goran Petronijevic, the lawyer for the commander of the squad, Toplica Miladinovic, who is charged with ordering the attacks, said that the prosecutor didn’t provide any evidence that there was such an order.

“Two key witnesses, [a protected witness codenamed] ‘A1’ and [former Serbian fighter] Zoran Raskovic, both have criminal files and they cannot be credible witnesses,” Petronijevic said.

“They testified here and said everything that the prosecutor wanted so they could evade prosecution for other criminal deeds,” he added.

The prosecutor based the indictment on the testimony of ‘A1’ and Raskovic, both former members of the 177th Intervention Squad.

Borislav Borkovic, the lawyer for another defendant, Srecko Popovic, who is charged with killing and looting, said there was no evidence that his client was in Ljubenic, one of the villages that were attacked.

“None of the Albanian witnesses said my client was in Ljubenic. These statements were only made by Raskovic,” Borkovic said.

Popovic is also alleged to have taken part in the killing of the family of Agim Ceku, a former Kosovo Liberation Army commander and Kosovo official, in the village of Cuska.

“He only entered the house believing Agim Ceku was there. When he was leaving the house, he saw Raskovic and ‘Mrtvi’ [Nebojsa Minic, one of the squad’s commanders] killing his [Ceku’s] father in the yard,” Borkovic said.

The lawyer for another defendant, Ranko Momic, also claimed that the indictment was a lie concocted by the prosecutor and the two key witnesses.

Lawyer Ognjen Radic said that the crime took place but the real perpetrators remain unknown.

“The only person who identified my client as a perpetrator is Raskovic, who is a drug addict and criminal and a person who can not be trusted. He only wanted revenge because he was arrested in Montenegro by my client when he was a police officer,” Radic explained.

Similar accusations about the credibility of the two key witnesses were made by the lawyer for defendant Sinisa Misic, who claimed that ‘A1’ was actually responsible for the killings.

Defence lawyers for the other men on trial, Radoslav Brnovic, Veljko Koricanin, Slavisa Kastratovic, Boban Bogicevic and Abdulah Sokic, also claimed that their clients were innocent.

The prosecution on Tuesday demanded harsh sentences for the 11 men, insisting that they were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Closing arguments continued on Friday. 

Bosnia Changes Law to Call 2014 Elections (Balkan Insight, by Elvira M. Jukic, 24 January 2014)

Bosnian lawmakers have adopted changes to the Electoral Law to enable the Central Electoral Commission to call general elections in October

Bosnian MPs adopted changes to the law on January 23, enabling the Central Electoral Commission to call nationwide October elections.

The Electoral Commission has said it is aiming for elections to take place on October 12. It plans to call the elections in May.

“There are no more legal obstacles to call the 2014 general elections,” spokesperson Maksida Piric said, noting: “We have to call the elections 150 days before polling day.”

The changes were ordered by the Constitutional Court, which said that state-level law had to be harmonized with the law in Bosnia's mainly Serbian entity, Republika Srpska, which had changes the names of several municipalities.

Though only a technical issue, lawmakers mulled the electoral law changes for months, as they raised other problems and questions.

European institutions had urged Bosnia to change the law to allow elections to take place, while some analysts feared the logjam could create a new, prolonged political crisis in the divided country.

Bosnian Consul in Row Over Serb Entity Celebration (BIRN, 24 January 2014)

Members of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency are embroiled in a row over the presence of the Consul in Chicago at a January 9 celebration of the Bosnian Serb entity's anniversary

Bakir Izetbegovic, Bosniak member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency, on January 23 asked the Presidency to sack the country's consul in Chicago, Branko Pecanac, for what he termed inappropriate public behaviour.

The Consul's appearance at a Bosnian Serb celebration “grossly insulted a large number of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Pecanac is unworthy of the post”, Izetbegovic said.

“General consuls as well as ambassadors and all international representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina are responsible for their work to the Presidency,” Izetbegovic noted.

What has angered Izetbegovic is that Branko Pecanac allegedly organized a celebration in Chicago of "Republika Srpska Day" as well as making a speech that was not in accordance with the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday revealed the information about Pecanac's appearance at the celebration of the Day of Republika Srpska on January 9.

The day marks that fact that on January 9, 1992, Bosnian Serb leaders proclaimed a Republic of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina, later renamed Republika Srpska.

The entity’s existence was later confirmed by the internationally-brokered Dayton accords in 1995, which ended the 1992-5 war in Bosnia. But many Bosniaks (Muslims] resent both its existence, its high level of autonomy - and the fact that its leaders openly strive for full independence.

Underlining the divide over the issue, Nebojsa Radmanovic, the Serbian member of Presidency, advised Izetbegovic to read the Bosnian Constitution, which says all citizens have to respect the holidays of both entities.

“Such statement by the General Consul, which was fully justified, I would sign myself,” Radmanovic said, adding that if the Presidency wanted to dismiss Pecanac as Consul, they would have to do so without his vote.

MEP warns against 'backsliding' on Macedonia (The Parliament, by Richard Howitt, 23 January 2014)

The Greek presidency can 'inject' new political impetus and engineer solutions on Macedonia, writes Richard Howitt

A year of political turmoil in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has ended with positive moves on electoral reform, media freedom and public administration in the country's parliament.

In my draft report on the country's progress to the European parliament this year, I argued that the European council should itself recognise these movements in the right direction, together with the dangers of backsliding.

I proposed at the very least a repeat of its 2012 decision revisiting the issue within six, not 12 months, and in effect giving a green light for the commission to start 'pre-screening' towards EU accession talks finally beginning.

So when December's council failed to do this and in effect put down more conditions for moving forward, my emphasis to parliament's foreign affairs committee switched to encouraging the current Greek EU presidency to take responsibility to end the stalemate.

The longstanding name dispute between Athens and Skopje is both a bilateral issue which member states accept should not impede the EU accession process, but also an issue of 'good neighbourly relations' which Greece insists must do so in this case.

Whilst remaining strictly even-handed calling on both sides to find a mutually fair and just solution, this year I write for the first time that the failure to do so in nearly 20 years questions the very credibility of the agreed UN framework to achieve this.

Something needs to change.

So my report as agreed last year again proposes that the parliament calls for an immediate start to EU accession talks with Skopje without any condition or qualification.

I maintain my warning against backsliding and instead advocate that starting negotiations will be move favourable for reforms in the country and for relations with its neighbours.

Pre-screening of the negotiating chapters on justice and fundamental rights would shine the spotlight on the very issues about which the country's critics say they are most concerned.

But recognising the difficulty in delivering this in the council, my proposal goes on to call on Greece to demonstrate real leadership on behalf of Europe as a whole and to use its presidency as an opportunity to inject new political impetus towards finding solutions.

Given the economic difficulties in the country and the apparent wider cooling towards EU enlargement because of the current 'hot' debate in many EU member states on free movement, many commentators would suggest such an appeal to Greece is bound to fail.

But with five years of positive recommendations from the commission and parliament and five years of refusal to agree by the council, we need not be frightened of failure. Sadly it has become the norm.

Of course the country has its own responsibilities to maintain the momentum of reform processes.

But I hope our Greek friends and colleagues may well be able to overcome their own fears and make a historic breakthrough for their own country and for Europe.

Richard Howitt is parliament's rapporteur on the 2013 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 

Greece tells Macedonia it must 'accept European values' (EurActiv, 23 January 2014)

Evangelos Venizelos, the foreign minister of Greece, which holds the Council of the EU's rotating presidency, said on Tuesday (21 January) that the main obstacle to Macedonia’s EU membership was the country’s lack of respect for European values.

“The obstacle for the beginning of accession negotiations especially between the EU and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is not the so-called name issue," said Venizelos, who was speaking at the EU-Serbia conference in Brussels on Tuesday (21 January).

"The problem is the acceptance of European values and the fulfillment of the political criteria of Copenhagen,” Venizelos said, adding he was speaking in his “capacity as the president of the Council of the EU,” representing the 28 EU member states.

Macedonia has been an official EU candidate since 2005 and received a positive recommendation by the European Commission to start accession talks but has failed to actually initial them due to a lack of consensus among the EU member states.

To Skopje, the only reason for the blockade is Greece's refusal to accept "Macedonia" as country's name. The internationally recognised name is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) but Skopje would prefer the country to be called simply Macedonia, which is also the name of a northern Greek province.

The reasons appear to be deeper, however. The last Council conclusions Commission assessment both expressed serious concerns over the country’s democratic progress. The reports cited blurred distinctions between the party and state, assault on media freedom and lack of independency from the judiciary, leading some EU diplomats to say the country had taken steps “backwards”.

Although the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia had undermined relations since 1995, Skopje was nonetheless accepted as a fully-fledged member of the United Nations. And unlike for the start of EU talks, Athens did not block the country’s official EU candidate status in 2005.

Opinion is divided over why Greece decided to block Macedonia’s EU path as of 2008, but many see the actions of Macedonia's right-wing government coalition of VMRO-DPMNE, which came to power in 2006, as “sheer provocation” towards Greece.

The building of a statue of Alexander the Great in the centre of Skopje, the renaming of roads after the controversial warrior or the use of a map of “Great Macedonia” in presence of the Macedonian premier, Nikola Gruevski, were all considered by Athens as irredentist claims over its territory and history.

Serbia as facilitator?

Asked by EurActiv whether Belgrade could act as a facilitator in relations between the Skopje and Athens dispute now that Serbia was a negotiating country, Ivica Dacic, the Serbian prime minister, said: “You want us to help in that dispute? Don’t involve us in that, please,” Dacic said jokingly in his native Serb.

“But of course we want an acceptable solution. We have enough of our own problems but I’m pleased you’re asking us to get involved, it shows a change. Earlier nobody would have asked us to help anything, they would just tell us to stay away,” he continued, amusing the Serb-speaking audience and hinting at Serbia’s former status of “pariah state” under Miloševic’s regime.

As soon as the translation went back, Dacic said however more seriously that if their “friends and brothers”, pointing at the Greek minister, “ask us to get involved, of course we can offer our good will.”

Positions:

Richard Howitt MEP (Socialists & Democrats), rapporteur in the European Parliament on Macedonia said: "The Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry has assured me that they will conduct their presidency in relation to Skopje objectively on behalf of the European Union as a whole.

"I am asking them to go further by seeing it as an opportunity for both sides to make genuine and sincere efforts to resolve the name issue, and to work towards a solution for the EU talks to begin."

The EU Parliament voted a resolution on Tuesday (21 January) on Macedonia that calls on "the current Greek presidency of the European Union should be turned to an advantage not an obstacle, in the light of the long-running name dispute between Athens and Skopje."

Next steps:

12 February: Visit of the EU Parliament rapporteur, Richard Howitt, to Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia – back to Yugoslavia? (EurActiv, 24 January 2014)

The true goal of Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski is not to join NATO and the EU, but to become part of Serbia or a new Yugoslavia, writes Miroslav Rizinski.

Miroslav Rizinski is a civil society activist, political observer and former political prisoner in the Republic of Macedonia (2007-2011), Board member of BKKS (Bulgarian Cultural Club – Skopje).

It became clear recently that the foreign ministries of Serbia and Macedonia have concluded a treaty providing that the personal data and the police file of every Macedonian citizen could be made available to the former metropolis Belgrade even without a formal request. On top of this came the shocking statement by Nikola Gruevski, confirming the information of the Serbian Foreign Minister that joint diplomatic missions of the two countries are likely to be established worldwide.

These initiatives of the Macedonian Prime Minister, a former adviser to the Serbian government, should be seen in the context of his longstanding policy of re-yugoslavization and antiquisation (helenisation) of the Republic of Macedonia. This policy has only been able to prevent Macedonia from joining the Euro-Atlantic family, and in fact preventing his country from joining NATO and the EU has been Gruevski’s main goal.

What other purpose could serve his "highly patriotic" project "Skopje 2014", described by most visitors as a megalomaniac and kitschy historic Disneyland? Whas it designed to confirm what Greek bishop Karavangelis claimed a hundred years ago – that the majority of the population of Macedonia was composed of Greek Slavophones, direct descendants of Alexander the Great? By the way, at that time Karavangelis was quite unsuccessful in advocating this theory.

Nevertheless, Karavangelis has a now an excellen successor, since Gruevski is implementing the ideas of the Greek bishop in the today’s "free" Macedonia, at the expense of the Macedonian taxpayers. Thus Gruevski makes sure the Greek blockade of his country’s bid to join NATO and to begin EU accession negotiations is stronger as ever. And his interest is to use the blockade as an alibi for his undemocratic governance, for the violations of human rights and rule of law, the gross interference and control over the media, for undermining the multi-ethnic society and instigating hatred among people.

Simultaneously, the join celebration of Zebrenjak (marking the occupation of Vardar Macedonia by the Serbian Army) , the renewal of the old theatre "King Alexander I of Yugoslavia" and the Officers’ House (the headquarters where the terror against the Bulgarian population in Royal Yugoslavia was planned), the erection a statue of the Serbian King Dusan, the joint Serbo-Macedonian government meetings and police patrols in the city of Ohrid, along with many other events of such nature, prepare the Macedonian citizens for the idea of resuming a mini-Yugoslavia as an alternative to the Euro-Atlantic organizations.

But would one hundred thousand Macedonians with Bulgarian citizenship and their families will be happy to be represented around the world by common Serbian-Macedonian embassies?  Is this normal and how would the Serbian embassies be accepted by the Macedonian citizens of Albanian or other ethnic origin?  The revolutionary fighters of IMRO are certainly turning in their graves, because the holy name of their organization is used by unscrupulous people for the purpose of such a “serbisation” and “re-yugoslavisation” of Macedonia [Gruevski’s party is also named IMRO-DPMNE].

The explanation that the main reason for merging the diplomatic missions is saving money is childish and only aims to conceal the true motives. There is no precedent in the world when different independent foreign policies have been generated from the same room!

During his rule, Gruevski was "successful" mainly in multiplying the number of the political prisoners and the political emigrants fleeing the country.

Instead of adequately addressing the hot issues of EU accession agenda, Mr. Gruevski's likely dreams for his old days appear to be to seek refuge and to spend the rest of his life in one of the envisaged joint embassies with the Republic of Serbia or the Republic of Srpska, based somewhere in Asia, Africa, South America or in any other remote part of the world.”

Montenegro Journalists Call for Attacks to Stop (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 24 January 2014)

Journalists protested on Thursday in front of the Montenegrin government in Podgorica against the recent wave of attacks on the staff of independent or opposition media.

Several dozens Montenegrin journalists symbolically wore bandages over their mouths in a protest held on Thursday to express dissatisfaction with the state of media freedom in Montenegro.

The protesters in Podgorica demanded that a recently formed special commission investigate unresolved attacks on reporters and editors, including the murder of the chief editor of the newspaper Dan ten years ago.

"An atmosphere of impunity has been created in Montenegro concerning attacks on journalists and the authorities are most responsible for this", media union activist Duska Pejovic told the rally.

The protest was organized by the Media Union on the Day of Montenegrin Journalists, which is marked on January 23.

Members of the opposition parties, the Democratic Front, the Socialist People's Party and Positive Montenegro, as well as NGO activists, also attended the protest.

Media Union chief Marijana Camovic on Wednesday recalled several recent attacks or threatened attacks on journalists working for independent media outlets, such as Vijesti, Dan and the weekly Monitor. Few of the cases have been resolved.

Lidija Nikcevic, a correspondent for Dan, was assaulted two weeks ago by masked men wielding a baseball bat. The assault came a week after an explosive device detonated under the newsroom windows of Vijesti.

On Tuesday, the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution on Montenegro, expressing “grave concern about an increase in verbal and physical intimidation of journalists.

“Attacks and threats against them must be properly investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted,” the resolution said.

The OSCE and local media watchdogs have also condemned the attacks and called for a swift and transparent investigation that will lead to the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators.

Serbian-language school in Albania is a sign of improving relations (Southeast European Times, by Erl Murati, 23 January 2014)

A new school in Hamil will serve Serbian students in their native language

Albania and Serbia are improving relations by attending to the needs of their respective national minorities.

The warming of relations has gained momentum following the European Parliament's recommendation for Albania to obtain EU candidate member status, but the country is encouraged to ensure it develops an environment of greater tolerance toward national minorities.

Albania opened a primary school this month that conducts instruction in the Serbian language in the village of Hamil near Fier, 150 kilometres southwest of Tirana. The school will serve 60 Serbian students.

"The opening of this school makes it possible for our children to learn their native Serbian language and pass it to other generations," Eqerem Dulevic, head of the Serbian association Jedinstvo, told SETimes.

Dulevic said the opening the school is significant not only for the Serbs of Hamil but also for all other areas in Albania where Serbs live.

Ludovik Markic, a 41-year-old trader of sanitary appliances in Hamil, said he is excited to send his daughter to a school whose language of instruction is Serbian.

"Until the age of 6, I did not know Albanian because my parents spoke Serbian at home. I learned Albanian at school. Now my daughter speaks Albanian and does not know Serbian. At last, she can learn her native language," Markic told SETimes.

The Serbian embassy in Tirana, which provided support for the building of the school, praised the opportunity for the Serbian minority to preserve their heritage.

"The school not only keeps alive the native language of the Serbian community, but embodies the significance and value of the relations between the two countries," said Miroljub Zaric, Serbia's ambassador to Albania.

Meanwhile, Serbia has allowed the Albanian government to supply books to Albanian children living in Presevo in the south of Serbia.

Albania-Serbia relations were frozen during the 1999 Kosovo war, but the situation has steadily improved since, and both countries are making efforts to further improve relations.

Albania officials said Prime Minister Edi Rama will soon visit Belgrade to sign agreements in the fields of economy, energy and tourism to lay the framework for co-operation.

Relations between Albania and Serbia are on the right track, said Vangjel Dule, leader of the Union for Human Rights Party, which defends the rights of minorities in Albania.

"The opening of the Serbian school is a gesture to be applauded. At the same time, it highlights the problems in the education system in Albania regarding minority education. There are still residues from the communist times about the right to minority education. A state of European parameters, like the one we aim to erect, is obliged to guarantee that right," Dule told SETimes.

Serbian association representatives in Albania said their community numbers 20,000, many times more than the official 2011 census figure of 500.

Serbian representatives in Albanian institutions said they are requesting the Albanian government to allocate funds to finance Serbian-language schools.

"It is a responsibility of the state to create space for a minority to learn their native language and get educated. Equality between the Albanians and minorities is essential. That is why these courses need state funding," Bledar Bashanovic, representative of the Serbian-Montenegrin communities in Albania's state committee for minorities, told SETimes.