LOCAL PRESS

 

Davenport: Following the agreement in Brussels, Serbia closer to the EU (Dnevnik, B92)

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport says that Serbia, after signing the agreement in Brussels, has come much closer to the opening of negotiations on the first chapters with the EU. The progress that we have witnessed at Tuesday paves the way for the further steps in the dialogue, but also in the process of the normalization, "said Davenport for Television N1, adding that without the engagement of the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, as well as the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, there would be no results. Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said today that Serbia, after signing the agreement in Brussels, is much closer to the opening of negotiations on the first chapters with the EU. When asked when they can expect the opening of the first chapter in the negotiations with the EU, Davenport said that now the European Commission should propose the following steps, and that it will be up to the member states to decide on those steps and on the dynamics, a lot depends on the readiness of Serbia, especially well when it comes to chapters 23 and 24, and the rule of law. Davenport believes that now there is a great chance for Serbia to enter into a more active phase of negotiations and that it is likely that the whole process would speed up over the next year. "The Action Plan on Chapter 24 is practically completed, regarding the Chapter 23 - this week we got a new draft of the plan ... the Commission in Brussels will analyze this draft and I think that the process is getting closer to the preparations of the report for the Member States" says Davenport. Asked whether the request of Serbia to recognize Kosovo, Davenport says that "in this context is the question of recognition, but it is a comprehensive normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina". As he said, in all official documents of the Council of Europe is very consistently talk about it. Asked if there will be a request for Serbia to recognize Kosovo, Davenport said that "in this context the question is not the recognition, but a comprehensive normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina". As he pointed out, all the official documents of the Council of Europe very consequently talk about it.

 

Vienna summit tackles joint projects, and problems (Tanjug)

Vienna on Thursday hosted a summit on the Western Balkans - "the most important event for the region this year," Tanjug is reporting. It has been agreed during the gathering that the EU will aside EUR 600 million for regional infrastructure projects. Significant help in solving the problems of refugees has been sought, while it has been concluded it is necessary to open as soon as the first chapters in the negotiations on Serbia's membership in the EU. The summit, which brings together leaders of the region and the EU, was opened by Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, who pointed out that Austria has close economic and social ties with the Western Balkans, "which are very good and progressed over time." Austrian Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economy Reinhold Mitterlehner announced that the EU will support the Western Balkans countries with 600 million for energy, transport and railway projects. Mitterlehner told journalists that 24 projects that will be implemented the coming years have been confirmed, worth about 7.7 billion, which should result in GDP growth of one percent per year in the Western Balkans, with the goal of creating 200,000 jobs in the next 15 years. The agreed package of support is provided for ten different periods to be launched in the coming period, including the highway Nis-Pristina-Durres and the modernization of the railway line between Belgrade and Sarajevo. When it comes to solving the refugee crisis, Serbia and Macedonia earlier in the day asked the European Union to take action, given that a million euros, earmarked for assistance to these countries, is not enough. Important encouragement for the opening of negotiating chapters with Serbia also came from Vienna, Tanjug said, quoting EU Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn as saying that this "should be done as soon as possible." Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Sebastian Kurz said that the peace project of the EU incomplete without the Western Balkans, while German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier explained that Germany initiated the Berlin process - that continued with the Vienna summit - with the aim to encourage and accelerate the process of Western Balkan countries's moving closer to the EU, as well as conflict resolution. After the end of the summit the results will be announced by Werner Faymann, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and on behalf of the region, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic.

 

Vucic: Germans will "keep their word" on chapter opening (RTS)

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic says he "believes the sincerity and the word of German politicians" about opening the first negotiating chapters with the EU. He also said that he expects the start of Serbia's membership negotiations "soon.""They gave their word, and they will keep it," Vucic told the state broadcaster RTS late on Thursday. Commenting on the results of the Vienna summit of the countries of the Western Balkans, Vucic said it was important for Serbia that German Chancellor Angela Merkel "called on German companies to invest in the region," and pointed out that the conference heard "important things for solving the migrant crisis". "After this call of Chancellor Merkel, I expect new German investments in Serbia. For us it is important that we work on economic reforms, and if we continue like before, we believe we will be able to finish the infrastructure projects that we talked about today in the best way for our country and its citizens," the prime minister said. Vucic said that the government is particularly interested in building the highway from Nis to Merdare and continue through Pristina to Durres, because the project could start economically underdeveloped parts of the Nisava and Toplica districts. "This will be an important project which envisages the construction of 77 kilometers of highway from Nis to Merdare. I expect that we will, before Albania does, in late October or early November 2016, start with realization of this project, and at the same time we will also be completing works on Corridor 10," Vucic said. As he said, Serbia is today seen as "a responsible, European country that keeps to its word." "Chancellor Merkel, who - let's be honest - has a decisive role in Europe, she said she was not surprised that we did our job, because she expected it. It is a tribute to citizens of Serbia, and we need to continue with economic reforms, so that in 2016 growth will be higher than two percent and in 2017 and over three (percent)," said he. Speaking on the refugee crisis, Vucic said it would "last a long time" but that that "Merkel's resolve to solve this problem will be a sign to the other institutions to act quickly." "We in Serbia are working to protect these people, but at the same time without sacrificing our national and state interests. Now we are waiting for an EU plan on resolving the crisis, which Serbia will adhere to. When they adopt this plan, it will be better than it is today it's not known what the goal and the tactic is," Vucic concluded.

 

Joksimovic and Bogovic discuss EU integration funds (Tanjug)

Serbia's Minister responsible for EU integration Jadranka Joksimovic and Slovenia's MEP Franc Bogovic discussed in Belgrade today Serbia's next steps in the EU integration process, and Bogovic voiced the expectation that initial chapters in the EU entry talks with Serbia would be opened by the end of the year. Joksimovic and Bogovic, who is vice-president of the Friends of Serbia group in the European Parliament, commended the Vienna Summit, highlighting the importance of regional cooperation as a prerequisite for joint infrastructure projects and a good perspective of the region, the minister's press office said in a release. Bogovic described the reaching of the four agreements between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels as very important, voicing the expectation that initial chapters in Serbia's EU entry talks would be opened by the end of the year, the press office reported. Joksimovic and Bogovic devoted much attention to the exchange of experiences in using the EU's pre-accession funds, as well as cohesion funds that the state has access to once it joins the bloc.

 

Diplomatic battle against Kosovo's UNESCO bid still imminent (Nedeljnik)

Serbia's UNESCO Ambassador Darko Tanaskovic believes that a diplomatic battle to persuade the member states of this organization that possible admission of Kosovo is unacceptable and multiply harmful is still imminent. Kosovo's UNESCO admission is unacceptable for Serbia out of legal, political, cultural and moral reasons, Tanaskovic told Belgrade weekly Nedeljnik. "Since Pristina will not give up on its intention, and bearing in mind that politics usually decide when such things happen, and not the law, a diplomatic battle of persuading UNESCO member states that possible admission of Kosovo is unacceptable and multiply harmful is still imminent," he said. Serbia, as Tanaskovic put it, has strong arguments in this battle, and, besides the political ones, perhaps the strongest argument is that Kosovo is unable to meet the obligations pertaining to UNESCO membership, primarily in terms of how they treat Serbia's cultural heritage in the province. All institutions of Serbia have taken part in preventing Kosovo from becoming a UNESCO member, and it is important that this effort made by the state and the nation as a whole is well prepared, coordinated and persistent, and that all steps are taken systemically.

 

Small protest held against Kosovo dialogue agreement (Radio Contact Plus)

Supporters of the opposition ethnic Albanian Self-Determination party in Kosovo launched a series of protests. The first of the protests, held against the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) was staged in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and gathered around 20 people. Protesters carried a banner that read, “Do Not Recognize the Community!”, while two supporters of party who threw paint at the municipal headquarters were detained, Kosovska Mitrovica-based Radio Contact Plus reported. The incident took place at the close of the protest that was held in front of the municipal headquarters in the Albanian-majority southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. On Tuesday, another round of the top-level dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina was held in Brussels resulting in four agreements, including the one on the Community of Serb Municipalities. The Self-Determination earlier threatened to organize rioting in case Pristina accepted to form the Community.

 

Hahn: Decision on election in hands of Serbian politicians (Danas)

A decision on a snap parliamentary election does not depend on leaders of the EU, but solely on Serbian politicians, and the EU is convinced that Serbia will stay the reform course and remain committed to resolving the Kosovo issue, EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn says. In an interview to Belgrade-based daily Danas, Hahn says that he will propose opening an initial negotiation chapter in late 2015, noting that Serbia has no yet finished work on Chapters 23 and 24. Serbia has finalized the implementation of the key agreements with Kosovo, as part of the normalization process that Chapter 35 deals with. This constitutes a key breakthrough when it comes to the normalization process, and I hope that this will pave the way for reaching a consensus among member states concerning the opening of chapters, as soon as this year, he says. Asked about the issue of refugees, Hahn says that the EU is watching the situation closely. We have earmarked EUR 390,000 as emergency assistance, including humanitarian aid, as was the case last year during the floods. In addition to this, the bloc has allocated or is about to allocate around EUR 8.2 million so as to expand the monitoring of borders, strengthen the asylum system and increase accommodation capacities for asylum seekers in Serbia, he specifies.

 

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H Prosecutor's Office issued an indictment against Naser Oric (Srna)

Representatives of the Veterans Association, the families of killed soldiers and the Republika Srpska (RS) Association of Prison Camp Detainees have welcomed the issuance of indictment against wartime commander of Bosnian Muslim forces in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, but also expect the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Prosecutor’s Office to expand indictment and to process all responsible for the crimes against Serbs in Podrinje. President of the RS Veterans Associtaion (BORS), Milomir Savcic, has welcomed the fact that the B&H Prosecutor's Office finally issued an indictment against Oric as there are numerous evidence and witness statements of the war crimes committed against Serbs in Podrinje. Savcic told Srna that Oric has not been previously prosecuted as he has had political protection, even though numerous evidence of the crimes committed against Serbs existed earlier. "The question is what the vast machinery of the Hague Tribunal did and how could it happen that so many investigators and prosecutors failed to investigate Oric case and prosecute him," said Savcic. Savcic recalled that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office exempted this case after the District Court in Bijeljina had become involved in the investigation of war crimes committed by Oric, again for political reasons. "The B&H Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Oric over high public pressure, numerous evidence and eyewitness of the slaughtering of a judge, Slobodan Ilic, and murder of a nurse at the same location,” said President of the BORS. Savcic is of the opinion that the indictment against Oric must be extended as it is not about three murders, but, unfortunately, a much larger number of the murders of the Serbs, prisoners of war and civilians. President of the RS Organization of the Families of Captured and Killed Soldiers and Missing Civilians, Nedeljko Mitrovic, has expected the issuance of the indictment against Oric after his previous arrest in Switzerland based on Interpol arrest warrant issued by Serbia. Mitrovic told Srna that he does not consider the indictment against Oric spectacular unless it gets extended during the court proceedings. "I do not expect more significant development in the processing of war crimes against Serbs in Bosnia as long as the part of the international community supports the Bosniak politics in B&H," said Mitrovic. President of the RS Association of Prison Camp Detainees, Branislav Dukic, told Srna that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office must expand the indictment against Oric because not only three Serbs were murdered in Podrinje, as noted in the current indictment, but more than 3,600. He said that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office should have indicted Oric and his accomplices much earlier. "Unfortunately, Oric is still a national hero in Sarajevo, which is utterly unacceptable to the Serb victims of the war," Dukic said. The B&H Prosecutor’s Office issued indictments against Naser Oric and Sabahudin Muhic, who are charged with war crimes against prisoners of war. Oric and Muhic are charged with acting in contravention of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions during the war and armed conflict between the so-called Army of B&H and the Army of RS in the Srebrenica and Bratunac area, as a commander and a member of the so-called Army of B&H.

 

Mitrovic: Crimes on Orzen had all elements of genocide (Srna)

A horrific crime which has all elements of genocide was committed against Serbs on Mt Ozren but unfortunately, no one has yet been prosecuted for them, says Nedeljko Mitrovic, the head of the Association of Families of Detained and Fallen Veterans and Missing Civilians of Republika Srpska (RS). “No one in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) has yet been brought to justice for those crimes, except for the deceased commander of the so-called Army of B&H, Rasim Delic, who was sentenced by the Hague war crimes tribunal to three and a half years in prison,” Mitrovic told a press conference in Banja Luka marking International Day of the Disappeared, August 30. Mitrovic that neither the commander of the Army of B&H 3rd Corps Sakib Mahmuljin, nor Sefik Dzaferovic or many others today engaged in politics have answered for the Ozren crimes. Mitrovic asserts that fallen persons’ families from RS are dissatisfied with the work of the B&H Missing Persons Institute and International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in the search for missing Serbs, and also with the work of the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office regarding the prosecution of war crimes committed against Serbs, which is why they support the announced referendum on the two institutions. Mitrovic recalled that after the war, the two former entity commissions in charge of searching for the missing and international factors had agreed to share information on the fallen, detained and missing persons in Srebrenica and on Mt Ozren. “The RS had provided all information on the Bosniaks killed in Srebrenica and has not received any information in return from the Federation of B&H on the Serbs killed on Mt Ozren. “There are 11 mass graves of Serbs with approximately 140 bodies on Mt Ozren. The most striking case is that of the village of Gostovici where 53 Serb veterans were massacred by the Mujahedeen, with only 12 bodies so far recovered and identified,” said Mitrovic. On Mt Ozren, 459 Serb soldiers were detained, 49 of them were exchanged, 271 were identified and 131 are missing. The RS is still searching for 1,676 veterans and civilians, while the three ossuaries in RS contain 657 recovered unidentified earthly remains. Mitrovic said that the International Day of the Disappeared will be marked near the St Nicholas Monastery on Mt Ozren on August 30. A memorial service will take place at 11 am near the memorial cross, followed by a flower laying ceremony and addresses by officials. Zoran Blagojevic, the head of the Association of the People of Zavidovici, which is seated in Doboj, recalled that on September 10, 1995, the Army of B&H assisted by the infamous El Mujahidin Squad carried Operation Hurricane in Vozuca, including 23,000 Muslim troops. The toll was 415 dead Serb soldiers, and 137 still missing, while 7,500 Serbs were expelled and 30 villages burnt to the ground. “Twenty years ago a horrific crime was committed in Vozuca that a human mind cannot grasp – ritual murders including beheadings committed by the Mujahedeen,” said Blagojevic. “It is unbelievable that Sakib Mahmuljin and his subordinates have not been brought to justice for this crime. Neither has Sefik Dzaferovic. “We will not stop until we find all 137 missing persons and until all those who took part in the crimes or silently watched it carried out are brought to justice,” said Blagojevic. The Vozuca Association will organize a march down the paths of exodus on September 10 to attend a memorial service to the victims. Zdravko Jorgic, the father of a fallen student, veteran of the Army of RS on Ozren, has told reporters that 20 years after his only son went missing, every day in his life gets harder and harder because it passes in hope of his son returning. “You can’t forget it. May God help me to find at least one bone that belonged to my son so I can bury him and visit his grave and light a candle in his memory,” said Jorgic.

 

Zeljka Cvijanovic: Opposition's most common circus and performance (Oslobodjenje, Fena)

Zeljka Cvijanovic, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, today called the approach by the opposition to the alleged audio recording of "buying deputies in RS" "the most common circus."

"Yet another performance by a spent opposition," said Cvijanovic in a statement to Fena, commenting on the claims by the opposition in the RS National Assembly that a forensic analysis confirmed the authenticity of the recording, in which the voice of the RS prime minister is allegedly heard to discuss the "buying" of RS delegates. "After they tried to make a circus of the National Assembly – and didn't succeed – then the opposition turned to private detective agencies.

Tragicomic, obviously this is about a recording of the only topic that still keeps them together and with which they are trying to cover their own catastrophic mistakes they've committed in Sarajevo, their own political weakness and internal divisions," said Cvijanovic. Since, she says, the opposition themselves said that the material they are presenting is not legally valid, and then it only remains to "call today's performance by the opposition a most common circus." The RS National Assembly opposition today called on Cvijanovic to resign after presenting information about the authenticity of an audio recording regarding a "bribery affair of RS delegates," because, as they said, it is the least she could do after she "lied" to RS citizens, claiming that in this case she is "as innocent as a child's tears." If Cvijanovic does not resign, they will take certain measures, but they did not discuss these today. Dragan Cavic, PDP delegate, today at a press conference said that at his request a forensic analysis of the recording was performed at the National Forensic Institute in Holland. They are aware, he says, that all this cannot be admissible evidence in legal prosecution, but they emphasize that in similar situations around the world, actors in these affairs have resigned.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Knocking on heaven’s door (The Economist)

EVER since the end of the Balkan wars in 1999, the most important question in the region has been when and how to join the European Union. Slovenia made it in 2004 and Croatia followed in 2013. For the rest, however, the goal is still far off. The prospects of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia—all at different stages of EU integration—have appeared stuck for some time. But recent months brought progress, mostly unnoticed in the rest of crisis-ridden Europe. On August 25th Kosovo and Serbia signed several EU-aided agreements, including one giving Kosovo’s Serb-dominated municipalities more rights. The EU also mediated an agreement leading to new elections in Macedonia, where a political crisis had come to boiling point. An unworkable EU policy blocking Bosnia’s advancement was abandoned. The single biggest change, says Remzi Lani, an Albanian analyst, is that western Balkan leaders now take their cue from Berlin, not Brussels. “It is the German moment,” he says. The shift was on display at a regional summit in Vienna on August 27th. Heads of government met as part of what has become known as the “Berlin process”, spearheaded by Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, who visited Albania, Bosnia and Serbia in July. This time round German diplomats are playing an even bigger role. The European Commission does nothing in the Balkans now, says one senior diplomat, “without a green light from Germany”. Another big player has also discreetly returned to the game. America, which after 1999 gradually disappeared from the Balkans, is now far more active again, often helping the EU with timely diplomatic shoves. American officials played a leading role in pressing Kosovo to pass a law on August 3rd to create an EU-backed war-crimes court. They also helped to secure a deal to end the Macedonian crisis in July. There are several reasons why the Balkans are attracting more attention in Western capitals. Corruption, nationalism and extremism are all on the rise. Some Muslims are going to Syria to fight for the Islamic State. Sympathy for Russia is rising in some countries. Serbia’s plans to take part in Russian military exercises earned it sharp public rebukes from farther west. Bekim Collaku, Kosovo’s minister for EU integration, says: “From a strategic point of view the EU needs to accelerate the process.” Enlargement may be unpopular in many member states, but the cost of delay is rising.

 

Merkel Calls on Europe to Act After Dead Refugees Found (Bloomberg, by Arne Delfs Boris Groendahl and Patrick Donahue)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on European Union leaders to take speedy action to alleviate the continent’s asylum crisis following the discovery of as many as 50 dead refugees near the Austrian capital. “This is a warning for us to tackle the issue of migration quickly,” Merkel said at a conference on EU-Balkan relations Thursday in Vienna. “We have more refugees in the world than at any time since World War II. The world’s eyes are upon us.” Austrian police found the dead refugees Thursday morning in an abandoned truck with Hungarian license plates on a highway running between Vienna and Budapest, Interior Ministry spokesman Alexander Marakovits said by telephone. Investigating officers opened the back of the vehicle after noticing a stench and found the bodies, he said, adding that the exact number of corpses hasn’t been determined yet. Merkel, who said she was “shaken by the terrible news,” and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier renewed their call to share the burden of aiding refugees throughout the EU’s 28 member states following the rejection of binding quotas by some European nations. The two also pushed to set up registration centers for asylum seekers in countries such as Greece and Italy. Germany is expecting a flood of 800,000 refugees into the country in 2015. “Don’t doubt our determination,” Merkel said of reaching an accord on quotas. “What we see on a daily basis requires us to act.” Earlier at the conference, Serbia criticized the EU for failing to stem the wave of refugees flowing through the Balkans, saying the region is paying for the bloc’s inability to handle the crisis. “It’s a European Union problem, but we’re expected to come up with an action plan,” Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told conference attendees. “I have to be very direct here, please understand. We bear the brunt of the burden.” European governments are bickering over how to deal with the refugee surge that’s straining shelter capacity even in countries such as Germany. Serbia, which isn’t in the EU, has confronted thousands of migrants headed north from Greece on its border with the Republic of Macedonia. EU member Hungary has constructed a razor-wire fence to block refugees from entry. In the U.K., net long-term migration rose to 330,000 in the year ending March 2015, the highest on record and more than three times Prime Minister David Cameron’s target of below 100,000. The previous record was 320,000 in the year ending June 2005, according to the Office for National Statistics. The U.K. Independence Party, which seeks to cut immigration by leaving the EU and imposing an Australian-style points system for foreign workers, said the statistics show the “total impotence of the British government.” Immigration Minister James Brokenshire said the figures are “deeply disappointing.” “The question arises whether trust in Europe will collapse, whether we can solve this problem together,” Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said alongside Merkel Thursday. “That’s the wrong path. Every country will then try to build walls with watchtowers.”

 

Migrant crisis: Balkans 'part of the solution, not the problem' (The Telegraph, by Harriet Alexander)

As Hungary records yet another record day for migrant arrivals, Kosovo's foreign minister tells The Telegraph why Angela Merkel's crisis summit in Vienna is so important

Kosovo should be considered as part of the solution to the migrant crisis engulfing Europe rather than part of the problem, the country’s foreign minister has said, as leaders from the Western Balkans meet in Vienna to deal with the problem. Western Balkan countries are facing “huge challenges” handling tens of thousands of migrants trying to get to the EU, Angela Merkel said on Thursday in Austria. And Hashim Thaci told The Telegraph that his tiny country – the poorest and youngest in Europe – was determined to help. “As the political leader of a former guerrilla force, I have nothing but sympathy when I see people fleeing for their lives,” said Mr Thaci, who was one of the top leaders of the Kosovan Liberation Army. “They fear the dreaded isolation of being left to their fate, alone in their homeland. “But at the same time, big global problems need big global solutions – and we can be part of that.” Mr Thaci said that Europe had to take a united approach, and his country, born in 2008 following Tony Blair and Bill Clinton’s decision to bomb Serbia into retreat in 1999, would assist. But he cautioned that Europe was at risk of losing its heart in the battle to keep migrants out. “During the Balkans Wars, Europe was the beacon of human rights that we all dreamed of,” he said. “There is fog around that beacon now. We must do more to clear it.”

He said the solution was “multi-pronged” – helping develop the countries from which the migrants came, so that they can have hope of a dignified existence in their own land, and working together across the EU to devise strategies for dealing with unlawful entries. As he spoke, Hungary announced that it had seen a record number of arrivals into its country – with 3,241 detained on Wednesday. A total of 2,533 were held by police on Tuesday, and 2,093 the previous day. Nearly 145,000 migrants have been detained in Hungary by police so far this year, over three times as many as in all of 2014. Kosovo suffered its own crisis earlier this year, when in January and February 50,000 people left in a matter of weeks. Mr Thaci said that was down to the “false rumor” that Germany was giving out residents permits, and that numbers of Kosovan asylum seekers in Germany have fallen from 13,000 in March to 800 in July. And he maintains that allowing Kosovo to join the EU will further stem the numbers leaving: membership will provide job opportunities in Kosovo, and allow Kosovans to feel they are “part of the family”. “We are a big family of nations, with big markets and big values,” he said. “Together we can fight nationalism and fight radical elements.” The Telegraph reported earlier this month how Kosovo was seeing a surge in young men leaving to join Islamic State. “It’s a long road, but I’m completely convinced that Kosovo will reach it.” He said Kosovo will join Nato within the next five years, and early in the next decade be accepted by the EU and UN. The UN’s failure to recognize Kosovo – currently 111 countries from 193 do so – is a constant source of anger in the mountainous nation. “We’re independent thanks to the support of the US and the EU,” he said. “But we mustn’t allow fatigue and constant crises in other regions of the world distract from what we are working towards here. “We need investment in the region, and for the EU to walk the walk, as well as talking the talk.” On Wednesday a “landmark” series of agreements were signed with Serbia, after talks brokered by the EU. “The outcome represents landmark achievements in the normalization process,” said Federica Mogherini, EU foreign policy chief, in a statement referring to the two sides that fought a war in the 1990s and which both aspire to EU membership. Kosovo will, for example, have its own telephone country code, essentially recognition by Serbia of the sovereignty of Kosovo. Serbia’s hopes of opening the first chapter in EU accession talks hinge on implementation of an EU-brokered deal in 2013 to regulate relations with Kosovo. But a week before the deal was signed, Kosovo announced that a Special Court was being created to investigate war crimes committed during the war of independence, which saw 10,000 people killed. The new tribunal will be part of Kosovo’s judicial system, but proceedings will be handled abroad, with reports they may be held in the Netherlands. “We cannot forget the genocide committed by a vile regime,” said Mr Thaci, when asked about the state of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. “And I repeat: for the sake of justice, we can never equate the perpetrators and the victims. “But that doesn’t mean we cannot look to the future. The past is the past. “Serbia now knows that Kosovo is an independent country. And we have a role to play in the world.”

 

Why do Serbia and Macedonia want help with migrants? (RFI, by Fabien Jannic-Cherbonnel)

The foreign ministers of Serbia and Macedonia called for European Union action on the migrant crisis at a summit attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Vienna on Thursday. In recent months the two Balkans countries have become major transit routes for thousands of migrants. What is going on? Why are migrants heading for the western Balkans? Serbia and Macedonia have become major transit countries for tens of thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan trying to reach the European Union in recent months. The number of migrants travelling through the western Balkans has increased dramatically in recent weeks. Some 181,000 refugees landed in Greece last month - 3,000 are expected to cross the Macedonian border every day. Refugees will then reach Serbia and then the nearest EU country, Hungary. From there, they'll move to other EU countries, such as Germany. “Migration flows and refugee flows is nothing new for the region due to the war for Yugoslavia succession in the 1990s,” Dusan Reljic, the Head of Brussels office of German Institute for International and Security Affairs told RFI. “A lot of migration and refugee movement happens in the area. Serbia took in about 700,000 refugees from Bosnia and Kosovo.”

What are the Serbian and Macedonian authorities doing? “These countries are not handling the migrants or the migration crisis,” Olsi Vullnetari, a migration specialist with the Albanian Migration Network told RFI. “They are just taking ad-hoc measures. Both countries are poor, they lack the resources and the only thing they can do is deploy police or military forces. To do what? There’s nothing they can do, so without the help of the European Union, these countries will collapse.” Last week Macedonia declared a state of emergency. But its army was so overwhelmed by the number of people that it ended up letting them through anyway. “The mechanisms [put in place to handle refugees] are known in the region,” says Dusan Reljic. “The problem is money of course, and there is some money coming from the EU but I think more substantial funds are needed to achieve proper effect.” Are people from Syria and Iraq the only ones trying to reach Europe via the Balkans? No, they’re not - people from the western Balkans are also trying to reach richer European countries. Almost 40 per cent of asylum-seekers in Germany are from the western Balkan countries. But most of their asylum applications are denied, because Serbians and Macedonians are mostly judged to be moving out of their home countries for economic reasons. That why the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the Balkan countries "to help manage the expectations of your citizens and provide them with a realistic picture of their virtually non-existent chances of being granted asylum in Germany”. What is the European Union doing to address this crisis? There have been talks around the topic but for now no answer has been found. Germany, which took a lead in solving the crisis, is pushing for a revision of the asylum rules, as well as quotas. Angela Merkel met Balkan leaders on Thursday but no promises were made. “The only thing to do is to organize some sort of transportation for the refugees,” says Olsi Vullnetari. “The EU needs to help Macedonia, Albania and Serbia to organise the registration and the processing of these people.” Other countries, such as Hungary, are taking a tough stance against migrants. The authorities are rushing to finish a wire fence across the border with Serbia. “Hungary is not at all the only EU country in the region,” says Dusan Reljic. “Croatia is very close, so people who have been via Hungary to central Europe will change their route and go via Croatia and Slovenia. Migration flows are not going to be terminated by fences; they will be stopped through the politics of fostering peace and development in those countries that have huge security problem at the moment.” Europe remains divided on the subject. European ministers met Thursday in Vienna to talk about the situation. But even there, politicians couldn’t escape the reality of the plight of refugees: at least 20 migrants were found dead inside a truck on a highway earlier today near the Austrian capital.