LOCAL PRESS

 

Maric: Formation of ZSO crucial for survival of Serbs (RTS)

The respect of the Brussels agreement and the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) are crucial for the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Minister for Returns and Local Self-Administration in the Kosovo government Ljubomir Maric told the Radio and Television of Serbia news. He says that the attacks and unrest in Macedonia clearly indicate in what kind of security challenges we live. “The Serbs are observing with fear everything that is going on in neighboring Macedonia. Experience has taught the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija that, as the weakest group, they are always the first target of such unrest,” says Maric. When it comes to the cancellation of the meeting in Brussels on the formation of the ZSO, Maric says that it is of crucial importance for everyone in Kosovo and Metohija that the Brussels agreement is respected. “The first six points that refer to the ZSO are most important for the Serbs. The guarantor of that agreement is the international community and I expect they will schedule a meeting soon where this will be discussed,” opines Maric. He recalls that there had been no political will for the formation of the ZSO before the cabinet of Isa Mustafa was formed. “The political conditions have changed because the Serb (Srpska) List is part of the government and the first point of the coalition agreement refers to the formation of the ZSO,” claims the Minister for Returns. The main condition for the formation of the ZSO is the amendment of the legislative framework. “Once a working group for amending the legislature is formed, it will be clear what is necessary to change and what laws should be passed,” says Maric, stressing that the implementation of the Brussels agreement is necessary for the future of the Serbs. He is satisfied with the firm stand of the Serbian government and Prime Minister Vucic regarding the issue of the Serbian property in Kosovo and Metohija. “Gazivode, Brezovica and Trepca are important resources for the Serbs, because they provide water and electricity,” says Maric, adding these issues must be resolved in dialogue and with the support of the international community. He says there is no major progress in the resolution of these problems, but that it is good that the situation is not deteriorating. “The Serbs have the support of the international community, because everybody is aware how important property is for the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” opines Maric. The Minister also stresses that the return of the displaced Serbs is a very important issue, announcing the formation of an inter-ministerial group for resolving this problem. “Only one ministry has been dealing with returns so far, while it turns out on the ground that it is necessary to actively include all social institutions, from the police to the judiciary,” says Maric. He claims that the inter-ministerial group will create coordination of all services. “The necessary conditions for life and employment must be ensured for somebody who returns. There is no sense in returning people until all conditions for survival are ensured,” stresses Maric, adding that everybody will have responsibility and obligation to take part in the return of the Serbs to Kosovo and Metohija in the future.

 

The Kosovo connection for destabilization of Macedonia (RTS, by Rade Maroevic)

The leaders of the group that attacked Kumanovo are five Albanians from Kosovo who have been known for forming the paramilitary structures in the region. International warrants have been issued for a large number of members of this group. They are also known for their connections with Albanian politicians from Kosovo and Macedonia, including Ramush Haradinaj, Menduh Thaqi and Albin Kurti. The spokesperson of the Macedonian Interior Ministry Ivo Kotevski noted that all five suspects are from Kosovo and the leaders of the group Muhamed Krasniqi, so-called “Commander Malisevo”, Mirsad Ndrecaj – “NATO Commander”, Sami Ushkini – “Commander Sokoli”, Beg Rizaj – “Commander Begu” and Dem Shehu – “Juniku”. Rizaj Beg was member of the KLA in the Dukadjin Zone, under the command of Ramush Haradinaj. After the war, he was Haradinaj’s bodyguard for some time. Albanian sources in Kosovo claim that the leader of this group was Jafer Zimberi, also a KLA veteran, but also the candidate for the deputy on the list of Ramush Haradinaj’s Alliance for the Future of Kosovo. Mirsad Ndrecaj is also known for his connection with Haradinaj. During the war in 2001, he was one of the local commanders of the Liberation National Army (ONA). He has recently assumed responsibility for the attack on the Gosince watchtower, claiming that he has opted for this action because Albanian leaders, for the sake of personal interests, had betrayed the ideas for which he fought. After the war in Macedonia, Ndrecaj was one of the influential members of Haradinaj’s party in Djakovica. He was arrested on one occasion over threats to judges in this town. Sami Ushkini is also from Djakovica. At least some ten members of his family fought in the KLA ranks in Kosovo, ONA in Macedonia and Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja (OVPBM) in southern Serbia. During the clashes in Macedonia, he was the commander of the brigade in the Lipkovo region. Ushkini, who openly supported Ali Ahmeti’s party –Democratic Union for Integration - right after the war in Macedonia, seems to have switched sides in the meantime, so in the series of intercepted conversations published by the Macedonian opposition, he talked with the leader of the Democratic Party of Albanians Manduh Thaqi, with whom, according to the transcripts, he had friendly relations. The fourth suspect Dem Shehu is from Decani and the veteran of the wars in Kosovo and Macedonia. After the war in Macedonia, he was Ali Ahmeti’s bodyguard for some time and maintained close ties with high officials of Ahmeti’s party. One more veteran of the wars in Macedonia and Kosovo is Muhamed Krasniqi. His brother Alban is a high official of Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement.

 

Dragisic: Attacks may be expected in Serbia as well (Beta/Politika)

Unlike the state officials, who opine that there is no danger from the spilling of the conflict from Macedonia into Serbia, Professor at the Belgrade Faculty of Security Zoran Dragisic told Beta that attacks of terrorist groups may be expected in Serbia as well. “The widest possible context in which all this is occurring is the Albanian idea on the creation of a ‘Greater Albania’. I am not an optimist, I believe that this can spill over very much into Serbian territory as well and that only depending on the present goals of the terrorists this will occur sooner or later,” said Dragisic. He pointed out that parts of Serbian territory are seen as part of the Greater Albania and that this is an idea we have been facing ever since its existence. “As long as this idea lives, Serbia is threatened by Albanian extremists. Spilling over of conflicts is possible depending on the present tactical estimates of terrorists,” he said. When it comes to Kosovo, Dragisic notes that north of Kosovo is an obstacle to Albanian extremists. “They would like to ethnically cleanse Kosovo in any case and there is already a term for this – ‘Kosovo storm’,” he said.

 

Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly: Do not make us send 7 million barehanded Albanians to take over the country (Politika/Tanjug)

The Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly, Aida Derguti sends a warning to the FYROM authorities: “Do not make us send seven million Albanians to bare-handedly take over the country and make it nonexistent. According to the Pristina media reports, Self-Determination Movement has asked the Pristina and Tirana officials to react and to stop, “the dictator” Nikola Gruevski, Prime Minister of Macedonia. The European Commission has said it is “deeply concerned” with the violence, and that it urges all actors for utmost restraint. Any further escalation must be avoided – said the EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn.

 

Danaj: Time has come for unification of Albanians; the foreigners will accept any solution that Albanians choose (Tanjug/Politika)

Albanian politician, leader of the “List for natural Albania” Koco Danaj, claims that war in Kumanovo, in the settlements inhabited by Albanians, is caused by FYROM authorities and that the time has come for the unification of all Albanians. Danaj seeks greater engagement by Albanian politicians, not only in Tirana but also in Pristina, Skopje and Ulcinj, so “Gruevski’s plan could be stopped”. Expressing his mistrust for the Albanian politicians, who he considers to be loyal to Gruevski, Danaj claims that “foreigners will support any solution that Albanians choose.” He believes that “before foreigners, Albanians should speak” and that “they now have only one way, to finally separate from Macedonia”. “There is no other way. Foreigners will accept any solution that Albanians choose. Albanians, not Albanian politicians,” said Danaj. Those who support the current government of Gruevski, Danaj consider collaborators of fascism and anti-Albanians, adding that Albanians have every right to use all means to topple Gruevski from power. “If there are people in Brussels, politicians who do not agree with that, then we should point them out that they are collaborators of fascism,” he said. Asked what he predicts will happen in the future, Danaj says he expects the deterioration of the situation in FYROM, and that “Gruevski will end in blood”. That happened to all those who have acted against the Albanians, Danaj said. Danaj sees only one solution for Albanians in FYROM – the unification.

 

Russian medal for a Kosovo Serb (Radio Serbia)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decorated Serb Rista Stanojkovic from the village of Gotovusa on the slopes of Mt. Sar with the medal of “70 years of victory in the Patriotic war 1941-1945”. Stanojkovic is the only person in Kosovo-Metohija to have ever received this great recognition. The Head of the Russian Office in Pristina Andrey Lisovoi has presented the medal to Rista Stanojkovic in the latter’s house in Gotovusa. On that occasion, the Russian diplomat has express great pleasure for putting the medal in the right hands. “May 9 is a date of supreme importance for the Russian people, as well as for the majority around the world, who fought together against fascism and Nazism. It was a joint contribution to the world peace. We have come here to decorate a war veteran who took part in that war on the side of the Yugoslav partisans, in cooperation with the Red Army. We are also praising the people around the world who gave their contribution during that war. It is our satisfaction to find one of those veterans here, in this beautiful region of Strpce,” Lisovoi said. “I am very happy that we have been able to locate this gentleman, to see him in good health and being able to present this medal. Thank God that these people are still alive, and their success in the battle against fascism is the legacy to all future generations,” concluded the Head of the Russian Office. Rista Stanojevic remembers his days in the liberation war, and says that the biggest problem to the liberators in Kosovo and Metohija were the balists, i.e. Albanian extremists and secessionists. They were always with the occupiers, and once the Germans were pushed from these parts, they kept fighting to see Kosovo adjoined to Albania. Stojanovic says that there were lot of such tendencies even among the Albanians who had fought against the Germans, which almost lead to the passing of a decision to that end at a plenary session in Prizren. Stanojkovic is now 91 years old, living in good health, and says it is owing to the environment in which he lives, which is the cleanest and most beautiful in the world. He is deeply affected with what has been going on in Kosovo and Metohija over the past few decades, and says that is not what he had fought for.

 

 

 

Gouillon becomes Serbian citizen (Tanjug)

French humanitarian Arnaud Gouillon has become a Serbian citizen on Monday, and Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic handed him the citizenship certificate, passport and ID card. Gouillon told the press on the occasion he is very touched with the ceremony and grateful to the Serbian government, particularly Minister Stefanovic, for having acknowledged his work and desire to become part of the Serbian nation. I met the Serbian people in difficult times. Now, when clouds over Serbia are breaking, I want to stay with it in that future, which, I am certain, will be a better one. Although there is not a single drop of Serbian blood in me, Serbia runs through my veins, the humanitarian said. Gouillon comes from Vizille near Grenoble, France. He is the founder of the French humanitarian organization Solidarity for Kosovo and has been engaged in humanitarian work in Kosovo and Metohija for 10 years. Gouillon is the author of a book dubbed “All My Roads Lead to Serbia”. Married to a Serbian woman, he lives in Belgrade and speaks Serbian.

 

SRS: Amending Constitution over Kosovo (Beta)

The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) has assessed that the real reason for amending the Constitution is to erase the preamble that states that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral part of Serbia. “The regime is preparing a large and dangerous deception, while they are deceiving the public that the reason for amending the Constitution is to reduce the number of members of parliament and to amend the manner of election of judges. They have consciously resorted to such media manipulation, along with mandatory emphasis that a smaller number of deputies will bring big savings in the republican budget,” assessed the SRS in a statement. The SRS adds that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic admitted in an interview to the Wall Street Journal that Kosovo is the motive for amending the Constitution, whereby he demonstrated that “it is not true that he is giving the same statements in Serbia and abroad, as he often praises himself”. “The SRS warns the regime not to play with the state and to abandon the intention on amending the Constitution, because erasing the preamble would imply that Kosovo and Metohija is not part of the constitutional order of Serbia and that Serbia formally recognizes the self-declared state of Kosovo,” reads the statement. The SRS reiterated that the EU insisting on amending the Constitution of Serbia is sufficient reason to immediately suspend the negotiations on Serbia’s EU membership.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H and FYROM - beginning of Islamic state in the Balkans (Srna)

Security expert Predrag Ceranic has said that terrorist action in Kumanovo represents continued operation of Islamic State in the Balkans, which was preceded by that attacks on FYROM police in the village of Gosince and the Republika Srpska (RS) police in Zvornik, and he has warned that the intelligence analysis indicate that it is only the beginning of the operations of Islamic State in the Balkans. Ceranic has noted that the situations in B&H and FYROM are very similar when it comes to the polarization of society on Islamic and Orthodox, which Islamic extremists use cleverly in order to establish Islamist transversal that will encompass parts of B&H, FYROM, Kosovo and Metohija, Raska and Presevo, i.e. the area in which and from which they can operate almost unhindered. “In the Balkans, the warriors of Islamic State and Al Qaeda are primarily recruited by the Wahhabi lines. People that have already participated in war are the backbone of these forces - in B&H, those are the people that are close to the notorious unit ‘El Mujahedeen’, whereas in case of Serbia or Kosovo and FYROM, those are mostly the veterans of a terrorist group of Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),” Ceranic has told Srna. He pointed out to the timing of the terrorist actions in FYROM, which coincides with the political crisis in this country and street protests led by the opposition, while the creators of a Greater Albania smoothly implement their plans. “It will happen that the KLA units will march in Skopje, and at the same time Macedonian politicians will still argue and, using the media, will try to predispose public community. The price will be high, in the form of large-scale human casualties and loss of state. The lesson from the Ukrainian scenario was not learnt in Macedonia,” said Ceranic. Noting that the political crisis in FYROM have been caused by the fact that the leader of the strongest Macedonian opposition party, Zoran Zaev has started to overthrow the current government in his media “bombs” by broadcasting wiretapped conversations of the highest Macedonian officials and organizing street protests, Ceranic has pointed out that similar dramaturgy was prepared for the RS, even on the same matrix. He has stated that the case concerning the release of alleged wiretapped conversation of the RS prime minister should divide the public and destabilize the situation, which has been partly successfully done. “On the other hand, such as the advocates of a Greater Albania in Macedonia, we were attacked in Zvornik by Islamist State forces,” Ceranic has told Srna. He has said it is a high time to name phenomena and processes by their proper name. “The ideological basis of the so-called Islamic State is the Wahhabi ideology. Those who want to create an Islamic State in B&H, or the Balkan emirate, and do not think there are few of them, they have created conditions suitable for terrorist attacks through great indoctrination of young people,” Ceranic has said. He has stated that the major problem for B&H will occur if Damascus gets defeated, because the Syrian warriors will return to B&H to continue to fight for the same goals for which they left for Syria. “That is why the police operation Ruben is important, therefore the Ministry of Interior of RS deserves praise. I hope that the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the Ministry of Interior of the Federation of B&H will perform their portion of job. In the absence of Ruben 2, B&H will lose the battle with terrorism and the RS will have to defend itself alone and to cooperate with those who want the cooperation,” added Ceranic. According to him, the operational work is most valuable preventive action, but in practice, it is not appreciated enough. “Who will you convince that 30 uniforms and bulletproof vests, which were found in only one of the searched locations during the police operation Ruben, should be used in a military operation such as the one that occurred in Kumanovo in Macedonia? And what else it could be about? When a terrorist act occurs, it is condemned by everyone, but when the act is neutralized by the police, hardly anyone realizes what has been prevented and how important preventive operations are,” said Ceranic. He has said that therefore by forming counter terrorism and extremism administration, the Minister of Interior of RS, Dragan Lukac, has showed that he is a man with a vision, who deserves trust and every kind of support. Speaking about the terrorist attack on the police station in Zvornik, Ceranic says that the investigation should reveal who indoctrinated the attacker Nerdin Ibric, who tasked him, who are next executors and what their tasks are, because everything that has been found out so far suggests that the attack in Zvornik is just the beginning of bloody feast and therefore operation Ruben, that was carried out by the RS Ministry of Interior, is very important.

 

Cvijanovic: Terrorism threat to countries in the region (Srna)

The RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said in the telegram of condolences to Prime Minister of FYROM Nikola Gruevski, that the terrorist attack in Kumanovo warns that terrorism is a threat to all countries in the region, and that it is necessary to act decisively in order to successfully cope with the security challenges. “With sadness I received the news of the terrorist attack in Kumanovo where the members of the Ministry of Interior of Macedonia have tragically lost their lives,” says Cvijanovic, who has sent her deepest condolences. She points out that the citizens of RS are deeply shaken by this brutal terrorist act and that they fully sympathize with the families of the victims and the people of FYROM. “This unfortunate event once again reminds us that terrorism is a threat to all countries in the region, and that it is necessary to act decisively in order to successfully cope with these security challenges,” said Cvijanovic.

 

Terrorist threats made against the B&H TV (BHRT/RTRS/Tanjug)

The message received by the B&H TV reeds that they will all be killed ‘cause the dawn of Islam has arrived. All this will continue until the flag of Islamic State starts to fly over Bosnia

The editor of the show “Interview 20” on BHRT Sanela Prasovic-Gadzo received threatening messages because of the “bonding with the Serbs”. Also, the threat has been received by the BHRT too, and from no one other than a member of the Islamic State! They clearly and accurately pointed out that it will kill everyone and that the dawn of Islam has arrived.

“The message also states to be careful whom I call to the show, because I will be shot with a bullet from the car,” said Sanela . Recently in BHRT has received threatening messages from the members of the Islamic State threatening to bomb the media building. “Pretty soon, Insha Allah you will have a lot to broadcast... know that the Islamic State is now in Bosnia and you are soon going to fly up in to the air, all this will continue until the flag of La ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but God) starts to fly over Bosnia... The dawn of the Islam has come be sure of that... the brothers are ready to kill you slowly and surely.” The BHRT has seriously received the threatening messages which say that their building would be bombed, and reported the incident to the police. The security services announced that they are investigating the case.

 

Izetbegovic: SDA shall pay for lawyers to provide legal protection to the arrested (Fena/Srna)

The SDA has sent out its officials to the field to visit the families of the arrested people in the Interior Ministry’s operation codenamed “Ruben”. “Only lawyers can reach those who are accused of crime and SDA will give them support in the sense that it will pay for the lawyers to see what is happening with the people that have been apprehended,” said SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic. He believes that the police of RS certainly exceeded its jurisdiction, and as far as suspicion of terrorism, he emphasizes that the issue should be addressed by the authorized agencies. “We will be active on stopping this kind of developments which threaten B&H. The SDA is ready to be the first in dealing with terrorism, the creation of mechanisms that can stop any terrorist activities in B&H, but we will not allow the agenda of fighting terrorism to be misused for harassment of returnees and for preventing the process of return,” said Izetbegovic. The Chairman of the SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives of the B&H Parliament Stasa Kosarac strongly condemned response of the SDA leader on a legal and legitimate action of the Special Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Interior of the RS aimed at preventing new terrorist attacks and at punishing the extremist groups and individuals. Kosarac told Srna news agency that the actions of Izetbegovic represent a dangerous proof that the SDA is still the main patron, protector and accomplice of radical Islamists who pose the greatest threat to the safety of all citizens and to the peace and coexistence of peoples in B&H. He called on all police agencies at the state level and in the Federation to break free from the SDA political pressures and join the RS police in the fight against terrorism.

 

Gruevski: “All who want to cause harm to Macedonia would end up as this terrorist group” (Kurir.mk)

“I want to send message that this is not the Macedonian-Albanian conflict but conflict of persons who do not wish good to the state and the citizens and the people who care for state, the constitutional order, and security of citizens. Their action brings harm to Macedonians and Albanians in Macedonia and the region”. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski regarding developments in terrorist attack Diva settlement in Kumanovo. “The people whose homes were damaged due to the action of the police will be performed financial compensation after performing the assessment. About 30 terrorists were caught by the determination and professional police and after several hours of resistance unconditionally surrendered. They are arrested and will be put on trial, will be tried before Macedonian courts and laws. So far, have been found bodies of 14 people who are presumed members of the terrorist group and whose identification is ongoing” said Gruevski. He stressed that significant part of the group are people who have recently made the terrorist attack at Gosince and information is indicating that some of them were participants in several conflicts in the past, in the region and in the Middle East and are considered the most dangerous terrorist group in the Balkans. “Their purpose and motives are subject to further investigation. One thing is certain, that one of their targets was the destabilization of Macedonia. During the fighting there was flawless coordination between institutions, it was conducted coordination between the leadership of the police and army. I express gratitude to the Mayor of Kumanovo for the activities and messages during the action, said the Prime Minister. As he noted, the necessity and timing were based on previously gathered information and analysis and the disposal of action could have bring new risks. “I would refrain from comments of some politicians and so-called journalists. To comment on the professionalism of the participants and elder officers to fight for political points on the backs of the victims and the wounded is extremely cowardly. Macedonia has the power and the strength to continue walking forward and progress, this will not deter Macedonia on the road towards the strategic goals of the state and citizens. All who want to inflict harm to the state I recommend that will end same as this terrorist group, said the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to all who in difficult times offered or provided assistance, to the thousands of citizens who are offered help with direct participation and risk taking.

 

US, EU, OSCE and NATO believe now is the time for leaders to pull together (Republika)

The diplomatic missions of the US, the EU, OSCE and NATO issued a joint press release regarding the police operation in Kumanovo. “We all deeply regret the loss of lives in the operation in Kumanovo, which fortunately appears to be over. Our thoughts go to the families of the police officers who were killed in the operation, and to the citizens who were caught up in the violence. Legitimate political representatives here and in the region have all in the past day denounced violence. It is hence our understanding that the armed group in Kumanovo is an isolated phenomenon. We strongly believe that it must not be allowed to harm relations within society. We also hope that this will be the moment for the country’s leaders to pull together and engage in dialogue on all issues facing the country, including the protracted political crisis and necessary reforms”, the joint EU, US, OSCE and NATO press release says.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Macedonian police leave troubled town after deadly shootout (AFP, 11 May 2015)

Special police units pulled out of the northern Macedonian town early Monday where 22 people, including eight officers, were killed over the weekend in worst violence in the country since its 2001 inter-ethnic conflict. The violence in Kumanovo, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Skopje, raised concerns about possible ethnic-Albanian unrest in the volatile Balkan region as NATO and the European Union called for a return to calm in Macedonia. The night was peaceful in the town where two-day police operation ended Sunday, local media reported, adding that dozens of people who had fled from their homes had started to return. The shooting erupted on Saturday at dawn when police moved in on the armed group. Eight officers killed and 37 injured, while 14 bodies were also found at the site, a police spokesman said. “Terrorist planned mass killings in Macedonia” and “Macedonia pushed on the edge” said the front pages of newspapers in the capital Skopje Monday. The Nova Makedonija daily published photos of the eight killed police officers with their names and years of birth. “Rest in peace” read the caption. The gunmen were from "a particularly dangerous terrorist group" whose members included people sought on international arrest warrants, according to police. The group was made up of over 30 people, mostly Macedonian citizens and five presumed ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, supposedly the group leaders, and one from Albania, police said. Ethnic Albanians make up around one quarter of Macedonia's 2.1 million population. The authorities said some 20 gunmen who surrendered Saturday were brought to a Skopje court as an investigation opened into the fighting. Macedonia proclaimed two days of national mourning on Sunday. The 2001 Macedonian conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels ended with an agreement providing more rights to the minority community. However, relations between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians remain strained.

The violence in Kumanovo erupted as Macedonia has been embroiled in a deep political crisis, where the government and centre-left opposition have been trading accusations including claims of wiretapping, murder and million-euro bribes. The crisis has undermined Macedonia's already weak institutions, and also sparked concerns within the 28-nation EU that Skopje hopes to join.

 

Armed group 'planned to destabilize Macedonia' (Anadolu Agency, 11 May 2015)

An armed group that police in northern Macedonia tackled at the weekend, resulting in at least 22 deaths, was planning terror attacks that would cause “serious destabilization,” the country’s president said on Sunday evening. In a televised address, Gjorge Ivanov said: "Police have prevented coordinated terrorist attacks at different locations in the country that would cause serious destabilization, chaos and fear." "The members of the group are extremists and criminals with remarkable military training and skills. That's why we have paid such a high price with the loss of lives." Eight police officers and 14 militants were killed in clashes that began early Saturday when police intercepted an armed group near Kumanovo, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of capital Skopje. Ivanov, who cut short a visit to Russia on Saturday, pledged that those involved would “pay dearly” and called for political unity in Macedonia, where the government and the opposition have been at loggerheads amid accusations that each is attempting to destabilize the country in a bid to secure power. The president renewed his call for EU and NATO integration to provide stability in the former Yugoslav republic. Following the end of the police operation on Sunday, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski claimed the leaders of the armed group were from Kosovo and said around 30 Macedonians had been arrested and charged with terror-related offenses after surrendering. He said some of the attackers wore uniforms of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army, which fought Serbian forces for Kosovan independence in the 1990s and launched an insurgency in Macedonia in 2001, demanding more rights for the country’s significant ethnic Albanian minority. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told reporters that more than 40 militants had planned to attack state institutions, sport events and shopping areas, claiming the group was made up of combat veterans with experience in the Balkans and Middle East. He added that the group entered Macedonia at the beginning of May and based itself in western Kumanovo, where police found weapons. Last month, a police station in Gosince, near Kumanovo, was attacked by a group of armed men who claimed to be members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Effective sovereignty through equality of constituent peoples (RT, 9 May 2015)

On May 12, the UN Security Council will hold a debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia is interested in the sustainable and normal functioning of Bosnian state institutions. The principle of equality for the three constituent peoples, as provided for by the Dayton Accords, must be fully respected. It is important to continue the policy of conferring full responsibilities for the situation in the country onto the Bosnians themselves. After new central and entities’ state bodies were formed on 31 March, new opportunities are open in that regard. Abolishing the Office of the High Representative is long overdue. International partners should seriously address the emergence of extremism within the Muslim Bosniak community. This is a threat to the post-conflict Bosnian society that should be adequately assessed. A new confirmation of this trend is the terrorist attack by an armed Islamist against a police station in the town of Zvornik on April 27. We continue to witness selective accusations against Bosnian Serbs, as well as Bosnian Croats, regarding their activities allegedly undermining the constitutional foundations, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. These accusations are illegitimate and unconstructive. They distort the real situation in the country and create unnecessary tensions in relations between the constituent peoples.

 

Croat Party Boycotts Bosnia Federation Govt (The Journal Of Turkish Weekly, 10 May 2015)

Ministers from the main Bosnian Croat party boycotted the session of the Federation government Thursday, raising concerns about the stability of the ruling coalition in the entity. Ministers from the main Bosnian Croat party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, skipped the session of the Federation entity government on Thursday in a continuing dispute with coalition partners over the appointment of managers in public firms. The president of the Federation entity, Marinko Cavara, who is also Vice-President of the HDZ, said that all the coalition partners, including the HDZ, the [mainly Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, and the [non-ethnic] Democratic Front, DF, have to reach decisions mutually. "Ministers from the HDZ could not accept to agree on one thing - and then do something else," Cavara said. Disagreements over the appointment of managers in public companies, such as the state telecom firm and other large state-owned industries, have troubled relations among coalition partners from the beginning. The DF wants ministers to appoint the managers of companies in their own sectors while the HDZ insists on the entire government voting on all those issues. "The DF has to understand that, if they are a part of a coalition, they should behave in that way," Cavara said. However, he added, the three-party coalition was not in danger and problems could be solved by compromise. The President of the HDZ, Dragan Covic, said in an interview with the Sarajevo daily Dnevni avaz on Thursday that the SDA and HDZ were at one on this issue. "How can we be in coalition if we don't have a common stand over key questions?" Covic said. The dispute over this issue also reflects deep personal animosities among some officials from these two parties. Conflicting ideologies, agendas as well as personal animosities blocked the formation of a Federation entity government for months. A government was finally elected at the end of March but, many senior government officials admit it remains quite dysfunctional as the three main parties in government continue waging their little wars. A further escalation of animosities could topple the Federation government, which would then force a change in the ruling coalitions at state level and at other administrative levels.

 

Main Bosnian Serb Opposition Party Re-Elects Leader (BIRN, by Srecko Latal, 11 May 2015)

The Serb Democratic Party re-elected Mladen Bosic as its chief and pledged to focus on the fight against organised crime and corruption as well as reforms required for EU accession. The Serb Democratic Party, SDS, chose Bosic to lead the party for another four years at its party congress on Sunday in Banja Luka. “We have to show that we have courage and that we can start the fight against corruption and crime which was carried out under the auspices of the political leadership of the current government in the [Serb-dominated entity of] Republika Srpska,” Bosic said in his address to the SDS congress. “Changes are necessary and we will try to get even stronger through the selection of the new leadership,” he added. In the last general elections, the SDS came close to defeating the entity’s ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD. An SDS-led block of opposition parties won the Serb position in Bosnia’s tripartite presidency and significantly strengthened its positions in the state parliament and the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, RS. SNSD leader Milorad Dodik narrowly defeated SDS candidate Ognjen Tadic in the race for the presidency of RS, and the SNSD only managed to establish a ruling coalition in RS by buying off two MPs from opposing parties – a public scandal which is still shaking RS and is being investigated by the judiciary. Meanwhile, the SDS-led block of Serb parties joined the main Bosniak and Croat parties in the ruling coalition at state level. In the past few years, the SDS has supported moderate positions and economic and social reforms, especially those required for the country’s EU integration process. This represents a huge change for the SDS, which was founded by the Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic in 1990, but since has gone through a series of democratic reforms. The SDS was also the only party out of four main Bosnian parties which elected leaders in recent months to have a challenger for the position. The SNSD, as well as the main Croat and leading opposition Bosniak party – the Croat Democratic Union, HDZ and Union for Better Future, SBB – re-elected their incumbent leaders, Milorad Dodik, Dragan Covic and Fahrudin Radoncic, without any challenge for the position. At Sunday’s congress, Bosic defeated the popular mayor of north-eastern town of Bijeljina, Mico Micic, by a margin of 266 to 167 votes. A source close to the party told Balkan Insight that under Bosic’s continued leadership, the SDS is expected to increase its pressure on the ruling SNSD, which finds itself in increasingly volatile situation.  Last week two MPs in the RS National Assembly from the Party of Advance RS, Adam Sukalo and Goran Djordjic – who were a part of the SNSD-led block – announced they were withdrawing from the ruling coalition until the RS authorities announce the findings of an investigation into the audio tape of an alleged conversation between RS Premier Zeljka Cvijanovic and her staff about buying off MPs from other parties. Without these two votes, the SNSD-led block’s margin in the RS National Assembly has been reduced to only one vote. A number of senior SNSD officials – including several MPs in the RS National Assembly – have recently criticised their leader Dodik and his team. The desertion of only one SNSD MP would topple the ruling coalition and the RS government and force Dodik to either try to build a new ruling coalition or call for early elections in the entity, RS officials told Balkan Insight under condition of anonymity.

 

Women Form War Crime Court (WeNews staff, 9 May 2015)

A Women's Court on war crimes against women during the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s formally started in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

On May 7, the Women's Court on war crimes against women during the war in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s formally started in Sarajevo, Bosnia, according to a press release distributed by the WUNRN listserve. Women have come together from all the corners of the former nation to demand justice for the crimes committed against them during the wars and the enduring inequalities and suffering that followed. The composition of the organizational committee includes women across the national divides that came with the partition of the former Yugoslavia: from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Zena, Women's Forum, Foundation CURE; from Croatia: Centre for Women's Studies, Centre for Women War Victims - ROSA; from Kosovo: Kosovo Women's Network; from Macedonia: National Council for Gender Equality; from Montenegro: Anima; from Slovenia: Women's Lobby Slovenia; from Serbia: Women's Studies, Women in Black. The tribunal will not pronounce verdicts; instead it will name the crimes and the perpetrators, it will denounce the links between the different forms of violence that women suffer till today in the former Yugoslavia, as a consequence of the wars, it will demand justice and, relying on the power of internationalist women's solidarity, commits to monitoring the responses from the concerned authorities.