LOCAL PRESS

 

Nikolic: Kosovo’s UNESCO membership would set a dangerous precedent (RTS/Beta)

“The United Nations must preserve its credibility and stand up to the injustice and evil that would be done to Serbia by the acceptance of this initiative. I am confident that, as responsible statesmen and honorable men and women, you will reject the injustice and evil that might have a domino effect on other peoples and States in the future as well,” Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in his address to the 70^th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “Territory, people, languages and cultural heritage make up a State. Serbia is the only country in Europe which, in addition to the seizure of a part of its territory, expulsion of its people, their unpunished killing and the so-called harvesting of their organs, has now attempts made against its cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO,” Nikolic told the session, and recalled that “in March 2004, the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija destroyed, in the presence of KFOR and its lackluster opposition, numerous Christian Orthodox churches, church outbuildings, convents, bell towers, monastic libraries and archives, most often by setting fires or explosive devices”. “That was only a brutal and effective continuation of the damage and destruction of over 140 Orthodox sanctuaries done ever since the arrival of the United Nations Mission and KFOR in June 1999. In this period, the Albanian terrorists destroyed systematically the traces of the spirituality and culture of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, the traces of centuries-long life of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the existence of which on this territory of theirs is evinced by monasteries and churches whose foundations were laid often before the ninth century. These are the Serbian deeds etched in stone, the testimony of the Serbian presence in Kosovo and Metohija,” the President said, adding: “The 31^st UNESCO Conference said that crime against cultural heritage was committed in Kosovo and Metohija. 372 cultural monuments of the Serbian people of high value have been registered in such a small territory of Kosovo and Metohija exactly under the standards provided for by UNESCO. Not only Serbian, but also European culture, the world’s collective memory, are preserved in Kosovo and Metohija; an important civilizational stride of man on planet Earth is preserved in Kosovo and Metohija. It is therefore important that Serbia continues to be the keeper of its, and the world’s, cultural treasure, as a full member of UNESCO. Should that request be accepted nonetheless, a dangerous precedent will be set and room will be opened for the legalization of violence over national, cultural and religious identity of any people wherever. By defending the right of Serbia to preserve and present proudly its identity and cultural heritage, as it has done for the past eleven centuries, by preventing the unscrupulous intention that one’s heritage be stolen and ascribed to somebody else, we are defending the underlying principles of international law and human justice, as well as those on which UNESCO was founded. I therefore call upon all the presidents not to allow that the Serbian people be taken its soul, seized its essence and have its monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija, its spiritual backbone, declared cultural heritage of the Albanian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Simply, this is neither truth nor an historical and scientific fact. It is not justice,” Nikolic said in his address. Speaking about Kosovo, he stated that Serbia talks to the representatives of the administration in Pristina and will fulfil all its obligations under UNSC Resolution 1244 (1999) and all its obligations under the agreements reached in Brussels thus far - but will never ever recognize the independence of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, a part of its territory to which it its existence is connected.

 

Dacic: Serbia ready for contemporary security challenges (Tanjug)

Serbia is deeply committed to responding to the contemporary security challenges, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in New York within the open debate of the UN Security Council on preservation of peace and security in Near East and Northern Africa. Conscious of the complexity and connections between internal crises and their impact on fresh room for development of terrorist activities, we are determined to coordinate our efforts on a broader international plan in view of producing a comprehensive response, Dacic said as quoted by the Foreign Ministry. He underlined that Serbia strongly supports coordinated action through the institutions of the UN system as the undeniable leader within the global framework in the area. The Serbian Minister underlined that the crises resulted in a high wave of migrants coming from war-afflicted countries, and the tide did not bypass Serbia, because it is located on the main migration route. Independently of the new migrant wave, Serbia has 44,000 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina on its territory and it has been taking care of them for two decades now, and it also has 204,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija, Dacic said.

 

Gasic: NATO hasn’t approved “Kosovo Army” (Blic)

Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic says that NATO hasn’t approved officially the formation of the so-called Kosovo Army, even though certain NATO member states recognize independence of Kosovo and Metohija and support Pristina in the transformation process. Gasic told Blic that this is opposed by NATO member states that haven’t recognized independence of Kosovo, which is preventing the so-called Kosovo to develop partnership with NATO. “At present, NATO institutions have an advisory role and provide assistance in developing skills in the current mandate for the so-called Kosovo security forces that are limited to demining and assistance in emergency situations. There are also written guarantees that the Kosovo security forces will not be engaged in northern Kosovo. I received these assurances from NATO high-ranking officials with whom I conducted talks, as well as in all bilateral meetings with officials of states that haven’t recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo and Metohija,” said Gasic. He says that Hashim Thaqi’s statement that “NATO approved the formation of the Kosovo Army” can be interpreted only as being made for political purposes, in order to put in the background problems that Pristina has in presenting to the public the recently signed agreements in Brussels whereby the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is formed, as well as the catastrophic economic situation and high unemployment rate. Gasic says that any unilateral moves by Pristina are unacceptable, which not only undermine the Belgrade-Pristina negotiating process and implementation of signed agreements, but also deteriorate the security situation.

 

Djuric: Election of Stojanovic – end to divisions (Novosti)

The election of Branimir Stojanovic as the new Coordinator of the Serb (Srpska) List must also imply an end to divisions among the Kosovo Serb representatives, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said. Following the meeting with Branimir Stojanovic and Ljubomir Maric, the Coordinator of the Management Team for establishing the Community of Serb Municipalities, Djuric said that this List had the support of the Serbian government and that the expectations were great, just as the expectations of the people in Kosovo and Metohija: “Ahead of us is serious work on strengthening our community in places where it is most endangered, in Serb regions and enclaves.” He noted that he had conveyed to the List representatives that they could count on Serbia’s support and briefed them about the talks in Brussels.

 

How much longer before Belgrade-Pristina relations normalize? (Tanjug)

At the Belgrade Security Forum panel titled “Kosovo and Serbia: How Much Longer Before Normality?”, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has said that Serbs and Albanians can progress only if they cooperate. Djuric said there were evident positive changes in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and that 28 agreements had been reached in Brussels so far. “There are no limits in the Brussels dialogue, and there are no limits in what Belgrade and Pristina could achieve in terms of political and economic cooperation, if, the issue of Kosovo's status, is left out, to a degree it is possible to do that. We have to agree that we do not agree on the status issue,” Djuric said and noted that the normalization of relations depended on how much both sides would manage to put aside their differences. Djuric underlined that Belgrade and Pristina should cooperate in many fields, from economy to sensitive fields such as security. Pointing to the fact that a large number of people from the Western Balkan countries were going to the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State, he said that it would also be possible to cooperate on that problem. Djuric said that agreements could not reconcile people, underlining the need for more activities in the field. “If after every round of the dialogue, we go outside with different messages or with messages that would not improve the communication between people, then the time used for the dialogue is not well-used,” said Djuric.

It is no good that Pristina has so far failed to do anything concerning a statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), Djuric said, underlining that the document would have to be completed by 25 December. In a statement to Tanjug, Djuric said that after the August 25 agreement,  Pristina had failed to do anything that would illustrate its good intention. “I think they would have to be more agile, as much as we are agile in the implementation of certain parts of the agreement that we do not necessarily like,”  he said. Besides the reaching of agreements, it is very important that both sides send positive political messages to each other, and about each other, regardless of differences, Djuric noted. “I think there is no point, and no reason for Albanians in Kosovo to be intimidated by irresponsible politicians, as the fact that Serbs will have some more rights or more chances to continue living there does not mean that anyone will be worse off. We must foster good relations with Albanians so that our people would continue living in Kosovo and Metohija. That is why the political options and political claims that insist that the ZSO is a threat to Albanians are actually dangerous,” Djuric said. Djuric has said that Serbia is seeking that next rounds of the dialogue address the issues related to boosting the flow of goods and people across the administrative line, the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church, missing people and the return of the displaced people. Djuric has underlined that less than 10 percent of the displaced Serbs and other non-Albanians have returned to Kosovo, noting that this is the smallest percent when compared to some other regions in the world.

The agreements that Belgrade and Pristina reached in late August cannot be implemented, MP of Kosovo’s radical opposition Self-Determination Movement Ilir Deda has said, expressing his opinion that the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) actually constitutes the set-up of a Serb entity, which is, under the agreement, a constitutional category,  and that will create an even greater rift between people. In a statement to Tanjug, Deda has said the formation of the ZSO would not contribute to improving relations between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. The ZSO is not an instrument for the integration of Serbs in Kosovo, quite the contrary, he said. Deda believes that Kosovo Serbs must not be an instrument of either Belgrade or Pristina. The Kosovo government has the responsibility toward non-majority communities, and real communication should have been established between ethnic Serbs and the government about the inclusion of Serbs into the institutional and social life in Kosovo, as the existing situation is not good, and Serbia is not helping, he noted. That would be a normal path and direction, he notes. He does not like the fact that the Brussels talks are held behind closed doors. If we want a normal process, we should follow up on the Berlin Process, where there are no unclear things, he said.

 

 

Miculescu: Women in conflicts can be mediators and heroes (Tanjug)

The new Head of the UN Office in Belgrade Simona Miculescu has stated that the role of women in peace and security is increasing and that women in conflict situations can be everything – from mediators to heroes. “They are usually heroes,” Miculescu told Tanjug at the Belgrade Security Forum, which is her first statement since she arrived in Serbia. She recalled that UN Security Resolution 1325 was adopted in the development of global security, which is important and offers a framework for including women in this area. “Ever since it was adopted, this resolution has given a pattern and encouraged everyone to look things in a different way,” she said in regard to the participation in the panel titled “Towards a Sustainable Future – Gender Equality in Inclusive Societies”. Miculsecu stressed that she has met many powerful women in the course of her long diplomatic carrier, that she believes in women and invited men to do the same. “There is a lot of discrimination and violence in other parts of the world. There is so much of it that everything we are doing is only a drop in the ocean. If we empower women, we will empower the society,” said Miculescu. She voiced satisfaction that she is present at the largest forum devoted to security in the region. “I am new and this is a wonderful opportunity to meet people, to hear ideas and to discuss important topics. Security cannot be separated from development,” she said. According to her, one cannot even talk about security without mentioning women since they are part of the process. Commenting the refugee crisis, Miculescu said the refugees were a challenge for security and development and that a solution could be found only with a coherent and united approach of all nations and international organizations. “An ideal solution would be to stop the conflict that is generating so many refugees, and to go even deeper to resolve the roots of every conflict, which is inequality and poverty,” she said. She recalled that the UN Summit was held last week in New York and it adopted the development agenda until 2030. “In the next fifteen years we should form a pattern for the member states to try to tackle the problem of poverty and inequality. Perhaps we cannot resolve that problem, but we must fight. This way we will avoid conflicts and roads of refugees in the future,” she concluded.

 

Maric: We will establish ZSO despite threats (Novosti)

The government in Pristina will have to fulfill all obligations assumed with the Brussels agreement and to adopt by 25 December the statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), or the international community will have to react. It was expected for the opposition in Pristina to react this way to the agreement that is good for us, because everything that is good for the Serbs is met with resistance and blockade with one part of the Albanian public. This is how Ljubomir Maric, the Minister for Local Self-Administration in the Kosovo government and the Coordinator of the Management Team for establishing the ZSO, explains to Novosti the announcements of Kosovo opposition parties, first of all the Self-Determination Movement, that they will oppose the ZSO with all means. “The bad thing is that a message that the ZSO is against them is being sent to the majority Albanian population, which is not true. The possibility of unrest is also a concern as they can be directed towards the Serbs in the province, but their announcements can also be considered a kind of attack on the current government in Pristina. In any case, threats will not stop us. Asked about a possible referendum on the ZSO, which is suggested by the opposition, Maric points out that the Serb representatives are focused on the assembly and government passing a decree that should include the principles agreed in Brussels into the Kosovo system and forwarding them to the Constitutional Court.

 

 

Conclusions from 7^th session of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija (New Serbian Political Thought)

1. By signing the agreement on handing over the electric-power and telecommunications system of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the agreement on a special international code for Kosovo and Metohija, the government of Aleksandar Vucic has abdicated in favor of the independent state of Kosovo, and thus betrayed national and state interests.

2. The reached agreements on the Association-Community of Serb Municipalities, which will be formed according to the Constitution and laws of the independent state of Kosovo is an historical fraud of the Serbian people regardless of where it lives. Namely, the regime of Aleksandar Vucic, with the support of Albanian political representatives, who are allegedly dissatisfied with the reached agreement, is trying to declare defeat as victory and to shift the responsibility for surrendering Kosovo-Metohija to the Kosovo Serbs in order to integrate into the independent state of Kosovo as painlessly as possible.

3. By abolishing the institutions of the Republic of Serbia, which have been all this time the only guarantee of the stay and survival of the Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, the current authorities are abolishing the state of Serbia and directly taking part in the creation of an independent state of Kosovo.

4. With media spinning and through local political representatives close to the regime, the government of Aleksandar Vucic is deceiving the public on a daily basis that it is allegedly fighting for the preservation of Kosovo-Metohija within the Republic of Serbia, but that they do not have too many allies in the international community for this policy. For cynicism and irony to be even greater, the representatives of this same government signed the Brussels agreement, whereby they committed that they will not prevent Kosovo from memberships in international organizations, while now they are allegedly conducting a diplomatic battle against Kosovo’s UNESCO membership.

5. Deputies and leadership of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija regretfully note that the behavior of the Serbian Orthodox Church towards the events in Kosovo-Metohija is extremely passive, so for this reason we invite the Serbian Patriarch and the clergy to publicly oppose the seizure of Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija.

6. Due to the different interpretation of the reached Brussels agreements by representatives of the government of the Republic of Serbia and the government of the so-called Republic of Kosovo, we request that all agreements with signatures be published, thus removing any ambiguities and misunderstandings.

7. We request the Serbian parliament speaker to slate immediately and without delay local elections for four municipalities in northern Kosovo-Metohija, where provisional institutions are functioning past all legal regulations. Otherwise, the leadership of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija will find legal grounds to slate local and provincial elections according to the laws of the Republic of Serbia.

8. We support former members of the Serbian Interior Ministry in realizing constitutional and legal rights whose employment ended in an utterly illegal manner with hoax, lies and delusions by the current authorities.

9. We invite the current authorities to respect the basic principles of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, appicable legal regulations, UNSC Resolution 1244, the decisions of the Constitutional Court passed in regard to the reached Brussels agreement and freely expressed will of citizens at the 2012 referendum and to give up from further implementation of the Brussels agreement, which represents a serious threat to the territorial integrity and preservation of Serbia and its statehood in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija.

Kosovska Mitrovica, 30.09.2015.

Assembly President

Slavko Stevanovic

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Covic: B&H is committed to fight against ISIS and terrorism (klix.ba)

The Chairman of the B&H Presidency Dagan Covic attended the Summit on the fight against ISIL and the violent extremism. Summit was held in the organization of US President Barack Obama. In a talk with the world’s high officials at the margins of the Summit, he expressed the concern of B&H because of terroristic attacks and the violent extremism. He emphasized that B&H gives a great importance to the resolution of such problems and that condemns the brutality and a total ignorance of human lives during the terroristic attacks in general, especially when it comes to the ISIS. He confirmed that B&H is ready to contribute to the national and international level of fights against such global threats, such as terrorism and extremism in all their forms. During all meetings, Covic emphasized that B&H is ready to strengthen the cooperation at the regional, sub-regional and international level. B&H, as a chairman of the Council of Europe, greets all activities of the Council of Europe and actions taken in the fight against terrorism. He emphasized that with a decisive and coordinated military action, a comprehensive strategy, which consists of a wide spectrum of political, economic and social measures, which deal with existential problems, is also needed, and as a crucial problems, he stated reducing poverty and inequality, improvement of the education and providing opportunities for youth.

 

Dodik: UN Security Council to reject report of High Representative (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) requests UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council and members of the international community to reject the Special Report of the High Representative addressed to the UN in which the High Representative stated that the RS authorities violate the Dayton Accords with activities related to the referendum on the B&H judiciary and the powers of the High Representative. The RS President Milorad Dodik points out in a letter to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that RS strongly opposes the Special Report in which the High Representative to B&H, Valentin Inzko, ‘concludes” that the RS violates the Dayton Peace Agreement. The RS President remarks in the letter, which an integral part is the government’s Response Letter to the Special Report of the High Representative that was sent to UN Secretary-General, that the High Representative has not provided the RS with a copy of this report, which was revealed on September 17. “For a reason we explained in detail in the Response Letter drafted by the RS, the High Representative has no legal authority to acclaim such a conclusion (that RS breaches the Dayton Peace Agreement) while his legal reasoning and facts that he mentioned in order to support his conclusion are fully unfounded,” Dodik noted in the letter to UN Secretary-General. Dodik said that the report of the High Representative in B&H is a continuation of long-standing pattern of suppressing disagreements with the self-proclaimed authority of the High Representative in order to unilaterally impose laws, amend the constitutions and punish those who disagree with his actions through his decisions. “In the Response Letter to the report of the High Representative, RS argues why the UN Security Council and other members of the international community should join RS in rejection of the 'conclusion' of the High Representative and serious mistakes in regard to the law and the facts mentioned in his report,” explained Dodik. RS proves in its Response Letter that the High Representative, despite his claims, is not the "final authority" to interpret the Dayton Peace Agreement. “Annex 10 of the Dayton Peace Agreement as the only source of authority of the High Representative, gives him the right to interpret only Annex 10. Moreover, his claim that the High Representative is the final authority to interpret the B&H Constitution and decisions of the Constitutional Court is legally unfounded,” says the letter to UN Secretary-General. RS also underlines that High Representative has no authority to declare that RS “violates” the Dayton Peace Agreement, because such right only counterparties have. It is added that the UN Security Council has never had the intention to expand the limited authority of the High Representative under Annex 10. “In particular, the High Representative has never been given permission to impose regulations via his decisions, out-of-court settlement, leave the Constitutional Court out or rule in any other way as if he is completely over B&H and the international law. RS has never accepted the misappropriation of authority of the High Representative,” says the letter. It is also stated that the planned referendum of RS is protected by the Constitution of B&H, the Dayton Peace Agreement and international law and that the B&H Constitution explicitly prioritizes the protection of human, civil and political rights and fundamental freedoms over any other law, giving RS an explicit right and obligation to respect this principle. “The RS has a constitutional duty to protect the rights of its citizens, which are undermined by imposed laws and procedures, and institutions created by the High Representative,” says the memo. RS warns that any attempt to suppress the referendum would violate the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is also emphasized that the referendum guarantees the protection, especially because the high representative prevented any challenges to his actions and settle out-of-court the citizens who opposed him. “The planned RS referendum is an important element of its efforts to implement key reforms in B&H justice. The reforms are necessary, for example, to end the discrimination against Serb victims of war crimes, stop unlawful extension of the jurisdiction of the B&H Court, to improve the transparency of B&H judiciary and implement important decision of the European Court of Human Rights,” reads the letter. In addition it says that the referendum is necessary partly because the high representative prevented any judicial audit of his decisions and other proceedings either before the B&H Constitutional Court, the European Court of Human Rights or any other institutions. “Along with the preparations for the referendum, RS vigorously follows the judiciary reform as part of a structured dialogue on justice with the EU, an initiative that has recently showed the first hints of progress. The planned referendum in RS is an essential and legitimate mechanism to support the efforts of RS to reform institutions that have direct and negative impact on its citizens,” says the document. Also, RS warns that the report of the High Representative wrongly assumes that RS will respond to the referendum outcomes with illegal methods and procedures. “No decisions will be made by the referendum, but the RS citizens will express their opinion, which is guaranteed as a citizen’s right in every democratic country. Therefore, it cannot be said that holding a referendum is a violation of the Dayton Peace Agreement,” is the RS’ position. Also, according to the Law on Referendum and Civic Initiative of RS, the RS Assembly makes adequate decisions within six months after the referendum. “This decision making process will be the subject of debate in the institutions of RS and B&H. Whatever RS decides to undertake in response to the referendum results will be in accordance with the Constitutions of B&H and RS. The High Representative wrongly accused RS of the post-referendum procedures and actions, which he did not specify and which RS did not undertake,” says the letter.

 

Izetbegovic: International community must clearly draw red line and stop Dodik (Oslobodjenje)

Regarding the SBB, I think that we needlessly and on a personal level went into a conflict that hurt Bosniaks, and therefore B&H, said Bakir Izetbegovic, member of the B&H Presidency, on Interview 20, to Sanela Prasovic-Gadzo on BHTV, commenting on the possibility of forming a new parliamentary majority with Fahrudin Radoncic’s SBB. He added that he is personally ready, because this is not my private business. “Leave my hurt feelings, pride and the rest, I am ready as a politician to leave it in the background and work on what is good for the country, because we have serious problems before us and more serious enemies than we are to each other,” stressed Izetbegovic. He argued that he could not negotiate on the transfer the prime ministerial positions to some other political party, but everything else can be negotiated, but the survival of the state of B&H with rights defined in the constitution is for me a priority. Izetbegovic also commented on the newest moves by Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska (RS), and said that the “international community must now clearly draw a red line and stop Dodik”. He added that the international community must create mechanisms to punish, because otherwise “it could cost us and the international community everything,” given that people are doing everything to recover the country and move to integrate with the EU. He said that there will be no substantive and significant changes to Dayton.

 

Dodik: I’m ready for B&H prosecutor to confirm that story of kilo of gold is a lie (Oslobodjenje)

Milorad Dodik says that he did not receive as a bribe a kilogram of gold from a Russian businessman, and he is ready for the B&H Prosecutor to investigate the case fully. Gordan Milinic, former B&H ambassador to Russia and former head of the RS representation office in Moscow, recently claimed to BN TV that “before his eyes former PM Milorad Dodik was handed a beautifully packaged kilogram of gold from a Russian businessman,” and spoke of corruption on the part of several people close to the RS government. In a statement to reporters in Bosanska Kostajnica, Dodik said that “this lie” now is “recycled” because of the referendum in RS on the B&H Court and Prosecutor, stating that he is ready to accept that these institutions “follow the case to the end” and prove that the reason for his referenda initiatives is not personal protection. “The same lie was present a year and some ago,” added Dodik, reiterating that all these are claim and then were denied by everyone mentioned in the case. “I don’t support the B&H Court and Prosecutor, they are politically motivated, but in this case I am ready to accept that they bring things to the end and I will not challenge it and will participate in clearing this story for them,” said Dodik. Pointing out that the story of the kilogram of gold is completely disgusting, he added that “there is no time that it happened, neither place nor person who was present”. “Nothing, just slander that clearly engages the public, but what is there for us to do, in such times as we live,” the entity president added. He believes that it is “unbelievable that B&H minister of Security Dragan Mektic, who in a procedural sense is flower arranging when it comes to competencies, because he has only the role of coordinator, coming to a press conference and talking about it”. Dodik, inter alia, stated that there is no reason “not to walk head held high” and in the end this process with the alleged bribe in the form of gold will be shown to be untrue. In the meantime the former B&H Ambassador to Moscow Gordan Milinic has been questioned by the B&H Prosecutor’s Office over his claims that a Russian businessman gave a kilogram of gold to RS President Milorad Dodik. Milinic spent six hours in Prosecutor’s Office Wednesday testifying, as he said, on crime and corruption in RS. He said that the B&H Prosecutor’s Office started doing what judiciary in RS did not want to do. “There is a lot work to do and we continue tomorrow. Authorities in RS rob people for ten years and they must be prosecuted,” Milinic said. He could not disclose more details about his testimony due to ongoing investigation. He also could not talk on new witnesses in this case, saying that will be discussed in the next period.

 

What was concluded at the session of the House of Representatives (klix.ba)

With the adoption of the Decision on the election of members in the Parliamentary commission responsible for the revision, an extraordinary session of the House of Nations of the Parliament of the Federation of B&H was finished yesterday. Presidents, deputy presidents and members of the working bodies of the House of Nations of the Parliament of the FB&H, were elected at the session. Also, a Commission for the European integration of this House was established, and members in the foreign commission for harmonization of variously adopted legal texts in Houses of the Parliament of the FB&H, were elected. Delegates with 19 voices for, one sustained and 31 against haven’t supported the Initiative for voting mistrust to the current Government of the FB&H, while they adopted amendments to the Law on Contributions with the majority voices, on an expedited basis.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Kosovo, Serbia Clinch New Deal on Diplomas (BIRN, by Petrit Collaku, 30 September 2015)

Kosovo and Serbia agreed on Tuesday on the mutual recognition of university diplomas, which Kosovo hopes will improve the job prospects of ethnic Albanians in Serbia

Kosovo announced on Tuesday that it had reached a new agreement with Serbia on recognition of diplomas issued by each other's universities and other educational levels. The Kosovo delegation hopes the deal will mainly benefit the ethnic Albanian community in southern Serbia who have difficulties getting jobs on the basis of diplomas obtained in Kosovo. The agreement includes university and high school diplomas as well as the fifth qualification level based on the European Qualification Framework. Kosovo’s delegation was led by Edita Tahiri, minister without portfolio and Arsim Bajrami, the education minister. “The agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas will help in particular the Albanian population living in Presevo valley [in southern Serbia] who mainly studied in... Kosovo and who need to return and... help the development of the Albanian community in [the Presevo] Valley,” Kosovo’s Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's press office stated. The diplomas from Kosovo and Serbia will be certified by the European University Association, EUA, and be recognised afterwards by both countries in terms of further education and employment. The Kosovo delegation said that Serbia had failed to respect an earlier agreement on diplomas reached on November 21, 2011. “This agreement ends the period of failure of the recognition of university diplomas by Serbia’s side, and [the agreement] demands recognition within a period of five months of all diplomas certified by the EUA, which includes more than 400 certified diplomas that Serbia failed to recognise so far,” the delegation said. A supervision mechanism in the agreement reached by Kosovo, Serbia and the EU contains an obligation to report, evaluate and improve implementation of the agreement. Minister Bajrami also asked the EU to help to unblock Kosovo’s delivery of school text books to Serbia, which remain in the customs terminal in Presevo, southern Serbia. A deal was reached earlier on September 10 allowing Pristina to supply school textbooks to Albanian communities in Serbia while Belgrade will do the same for Serbs in Kosovo. Bajrami said on Wednesday that the deal would be off if Serbia failed to allow the delivery of the Albanian books to schools.

 

Shell 'ends Bosnia quest' (Upstream, by Eoin O'Cinneide, 30 September 2015)

Pulling out: Shell will reportedly not extend Bosnia deal

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell is reportedly ending a $700 million exploration push in Bosnia, citing a changed energy environment. In 2011, Shell and the government of Bosnia's autonomous Bosniak-Croat Federation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at reaching a deal on a petroleum license, according to Reuters. The memorandum was extended in 2013 and 2014 to enable the parties potentially to negotiate the license but "such negotiations have not started and the MOU expires" on 4 November, Shell said in a notice to the government seen by the news wire. Shell said it would not seek to extend the deal further "following an internal portfolio review and in the light of the current oil and gas environment", Reuters reported.

The news comes after Shell earlier this week said it would abandon its search for Arctic oil off Alaska. Shell's investment in Bosnia was due to range between $300 million and $700 million, depending on the number of drilling sites, the government had said earlier. A Shell spokeswoman in Houston did not have an immediate comment. The area awarded to Shell is thought to contain up to 500 million tonnes of oil reserves, Reuters said. Shell said its decision was based on a global portfolio review and not on the potential of the area.

 

Analysis: Bosnia’s Reckless Borrowing Brings Crisis Closer (BIRN, by Drazen Simic, 29 September 2015)

Bosnia's profligate leaders have long seen borrowing as the answer to every problem – but the time is approaching when that option will no longer be on the table. Bosnia’s fragile public finances are on the edge of collapse with financial support from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, blocked since last September, indebted pension funds in both entities and a growing budget deficit on all administrative levels. In short, all budgets are running out of the money to cover salaries, pensions, social benefits and other expenses. According to several different officials, governments in both of Bosnia's entities, the Federation and Republika Srpska, are desperately seeking alternative financial sources. Without new outside financing, the Bosnian state, the two entities, the Federation’s ten cantons and most of the municipalities will run out of cash by the end of this year. This problem has been building for years, as reckless and self-centred politicians maintained high public spending and kept financing it with IMF and the World Bank money, ignoring the question of how they would repay the loans.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina in peril once again (Open Democracy, by Adis Merdzanovic 30 September 2015)

The upcoming referendum in Republika Srpska has the potential to disrupt Bosnia and Herzegovina's entire state structure. Where to turn next?

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) once again finds itself in a perilous situation, as a referendum in Republika Srpska (RS), the smaller of two administrative units in that country, has the potential to disrupt its entire state structure. Called by RS president Milorad Dodik, the referendum seeks to negate the authority of the state court of BiH, the prosecutor’s office and the Office of the High Representative (OHR), currently led by Valentin Inzko, in Bosnia’s smaller entity.

Established as part of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, the OHR’s task was to implement the civilian aspects of the internationally brokered peace agreement. The head of this institution is elected by the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), which oversees the general international strategy in Bosnia, while a Steering Board supervises the OHR’s actions and offers advice on a day-to-day basis. The institution’s main task was to help and coordinate the establishment of a new state structure, also agreed upon as part of Dayton. The latter created a rather weak central state and gave many administrative competencies to two sub-state units called entities: the RS, nowadays mostly inhabited by Bosnian Serbs, and the Federation of BiH, where today Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats form the majority. Both entities have their own governments, parliaments, and courts. Faced with serious resistance to the implementation of the Dayton agreement in 1997, the international community awarded the OHR special intervention prerogatives. Through the so-called Bonn powers, the institution could henceforth directly impose or nullify laws if deemed necessary as well as remove from office public officials if they violate the peace agreement. This instrument has been used regularly in the past in order to strengthen the central state and make the complex political system work––and it has been regularly criticised, in recent years most vehemently by the Bosnian Serbs. The referendum has to be seen as part of this discussion, even though it is by no means limited to it. While Milorad Dodik justified the referendum with the high costs and an alleged anti-Serb orientation of the state court and prosecutor, others have suggested different motives, for example fear of prosecution, early campaigning or simple political theatre. According to the US Embassy, the referendum ‘poses [a threat] to the security, stability, and prosperity of Bosnia and Herzegovina’ and constitutes ‘a violation of the Dayton Peace Accords’. RS authorities present the issue as a legitimate debate about the state judiciary that may even spur reforms and thus see no legal problems in holding the referendum. On the other hand representatives of the international community––the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), a body composed of ambassadors representing the world’s powers, and the High Representative (HR) himself––claim that neither entity has the right to vote on issues that lie outside of its competence. Since the state court and prosecutor are central state institutions, their fate has to be decided on central state level. We are thus confronted with a legally dubious act not only violating the Dayton Peace Accord but also threatening the stability of the state. Given these circumstances, why does the international community not simply declare the referendum law void, using the OHR’s so-called Bonn powers? After all, the Bonn powers are precisely the tool to prevent, or correct, such violations of the peace agreement and secure the stability of the state by imposing decisions. There are two separate, but complementary explanations for the internationals community’s decision not to intervene in this way. The first one is tactical, as the referendum is still not set in stone. Even after the decision of the RS constitutional court to reject a Bosniak veto, the state constitutional court could still intervene and ultimately decide whether or not there will be an actual vote. As we have seen, there are legal reasons to declare the law invalid, which is what the internationals might hope for. Additionally, Dodik has signalled a readiness to negotiate within the so-called structural dialogue, initiated by the EU in 2011. Back then, the RS president called off a referendum on the same issue after a visit of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton. Even though, as has been rightly argued, accommodating Dodik in whatever form is hardly a wise strategy, the international community probably hopes for the referendum to be called off once again, in full or in part. Reportedly, intense behind-the-door negotiations are currently taking place to achieve precisely this goal. The second reason for not using the Bonn powers is far more important than the first: as a tool for resolving political issues, the Bonn powers have been dead for quite some time. From a practical point of view, given the high dissonance of opinions among the PIC Steering Board members, the HR simply cannot apply them. Roughly since Kosovo declared its independence, Russian opposition to the Bonn powers has increased, especially if directed against the Bosnian Serbs. Russia started introducing asterisks on Steering Board communiqués indicating that it cannot fully support the respective statements. The current one, criticising RS’s action, bears such an asterisk as well. Russia has even publically supported the referendum plans, deeming them a matter of internal Bosnian politics. Without international consensus, the Bonn powers cannot be used. Furthermore, even if applied, the Bonn power decision would probably fail to be implemented. The OHR has become increasingly aware of the fact that there simply is no mechanism to actually implement a Bonn power decision if domestic forces refuse to accept it. This was especially clear post-2007, when RS authorities vehemently opposed an imposition by then-High Representative Miroslav Lajčák leading to resignations and public protests. Despite its legal authority, the OHR lacks the respective political and economic resources. It thus seems unlikely that the HR will step in and eventually stop the referendum plans. Even if Valentin Inzko decides to use his intervention prerogative, it would probably be as the last resort and only after all other options have been exhausted. It may indeed come to this, however, if Dodik chooses to ignore an eventual decision by the Constitutional Court. It is presently unclear what the repercussions of such a Bonn power imposition would be; at that moment, the dynamics might be too strong to stop, which makes this strategy rather risky. We may all end up in a game of chicken, where nobody can truly win. If the Bonn powers were an effective tool, the OHR could end the referendum right now, saving valuable time and directing political efforts towards more important issues, like the reform agenda. Instead, we find ourselves engaged in senseless discussions. It might be that precisely because the Bonn powers still––at least in theory––exist as a potential way out, no stronger action has been taken against the brinkmanship of Bosnia’s smaller entity, now effectively resulting in a referendum on whether a sub-state entity is ready to accept the authority of the state. Despite their non-usage, the Bonn powers thus still seem to affect international decision-making and the political process, which is highly problematic. The internationals, led by the European Union, are well advised to act as if the Bonn powers were not there. There needs to be a coherent and clear voice against the observed actions. Obviously, verbal condemnations are not enough and stronger means of sanctioning need to be employed. The unequivocal statement that the referendum constitutes a violation of Dayton needs to translate into EU’s actions against those initiating it. The EU has been slowly but surely losing its credibility in Bosnia. This is the best opportunity to restore at least part of its feeble reputation and put an end to this spiral of brinkmanship.

 

Croatia's prime minister dismisses Hungary's plan to build a fence as a threat (Associated Press, 29 September 2015)

OPATOVAC, Croatia – Croatia's prime minister has dismissed Hungary's plan to build a fence between the two countries, arguing on Tuesday that nothing would be able to hold back the human wave seeking sanctuary in richer European countries. Croatia's Zoran Milanovic did not hold back in his criticism of Hungary's Viktor Orban as he visited a transit camp in the eastern village of Opatovac, suggesting the leaders of the two neighboring countries were barely speaking. Milanovic said there's "no river border between Croatia and Hungary and it's virtually impossible to hold this bitter river of people at bay." "It's not right," he said. "So I will not talk to Orban. I wonder whoever speaks to him." Tensions about how to deal with the migrants have prompted many leaders in southeastern Europe to bicker. The strongest language so far has been between Croatia and its old rival Serbia, but Milanovic's forthright remarks about Hungary underscore how much diplomatic work needs to be done among all of the countries in the region. The possibility of a fence between Hungary and Croatia has sparked worry in the region ever since Hungary closed its border with Serbia on Sept. 15. That action diverted people to Croatia, swelling roads near its border with thousands fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The economically struggling Balkan nation of 4.2 million has channeled people onto Hungary and Slovenia and another wall would complicate the situation, which is currently more obscured by poor weather than by uncertainty about how to move forward. Asylum-seekers are slogging through rain and mud-caked roads in Croatia, as worsening fall weather plagues their journeys. Tuesday's constant rain inflicted misery all around. Aid workers handed out dry clothes and described their horror at seeing infants soaked to the skin through layer after layer of wet garments. Some 85,000 people have entered Croatia in the past two weeks and fears are growing about the travels of thousands more still on the move. The International Organization for Migration says a record number of people have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe this year, straining the 28-nation European Union and prompting a rash of border closures. As of Tuesday, the group says 522,124 people have traveled by sea to reach the continent this year, compared to some 219,000 people in all of last year. Some 388,000 have entered via Greece — more than 175,000 of them from war-torn Syria, which is the largest single source of refugees. Another 6,710 Syrians entered through Italy. IOM estimates that 2,892 people have died at sea — the vast majority on the route from North Africa to Italy.

 

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