LOCAL PRESS

 

EULEX to continue gradual transfer of power to Kosovo institutions (Beta)

The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) will continue a gradual transfer of power to Kosovo's institutions, and all criminal investigations will be led by local judicial bodies, while the EULEX prosecutors and judges would take over only under exceptional circumstances, the EU mission in Kosovo announced. "The EULEX judges and prosecutors will continue to be part of the Kosovo institutions, and will be working in line with Kosovo laws," the mission said in a press release. The EU mission will carry out its mandate by supervising, training and consulting, keeping certain executive powers in order to ensure continuous and sustainable progress by the local authorities, including Kosovo’s judiciary and police. The mission underlined in the press release that it would provide monitoring, training and advisory services for the administration and the relevant institutions of rule of law, in order to solidify the chain of criminal justice, with an emphasis on the struggle against political involvement and supervision of sensitive cases. Working closely with the EU Special Representative in Kosovo, the EU mission will provide support to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, in order to assist the implementation of the agreements related to the rule of law, arising from the talks.

 

Mogherini: Kosovo needs to meet final criterion for visa liberalization (Beta)

The EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, said in Brussels on June 21 that Kosovo needed to remain optimistic regarding a decision on liberalizing visas and fulfill the final criterion for that - the adoption of an agreement on demarcation with Montenegro. A statement from Kosovo President Hashim Thaci's office said that during a joint meeting she added that dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina needed to continue, and that all of the countries in the region needed to retain their commitment to building sincere mutual cooperation. “President Thaci informed the EU high representative, Mogherini, on Kosovo's successes and its devotion to peace and stability in the region. Discussing the visa liberalization process, President Thaci said that Kosovo now expects a meritorious decision," the statement said. As for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Thaci said that the entire process had positively affected the building of peace and stability throughout the entire Western Balkans. Earlier on in Brussels, Thaci discussed the liberalization of visas with European Parliament Speaker Martin Schulz, saying that Kosovo had met the criteria and expected a decision by European institutions that would cancel visas.

 

Vucic: “It is not easy to maintain good relations with major powers” (VIP)

The Prime Minister designate Aleksandar Vucic said that, in relations with Croatia, Serbia would do its part of that which was agreed in the declaration and resolve the problems expressed by the Croats in Vojvodina, and of these there are “twice less compared to the problems of Serbs in Croatia”. It is our duty to see that the Croatian minority feels good in Serbia, for them to feel like the citizens of our country, to be proud of it, and for Serbia to take care of them, he said. Vucic underlined that it would not be easy for Serbia to maintain good relations with the major powers worldwide, but that the state would continue leading such a policy. When asked whether he was in agreement with the theory that Serbia was one of the rare countries in Europe which had good relations with Brussels, Russia and China, Vucic said that this would not be easy, but that he had Serbia’s interest in mind and that this was the only thing which led his decisions. “I can see that there is a growing tension, that suddenly everyone is abandoning the positions of normalcy, decency and the positions of disciplined behavior in our foreign policy. I guess it is easier for them to forget about their own country, and take care about someone else’s interests. I am not some kind of modern type, I think about the interests of Serbia and this is my only guiding motive”, Vucic said. Prime minister designate, on Tuesday, arrived in a two-day visit to Switzerland where he met with President Johann Schneider-Ammann. The government’s Office for cooperation with the media announced that Vucic was going to take part at the Second International Congress on Vocational and Professional Education and Training, which will be held on 21 and 22 June in Bern and Winterthur.

 

Contradictory media reports on possible opening of Chapters by end of June (Tanjug, Beta, VIP)

It remains uncertain whether Serbia will be able to open chapters 23 and 24 by the end of this month and leading Serbian news agencies reports are completely divergent on the issue. While independent private news agency Beta states slim chances for opening the chapters, quoting statements of unnamed EU officials, para-governmental news agency Tanjug claims that Serbia could easily open the said chapters by the end of the month. Tanjug reports, quoting “diplomatic sources in Brussels” that all technical procedures regarding the harmonization of the draft joint negotiation position of the EU for chapters 23 and 24 could be completed by the session of working group of the West Balkan Council (COELA), by Monday next week at the latest. The green light for the opening of chapters without debate could be given at the meeting of ambassadors of EU member countries (COREPER) who are due to convene on Wednesday, June 30, Tanjug reports, forgetting the fact that June 30 is actually a Thursday. “An inter-government conference could be staged that same afternoon to open the new chapters with Serbia”, an unnamed diplomat in Brussels allegedly told Tanjug. According to reports of news agency Beta, however, “chances are slim for the inter-government EU-Serbia conference to be held on June 30 and for chapters 23 and 24 on the rule of law and the fundamental freedom to be opened on that occasion, as Croatia still hasn’t completely given up on its earlier demands to Belgrade, and has added new ones, such as paying damage for the victims of war”, Beta reports quoting statements of unnamed officials of the EU Council of Ministers. Beta also reports that the EU negotiation position on the opening of the chapter with Belgrade has not been harmonized during the meeting of the working group of the EU Council and that this topic will again be discussed at a meeting on Monday. “If a deal was to be struck at all, it would have to be confirmed by the Committee of standing representatives of ambassadors of country members (COREPER), which is due to meet on June 30, and it would be very challenging to organize an intergovernmental Serbia-EU conference, the same source added”, Beta reports. The agency also explains that EU institutions will mostly be preoccupied with the Union itself at the summit scheduled for June 28 and 29, as well as the consequences of the referendum of Great Britain’s remaining in the EU to be held on Thursday, and it is more realistic to expect the deal on the opening of chapters with Serbia to be tabled in July or in September. “Officials in Brussels said that the fall of the Croatian government is also a problem for other EU partners and the question remains what would be the position of the future government, as the thawing of relations between the Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic still hasn’t affected Croatian demands and conditions for opening the chapters with Serbia”, Beta reports, adding that Romania and Bulgaria have also given general objections regarding minority rights in Serbia.

 

Serbia recalls Ambassador with EU (Politika)

The Serbian Government has, by urgent procedure, recalled the Ambassador of the permanent mission with the EU in Brussels Dusko Lopandic, and in his stead appointed Ana Hrustanovic, the up-to-now Ambassador in Rome, Politika on Wednesday writes. According to the daily’s information, Lopandic was replaced for failing to inform Belgrade about the exhibition for the Cardinal of the Catholic Church in Croatia during WWII Alojzije Stepinac in the European Parliament. Thus, the Serbian Foreign Ministry was left to find out about it only after the protest of the leader of the Democratic Party (DS) Bojan Pajtic to the EP President. This disputed exhibition is for the Cardinal, who was after WWII in the then Yugoslavia convicted to 16 years in prison because of his support to the Ustasha movement in Croatia and the Fascist puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia. According to Politika’s findings, this is not the only personnel change in the Serbian diplomacy. The daily writes that the new ambassador in Finland will be Sasa Obradovic, the head of Serbia’s legal team in the proceedings with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

 

"Attempted attack on IM attempt to destabilize country" (B92)

Zorana Mihajlovic on Tuesday condemned an attempt to attack Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and the death threat he received. Mihajlovic is a member of the caretaker government, and like Stefanovic, an official of the ruling SNS party. She said that she expected investigative and justice authorities to "completely shed light on this attack in the shortest possible time, and inform the public." Mihajlovic added that "the attack on Stefanovic shows the panic and fear of those who think they can be involved in crime once again with impunity," and that "the attack can only be an attempt of criminal groups to destabilize Serbia." Earlier, media in Belgrade reported, "citing the information they obtained," that 33-year-old Milos M. from Belgrade was arrested on suspicion of threatening to use an RPG to kill Stefanovic. The reports also said that a document about the incident, that happened between Saturday and Sunday, "is still top secret," and that Milos M. in the said night arrived to the gate of a house where Stefanovic lives with his family. The security prevented the suspect from jumping across the fence, the reports continued, adding that his possible ties with criminal groups are still being checked by the police, and that Milos M. "threatened that he had weapons ready," and that the minister "can choose whether to die from a pistol or a Zolya (RPG)."

 

Who could have instructed the demolition in Savamala? (Pescanik)

At one moment the Prime Minister designate and future Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic decided to “give in” and lower the tensions over the Savamala scandal, naming the highest bodies of the City authorities responsible for the illegal demolition. On the same occasion he promised that the institutions would do their job and that in seven, to ten days at the latest the culprits from the authorities would be named, who had in the night of 25 April committed several criminal acts and endangered the legal order of the country, writes Vesna Pesic, sociologist and one of the opposition leaders at the time of Slobodan Milosevic, and portal Pescanik publishes. These ten days have passed, and the institutions did not manage to come out with the results of the investigation. Time is passing, and still they give no announcement. We have thus entered into a state of a damaged order (lawlessness), and whether or not it will return its balance by the sanctioning of the culprits, remains highly uncertain... It seems to me that the problem lies in that the government bodies know the whole story; they took part in it themselves – and how can they now come out with the truth? The very fact that Vucic did not want to name a single name, but rather left the naming of the culprits to the institutions, and they operate as he tells them to, makes it clear that there is no other way but for him to come out with the names of the culprits. Of course he knows who had instructed, organized and wearing balaclavas carried out the illegal demolition in Hercegovacka Street. Since he is himself a government body, who had to be informed of this case by other government bodies, first of all the police, it is clear to all that he is, as is his custom, distracting us with the “institutions of the system”, waiting for the whole story to prolong itself, for the summer season to come, for the citizens to disperse – and for the entire case to be forgotten. The problem is inasmuch bigger since from the whole incident it can be concluded that Vucic is the one who had personally ordered the demolition in the very manner in which it was executed – completely idiotically. How can we deduce this? By the fact that there is nobody else who could have issued an order to the police to suspend its own existence and refuse to do their basic duty: to protect the rights of the citizens who were violently treated and those who were denied property rights. If we leave aside the paranoid outbursts about the “bringing down of his authority” (“government coups”) and Vucic’s obsession with power as such, the question arises of what he should do to return order and legitimacy to the authorities (where a gap now stands) and why he is not doing so for the time being. Usually, in similar situations, the well-known method is applied, when the head of government (or state, depending on the political system), sacrifices a couple of his own people and so stabilizes the situation. This is a very simple and long-known instrument. It is enough for the downfall (of Mayor) Sinisa Mali and (Interior Minister) Nebojsa Stefanovic, notwithstanding whether they are indeed guilty (I have already stated that the entire affair could not have taken place without Vucic’s participation). I remind that this was even done by Milosevic, since this method is known to all, even to authoritarian rulers... But why does Vucic not want to do this, since it is impossible that he is such a political amateur, not to know what is usually done when the authorities fly into their natural state, or rather into lawlessness? ...In this case we can clearly see that Vucic is rejecting the legitimate way of ruling and is normalizing lawlessness. The majority he wins at the elections, he turns into illegitimate authorities, into the right of the stronger, by establishing terror of the majority over the minority, which is in contradiction with the basic democratic principles and the principles of the legal state.... The protests have evidently made him nervous, but it seems to me that they are not strong enough, or organized and structured enough to resist the lawlessness and terror of the majority... For great enterprises, loosely organized non-government organizations are not sufficient. By their very nature, they do not have enough strength. So that they would not remain so, they should grow into powerful and well-ordered and led political organizations, writes Vesna Pesic on the Pescanik.net.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Meeting of Cormack, Ferguson and Wilz with Izetbegovic and Ivanic (Patria)

Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)  Bakir Izetbegovic and member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic hosted the Ambassador of the USA Maureen Cormack, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Edward Ferguson and the Commandant of the NATO Headquarters in B&H, General Brigadier Giselle Wilz, who requested this meeting. Cormack, Ferguson and Wilz expressed interest in the progress of the adoption of the Review of Defense of B&H which would, among other things, define plans for modernization and allocation of necessary resources needed by the Armed Forces of B&H during future execution of missions within that review. They reiterated their unreserved support for the activation of the Membership Action Plan (MAP). Members of the Presidency of B&H notified the guests that they have brought their attitudes on the progress of the adoption of the Review of Defense closer and that they are working committedly on the finding of a compromising solution that will be discussed in the next session of the Presidency of B&H. The meeting was attended by the advisor Igor Planinic on behalf of the member of the B&H Presidency Dr. Dragan Covic.

 

Ivanic: No passing information on the SAA adaptation, until the RS Government gives consent (RTRS)

Serb member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Mladen Ivanic did not accept that B&H Presidency passes the information of B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) about adaptation of the SAA, until the Republika Srpska (RS) Government gives consent. According to the earlier statement of the RS Government, the proposed changes are unacceptable. The next session of B&H Presidency will be held on June 27, while deadline for meeting EU conditions is July 13. The B&H CoM Chair Denis Zvizdic called on members of B&H Presidency to pass the adaptation of SAA, for B&H not to lose this EU train. According to RS President Milorad Dodik, there should be no talks on adaptation of SAA until the issue of census is resolved. Speaker of B&H House of Representatives Mladen Bosic stated that it is justified that Serb members of B&H Presidency seeks stance of the RS Government about the SAA, but added that B&H will not be able to adopt the SAA by the deadline. Ivanic was unavailable to comment. Covic said he will meet with Ivanic in Banja Luka on Wednesday, to try to find a compromise. If there is no consensus on the SAA by the end of the month, B&H will not be on the agenda of the session of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. The European Commission will not be tasked to consider B&H’s application for EU membership and there will be no questionnaire in autumn.

 

SDS leader Bosic: Census is kind of embarrassment and reflection of political situation in B&H (BNTV)

Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers (CoM) Denis Zvizdic recently stated that if the B&H Presidency adopts the report on the adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) this week, there is a chance that the EU Foreign Affairs Council will discuss B&H's application for the EU membership in July. However, according to BNTV, reality is quite different, given that B&H failed to fulfill any of the conditions set by Brussels in full. BNTV recalled that coordination mechanism on EU matters has not been harmonized yet, the SAA is yet to be adapted, implementation of the Reform Agenda has not been completed, while results of the 2013 Population and Housing Census in B&H caused a new political crisis in the country. SDS leader and Speaker of the House of Representatives of B&H Mladen Bosic said that Census is a kind of embarrassment and reflection of the political situation in B&H. "It is a reflection of a mentality of who will deceive who," Bosic underlined. Representative of the Centers of Civic Initiatives (CCI) Adis Arapovic said that beginning of publishing of Census results was supposed to be just another technical issue. "However, it turned into a major political issue and it could destabilize the parliamentary majority and cause a serious government crisis at the level of B&H institutions," Arapovic underlined. Zvizdic and entity prime ministers cannot seem to agree on the coordination mechanism. Arapovic stressed that it is illusory to think that B&H will be able to send a positive signal to the EU when it comes to the coordination mechanism without the consent of entity governments. Arapovic stressed that implementation of the Reform Agenda also did not go as planned. "Instead of achieving stabilization of finances, especially at the level of entity budgets and instead of improving investments and jobs creation, we have completely negative trends," Arapovic stressed. As for the adaptation of the SAA, the B&H CoM forwarded the report of the B&H Negotiating Team to the B&H Presidency, which should discuss this document on Wednesday, June 22. However, final decision on the SAA adaptation can be expected at the end of the year. The B&H Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic said that he does not want to make any assessments. "In my opinion, we could have done more. But, there is no more time for negotiations and all deadlines passed. We have a position of 'take it or leave it'," Sarovic underlined.

 

Zvizdic: Politics should stop interfering,  the issue of the census should be resolved by experts (TV1)

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H CoM) Denis Zvizdic held a press conference in Sarajevo on Tuesday and warned that the European path of B&H may be blocked. Zvizdic reminded all those who block B&H's path to join the EU that all political leaders from B&H signed the joint statement and committed themselves to actively work on the European integration in B&H. Zvizdic also warned that B&H may lose the last chance to make progress on the path to join the EU if the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) is not adapted until Friday. Zvizdic called on all political actors involved in the adaptation of the SAA to show political responsibility and seriousness and he called on the Presidency of B&H to adopt the B&H CoM's report regarding the adaptation of the SAA. The reporter quoted Zvizdic as saying that B&H should use the opportunity when Slovakia takes over the Presidency of the EU Council because Slovakia is the only member state whose program addresses the enlargement process. Zvizdic claims that it is necessary to dismiss politics and to speak about hundreds of millions of EUR which B&H can but is not taking from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds. Zvizdic pointed out that B&H was the first among the countries in the region to create a plan and program for the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance in Rural Development (IPARD) funds but lower levels of the authorities, namely entities, are yet to give consent for B&H to apply for the IPARD funds. Zvizdic underlined that the next few weeks are very important because B&H will either make progress or it will be forgotten. "It is exceptionally important to truly put aside all our personal and political ambitions or disagreements and to focus on the European path of B&H," Zvizdic stated. Zvizdic said that politics should stop interfering and the issue of the census should be resolved by experts.

 

EU expects from B&H to meet conditions in next days (Dnevni avaz)

Spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (Federica Mogherini) Maja Kocijancic stated for the daily that the EU expects from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to finalize two obligations of exceptional importance in the next few days and without delays, which are the adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and the coordination mechanism. Instead of a comment on the most recent obstructions by the RS officials, Kocijancic said: “Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn invited the authorities during his visit to B&H on June 15th and 16th to do this. Solving these two issues is exclusively in the scope of the authorities of B&H.  They should pass those several last meters”. Kocijancic welcomed efforts of part of B&H authorities in completion of technical talks on the SAA adaptation, expressing expectation that signing of the protocol is finally scheduled now. She added that citizens of BIH will benefit from further progress in reforms and the country will move closer to the EU.

 

Petrov: Karamarko's resignation comes too late (Hina)

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Bridge party leader Bozo Petrov said on Tuesday, in a comment on Tomislav Karamarko's resignation as HDZ chief, that his resignation came too late, that "one man does not make a party" and that both the SDP party and the HDZ "need structural changes." "One man doesn't make a party," Petrov told reporters outside the government headquarters when asked to comment on Karamarko's resignation, adding that it had been expected. "Unfortunately, it comes too late," he added. Asked about possible future cooperation between Bridge and the HDZ, Petrov said that talk about cooperation with any party was unnecessary "because elections are coming." "In my opinion, one man does not make a party. I would say that both the SDP and the HDZ need real structural changes, and that goes not only for one person but for all who have been making decisions in the past 20 years," said Petrov. He would not comment as to who should be elected to lead the HDZ. "I have no right to influence processes in another party. One should only ask the question of what Croatian citizens would consider as desirable or good. We need a democratic SDP and a democratic HDZ, that's the heart of the matter. And I believe that members of other parties do not have the right to affect processes in the two parties or the selection of their members."

 

Brkic says HDZ with new leader will prevent SDP's return to power (Hina)

Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) deputy chief Milijan Brkic said after a session of the party leadership on Tuesday that with a new leader the HDZ would prevent the return to power of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and that his favorite for the new party leader would be the person to be elected by HDZ members to secure new election victories. He confirmed that Tomislav Karamarko had informed the HDZ Presidency of his irrevocable resignation as party leader. "The HDZ is turning a new page, and Karamarko, as an honest and moral man, has introduced a new standard on the Croatian political scene," Brkic said after a session of the party's most senior leaders. He thanked Karamarko for his work and the HDZ's electoral victories over the past four years. Karamarko has resigned because the HDZ did not manage to regroup the parliamentary majority, even though it had won five elections, he said. "Some were losing over the past five years and they will probably resign when their leader dies. We know who operates that way," Brkic stressed. He said that Karamarko was not the only one responsible for the failure to gather a new parliamentary majority and that all party officials, including those in the party Presidency, the Main Committee and the National Council, bore their share of responsibility. However, the party must function and it cannot self-disband, Brkic added. Karamarko will stay a member of the HDZ Main Committee, he said, stressing that the way the party had once behaved towards its former leaders was a matter of the past. Brkic also said that party elections would be conducted within a month and that the HDZ's Presidency and National Council would hold a session on Thursday to decide on election methods. Answering a reporter's question, Brkic would not specify if he would support Andrej Plenkovic as a candidate for the new HDZ chief, stressing that party bodies would soon make decisions on how to conduct party elections. Brkic said his favorite for the new HDZ leader would be the person to be elected by HDZ members to secure new election victories and prevent the SDP from returning to power. "Rest assured that we will succeed," he stressed. He also believes that the HDZ will overcome the current situation and become stronger and more united than before. He also said that the HDZ was a right-of-centre party and had its ideological and world-view platform and would not let anyone determine its course. Those who are saying that the HDZ should become a party of the centre should be making such decisions for their own parties or editorial boards, he said. The HDZ members will decide which part of the political spectrum the party will claim, Brkic added.

 

Discussion on referendum after the elections (Vijesti)

The decision on whether the decision on NATO membership should be made in the Parliament or at the referendum should not be made by current deputies, but by those who will succeed them in three months, said the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) deputy Miodrag Vukovic.  “It is my opinion, but I believe, also the stance of the party I belong to. We would not support the resolution of Socialist People’s Party (SNP)”, said Vukovic for Vijesti. The SNP on Monday delivered the proposal of the resolution which stipulates holding the referendum on Montenegrin NATO membership. Vukovic thinks that decisions, such as the one regarding NATO membership, should be made in the moment when the need for them arises. “It is now early to decide whether Montenegro would join NATO”, said Vukovic. He added that he was also confident that if, in the case referendum was held, citizens would support NATO path and that those opposing to the membership, as in the case of referendum on independence, would say it was unfair.

 

Pajovic: PCG is getting ready to run in the elections on its own (MINA)

The Positive Montenegro (PCG) is getting ready to independently run in the general elections scheduled for October, the leader of the party Darko Pajovic said, adding that the party believes this was a responsible approach. Pajovic told MINA agency that there were no talks with certain parties on jointly running in the elections. “There were no such talks. For the time being, PCG will run in the elections independently”, Pajovic said. According to him, if there is a valid initiative, PCG will act responsibly towards it, but outcomes of such initiatives cannot be predicted in advance. “There are ideas according to which unifying parties of a similar profile would have a positive impact on enlarging the political entities and that it would be good in terms of clear and distinctive offer to citizens. On the other hand, PCG is preparing to run in the elections independently because it is a responsible approach”, Pajovic said. Asked which parties are seen as the closest in terms of their programme, Pajovic said that PCG was currently dealing with their own issues not with other parties. “What is important for us at this moment is to convey a clear message to the citizens and to provide a clear offer in terms of what can be expected from PCG. It is also important to us that the citizens, who may be perceived us negatively after 27 January due to undemocratic media repression, understand the quality and accountability of the decisions we made and trust us”, Pajovic explained. This is, as he said, the crucial thing for PCG at this moment. “We are working on that, and most importantly, it is obvious that our messages are better received by the citizens every day”, he added. Pajovic said that the offers of other parties were vague and confusing. “In that sense, the only thing we know for certain is who we will not cooperate with in any variant”, he said. Pajovic said PCG would not cooperate with the parties that have challenged Montenegro’s independence. “We have clearly said that we will not cooperate with those forces”, Pajovic said. According to him, his party will not buy the fact that these parties are trying to hide their anti-NATO stance behind the fight against the regime and to seek PCG’s support on these principles. “So, they are not interested in essential political change, but in a fundamental change in the foreign policy course”, Pajovic said. He said that all the parties the activities of which are based on patriotism and keeping the pro-Western and Euro-Atlantic course were potential partners of PCG. “Those are particularly parties advocating fairness, social equality, solidarity, professionalism and responsibility”, Pajovic said.

 

Parliament rejects Ivanov impeachment motion (Telegraf.mk)

The Parliament voted Tuesday against the motion for launching an impeachment procedure of President Gjorge Ivanov. The motion, which required a two­third majority, received 35 votes "for" and 47 "against". Opposition MPs submitted the motion after he revoked the pardoning decision he had passed a couple of months earlier. The opposition parties argued that Ivanov should be impeached because of abusing the office and violating a number of constitutional and legal provisions. The ruling VMRO­-DPMNE claimed the decision complied with the Constitution and the country's laws.

 

Oliver Andonov: Fallout of SDSM's radicalization hard to predict (Telegraf.mk)

One of the most radical protests of the opposition took place Monday, however the direction of the radicalization prompted by SDSM is hard to predict, Professor Oliver Andonov says. According to Andonov this was the peak of the political frustration and misconception of SDSM that has resulted with an attempt to demolish the Prometheus monument. "The police reacted very mildly. The Government and the police are very patient towards the opposition and its behavior. I expect the authorities to react in compliance with the law and to file complaints against the organizers of the protest for disturbance. Why should Zaev, considering he is one of the organizers, be exempted from the rules? The Civil Movement for Defense of Macedonia announced a rally before the Court house, hence if something had happened we would have claimed responsibility", Andonov says for Telegraf.mk.  The Civil Movement for Defense of Macedonia has organized several rallies and gatherings throughout the country, which were peaceful and triggered no incidents. On the other hand, the protests organized by the opposition often generate incidents. Monuments and public property is constantly destroyed. One of the worst commotions was Tuesday's vandalism over the Prometheus monument in Park Woman Warrior in Skopje.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Russia reacts to decision to allow Kosovo to join PCA Parliament (Tass)

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague allowed Pristina to join by ignoring the arguments of those who do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said this on Tuesday in Moscow, replying to reporters' questions. At the 195th PCA Administrative Council session in the Hague on June 13, advocates for Kosovo’s independence pulled this self-proclaimed state into their ranks, using their numerical advantage, she said, according to the Russian MFA website, and added: "It seems that the outcome of the voting on this issue was predetermined before it began and that the whole process was a well-orchestrated effort." "The leadership of the Administrative Council reacted only to those statements that were aimed at Pristina’s admission to the PCA, and ignored the arguments of those who do not recognize Kosovo’s independence (including Serbia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Spain and Nicaragua, to name a few). They neglected Article 94 of the 1907 Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, which clearly requires that the participating states reach consensus on the issue of membership. Indicatively, general criteria for admission to the PCA were not discussed at all," Zakharova said. "We stress that the results of the voting do not change our attitude to the recognition of Kosovo’s 'statehood.' We consider Kosovo to be part of Serbia, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244. It is unlikely that Kosovo will make a full-fledged contribution to cooperation within the PCA. Obviously, Kosovo’s pushing into the PCA is part of the broader task of its inclusion in other international agencies. Such actions are not only illegal, they also ignore the attitude of Belgrade, which the West calls a partner, including on such issues as dialogue with Pristina," the Russian MFA spokesperson noted in her reply. The PCA made its decision on June 13, TASS agency reported, noting that the court is an intergovernmental organization with 117 member-countries. Kosovo's Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj at the time posted on Facebook that Kosovo had become the 121st member of the PCA.

 

Serbia and Croatia: Sweeping the real issues under the carpet (Radio Free Europe)

Relations between Serbia and Croatia are at their lowest ebb in years. Belgrade is upset with Croatia for blocking its path to EU membership. Croatia would like Serbia to change its laws and renounce what it sees as Belgrade's tendency to act as the "regional policeman."  There are other issues, too. Serbia lodged an official protest with the EU over a recent exhibition at the European Parliament celebrating the life of Croatian Cardinal Alojz Stepinac, a hugely controversial figure. Stepinac was sentenced as a Nazi collaborator after World War II, yet he was in the process of being beatified by Pope John Paul II before he died. There are some indications that he may have opposed the racist and murderous policies of the wartime Nazi puppet regime in Croatia. His beatification is currently on hold. But all this was hastily swept under the carpet on June 20, when Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic met Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Both gave the impression of performing a mildly unpleasant but unavoidable duty, doing their best to project an image of harmony and friendship. Trying to act like responsible adults, they repeated platitudes about the importance of regional stability and peace. Yet for both parties, the summit was a welcome respite from growing troubles at home. Vucic was no doubt happy to be away from Belgrade, where he would have to face continued questions from journalists over the delay in forming a government. He could also temporarily ignore the pressure being put on him by Moscow to include ministers that would meet with Putin's approval. By comparison, it was much easier to spend time with Grabar-Kitarovic, exchanging views on minority rights, missing people, and fixing the border between the two neighboring states, than having to report to Putin or run the domestic media gauntlet. Meanwhile, the denouement of an unprecedented political crisis was unfolding in Zagreb. An overwhelming majority of parliamentary deputies voted for a motion of no confidence in the government on June 15, leading to the dissolution of the Croatian parliament and paving the way to fresh elections. Apart from Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, the biggest casualty of the crisis has been Tomislav Karamarko, the deposed leader of Grabar-Kitarovic's party, the opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which is now looking for a replacement. All of this puts Grabar-Kitarovic in a bind, as the shape of any new government is likely to be less to her liking. Yet as if the country's deepening political crisis was not enough, the president waded headlong into the fallout from the actions of Croatian fans at the ongoing Euro 2016 soccer championship. A group of Croatian fans threw flares during the match against the Czech Republic and fought with fellow supporters in Saint-Etienne on June 17. The troublemakers were promptly branded "sports terrorists" by the Croatian team's coach, and Grabar-Kitarovic poured oil on the fire by referring to them as "enemies of the state, and haters of their homeland," calling for an emergency meeting of the government to deal with the issue. (There were fears that the Croatian team might be ejected from the competition, but in the end the Croatian Football Federation escaped with a 100,000-euro ($113,395) fine and the threat of a ticket-sale ban.) After meeting with representatives of the Serbian minority in Croatia, Vucic and Grabar-Kitarovic took a short helicopter ride to the Serbian town Donji Tavankut. It is a village near Subotica, in northern Serbia, with a majority ethnic Croatian population. Welcomed with applause by the locals, they visited an art gallery and attended performances organized by local cultural associations. It was a rather unlikely choice of location for Grabar-Kitarovic's first visit to Serbia. Despite the cordial atmosphere, the most divisive issues between the two countries remain. Talking to Croatian TV before the meeting, Vucic claimed that he was ready to open any question. Yet some questions are clearly more difficult to broach. "I am aware that if we invoke certain emotional topics, we will not find common ground. If we were to talk about the Croatian 'Storm' (the military operation that led to Croatia's liberation in 1995) 99 percent of Croats would see it as a heroic event worthy of celebration. At the same time, 99 percent of Serbs would consider it as the darkest day of their life because Serbs were expelled from their homes." Neither Vucic nor Grabar-Kitarovic are ready to deal with the issue of Operation Storm. Serbia is still not ready to accept its responsibility for starting the war, while Croatia is not prepared to start a serious discussion about the crimes committed during its liberation. Their solution is to respectfully agree to disagree. It seems that both Vucic and Grabar-Kitarovic imagine relations between the two countries in which Serbs recognize the Croats' right to celebrate Operation Storm, while Croats respect the Serbs' laments over its outcome. Conflicting truths about the most painful period in recent shared history are somehow meant to coexist, without affecting mutual relations. Repressing collective emotions and refusing to face the facts -- by both sides -- is surely not the basis for any meaningful progress and regional cooperation. Perhaps in spite of the sound bites about meaningful talks, the leaders' summit will not achieve anything apart from its symbolic importance -- but in relations between Serbia and Croatia, neighbors and erstwhile foes, symbols count for something.

 

Izetbegovic: Bosnians will pursue EU even if Britain goes (AP)

Member of Bosnian tripartite Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, answers questions during an interview with the Associated Press in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Izetbegovic told AP in an interview on Tuesday the European Union will remain an inspiration to countries like Bosnia which is undergoing painful reforms to join the block and this way ensure the nation’s prosperity. Brits will make a mistake if they leave the “best governed territory in the world”, so desirable that people fleeing conflicts first want to go there, he said.

While Britain debates whether to leave the European Union, the president of one of the countries desperate to get into the bloc said Tuesday he is not discouraged. Bosnian President Bakir Izetbegovic told The Associated Press the European Union will remain an inspiration to countries like his, which is submitting to painful reforms in its bid to join the bloc, hoping this will be a guarantee of the nation’s peace and prosperity. “Whether some of its members will stay or leave, the EU will survive because it is a powerful continent of 600 million well-organized people, and Bosnia needs it as a goal, as an idea that helps us implement sometimes-painful reforms in order to improve people’s lives,” Izetbegovic said. Of the British, he said: “I think it would be a mistake if they leave because they would find themselves in a vacuum outside of the family of countries with whom they would have then to negotiate all over again things they already had when they were part of it. “But it’s up to them.” He noted that the European Union is the first choice for people fleeing conflicts, calling it “the best governed territory in the world.” The worst war fought on the continent since the Nazi era was the one in Bosnia after the breakup of Yugoslavia at the beginning of the 1990s. Part of the cause was nationalist separatism. After 100,000 people died and half of the country’s population was displaced, the U.S. brokered a peace agreement and the EU dangled the carrot of membership to inspire Bosnians to overcome their past and start building a unified, stable country. Since then, Bosnia has been trying to get back on its feet, battle the 40-percent unemployment rate and convince its exhausted population that their dream of living in the prosperous European Union can come true, and that they should get there together as a country rather than trying their luck as migrants. Izetbegovic said he sees the reduction of inflammatory rhetoric as a recipe for Bosnia’s progress. “Politicians must stop offering people nationalistic, one-dimensional messages that lead down the wrong path,” he said. “Once they stop articulating themselves that way and realize the real interests of their people, things will be fixed rapidly,” he said.

 

 

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