LOCAL PRESS

 

UN principles to be respected (Radio Serbia)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed in a joint statement the two countries’ commitment to international law and the UN goals and principles and assessed bilateral cooperation as versatile. They stressed the central role of the UN in resolving issues related to preservation of international peace and security, opposing current challenges and threats and regulating international disputes and conflicts by peaceful means. “It is with pleasure that the focus was laid on the consistent support of Belarus to Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the necessity of drafting a comprehensive compromise in terms of Kosovo and Metohija, the importance of the political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with a view to reaching stability in the region,” reads the statement. 

 

Kosovo Serbs to ask for guarantees if they are part of the new government in Pristina (Novosti)

If the Kosovo Serbs enter the new government in Pristina, they will request guarantees that will enable them not to be just “plants” in the ministries. At least one ministry and two posts of deputy ministries belong to the Serb community and according to the Chairperson of the parliament Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun, by limiting the influence only on legislative authority the capacity for changing the position of our compatriots in Kosovo and Metohija would be lost. “The topics that should be placed on the table in the Brussels process is the adoption of the mechanism that will guarantee the Serbs that by entering the executive government they can really influence the decisions that concern their communities. Our interest is for the new government to take Belgrade-Pristina relations to a predictable phase. The worst thing would be if parties arising from the KLA would enter the government, while the DSK could be a damping factor of extremist options.” According to Leposavic Mayor Dragan Jablanovic, regardless of which Albanian parties form the government, the Kosovo Serbs will not make hasty decisions. In passing any decision, most of the Serb MPs would have to agree with it, meaning consent of representatives from the Serb list. “There is room for reaching a compromise and receiving permission for the Serb list to take part in the distribution of 100 mandates, along with the ten guaranteed mandates that are distributed between Serb parties,” member of the Central Election Commission Nenad Rikalo tells Novosti, but adds this doesn’t mean this will happen. “If it does happen, the Serb list can count on additional seven to eight mandates.”

 

Kosovo without footnote in the Venice Commission (Politika)

After the decision of the Ministerial Committee of the Council of Europe (CoE), Kosovo has become the 60^th full member of the Venice Commission. At a meeting in Strasbourg, 35 out of 47 member-states of the CoE have decided to use the name Kosovo in the Venice Commission without the footnote that defines the neutral status and refers to UN Security Council Resolution 1244. The Venice Commission was established in 1990 in Venice, where plenary sessions of this body are held, while the headquarters are located in Strasbourg. The task of one of the most important advisory bodies of the CoE is to provide legal advices to member-states that wish to harmonize their legal systems and constitutions with European standards and international experience in the field of democracy, human rights and rule of law. This body also has the mission of good will when resolving legal crises and conflicts among the member-states. Members of this Commission are distinguished individuals in the sphere of legislature who are delegated by the member-states for a period of four years. Members of the Venice Commission, apart from the 47 CoE member-states, are also U.S., Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Israel and others.

 

Parliament debates participation in peacekeeping operations (Tanjug)

The Serbian parliament Serbian parliament resumes the second extraordinary session on Thursday with a debate on deployment of Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) and the police to United Nations and European Union peacekeeping missions and operations. With parliament’s approval, the SAF could this year be engaged in seven new international UN peacekeeping operations and the EU military training mission to Mali. The plan for this year envisages involvement of up to 300 SAF troops and 18 members of the police in multinational UN and EU operations. At the moment, the Serbian Army participates in six UN-mandated missions and two missions under the EU flag, while additional troops could be deployed to peacekeeping missions in Western Sahara, Mali, Kashmir, South Sudan and Sudan. An eight-member air medical evacuation team is engaged in the peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), four military observers have been sent to Liberia (UNMIL), and three to Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI), 46 troops are stationed in Cyprus (UNFICYP), 143 soldiers and officers are in Lebanon (UNIFIL), while one military observer is sent to the Golan Heights with the UN Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East (UNTSO). Members of the police are engaged in four UN and EU peacekeeping operations. Serbian participation in international UN and EU missions will cost a little over 1.183 billion Dinars in 2014, including approx. 265 million Dinars to be paid from UN funds.

 

Gasic: UN missions strengthen Serbia’s reputation (RTS)

Explaining this year’s plan for engaging Serbian Army and Police members in UN Peacekeeping operations, Serbian Defense Minister Bratisalv Gasic pointed out that by intensifying participation in these operations, Serbia is strengthening its foreign policy position and approaching EU membership. Gasic specified that, apart from extending presence in six UN and two EU operations, the plan is to also engage in seven new UN multinational operations and one EU. “Eventual beginning of engagement is planned based on a memorandum of understanding between the Serbian Government and the UN that determines the resources of the Serbian Army that the government gives at disposal to the UN. Introduction of additional missions doesn’t mean inevitable beginning of participation, but creation of conditions for fulfilling obligations if our state receives an invitation from the UN for engagement,” explained Gasic. He specified that the 2014 plan is to engage up to 300 army members to 284 positions, and that it may be expected the number to be increased with eventual re-introduction of six-month rotations, but this will not influence the level of planned funds. Gasic said that the plan is to increase the engagement in Lebanon, where last year the presence was increased from the level of a platoon to that of a troop, and where one more additional infantry platoon should be sent.

 

Serbian MPs support participation in UN peacekeeping operations (RTS)

Serbian MPs of the ruling and opposition parties have agreed in the assessment that participation of the Serbian forces in multinational peacekeeping operations contributes to Serbia’s reputation and strengthens its foreign policy position. MP of the New Democratic Party (NDS) Marko Djurisic assessed in the debate that engaging Serbian soldiers in international peacekeeping missions contributes to Serbia’s reputation and has multiple benefits. “This is an important decision for Serbia and it should not be viewed politically. Participation of our soldiers increases Serbia’s reputation in the world and international organizations,” said Djurisic, noting that this party will support these proposals. He pointed out that sending soldiers to international peacekeeping missions would cost around 819 million Dinars this year, but that the benefits are far greater and larger budget funds should be set aside next year. Democratic Party (DS) MPs also announced support to the proposals of these decisions. The DS MP Borislav Stefanovic said that it was good there was a high degree of accord in the Serbian parliament on sending forces to peacekeeping missions and that this was not anymore a point of divergence between “us and the authorities”. Stefanovic said that the budget finds that are set aside for the army were insufficient, while his party colleague Draga Sutanovac said the Law on public procurement was preventing progress of the defense system. MP of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Djordje Milicevic said that this parliamentary group would support the proposals, assessing that engagement strengthens Serbia’s reputation and international credibility. MP of the New Party (NS) Zoran Zivkovic assessed that with these proposals the government had made a move that is good for Serbia and its future.

 

Wilhelm: Dialogue with Pristina ended isolation (B92)

“By starting the dialogue with Pristina in 2012 Serbia pulled out of isolation in which it had found itself,” German Ambassador to Serbia Heinz Wilhelm told TV B92. He said the dialogue with Pristina was going well and that open questions included the forming of the Union of Serb Municipalities, and the judiciary. “Everything is on track, we hope for a new round, but it now depends on developments in Kosovo, where there have been dramatic developments after the elections,” said Wilhelm. He pointed out that the issue of Kosovo was ‘an elemental part of the accession negotiations between Serbia and the EU,” and that the dialogue with Pristina and negotiations with the EU are “connected and intertwined processes.” “Without the full implementation of the Brussels agreement chapter 35 will not be opened,” he explained. As for the demand the German parliament put before Serbia to “sign a legally binding agreement with Pristina on the road to the EU,” the diplomat said it “remains in force”: “In the meantime, the Brussels agreement has been concluded, which is the first agreement on the basic principles of normalization. In the end some kind of final agreement between Belgrade and Pristina will have to be reached. The Bundestag says that it must be legally binding, but does not define what it should contain,” said he. 

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Cvijanovic and Afanasiev discuss government measures for recovery of damages (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic informed UNDP B&H Resident Representative Yuri Afanasiev of the legal solutions and measures prepared by the government for the recovery of the flood-caused damages in the RS. The two officials spoke about the aid program the UN provides to the flood affected population in the RS and B&H and the continuation of the activities coordinated between the RS government and the UN regarding the damage repair. Cvijanovic and Afanasiev also discussed other projects jointly implemented by the RS government and UN agencies operating in B&H, the government’s press office said in a press release.

 

SNSD, DNS and SP to have joint candidates (Nezavisne novine)

The SNSD leader Milorad Dodik, the DNS leader Marko Pavic and the SP leader Petar Djokic have agreed that these three parties will have joint candidates for the RS president and the RS member of the B&H Presidency at the upcoming elections. Dodik told reporters in Banja Luka that these positions will be conveyed to the party bodies which will decide this issue. “Some things are already evident, but we will have to abide by procedure,” Dodik told reporters after a meeting. Pavic said that DNS bodies will bring a decision to run jointly in the elections with the SNSD and the SP, but that everything has also to be agreed with the partners from the Centre Coalition. Djokic noted that candidates who will run for the RS president and the RS member of the B&H Presidency will be nominated later. The SNSD delegation in the meeting also included the president of the party’s Main Board Executive Committee Nebojsa Radmanovic, party vice-president Igor Radojicic and international secretary Zeljka Cvijanovic. The DNS delegation included party vice-presidents Nedeljko Cubrilovic and Spomenka Stevanovic, and secretary-general Dragutin Rodic. The SP delegation included party vice-presidents Budimir Acimovic, Dalibor Stevic and Zivko Marjanac, and Executive Board president Slobodan Protic.

 

Kebo withholds consent for Budimir decision (Oslobodjenje)

The Vice President of the FB&H Mirsad Kebo informed Federal President Zivko Budimir that he would not give his consent to Budimir’s proposal on appointment to the Securities and Exchange Commission, because of the five proposed candidates, only one is a Bosniak, and because one member is not ethically suitable. Kebo in his letter said that as president of this important institution Denis Prcic was proposed, who does not satisfy ethics criteria for membership on the Commission, the vice president’s office said in a statement. In the letter he notes that there are several criminal charges filed against Prcic, both professional and private, because of which the candidate does not satisfy the criteria to receive his consent. The FB&H Vice President added that appointments must not be made on the principle of nepotism. “Shocking also is the fact that for the second time and in spite of your obligation, you are not respecting the national structure in composition of the Commission. You have derogated Bosniaks, as the most numerous constitutive people, with your appointment of judges to the FB&H Constitutional Court as well. You do the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission, where in your proposal we have only one Bosniak, and that is Mr. Adnan Zukic. Therefore, as Vice President of the Federation of B&H from the Bosniak people, I reject giving you my consent for your proposed decision,” said Kebo. Budimir proposed a Commission consisting of Denis Prcic, Matej Zivkovic, Leon Begic, Adnan Zukic, and Milorad Rajlic.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

A Challenge for Kosovo: Justice for All (Balkan Insight, by Lydia Gall, 12 June 2014)

If Kosovo is serious about its European future, whoever forms the next government faces a big job to improve its justice system and human rights record.

Kosovo took another step toward this European future on June 8, with its second general election since declaring independence.

The OSCE mission in Kosovo and the UN secretary general commended Pristina on a successful election, in which Serbs living in northern Kosovo participated for the first time in national polls organised by the authorities in Pristina. Political parties have been negotiating to form a government.

Kosovo still has a lot of work to do to comply with international human rights standards, though.

The inadequate progress on justice for serious wartime and post-war abuses is a black spot on Kosovo’s human rights record and needs the incoming government’s full attention and commitment.

To deliver a justice system capable of serving its people, the government must take steps to combat corruption among the judiciary and prosecution and strengthen its dismal witness protection program.

The recent agreement between the EU and Kosovo to establish a special court with international judges and located abroad to try serious crimes, including war crimes, committed in Kosovo during and after the 1998 war, is a step in the right direction, and needs to be carried forward by the new government.

The government should also welcome a continued role for the EU rule-of-law mission (EULEX) to prosecute and try sensitive cases including inter-ethnic and organised crime.

This needs to be coupled with a serious effort by Kosovo authorities to strengthen the country’s generally weak justice system. The fact that witnesses are afraid to take the stand in Kosovo courts speaks volumes about the inadequacy of the current program to guarantee witnesses that they will be protected.

Improving the lot of Kosovo’s most vulnerable minorities should also be a priority. Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities face everyday discrimination and difficulties in obtaining personal documents which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for them to get health care and social services and even to send their children to school.

The 2010 strategy for the integration of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians will remain an empty promise until the government is willing to allocate necessary funds to put it into effect properly and to press municipal authorities to act.

While Pristina and Belgrade are making some progress in their EU-brokered dialogue, ethnic tensions continue between Serbs and Albanians, particularly in the north.

In April, for example, an unidentified person in a car fired several shots at the car owned by the wife of the former Gracanica mayor Bojan Stojanovic. Luckily, no one was injured but such violent incidents are still commonplace between Serbs and Albanians and a reminder that the government needs to do much more to guarantee security and safety, law and justice for everyone in Kosovo.

Threats, particularly via social media, and stigmatisation of members of the LGBT community are widespread. Even though Kosovo has one of the broadest anti-discrimination laws in Europe, a December 2012 local survey showed that 62 per cent of those interviewed believe that homosexuality is a threat to society.

Similarly, journalists face a hostile working environment, with their ability to report freely hampered by threats for critical reporting implicating authorities and high ranking public officials. If the Kosovo authorities are serious about their human rights commitment, they need to work diligently to create an environment conducive for independent media and human rights defenders.

The people of Kosovo have a right to expect justice for victims of war crimes and the immediate post-war abuses. They have a right to expect a justice system in which everybody is equal before the courts regardless of ethnic background or political connections. Kosovo’s Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian citizens have the right to expect treatment like anyone else in normal everyday life situations. Journalists and LGBT activists have the right to do their work without harassment.

Kosovo’s new government should do its utmost to make that happen.

 

Lukashenka Says Serbia Must Strike Balance Between East, West (RFE/RL, 11 June 2014)

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Serbia must strike a balance between East and West.

In an interview published by Serbian media ahead of his visit to Belgrade, Lukashenka said that Serbia, "being surrounded by the EU countries, can also build good relations with Russia and Belarus."

He added that Belgrade "should find the right way of action which would not disappoint either the East or the West."

Lukashenka said he also sees progress in Minsk's relations with the European Union.

According to Lukashenka, the EU countries "have realized that a more or less stable Ukraine and Belarus are better than a war."

Lukashenka starts a two-day official visit to Belgrade on June 11. He is expected to hold talks with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, among other top officials.

Balkan ‘Dysfunctional' Govts Blamed For Democratic Failings (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 12 June 2014)

Dysfunctional governments in Balkan countries continue to drive down democracy ratings in the region, according to Freedom Houses's latest study, 'Nations in Transit 2014'.

Kosovo is rated the worst in the region, with a democracy score of 5.14 on a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 represents the highest level of democratic progress and 7 the lowest.

Kosovo is described as a “semi-consolidated authoritarian regime”, but, on a more positive note, Freedom House noted improvements to the electoral process as well as to civil society and national democratic governance.

With a score of 4.43 Bosnia and Herzegovina is described as having a “transitional government or hybrid regime”. Freedom House marked a decline in standards of national democratic governance there.

Albania also has a "hybrid" regime with a democratic score of 4.18. The report noted some improvements in the electoral process and in national democratic governance, however.

Macedonia scored 4. The report noted a marked decline in the independence of the media and in the fight against corruption, whiich earned it the description of a "transitional" or "hybrid" regime.

“The Balkans registered some positive developments during the year, including Croatia’s EU accession and a historic agreement between Kosovo and Serbia."

However, "dysfunctional governments continued to drive down democracy scores in the region overall”, Freedom house wrote.

Nations in Transit is a study published each year by Freedom House and measures the democratic development of 29 former Communist states from Central Europe to Eurasia.

The latest edition covers developments during 2013 and measures progress according to several indicators that include electoral process, civil society, independent media, national democratic governance, local government, the judicial framework and judicial independence, and corruption.

Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria ranked higher up on the list and are described as “semi-consolidated democracies”.

Montenegro scored 3.86, Croatia, 3.68, Serbia, 3.64 and Romania, 3.46. Bulgaria ranked best with a score of 3.25.

On a wider scale, Freedom House cited Russia’s undemocratic influence on its neighbours as one of the factors behind the overall decline in democracy in several of the countries.

Described as a “consolidated authoritarian regime”, Russia earned a democracy score of 6.29.

 

Macedonia Minister to Resolve Albanian School Name Row (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 12 June 2014)

Four schools in Skopje whose controversial decision to switch names from Macedonian to Albanian was declared illegal by the government want the new education minister to back the changes.

The schools at the centre of the dispute in mainly Albanian areas of the capital, which were renamed in a move that was seen by Macedonians as an ethnic provocation, hope that the incoming education minister in the new government, himself an Albanian, will resolve the issue.

The schools were renamed in the autumn of 2012 by the local authorities in the Cair municipality, run by the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration party, DUI, the junior partner in Macedonia’s ruling coalition.

The Cvetan Dimov school became Hasan Pristina, Rajko Zinzifov became Ismail Kjemali, Nikola Vapcarov became Imri Elezi and Jane Sandanski became Jashar Bey.

The issue instantly became an ethnically-charged dispute and a problem for the ruling coalition of the VMRO DPMNE and the DUI. While the DUI backed the new names, the education ministry that was controlled by the VMRO DPMNE refused to allow the renaming.

The State Inspectorate for Local Government annulled the renaming, but the municipality of Cair filed a successful appeal to the local government ministry, which at the time was run by a DUI politician.

Then a motion was filed to the constitutional court asking it to rule against the name changes. The court has not delivered its verdict yet.

The head of the Inspectorate for Local Government, Vanco Sehtanski, was one of the most vociferous opponents of the renaming. He said that any certificates issued by the schools under the Albanian names would not be valid.

“There is no dilemma; the old names remain in use and the diplomas will contain that name. If they don’t, that would render the diplomas illegal,” Sehtanski said.

So far the schools have continued issuing certificates to pupils under their old names in order to avoid further problems.

“The only thing that mattered to us this time was for the pupils to get their diplomas on time. It remains to be seen whether the new names of the schools that we put will be in the official documents next year,” said Kadri Agushi, the principal of the Rajko Zinzifov/Ismail Kjemali school.

The schools however now hope that incoming education minister Abdilaqim Ademi, who is also from the DUI party and replaces an ethnic Macedonian in the ministerial post, will intervene to ensure that the new Albanian names become official.

In 2001, Macedonia went through a brief armed conflict between ethnic Albanian insurgents and the security forces that ended the same year with the signing of a peace accord that granted greater rights to country’s Albanians, who make up a quarter of the population of 2.1 million.

Although insurgents disbanded and their leadership later formed the DUI party, occasional inter-ethnic spats between Macedonians and Albanians often resurface.