LOCAL PRESS

 

Jeremic Serbia’s candidate for UN Secretary General (B92)

At its Wednesday session, the Serbian government brought the decision that the former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic will be its candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary General, all Belgrade media reported. The decision was brought at the last minute since the three-day presentation of candidates who will take part in the contest for the successor of Ban Ki-moon at the head of the world organization began on Tuesday in New York. Jeremic said for B92 that he would be travelling for New York immediately, but that he did not know whether he would be granted a slot for presentation. “It will not be easy, this is one of the most important functions, in the appointment there will be represented the interests of all major powers and the campaign will be strenuous, since there are many candidates”, Jeremic said. He said that his previous function of presiding over the General Assembly would be one of his comparative advantages, since “in this sense we are not starting from the beginning”. “This will not be a simple task. The campaign will be strenuous, there are a lot of good and strong candidates, and some of them have been in the campaign for months. However, we shall do everything to make up for lost time”, Jeremic said.

 

Vucic restrained on commenting on government support for Jeremic (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday declined to elaborate on the arguments that have resulted in a government decision to back Serbian diplomat Vuk Jeremic’s candidacy for UN Secretary General. “(Hopefully) You will not get angry - I cannot provide an answer. You have seen the result,” Vucic told reporters in Subotica when asked why - after a long dilemma - the Serbian government decided to support Jeremic. “We were making a decision and that is what we decided to do,” Vucic added.

 

Dacic: Support for Jeremic’s candidacy normal (TV N1)

It was normal for Serbia to support a Serbian’s candidacy to become the new Secretary General, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said after the Serbian government decided to support Vuk Jeremic’s candidacy for the post. Asked why the decision had taken so long, Dacic told TV N1 that he could not say that the matter was under consideration for a long time, noting that he and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, as well as Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, had spoken with Jeremic on several occasions. “It is normal for Serbia to support our man who has a chance of assuming the post. I see nothing spectacular about that,” Dacic said.

 

Mihajlovic: Government united regarding Jeremic (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said today that the government was united regarding the issue of Vuk Jeremic’s candidacy for the Secretary General. “I haven’t noticed different opinions. The Serbian government passed this decision yesterday,” said Mihajlovic in comment to the fact that Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said in December he would not support Jeremic and that there were some different opinions on this in the government.

 

Viskovic: Jeremic has tremendous energy (RTS/Tanjug/RFE)

“I think it is a very good thing that our government officially supported Vuk Jeremic’s candidacy since it would be very unusual for someone else to nominate him, without having the support of his country. Of course, the best thing would have been if we would have nominated him. He is now also the candidate of the Serbian government, but he was nominated by the South African Republic. The most important thing is that the government has obviously examined the stands of the big powers and this is an encouraging sign, because support given to Vuk Jeremic means that he has the indirect support of those who will be deciding on this in the Security Council. And this was the most problematic thing in his case. I think that at the moment he is becoming the main candidate for this post,” Belgrade University Professor and former diplomat Ivo Viskovic told Radio Free Europe. Asked why the government waited for such a long time to make the decision, Viskovic says that some big powers were reserved towards Jeremic’s stands. “This has been clarified in the meantime. He is now one of the main favorites, if not the main one. He has reputation in the UN and tremendous energy,” estimates Viskovic.

 

Gaining support for Jeremic (Danas)

Former diplomats assesses for Danas that the fact that Serbia has its candidate for the “race” in the United Nations will bring “political points” to Serbia on the international scene. Vladislav Jovanovic, former Serbian foreign minister and Yugoslav ambassador to the United Nations, tells Danas that it is in the interest of every state to have “the president of the planet” but that every United Nations Secretary General is obliged to serve all, while it brings the home country prestige and can serve, to some extent, for information. “The prestige that Serbia would receive with Jeremic’s election as Ban Ki-moon’s successor would have political weight. Still, it is uncertain what Jeremic’s chances to assume this post are, since the US continues to play the biggest role in the United Nations Security Council, so it can greatly affect the opinion of other countries as well. The US will be very careful to elect a candidate who will also protect its interests, just as it has been doing since 1945. An exception was done in the case of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who sought to work more than to listen to others. Thus, it is possible that a candidate from Eastern Europe, whose country is a NATO member, will suit more the US, while Serbia is a militarily neutral country, hence the reduced possibility of Washington’s influence on it, opines Jovanovic. He points out that the candidate also needs to receive support from Russia and China and that Jeremic has an advantage over his rivals since he was the president of the General Assembly, but that the question remains whether he managed to improve relations with the US. “The US didn’t sympathize Jeremic very much while he was the foreign minister, primarily because he fought against recognition of Kosovo, but the question remains how is Washington looking at him now,” concludes this experienced diplomat. Dusan Simeonovic, retired ambassador and member of the International Relations Forum, tells Danas that he can say with pleasure that the Serbian government “has made a multiple positive decision”. “If Serbia aspires to gain reputation on the world stage, objectively, there is no better candidate than Vuk Jeremic, considering his international reputation, experience in the General Assembly and his activities while he was Serbia’s foreign minister. This is good political gesture of official Belgrade and I am sure that Jeremic will have good chances to take office in the United Nations.

In this sense I am primarily referring to the fact that he will have the support of Russia, China, the Islamic world, Latin America and many others, says Simeonovic.

 

Pusic candidate for Secretary General without government support (Tanjug/TV N1)

Former Croatian foreign minister Vesna Pusic is supposed to informally present her program today at the UN headquarters. Pusic said last night she would be “defending the colors of Croatia” despite the “controversies and dilemmas” regarding her candidacy in domestic politics. Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister and the leader of the ruling HDZ Tomislav Karamarko said today that the Croatian government didn’t debate Pusic’s candidacy for the Secretary General. He told TV N1 that Pusic didn’t address them concerning this issue. “We didn’t choose Pusic, she was the choice of the previous government,” Karamarko said. The former government of Zoran Milanovic supported Pusic as Croatia’s candidate for the Secretary General, but the new, right-wing government, doesn’t support her since it considers that the new government should have made this decision. However, Pusic told the Croatian media that her candidacy is orderly and that the new government didn’t dispute it. Even though she says she cooperates well with the Croatian Mission in the United Nations, she is paying for her own expenses in New York. “We will resolve some day the controversies and dilemmas that had developed at home. I will gladly defend the Croatian colors and hope for success,” said Pusic.

 

Generals and military pensioners react to Bojovic’s arrest (Tanjug/Kurir)

General Milovan Bojovic, who was arrested by the Kosovo Police, didn’t serve on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija in the course of 1998 and 1999, the Club of Serbia’s Generals and Admirals and Association of Serbia’s Military Pensioners announced. The Club states that Bojovic’s guilt is the fact that he was born in the Perane village in Kosovo, that he is a Serb and that he owns private property on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. “The fact that he is a general suits them. Those who ordered the arrest are sending a clear message to all Serbs and refugees from Kosovo and Metohija,” reads the statement. The Club links this arrest with the recent arrest of General Djukic and Navy Captain Pantic in Montenegro, assessing that the government in Montenegro had decided to extradite General Djukic to Croatia, and, perhaps, the same destiny awaits Navy Captain Pantic as well. The statement reads that Serbia also requested their extradition but the regime in Montenegro ignored this, even though both of them have Serbian citizenship. The Club pointed out that it supported the request of the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric for General Bojovic to be released immediately and requested the Serbian government and other state institutions to resolutely defend the rights of every Serbian citizen, politically, legally and materially.

 

RIK proclaims 21^st electoral list  (Tanjug)

The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) declared “Out of defiance - Together for Serbia – People’s Union’, submitted by the People’s Union citizen group, as the 21^st electoral list in the early parliamentary elections. The RIK also adopted a decision to admit representatives of the list to the “extended” composition of its commission, the RIK said in a release.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

PM Vucic in visit to Mostar (Klix)

After the bilateral meeting that was held in Mostar, Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said that he had “opened and good conversations on relations between Serbia and B&H, and of course the relations in the region and relations between the Serbian and Croatian people”, with the member of the Presidency of B&H, Dragan Covic. Meeting of the member of the Presidency of B&H Mladen Ivanic and Vucic was held in the hotel Bevanda. “Serbia, B&H and Croatia have an obligation to make the stability and security for all of its citizens. If you tell me that everything is fine, your reaction and questions have shown that it is not. It is much better to have frank and open relations and to solve problems, than to hide it under the rug,” said Vucic in Mostar after meeting with Ivanic. He said that relations between Serbia and B&H have never been in the question because only all three members of the Presidency together can speak in the name of B&H.

 

Serbian PM says Serb-Bosniak relations crucial for peace in region (Hina)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said in Mostar on Tuesday, after talks with Bosniak member of the B&H collective Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, that Serbian and Bosniak relations were critical for reconciliation in Southeast Europe, while Izetbegovic said that for now there was no new evidence for Bosnia to launch a new genocide suit against Serbia after verdicts for Radovan Karadzic and Vojislav Seselj had been handed down. “We had an open, honest and not easy conversation. The conclusion for both of us, and Bakir can prove me wrong, is that in the coming period we should intensify contacts, talks, dialogue, because we believe that Serbian-Bosniak relations are the backbone for the survival of Western Balkans ... for peace and security in the entire region,” Vucic said after the meeting held on the fringes of the International Economic Forum Mostar 2016. Vucic said “voices must be lowered” and the problems of Serbs and Bosniaks need to be resolved peacefully. “Serbs and Bosniaks live together in both Serbia and B&H,” Vucic said. Izetbegovic said there was no collective responsibility of the Serb people for the past tragic war events, saying that the question of B&H’s new genocide suit against Serbia was not something he could answer.  Asked about Croatia’s announced blockade of Chapter 23, Vucic said Serbia would continue to behave in accordance with the European spirit. “Croatia decides whether it will block Serbia’s path to the EU or not, but Serbia will behave in accordance with the European practice and in the spirit of good-neighborly relations,” Vucic said. He added that all three countries, Croatia, B&H and Serbia have an obligation to create stability and security for their citizens. He also commented on incidents involving the forced removal of signs written in the Cyrillic script from public buildings in Croatia, saying that this was not happening in Serbia. “Nobody in Serbia is destroying signs written in the Latin script. I am proud that this is not happening in Serbia and should something like that ever happen, state bodies would condemn it and punish the perpetrators,” Vucic said after talks with Serb member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic. Vucic held separate talks with Croat member of the presidency Dragan Covic, who said there was no reason for the relations between the three peoples and countries not to get better.

 

Serbian PM holds unannounced meeting with B&H Serb entity President (Hina)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met with Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik in Laktasi near Banja Luka on Tuesday, telling reporters that they talked about strengthening cooperation and the political stability of the region, and underlining the importance of strengthening ties between Serbia and the RS. “Political stability in the region is of key importance,” he said after the unannounced meeting at the end of his visit to B&H. He said he and Dodik talked about the importance of preserving the Dayton peace agreement and respecting the right of B&H’s three nations to decide about their fate. “We want to keep lasting peace and stability”. Vucic announced better road connections between B&H and Serbia, saying that was important so that “the RS can feel closeness and friendship with Serbia”.

 

Relationship between Sarajevo and Podgorica good example for all (Srna)

Focus of a meeting between the members of the B&H Presidency Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic in Mostar on Tuesday was the construction of infrastructure between the two countries. B&H Presidency Chairman Bakir Izetbegovic has said that a new atmosphere will be created in the region and between B&H and Montenegro with the construction of motorways, express and other roads. “Hills in the Balkans need to be broken through with 50 to 100 tunnels and everything will change for the better. B&H is interested in building infrastructure and a gas pipeline. We have agreed to re-launch those initiatives again and build a gas pipeline, the Adriatic-Ionian motorway, and a rail line between Podgorica and Capljina,” said Izetbegovic. Vujanovic has said that the relationship between B&H and Montenegro is an example for the whole region because the two countries do not have any outstanding issues and have a very broad cooperation. Vujanovic added that the relations between the two countries could be improved in terms of politics, tourism, and economy.

 

Grabar-Kitarovic says Macedonia deserves much stronger EU support (Hina)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said that according to her information, the situation on the Macedonian-Greek border was worrying and that Skopje deserved “much stronger support” from the EU. Grabar-Kitarovic arrived in the Macedonian capital for a meeting with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov. “We discussed very thoroughly the migrant crisis too... I must say the situation is quite worrying from what we hear in the field. I think Macedonia deserves much stronger support and assistance from us member states of the European Union, notably regarding talks with Greece,” Grabar-Kitarovic told the press. She said the situation in the field showed that 85-90 percent of them were men whose average age was 27, which she said was a potentially dangerous age also when it came to riots. “But, in all that, it’s essential not to look at the migrants as terrorists. They are not, but one should be very careful so that potential terrorists don’t infiltrate through the migrant flows and so that we don’t actually do what we have been doing so far. We are actually endorsing human trafficking.” As for Greece’s criticisms that Macedonia responded too roughly to migrant-related incidents, Grabar-Kitarovic said that judging by what she could see, “they are behaving very responsibly... Rubber bullets are not being used. Tear gas and water cannons have been used, but one is certainly seeing to it that no one gets hurt”. Grabar-Kitarovic said the trilateral meeting also discussed the situation in Macedonia and its early parliamentary election on June 5. She said she and Pahor wished to “encourage Macedonia’s Euro-Atlantic integration process... Naturally, by meeting the requirements, with the state’s political stability and all that needs to be done so that the state can become stable and make headway on the road to EU and NATO membership”.

 

Historic day for Montenegro: Luksic presented his programme for the UN Secretary General post (CDM)

Outgoing Montenegrin Foreign Minister, Igor Luksic, has presented his program for the post of the UN Secretary General to the General Assembly and member states of the world organization. At the beginning of the speech, he said it was the pleasure and privilege to have the opportunity to address the General Assembly of the UN. He also presented Montenegro, saying that he came from a small but proud country with a turbulent history. Luksic said that the country invested in preserving the multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic identity. He pointed out he was aware of the challenges of our time. “Are those who are under 25, and they make up half the world’s population, happy with what the life has to offer? People tend to be pessimists. Many of them go to bed or wake up in fear. The year 2015 was crucial for the conclusion of several multilateral agreements. There is no better way to achieve peace and security, encourage the development and protection of the human rights then the joint implementation of agenda through global effort supported by an integrated approach. Therefore, there is a reason for optimism”, Luksic believes. According to him, the first task should be boosting optimism. “We must show our youth that we deserve this chance”, Luksic said. A state of peace and security is a cause for concern As Luksic said, the current state of international peace and security is a cause for deep concern. He said certain changes must be implemented in the UN team way of work. “More efficiency and effectiveness could be ensured through the establishment of a UN Group on peacekeeping operations (Peace Operations Group), which would be closely monitored by the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General, as presented in the vision statement. This innovation could make a difference by providing the Security Council and the Peace Building Commission a necessary and improved insight that will help them make better decisions and improve coordination. In addition, the Deputy Secretary General should have a more prominent role in dealing with regional and sub-regional arrangements, as well as in the field of mediation and prevention”, Luksic said. As further added, Agenda 2030, in addition to the Action Agenda of the Addis Ababa, Sendai Framework and Climate Agreement, provides an answer to face the challenges in the framework of all three pillars in a sustainable way. He firmly believes that the United Nations Development Group should be transformed into a UN Sustainable Development Group – UNSD group, which would be co-chaired by the main admin of UNDP and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as pointed out in the vision statement. In order to achieve a greater impact on the ground, cooperation with governments, civil society and regional organizations is essential, Luksic said. In addition, he firmly believes that Nairobi should be discussed as a headquarters of the next Deputy Secretary General.

 

Macedonian President abolishes all criminal procedures against governing or opposition party (MIA)

Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov has made a general act to abolish all criminal procedures against the governing and opposition party. He announced this at this public speech on Tuesday. His decision, he said, goes in effect immediately. “Aware of the consequences over me, but with strong faith that I am making this decision for stability of the country, I have decided to put this agony in Macedonia to an end, in accordance with all constitutional jurisdictions, the decision has been made to make a general abolition between politicians and their counterparts,” Ivanov said. He pointed out that no one, not even supporters, nor opposers, had been informed previously of his decision because he expected he would be rejected by them. “Among the included, there are many of my political supporters, but also many of my opposers. I have not informed anyone of this decision. I made the presumption, that if I did that, they would have rejected me. I did not go into detail whether they were guilty or not. I made the presumption they were innocent. Only one of the decisions is an amnesty, I believe that it is unfair this person to serve punishment. I took this step only to preserve the state, and national interests. If I believe that one wants to entangle us again in such scenario, I do not exclude the possibility to act again in the same manner,” President Ivanov said. He said that he was convinced that by making this decision he is taking a huge step for mutual reconciliation. He pointed out that Macedonia needs a reconciliation attitude. “I want a finale with fair and democratic elections according to all standards, which will be supported and acknowledged by the international community. I undertake the responsibility of making this decision,” Ivanov said.

 

VMRO-DPMNE: Creators of crisis must not avoid being punished for breaking laws (MIA)

The ruling VMRO-­DPMNE party issued a press release following the Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov’s decision to announce pardons for all the politicians and persons involved in the wiretapping affair. VMRO-­DPMNE says that they have taken the decision with shock and disbelief. “VMRO­-DPMNE does not doubt that the President Ivanov has always had honest and hood intentions and is guided by the national interests and the interests of the state, and the goal of national reconciliation and unity, which we have always believed to be important. Still, in this case, we would like to express our strong disagreement with his decision. We believe that, with this move, he is denying us our goal to deconstruct all lies and manipulations that were imposed to us and were aimed against us as part of one well prepared scenario. We have agreed with President Ivanov on many issue and hold him in high regard, because he was always guided by the national interest, but on this issue we have serious and deep disagreement,” VMRO-­DPMNE informed. The leading political party adds that the persons who have held Macedonia hostage for the past year and a half must not avoid being punished for breaking the laws and demolishing the state institutions.

 

Hahn says President Ivanov’s move not in line with the Rule of Law (MIA)

Tuesday’s actions of the President Ivanov are not in line with my understanding of the rule of law, EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn stated on Tuesday, commenting a decision of the Macedonian Head of State to pardon all politicians facing criminal investigations over the illegal interceptions of communications. “In light of these developments, I have serious doubts if credible elections are still possible. Political leaders must know that the actions we have seen recently put the Euro-­Atlantic future of their country seriously at risk. Democracy means compromise and serving the citizens. I call upon all political parties to get back to the negotiating table and work for reforms” stated Hahn.

 

Mass demonstrations in Skopje after President Ivanov abolished all criminal procedures (MIA)

A larger group of protesters tried to break through a line of police officers which were deployed near the party headquarters of the ruling party VMRO-DPMNE in the center of Skopje. Some of the demonstrators tried to confront the police, which, however, does not use force and does not allow access to the building. On the footage it can be seen that the protesters are led by a smaller group that coordinates the efforts to penetrate the cordon with a megaphone. The protests began yesterday after 6 pm in front of the National Office of the President of Republic of Macedonia, in the center of Skopje. In a protest at the National Office of the President, the demonstrators threw eggs, but hard objects also, which damaged parts of the building. The police cordon prevented more demolition of the National Office of the President. The protesters then moved in front of the ruling party VMRO-DPMNE building. After failing to get closer to the building, they continued in front of the Government, where they again threw eggs at the facade. The protesters were joined by the top leadership of the opposition party SDSM led by Zoran Zaev. After half an hour, the participants in the Tuesday’s protests moved again to the headquarters of the ruling party. For now, the situation is tense, and some of the demonstrators tried to break through the police cordon.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbia's Vuk Jeremic announced as new candidate for next UN chief (Xinhua, 12 April 2016)

UNITED NATIONS -- UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft on Tuesday said that Vuk Jeremic of Serbia has announced his entry into the race for the post of next UN chief.

Lykketoft made the confirmation when he wrapped up the first day hearings for candidates competing to grab the top UN position. There are now altogether nine candidates in the race.

Jeremic will be participating in this informal dialogue between candidates seeking to become the next UN secretary-general and the 193-member General Assembly at 9:00 a.m. local time(1300 GMT) on Thursday, according to Lykketoft. Jeremic was president of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly from 2012 to 2013. He also served as minister of foreign affairs of Serbia from 2007 to 2012. The UN General Assembly has kicked off the first-ever audition for UN secretary-general candidates earlier Tuesday, during which the candidates have been required to present their vision about the world's largest international organization and also take questions from General Assembly representatives as well as the civil society. Lykketoft said the informal dialogue is "potentially game-changing exercise" which aims to promote the transparency and inclusiveness in the selection process of the next UN chief. The new move is widely seen as historic yet not decisive. Under the UN Charter, the UN secretary-general shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. In practice, the 15-member Security Council, especially its five permanent members -- the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China -- will make the final choice and send a single candidate to the General Assembly for approval. The incumbent UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is going to conclude his term at the end of 2016. The council's decision to select the top leader of the world organization shall come late this year.

 

EU dismayed as Macedonia crisis reignites (EUobserver, by Andrew Rettman, 13 April 2016)

The president’s snap decision to pardon everybody under investigation for electoral fraud has reignited a political crisis in Macedonia - a frontline state in the EU refugee crisis.

Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday (12 April) issued a blanket amnesty for all suspects under investigation by a special prosecutor. The decision lets off the hook senior figures from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, such as former interior minister Gordana Jankulovska, but also from the opposition SDSM party, including party leader Zoran Zaev. The people concerned had been implicated in helping to rig local and general elections in 2011 and 2014 in revelations contained in a wiretap leak. Ivanov, who hails from the VMRO-DPMNE camp, said on TV: “I am convinced that this is a big step forward toward reconciliation, and that this will help in creating an atmosphere for normal political and democratic competition.” "I've decided to put an end to the agony and, metaphorically speaking, to cut a knot.” The special prosecutor had been created last year as part of an EU and US-brokered deal, the Przino Agreement, to end a political deadlock between the VMRO-DPMNE and the SDSM. The EU had hoped that the deal, which also covered electoral reform, would pave the way for normal elections in June. Zaev on Tuesday denounced Ivanov’s decision as a “coup d’etat,” however. SDSM supporters also gathered outside Ivanov and VMRO-DPMNE’s offices, local media report. They chanted “No justice, no peace!” and threw stones at the buildings. VMRO-DPMNE supporters held a counter-protest outside the SDSM’s headquarters. The VMRO-DPMNE’s junior coalition partner, the DUI, which represents the country’s 1 million-strong ethnic Albanian minority, also urged Ivanov to reverse his decision. Artan Grubi, a senior DUI member of parliament, told EUobserver from Skopje on Wednesday that there’s a risk the situation could end in violence. “He [Ivanov] has taken the crisis into an unpredictable situation,” he said. Grubi said that if the Przino accord breaks down “there’s a risk of violence in different ways - between supporters of the two major political parties and between Macedonia’s two different ethnic groups.”

Elections in doubt

The SDSM’s Zaev last weekend already said he’d boycott the June vote due to stalled electoral reform. But the DUI is willing to take part in the vote because, Grubi said, it’s the “only solution” to the crisis. “The country has been suffering for two years already - nothing is functioning. Academia, business, the state administration are all paralysed,” he said.

“Zaev must put the interests of the country before the interests of his party.”

The EU and the US condemned Ivanov’s decision. EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said his pardons “are not in line with my understanding of rule of law … in light of these developments, I have serious doubts if credible elections are still possible.” The EU foreign service called “on all sides to avoid interventions that risk undermining years of efforts within the country and with the support of the international community to strengthen the rule of law.”

The US embassy in Skopje said Ivanov’s decision “raises serious concerns about Macedonia’s commitment to the rule of law.”

Migrants

Macedonia is on the front line of the EU’s attempts to control irregular flows of migrants from Turkey, via Greece and the Western Balkans, to Europe. It recently followed Austria’s lead on closed borders by slamming shut its boundary with Greece, causing a build-up of tens of thousands of people in its southern neighbour. Turkey has extracted political concessions from the EU in return for reducing the flow of people to Greece. The ruling VMRO-DPMNE clan in Macedonia is in a weaker position because if it reopened its border the refugees would get stuck in Macedonia due to Serbia’s border clampdown. Asked by EUobserver if Ivanov and the VMRO-DPMNE are also trying to use migrants to force EU appeasement, the DUI’s Grubi said: “I don’t think so.” “I don’t know what Ivanov was thinking … but perhaps he had a naive idea that if he pardoned everyone it would create equal grounds for the [June] elections.”

 

Montenegrins Vote Online to Stay out of NATO (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 13 April 2016)

Thousands of Montenegrins have taken part in an online referendum on the country's military status organised by a pro-Russian NGO - as pressure continues on the government to hold a national referendum on the issue.

More than 10,000 people have taken part over two weeks in an online referendum on the military status of Montenegro, the pro-Russian organization behind the vote said. The vote is a move to pressure the authorities to organize a national plebiscite on NATO membership. The Montenegrin Movement for Neutrality said that more than 7,000 of the people who had voted online had backed retaining military neutrality. The movement launched the online referendum in March, saying the latest polls showed most Montenegrins wanted any decision on NATO membership to be put to a referendum. People need "to make their voice heard, whether they are for or against NATO or for neutrality," the organization's director, Marko Milacic, told BIRN on Tuesday. NATO invited Montenegro to join the Western military alliance on December 2, 2015, which the government in Podgorica accepted the following day. The decision triggered protests in December and January, when thousands of opponents of NATO took to the streets, calling for Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic to resign.Opposition parties have also demanded a referendum before NATO entry is formalized next year - mirroring demands made by Russian officials. Some 55,000 Montenegrins reportedly signed a petition by April 1, organized by the opposition Socialist People’s Party, urging the government to hold a referendum on NATO. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said Montenegro should hold a referendum on NATO membership as "less than half of the country's population backs joining the military alliance.  "By law, a national referendum may be held on the President's or government’s initiative, following a demand by at least 25 of the 82 lawmakers of parliament, or following a request submitted by 10 per cent of all registered voters, which is 52,806 citizens. The government has repeated that Montenegro has no constitutional obligation to hold a referendum on membership of international organizations, noting that only a few NATO member countries organized such a vote. The government has also said that the general elections scheduled for October 2016 will be a de-facto plebiscite on NATO membership. Montenegrins are almost equally divided over joining NATO. The latest opinion poll conducted by the local Damar agency said that 47 per cent of Montenegrins favour joining NATO, 39 per cent are against while 14 per cent are undecided. NATO remains a controversial top among members of Montenegro's large ethnic Serbian community because of the role it played in enabling Kosovo to break away from Serbia. They also resent the way the pro-Western government has loosened ties with Montenegro's traditional ally, Russia. If Montenegro does join NATO, it will be the third former Yugoslav republic to do so, after Slovenia and Croatia.

 

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ.  The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.