LOCAL PRESS

 

Nikolic, Patriarch Irinej: Very close thoughts on draft platform for Kosovo and Metohija (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has stated that he discussed with Serbian Patriarch Irinej the draft platform for Kosovo and Metohija, which will, as he put it, head in the direction of what Serbia can accept as a final solution without endangering its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Nikolic told the press after the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, that he and the Synod have very close thoughts on that. He noted that these are only talks and consultations for now, that there is not yet a document that he could present to the prime minister and then to the public.

Asked when the public will be able to see this document, he said that he would be working on it “closely and intensively” with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, because such a document requires general consent, or at least the parliament’s consent for the things that the government proposes on behalf of the president. He called for patience, saying that the first meeting between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels first needs to pass, in an attempt to continue where we left off a long time ago. “It seems that we all had the time to think about the events and what awaits us and to realize that, in my opinion, delay and waste of time cannot be in favor of Serbia,” said the President. “The Church is concerned over the events in Kosovo and Metohija and I think that his Holiness and the Synod are right when they wish to be informed about the events,” said the President.

 

Dacic: Property issue important for dialogue (Beta)

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the property issue is important for the further course of the dialogue with Pristina and that it will have to be on the agenda. “So far, we still have no set agenda and we expect to continue where we left off and to get to see the Brussels agreement being implemented,” Dacic told reporters after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry with Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Manchang, who handed him a donation of that country. Dacic said the topic had been present in the dialogue for quite a while and there were talks about it with former EU representative Catherine Ashton, who said that it would be discussed later in the dialogue. “Back then, it was the energy sector that was the central issue, rather than Trepca’s assets,” he said, stressing that the issues of property and ownership, very important for the further course of the dialogue, had not been dealt with in any of the agreements. Dacic said that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic had invited him to be part of the Serbian delegation at the first meeting in on 9 February since the format of the meeting will be “prime minister plus one”, and that later on the meetings will be attended by the ministers who head the ministries that are discussed.

 

Dacic in Pristina without Serbian flag (Novosti)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic will visit Pristina in March for the continuation of the Western Balkans Ministerial Summit. The Serbian authorities request that the gathering is neutral in status, i.e. that there are no state symbols at the conference. “I will visit Pristina, but the condition is that the meeting is held in the so-called Gymnich format, without flags and only with participants’ names. We will also ask guarantees from Brussels that is the mediator of gatherings. Serbia is committed to conducting dialogue with Pristina on all open issues, but all those meetings must have a status neutral character,” said Dacic. Participation in the summit will not be the only opportunity for Dacic to visit Pristina. As the OSCE Chairman he will also visit the mission in Kosovo and Metohija.

 

Djuric: Serbia not trading with Trepca (RTS/Beta)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has rejected as false the claims from Danas’ anonymous sources that the Serbian government is considering accepting the loss of Trepca in exchange for compensation. “Serbia does not trade with assets on which depends the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija! The government of the Republic of Serbia painstakingly and successfully, despite all the difficulties, struggles to protect what is ours,” said Djuric. “I do not believe in coincidences, so I do not believe that the false claim that the Serbian government considered accepting losing Trepca in exchange for some sort of compensation is random, either,” he said in a statement sent to the media. Djuric further assessed that ‘the claims of anonymous sources - even if indeed made in Belgrade, rather than in Pristina - damage our position in the public and contribute to the confusion, in a situation that that is too serious for amateurism, superficiality and speculation”. “Instead fishing in troubled waters in cabinets in Belgrade and Pristina, someone should actually go to the north of Kosovo, to the tunnels of Crnac and Belo Brdo, to see 3,300 miners who every morning go down into the pits to make hard earned money to feed their families - and ask them who Trepca belongs to, and what they think about the planted idea of ​​receiving compensation for what is our lifeblood in northern Kosovo,” Djuric said in his reaction.

 

Mihajlovic: Serbian government not trading with property in Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said that the Serbian government would want dialogue on the Trepca issue and on property in Kosovo and Metohija to take place as soon as possible. The Serbian government is not trading either with Trepca or withany other property in Kosovo and Metohija, she said. We are a serious and responsible government, which abides by all the agreements we have signed, she said, adding that Pristina should do the same, instead of trying to seize Trepca.

 

Ljajic: We will protect the property in Kosovo (Novosti)

“Serbia has most interest to impose the issue of protection of its property in Kosovo and Metohija on the agenda of the upcoming negotiations with Pristina,” Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism Rasim Ljajic told Novosti. “Pristina will try in every way to avoid this topic, and this will also be done by part of the international community. Belgrade has invested enormous funds in building the infrastructure and business entities in Kosovo. We don’t have the right to give this up.”

How do we protect property when we see that they are unilaterally seizing Trepca with impunity?

“If we are prepared to resolve numerous issues in which we are mainly making concessions, this gives us the right to put this important topic on the Brussels table. We will not give up this request.”

Why is the EU, by moving the date for opening chapters, only punishing Serbia over the slow implementation of the Brussels agreement?

“We were late in implementing the agreement because Pristina organizes elections. Serbia is not to be blamed for that. It is wrong to exert pressure only on Belgrade. One should say that Pristina is obstructing the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities.”

Specifically, the issue of the area code for Kosovo has not yet been resolved in your Ministry…

“Both negotiating sides committed themselves to respect the principles and standards of the International Telecommunications Union. But, Pristina would like the area code to be assigned to it by completely excluding Serbia from the process. That is contrary to the rules of the International Union.”

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H Minister Tucic resigns over arms sales to Ukraine (Srna/Tanjug)

Minister of external trade and economic relations of B&H Boris Tucic has resigned over the sale of arms from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to Ukraine, announced the President of Republika Srpska (RS) Milorad Dodik. “The reason is that the minister did not want to allow weapons, that is, ammunition, to be sold to Ukraine, led with a principle that we should not participate in arming the country that is in a war with Russia. We presented our position earlier and it remains principled, so I think this resignation is an ethical act and I stand in complete solidarity with it. Those who got the power at the state level should now decide about it, but we will remain against the delivery of weapons to the area of war,” said Dodik and reminded that Russia has clearly said what they thought of such action and that it would not be good for B&H or the RS to participate in it. Dodik made the announcement at the press conference in Banja Luka, while the theme of the conference was the current situation in the RS and B&H.

 

The House of Peoples of the FB&H Parliament canceled continuation of session (Oslobodjenje)

The continuation of the constituent session of the FB&H House of Peoples will not be held today, as it was announced last Thursday. The decision on prolonging the proceeding was brought yesterday by the Collegium of the House, and the reason is the still unachieved political agreement on a candidate for the Vice President of the FB&H from the ranks of the Serb people. According to the members of the Collegium, continuation will follow at the end of January. In addition to the election of FB&H leaders, the House should adopt the decision on temporary financing of FB&H for the first three months of 2015, as well as amendments to the FB&H Budget Law, which solves the issue of financing the City of Mostar for this year. At the previous session it was not possible to propose a Vice President from among the Serb people, as a non-party candidate from the DF Slobodan Soja did not receive the necessary support of delegates from among the Serb people. The Club of Croats then proposed Marinko Cavar (HDZ) for the President and the Bosniak Club proposed Melika Mahmutbegovic (SDA) for the position of the Vice-President of FB&H. “We know the importance of making a decision on temporary financing, we know the importance of electing the President and Vice-Presidents of the FB&H and in this context the Collegium today unanimously decided to postpone the continuation of the session for next week. The issue will certainly be concluded by January 31, so that no one of those who enjoy rights under a decision on temporary financing is not compromised and we are convinced based on political discussions, that the issue of nomination of the FB&H Vice President from among the Serb people is going to be completed,” said Jasenko Tufekcic (SDA), the Vice-Chairman of the House, and explained that at the moment there is no capacity and strength to do it now. The Chair of the House of Peoples Lidija Bradara says that the continuation is prolonged, because she has the information that the Serbs will be able to reach the agreement. “We believe that this will happen and our common position is that we will do nothing to jeopardize the functioning of the FB&H, said Bradara, and denied that the current parliamentary majority, consisting of the SDA, HDZ B&H and DF, is on a shaky ground.                                                                                  The head of the Club of the Serb people Slavisa Sucur has no information about the talks, saying that by yesterday there were no a candidates for the Vice President from among the Serb people that had a sufficient number of signatures. He noted that in addition to six delegates from the SDP, the Serb Club has additional seven more, and that it was enough for five of the seven to support the candidate for the Vice President. “SDP neither wants nor can block anything, adding that for the formation of government in FB&H needs adequate parliamentary majority, which should have the capacity to propose the President and Vice President. “It is obvious that this coalition that wants to form a government in the FB&H does not have the capacity to do so. The SDP is clear - we will not participate in the formation of the government. The DF's not giving up on Soja’s candidacy, and Secretary General of the party Sifet Podzic says they will not negotiate about that. “We do just like we said that we’ll do during the election campaign, and that is that we want to introduce something new to the politics. I do not want to trade. When the SDP as a party with the most delegates from among the Serb people said that they will not propose anyone, we as a party from the parliamentary majority, the only one that has the delegates in that club, at the Presidency decided to nominate Mr. Soja. If they don’t want Soja, they should nominate someone else and we will decide on the proposal, said Podzic.

 

SDA seeks eight seats in the FB&H government (Dnevni avaz)

The meeting of the SDA, DF and HDZ B&H delegations regarding the distribution of positions and departments of the Federation Government, which was supposed to be held by the end of this week, is put on hold, confirmed yesterday Sifet Podzic, the Secretary General of the DF. He explained that the reason for it is the fact that the election of Vice President of FB&H from the ranks of the Serb people is still pending. “It’s all stalled for now. Until the President and Vice-Presidents of the FB&H are elected, it is impossible to talk about the positions of the Federation government. Podzic argued that the DF will continue to insist on five ministerial positions in the Federation Government during the negotiations with the SDA and HDZ B&H. “We do not want Bosniak or Croat positions, but we will ask for five remaining positions,” says Podzic. Safet Softic, the SDA Vice-President, confirmed for Avaz that there will be no talks about positions in the FB&H until the situation is resolved in the FB&H House of Peoples. “Everything has stopped until the issue of the FB&H Vice President is resolved. I can say that we have fallen into one blockade. But when it comes to SDA, we will, in addition to the Prime Ministerial position, ask for all Bosniak positions in the government of FB&H, and it is a total of eight positions,” said Softic. When it comes to the HDZ B&H, the position of the President of the party Dragan Covic for a minimum of six ministerial positions in the Federation government is known from before.

 

Government’s priority – reform of key sectors (Srna)

The RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said that the priority in the work of the government will be the reform of key sectors aimed at stabilizing economic environment, and economic growth. Cvijanovic familiarized Ambassador of Poland to B&H, Andrzej Krawczyk, with the strategic goals and program principles of the RS Government which will be implemented in the coming period. Participants at the meeting discussed the new EU initiative for B&H, tackling the issue of the possibility of establishing a coordination mechanism, which would include all levels of authority in B&H, the government’s press office said in a statement. Cvijanovic emphasized that the RS is firmly committed to reform processes with the aim to overcome the deadlock in the EU integration process in B&H, with clear observance of the constitutional order and competences of all levels of authority. Modalities of boosting economic cooperation between the RS and Poland were discussed at the meeting, as well as possibilities for learning from positive practices and experiences of Poland in the EU accession process in the sphere of agriculture. Meeting participants exchanged opinions on current political and economic state of affairs in RS and B&H.

 

McGuffie: The real job is on B&H governments (Oslobodjenje)

The date of the arrival of the new Special Representative (SR) and chief of the EU Delegation in B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, who on Monday was appointed by the Foreign Affairs Council of the EU, will be announced later, said Andy McGuffie, spokesman of the EU Delegation and EUSR in B&H. To the question of which tasks Wigemark will first dedicate his attention after his arrival in B&H, McGuffie responded that the EUSR will promptly announce his priorities and that the real job is on the governments in B&H. “Governments in B&H should fulfill the expectations of citizens, especially after the elections. The EU on several occasions has stressed that in the next four to five years, B&H will face very serious challenges,” said McGuffie. He recalls that by several indicators, B&H is the country with the highest degree of youth unemployment in Europe, since 59 percent of the active population from 15 to 24 years of age is unemployed, and B&H is in second place in Europe by the number of unemployed persons (totaling 28 percent of the workforce without a job). McGuffie also recalls that B&H is the lowest rated European country according to World Bank indicators for ease of doing business and one of the lowest ranked on the Corruption Perceptions Index. “We believe that reforms necessary for EU accession can help in resolving these problems on a broad plane. The EU has established its policy, - a renewed approach toward B&H in the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council,” said McGuffie. As he says, the Council's conclusions emphasized that the EU would like to see an irrevocable written obligation agreed in the B&H Presidency, which party leaders would sign and the House of Representatives would approve, with the aim of undertaking essential reforms in the framework of EU accession. The position of the EU Delegation in B&H is, McGuffie reminds, that the text must hold the obligation to create a starting plan for reforms, including an agreement on growth, the rule of law, good governance, and second issues that relate to functioning, such as the coordination mechanism. This reform plan, he says, should be developed and implemented with civil society, and in a later phase, McGuffie stresses, dedication to advancing in reforms to improve functionality and efficacy on various administrative levels will be necessary. In order for this to succeed, McGuffie concludes, the entire institutional and political leadership of B&H on all levels should work jointly on the European future of the country for the benefit of all its residents.

He reports that the EU expects from the governments in B&H that they will oblige themselves to diligence and will enliven the process of EU accession, and especially deal with the issue of the sensitive socioeconomic state such that they start to implement the agreement on growth and employment.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Kosovo miners go on strike, demand government takes over administration of mining complex (The Associated Press, 21 January 2015)

PRISTINA, Kosovo – Over 400 employees went on strike Wednesday inside the Trepca mine in Kosovo demanding the government takes over the administration of the Yugoslav-era complex to stop it from liquidation.

The workers and management at the mine want the government in charge of the complex, which is rich in lead, zinc, silver and gold, Trepca spokesman Musa Mustafa said. Apart from saving the business, they also want to keep Serbia from having a say about its future.

Trepca’s riches are considered government property, but the mine is administered by the Kosovo Property Agency, an independent body set up to run similar enterprises created when Kosovo was part of socialist Yugoslavia.

Serbia, that rejects Kosovo’s 2008 secession, says no action can be taken without Belgrade’s consent and wants the issue to be discussed in ongoing talks with Pristina, mediated by the European Union.

A chamber of Kosovo’s Supreme Court has set a Feb. 2 deadline for the mining complex to go into liquidation, after the government failed to come up with a restructuring plan to make it profitable and deal with claimants.

Trepca is considered an important asset for Kosovo’s economic development. But it has been hurt by a series of bungled privatization processes, including during the reign of Serbia strongman Slobodan Milosevic when it was passed into various ownership schemes designed to bypass international sanctions.

Kosovo authorities say international investors, who stepped in to make the conglomerate profitable during the 1990s, claim liabilities of 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion).

Part of the mines lie in the northern part of Kosovo controlled by minority Serbs loyal to Belgrade.

Highlighting the sensitivity of the issue, hardline opposition leaders from Kosovo’s Albanian ethnic group have planned a rally on Saturday calling for a government takeover of the mines.

Kosovo leaders were blocked by political bickering for six months before forming a coalition government and many public institutions and agencies, including the KPA have worked without a sound legal framework.

On Tuesday Kosovo’s assembly amended a law on public enterprises which enabled it to delay resolving the Trepca issue for another 18 months. By then a detailed plan must be presented for the future of the mining complex.

 

Serb politician on trial under suspicion of war crimes (EUReporter, by Martin Banks,22 January 2015)

A leading Kosovo Serb politician has gone on trial on suspicion of war crimes.

Oliver Ivanovic, 60, had been identified as a suspect during a war crimes investigation soon after the 1990s Kosovo conflict ended.

Ivanovic, a former state secretary at the Serbian Ministry for Kosovo, has gone on trial in Mitrovica, Croatia, before an international EULEX (European Union Rule of Law) judge.

The trial started on Wednesday (21 January) and is expected to last several weeks.

He is suspected of having tortured and murdered ethnic Albanians and is alleged to have been one of the organizers of a now disbanded Kosovo Serb vigilante group known as “Bridgewatchers” – suspected of violence against ethnic Albanians.

The 1998-1999 conflict began when ethnic Albanians rebelled against Belgrade, prompting a brutal crackdown.

Some 120,000 ethnic Serbs live in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and which counts 1.8 million inhabitants, most of whom are ethnic Albanians.

However, the 40,000 or so Kosovo Serbs living in the north do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Serbia also rejects Kosovo’s secession.

The trial of Ivanovic for alleged crimes during the Kosovo War has, however, been condemned by several former senior leaders from the United Nations, the OSC E and the European Union.

In a joint statement issued to coincide with the launch of his trial this week, they raised questions about the prosecution.

They say that an earlier U.N. investigation carried out in 2000-2003 found that Ivanovic had no connection to the killing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The current indictment was brought by the European Union Rule of Law (EULEX) Mission in Kosovo.

Leading the criticism is William Nash, a former U.N. administrator in Mitrovica and currently a visiting lecturer at Princeton University, who said, “This is the wrong time and the wrong person to indict.

He said, “These old charges come 14 years after the event and they have been leveled against the one Kosovo Serb who even The Economist has called a ‘leading force for ethnic reconciliation in the north.'”

Some of Ivanovic’s former colleagues said they fear the allegations against him are politically motivated and amount to little more than recycled rumours that have already been addressed.

The indictment says “there is well-grounded suspicion” that on 14 April 1999 during the NATO bombing of Serbia and the invasion of Kosovo – Ivanovic incited police and paramilitary groups to murder nine Albanians, three of whom were subsequently shot dead.”

EULEX prosecutors also allege that on 3 February 2000 Ivanovic, and former Mitrovica Police Commander Dragoljub Delibasic, incited or ordered police and paramilitaries to expel ethnic Albanians from their homes in northern Mitrovica “with the eventual intent to murder or inflict bodily injury upon them”.

Ivanovic, who has denied all charges at earlier hearings, was arrested and imprisoned on 27 January 2014, but charges were not presented until August 2014.

Now, nearly 12 months after his original detention, he still remains imprisoned. It has been claimed that this breaches European norms on pre-trial detention; norms which EULEX is seeking to establish in Kosovo.

In the interim EULEX itself has been under fire for allegedly covering up bribery and corruption at top levels in the mission.

Maria Bamieh, a British EULEX prosecutor was dismissed last October for ‘gross misconduct’, soon after making these allegations.

European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly reported last month that allegations of irregularities with EULEX had been set out in 2012 in a report by a EULEX prosecutor.

The Irish official noted “the Ombudsman trusts that the question of how such an important document could disappear…will be examined when looking at possible shortcomings in the EULEX operations.”

O’Reilly has reserved the right to revisit this matter once a criminal pre-trial investigation and/or experienced expert have presented their conclusions.

Ivanovic has declared the charges against him are ‘political’ and has pointed out that investigations conducted by UNMIK Police and prosecutors in 2000-2003 found that he had no connection with the killing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

 

EU-Russia row: Serbia offers to bang heads together (BBC, by Guy De Launey, 22 January 2015)

President Tomislav Nikolic: "We cannot sever traditional ties with Russia – our people would never forgive us"

"I think the presidents should be locked up in a room until they come up with a solution," says Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic of the leaders of Russia and the European Union.

Serbia certainly has the credentials to act as honest broker in the dispute that has arisen over the conflict in Ukraine.

It has just completed its first year of formal negotiations to join the EU. But it is maintaining its strong ties with Russia and refusing to implement sanctions, despite pressure from Brussels.

President Nikolic is well-known for his plain-speaking style, occasionally landing in diplomatic hot water as a result.

But this time, in an interview with the BBC, he is offering Serbia's services in solving a deepening conflict, rather than proposing the detention of some fellow heads of state.

Significantly, Serbia has just taken the chair of the OSCE, the intergovernmental security organisation which is currently monitoring the situation in Ukraine.

Mr Nikolic admits that his country is in an awkward situation, with two of its most important partners at loggerheads, and he sees it as a major challenge.

"It's like having two children - you can't disown one of them," he says.

"We cannot sever our traditional ties with Russia. Our people would never forgive us."

But he hopes Serbia can help the EU and Russia remember their common interests - not least in terms of energy.

The dispute has led to the cancellation of Russia's South Stream pipeline, which would have provided Serbia with a major infrastructure project as well as improved energy security.

If a solution to the crisis could be found, it would also reduce the pressure on the government in Belgrade to align its foreign policy with Brussels.

The further Serbia moves towards membership of the EU, the harder it will become to take a diplomatic line out of step with the 28-member bloc's common policy.

Still, Mr Nikolic believes accession is still some way off.

An initial target of 2020 always seemed optimistic, but so far none of the 35 "chapters" covering what Serbia must do to achieve membership has opened for negotiation.

"I'm happy with Serbia's pace of meeting the requirements - and how the EU has been treating us," he says.

"But the pace seems to be slow and it's not down to Serbia to make it any quicker. That's up to the EU."

 

WEF 2015: Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says in no doubt over new IMF deal (Reuters, 22 January 2015)

Serbia agreed the terms of a 1 billion euro ($1.16 billion) deal with the IMF in November, but the package requires the approval of the IMF board in Washington in February

DAVOS: Serbia will undoubtedly seal a new precautionary loan deal with the International Monetary Fund on Feb. 23, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday.

Serbia agreed the terms of a 1 billion euro ($1.16 billion) deal with the IMF in November, but the package requires the approval of the IMF board in Washington in February.

"There are a lot of difficult aspects for Serbian side but today I can say there are no doubts we are going to reach that agreement on Feb 23rd and regarding implementation process," Vucic told the Reuters Global Markets Forum in Davos.

"I am a bit afraid of the situation and needed reforms in our public enterprises, and of course about right-sizing of our public administration. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that we will be very persistent and at the end pretty much successful."

 

Bosnia-Montenegro Border Row Heats up (BIRN, by Elvira M. Jukic, Dusica Tomovic, 22 January 2015)

In light of the fresh dispute over borders, Montenegro's President has refused to appoint a new ambassador to Bosnia, while Bosnia is reportedly contemplating countermeasures.

Montenegrin opposition parties on Wednesday called on the government to deal more toughly with a new border dispute that has erupted after some Bosnian academics claimed a short stretch of the Montenegrin coast belonged by rights to Bosnia.

They have also demanded an urgent parliamentary hearing of the Foreign Minister, Igor Luksic. “Not an inch of the territory of Montenegro should be ceded to anyone," the leader of the "Positiv" Montenegrin opposition bloc, Darko Pajovic, said on Wednesday.

This border dispute is far from new and dates back to the time when both countries were republics in Yugoslavia.

However, the issue has revived in the past few months after several Bosnian intellectuals and NGOs presented documentation, which they said proved that the area of Sutorina had belonged to Bosnia until shortly after the Second World War.

Last Friday, Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic refused to sign the appointment of a new ambassador to Sarajevo because of the row.

He reminded the media that Bosnia had recognized Montenegro's independence in 2006 within its existing borders.

Meanwhile, the Bosnian Presidency is reportedly mulling similar measures, possibly including withdrawing the ambassador from Podgorica,although no officials were willing to confirm this.

The Serbian vice-president of House of Representatives, one of two chambers of the Bosnian parliament, Mladen Bosic, on Wednesday said the issue should be resolved calmly. “I am surprised by how Montenegro reacted,” he said, referring to the President.

“Stopping the appointment of the ambassador was too harsh. I don't see why it should be forbidden to open a discussion about the border,” he added.

The Constitutional-Legal Commission of the Bosnian parliament has been tasked with organizing a public debate on the border. Bosic said he had also written to the speaker of the Republika Srpska entity assembly to look into this issue.

This is because it directly relates to territory that once belonged to the municipality of Trebinje, which lies inside Republika Srpska. “Republika Srpska has to have its say about Sutorina,” he said.

The area in dispute comprises 75 square kilometers and include five villages and the river Sutorina.

It lies a few kilometers from the Montenegrin coastal town of Herceg Novi. If it was returned to Bosnia, it would give Bosnia a second access point to the Adriatic Sea, aside from small stretch of coast around Neum of around 24 kilometers.

Montenegro's stance is that the demarcation of the border with Bosnia is already complete. After six years of negotiation, the two former Yugoslav republics finished the technical process of determining their border in May 2014, and the two governments adopted the agreement in November.

The Montenegrin authorities, local experts on international law and former diplomats also refer to the decisions of the Badinter Peace Commission for former Yugoslavia in 1991.

This determined that the borders of the new states created after the breakup of federal Yugoslavia should follow the borders of the former Yugoslav republics.

 

US Ambassador’s Blog Highlights Bosnia School Segregation (BIRN, by Denis Dzidic, 22 January 2015)

A call by the new US ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina for children of all ethnicities to study the same curriculum together has generated both praise and criticism.

The education ministry in Bosnia’s Serb-led entity Republika Srpska criticised comments by new US ambassador Maureen Cormack on her blog suggesting that “all children should go to school together and study a common curriculum”, but its counterpart in the Bosniak-Croat Federation entity welcomed her intervention.

Cormack, who took up the position of US ambassador in Sarajevo last week, published the blog on Monday in which she urged an end to ethnic divisions in the country’s schooling system.

“A discussion I want to have with the widest possible audience is about how Bosnia and Herzegovina can further embrace tolerance and the rich diversity that is the very foundation of this country,” Cormack wrote.

“To that end, I strongly believe that children should all go to school together and study a common curriculum, so they learn about each other while mastering the skills they all need to make viable contributions to the future of their country,” she said. The education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is extremely divided in both the country’s entities, Republika Srpska and the Federation.

Children of post-war returnees to Republika Srpska are often discriminated against because they are forced to study the so-called ‘Serbian curriculum’.

For two years in a row, some Bosniak parents have refused to enrol their children in schools and organised a four-month-long protest in Sarajevo last year, asking to be allowed to choose a ‘Bosniak curriculum’ which differs in its treatment of a few subjects such as history and language.

In some Cantons of the Federation meanwhile, children are segregated through the practice of ‘two schools under one roof’, in which Bosniak and Croat children go to school in the same building but are separated from each other in different classrooms and taught different curriculums.

The Republika Srpska education ministry reacted to Cormac’s blog by saying it was against a common curriculum and stressing that education was “the sole responsibility of entities”.

“Republika Srpska laws regarding education clearly state that each child has the same access and possibilities to education without discrimination. All schools have an obligation to help create a culture which respects human rights and liberties,” said the education ministry in a statement.

Dusanka Majkic, a Bosnian Serb MP, told local media that Cormack’s statement shows “the new ambassador was insufficiently informed about Bosnia”.

“The American ambassador clearly doesn’t know that education is within the sole responsibility of the entities,” said Majkic.

But the Federation education minister Damir Masic told BIRN that he welcomes the American ambassador’s blog and that children should “get to know one another in order to acquire skills to assist the future of the country”.

“The Federal ministry developed a document in 2012 which lists recommendations to overcome segregation and develop a multicultural environment in schools. The guiding idea in the document is the welfare of children and their right to quality education,” said Masic.