LOCAL PRESS

 

Nikolic calls on Kazakhstan to vote against Kosovo’s admission to UNESCO next year, too (Beta)

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic called on the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on Aug. 24, for his country to vote against the initiative for the admission of Kosovo to the U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) next year, as well. "We are exceptionally grateful that Kazakhstan voted against the admission of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo to UNESCO. Next year, unfortunately, we expect this initiative to be repeated, and I am appealing on our friends, already at this time, to help us in the prevention of this anti-civilizational and mindless intention," Nikolic said in Belgrade, after meeting with the president of Kazakhstan, who is paying an official visit to Serbia. He said that Serbia very much appreciated the fact that Kazakhstan did not recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and Metohija, and that it was actively engaged in supporting Serbia in the international organization in connection with this province.

 

Vucic meets Nazarbayev (Tanjug)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic attended the signing of agreements and press conference by Nazarbayev and Nikolic before he had a separate meeting with the Kazakh president who he thanked for everything that Kazakhstan has done in international affairs for Serbia, sticking to the principled stand of respect for the country’s territorial integrity and not recognizing the independence of Kosovo. A Serbian government statement said that Vucic voiced the hope that economic cooperation would be strengthened following this visit and that more Kazakh companies would come to Serbia. He also proposed the forming of joint companies in agriculture and energy and stressed the need to increase trade. The statement said that Nazarbayev said that he came to Serbia to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries since, if they combined their capabilities, Serbian companies could “win China and all of Asia”.

 

U.N. Security Souncil Session on Kosovo on Aug. 25 (Blic)

On Aug. 25, the U.N. Security Council will consider the quarterly report of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about UNMIK, in which he stated that the implementation of the Belgrade-Pristina agreement had not made any significant progress. Serbia will be represented at the session by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who will comment on Ban's report and present the assessment of the current situation in Kosovo and of the activities of UNMIK. In the report, which covers the period from April 16 to July 15, Ban Ki-moon stated that the authorities of Kosovo and Serbia had confirmed their dedication to dialogue, but also urged the leaders in Belgrade and Pristina to show new creativity, flexibility and readiness to compromise, in order to secure progress in the dialogue to the benefit of all interested parties, and to put Kosovo and the broader region on the path of stability and development. The practical implementation of the EU-mediated agreement between Belgrade and Pristina had not made any significant progress, he stated, adding that Belgrade and Pristina continued to blame each other for the lack of progress.

 

Dacic ready for "fierce debate" during UNSC Kosovo session (B92, Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister and First Deputy PM Ivica Dacic says he expects the UN Security Council session on Kosovo to produce "a fierce debate." He pointed out that Serbia insists on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), as well as on regional peace and stability - "but cannot accept unilateral acts, such as the declaration of independence of Kosovo."

"We expect a very fierce discussion, primarily with representatives of Pristina. This time, too, their representative in the U.S. Flora Citaku will be (at the session) on behalf of Pristina, who is known for attacking Serbia in an unprincipled and strong manner from the beginning at each meeting of the Security Council, and I will, of course, use all means to oppose such a rhetoric and logic," Dacic said. "We insist on the formation of the ZSO. I will speak about all this also with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, after the meeting of the Security Council," Dacic said. The Serbian foreign minister, who is in New York, on Thursday met with Malaysia's deputy PM and foreign minister, with whom he talked about tomorrow's UNSC session and discussed bilateral relations. The Security Council will on Friday meet to consider Ban's latest quarterly report on the work of the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK. Earlier in the week, Beta quoted the new report as stating that no major progress had been made in the implementation of the agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina, while the two parties were exchanging recriminations for their failure to deliver. The UN chief also reported that he was "still concerned over a wavering political focus on crucial issues, and because long-term priorities had been neglected over party interests." Ban "reconfirmed their commitment to the dialogue, but he also urged Belgrade's and Pristina's leaders to demonstrate fresh creativity, flexibility and a readiness for compromise, in order to make progress in the dialogue that would benefit all of the involved parties, and set Kosovo and the region on the path to stability and development." There were no high-level meetings during the period covered by the report, even though four technical meetings took place, the secretary-general concluded in the report. Pristina insists that Belgrade has blocked the implementation of agreements on energy, telecommunications and the opening of the Kosovska Mitrovica bridge, while Belgrade is arguing that Pristina is making it impossible to set up the Community of Serb Municipalities, and is hindering Kosovo's efforts to join international organizations, which affects the atmosphere of the dialogue, Ban Ki-moon concluded in his report. The report also notes several incidents at religious and cultural sites

 

Vucic not going to Dubrovnik to Croatia Forum (B92, Beta)

Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic will not participate in the Croatia Forum that starts on Thursday in Dubrovnik, the government confirmed to the Beta agency on Wednesday. At a press conference on Monday, Vucic said he would probably not go to this international meeting, but he did not make the final decision about it. “I have not made the final decision, only because I cannot see what substantially we could do, but I am always ready for talks”, Vucic said on Monday. As diplomatic sources said to the television B92, Vucic was ready to go to this Croatian city, but his presence was undesirable by the Croatian officials. According to the same source, the Serbian prime minister’s stand was similar to the one before this year’s visit to Srebrenica – “if they don’t want me there, I will not go”. Diplomatic sources say that Vucic was ready to go to the forum “until the very last moment”, but Croatia’s clear sign was the fact that the format was changed several times in order to show that his presence was not necessary. Technical Prime Minister of Croatia Tihomir Oreskovic said on Tuesday that “Vucic’s arrival in Dubrovnik did not make sense because the prime ministers’ panel would not be organized”. The subject of this year’s summit is ‘Strengthening of Europe: Connecting North and South’, and the meeting will be opened by President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic. Presidents of Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Lithuania will take part in it.

 

Davenport: EC report by end of Oct, concrete recommendations (Tanjug)

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport announced on Wednesday that an annual Serbia progress report of the European Commission (EC) could be expected by the end of October and that it will be concrete and positive, but with constructive criticism on issues where there is room for improvement in the country's EU talks process. At a meeting with Marinika Tepic, president of the Serbian parliamentary Committee on European Integration, Davenport said that he expects the report to include a large number of concrete recommendations regarding political issues as well as directions for some of Serbia's policies in the process of European integration. Tepic pointed out that Serbia belongs in the family of the European nations, that it is its natural environment and that regional cooperation is one of the key tasks for the committee.

 

Continuation of cooperation with Russia in fight against crime and terrorism (Tanjug)

Serbia and Russia will continue to promote cooperation in the fight against organized crime and terrorism, it was concluded on Wednesday at a meeting of Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia Nebojsa Stefanovic and Ambassador of Russia Alexander Chepurin, media reported a statement issued by Stefanovic’s cabinet. The statement reads that Stefanovic and Chepurin discussed promotion of the cooperation through different types of training of members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia.

 

Joint exercise of police forces of Serbia and Republika Srpska on Sunday (VIP)

Police forces of Serbia and the Republika Srpska (RS) will hold on Sunday, 28 August, in Loznica a joint counter-terrorism exercise, electronic media reported calling on a statement issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. Police officers will demonstrate strength and training in the fight against terrorism and readiness to respond to all the security challenges. Attendance of high-ranking official of Serbia and RS has been announced.

 

Prosecutor’s Office: No new developments in the case of Savamala (VIP)

Pre-trial in the case of the demolition of buildings in the Belgrade neighborhood of Savamala is still ongoing, with no new developments, it was announced on Wednesday by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade. There is no news in the Savamala process, Beta news agency has been told at the Prosecutor’s Office. It has also been stated that the public will be informed about this case when the preliminary investigation is completed. Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on May 29 that the competent authorities would in some ten days announce who had performed the demolitions in Savamala and at whose orders, and on June 8 he said that the highest authorities in Belgrade were responsible for the demolition. In the night between April 24 and 25, people wearing balaclavas demolished buildings in Hercegovacka Street, right next to the construction site for the future settlement of Belgrade on Water, using bulldozers. That night, the citizens called the police and reported that those people were harassing, tying, interrogating them and taking away their personal belongings, but the police did not react, instead they referred them to the Communal Police. Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic has released a report on the control of the police work that night, which shows the police top ordered the officers to act that way, while head of the Communal

Police Nikola Ristic claimed in a conversation with Jankovic that the citizens had not called the Communal Police, although the opposite has been found. The initiative Let’s not drown Belgrade, which has organized several mass protests of citizens over the demolition of buildings in Savamala, considers Mayor Sinisa Mali, Chairman of the City Assembly of Belgrade Nikola Nikodijevic, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, acting director of the Police Vladimir Rebic and head of the Communal Police Nikola Ristic responsible for the demolition and the activities during and after it.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Izetbegovic, Softic, Dzaferovic file motion with B&H CC for resolving of dispute (TV1, Hayat)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chair and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic filed on Wednesday a motion before the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H for resolving of the constitutional-legal dispute between B&H and Republika Srpska (RS), with regard to the decision passed by the RS National Assembly (RSNA) to call the referendum on the RS Day. As explained in the motion, the dispute was caused by violation of the constitutional-legal jurisdictions of the state, i.e. by violation of the RS’ obligation to respect B&H Constitution in terms of the final and obligatory character of B&H CC’s decisions. “In its final and obligatory ruling B&H CC concluded that January 9 cannot be set as the RS Day. Therefore, the disputable decision reached by the RSNA and the procedure of its implementation violate B&H Constitution and the international law that is obligatory for B&H. Protection of both these aspects of the constitutional-legal system and organization of B&H is the primal obligation of B&H institution”, reads the motion. Izetbegovic is asking the CC B&H to establish that the RSNA's decision is in contradiction with the Constitution of B&H and to put it out of force. Also, the Chairman of the Presidency of B&H is asking the CC B&H to task the RSNA to undertake activities to annul all decisions and activities which emerged from its decision. Furthermore, Izetbegovic also asked the CC B&H to adopt provisional measure to halt implementation of the RSNA's decision until the final ruling of the Court. At the same time, Speaker of the House of Peoples (HoP) of the Parliament of B&H Safet Softic and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of the Parliament of B&H Sefik Dzaferovic (both SDA), each submitted the CC B&H with motion for settling of a dispute with the RS entity, due to the decision to announce referendum on Day of RS.

 

Ivanic: Izetbegovic has right to launch issue of constitutionality but he cannot launch disputes btw different levels of authorities (TV1)

Commenting the motion filed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Chairman and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic with the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H for resolving of the constitutional-legal dispute between B&H and the RS with regard to the decision passed by the Republika Srpska (RS) National Assembly (RSNA) to call the referendum on the RS Day, B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic said on Wednesday that Izetbegovic has the right to launch the issue of constitutionality and no one can ban him this right, but he is certainly not someone who can launch disputes between different levels of authority in B&H. Ivanic explained that only all three members of B&H Presidency or B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) as a whole can speak on behalf of B&H, which was not the case here. “Therefore, declaring all this a sort of legal dispute between B&H and the RS is completely wrong”, Ivanic assessed.

 

Cvijanovic: Dispute before the B&H Constitutional Court cannot postpone a referendum (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said that a dispute before the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Constitutional Court, announced by the Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency, Bakir Izetbegovic, cannot postpone a referendum on RS Day.

“I expect the B&H Constitutional Court to voice its opinion on that which RS institutions asked. The way in which this Court brought decisions, the issue on which it decided, the opinion on RS Day which it gave to us, and why it is not voicing its opinion on our request, are problematic,” Cvijanovic told reporters.

She said that January 9, as a date marking RS Day, had been established much before the signing of the Dayton Agreement. “All this is a huge attack on RS institutions and a process of degrading and disempowering us. A few years ago these were our insignia, now it is RS Day, and then probably, the very name of RS will be on the agenda,” Cvijanovic said. She noted that a state which allegedly is defending itself by preventing a referendum from being held and by suffocating the democracy is a poor state. “This demonstrates that this state has a serious problem. RS institutions are committed to holding a referendum, and we have ways to arrive at adequate and valid lists on the basis of which we will register voters for the referendum on RS Day,” Cvijanovic says. She reiterated that she was certain that the referendum on RS Day would be successful. “RS institutions are ready to organize a referendum and prevent any kind of destructive action towards RS. If it is necessary to organize a referendum every time we are attacked, we will do it,” Cvijanovic said. She said that the referendum question does not concern the B&H Constitutional Court and its decision on RS Day.

“We have the right to ask citizens if they want that January 9 be celebrated as RS Day. Our question is not directed against anyone since we want the opinion of our citizens who understand that it is important to vote in a referendum,” Cvijanovic says and notes that no one is allowed to attack RS.

Commenting on the statement by the Head of Srebrenica Municipality, Camil Durakovic, that a commission for conducting a referendum will not be formed in Srebrenica, Cvijanovic said that he was just one of heads of municipality and that he was obliged to comply with orders of RS bodies. “Everyone is obliged to act in keeping with the law and Durakovic is not an exception,” Cvijanovic says. The Speaker of the RS Parliament, Nedeljko Cubrilovic, said that Izetbegovic’s request for holding a special session of Parliament and voiding the decision on holding a referendum would be treated like any other civil initiative. A referendum on RS Day is set to be held on September 25.

 

Dodik, Ivantsov discuss referendum in RS, SDA to Ivantsov: Do not contribute to destabilization of B&H, you have no right to do that (TV1, Oslobodjenje)

The announced referendum on the Republika Srpska (RS) Day was the main topic of the meeting of RS President Milorad Dodik with Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Petr Ivantsov in Banja Luka on Wednesday. Dodik told Ivantsov that the RS will not give up on the referendum and it will be held on September 25. Ivantsov said that Russia agrees that the RS citizens have the right to say their opinion in the referendum, confirming his statement from Tuesday that “Russia does not think that it is unlawful that one nation wants to express their will on the issue they consider to be of significant importance.”

The member of the B&H Parliament Sadik Ahmetovic (SDA) reacted to statement by Russian Ambassador, cited in press release of the Cabinet of President of the RS. “The statement of the Cabinet of the RS President which reads that Ambassador of Russian Federation supports holding of referendum is concerning, given the fact that this is a referendum that is contrary to the decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H and directly violates the Dayton Peace Agreement. Such stance of the Ambassador, whose host is the state of B&H, is in the least unfair”, underlined Ahmetovic, adding that the Ambassador ought to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and institutions of the host country, and decisions of its Constitutional Court. Ahmetovic reminds Ambassador Ivantsov that B&H is a country of constituent peoples Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, and that Bosniak people does not agree that January 9th is celebrated as the Day of the RS. “We do not ask you to be our friend if you are not willing to be, but you must respect the Constitution of the country where you act as an ambassador, because that is your obligation. And do not contribute to destabilization of B&H, because you have no right to do that”, Ahmetovic concluded.

 

Dodik: RS citizens in Brcko will be able to vote (Srna)

The citizens of Republika Srpska (RS) living in the Brcko District will be able to vote “in some way” in the RS Day referendum, President Milorad Dodik said on Wednesday. “The citizens here will be able to vote in the referendum in some way and I came here today to encourage them to do it,” Dodik told reporters in Brcko. Answering the question of what kind of way he was talking about, Dodik said that the RS Referendum Committee would decide about it. According to RS President, disrespecting the law and his powers, the Brcko Supervisor prevented the citizens of RS living in the district from voting on an issue important for them – the holiday of RS. “The supervisor did it following a political order, believing he needed to ingratiate himself with Bakir Izetbegovic and Muslims in Sarajevo. His decision wasn’t legal,” Dodik assessed. The Brcko Supervisor’s decision, said Dodik, breaches several human rights declarations regarding voting, which, he said, wasn’t enough for the supervisor to assess the situation himself. “In our opinion, the supervisor’s decision was rash and can be retracted. We expected him to take it back. He violated a series of regulations with it. He isn’t above the Constitution and the Constitution guarantees the right to citizens to make decisions by referendum,” Dodik said. The RS President recalls that according to an arbitration decision, the Brcko District is a condominium – a common property of the two entities. “Thus far, they haven’t allowed us to claim our part in the ownership, but in any case, the issue will have to be put on the agenda in the time to come,” Dodik said.

 

What did Mogherini and Hahn say about the Coordination Mechanism? (Faktor.ba)

In a joint statement, High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security of the European Union (EU) Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn expressed satisfaction with the adoption of the Coordination Mechanism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). In the statement it was pointed out that over the past several months they have noticed the “overall progress in efforts of B&H to access the EU”. They reminded that an agreement on adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement was reached in July and that a decision was made on the continuation of arrangement with the IMF, which will provide crucial support for the implementation of the Reform Agenda. “EU greets the adaptation of the Coordination Mechanism which is aimed at improving the national policy of coordination and implementation, including financial aid from the EU, and ensuring more efficient and more effective interaction between B&H and the EU. This is an important step which we will take into consideration during discussion with the Council, when we consider the application of B&H for membership in the EU. Successful implementation across all levels will be crucial,” it was stated. Mogherini and Hahn emphasized that EU encourages the country to continue intense positive interaction, to fight constructively and through dialogue in solving political issues and to concentrate on reforms necessary for the welfare of the B&H citizens. “We will continue our close and dynamic engagement with B&H in order to improve the European perspective of the country,” Mogherini and Hahn stated. The Council of Ministers of B&H yesterday adopted the Coordination Mechanism for the second time this year. Along with the Stabilization and Association Agreement, it is the key precondition for continuation of the B&H journey towards the EU.

 

Secret recordings of former Croatian PM Milanovic discussing Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Jutarnji list)

SDP leader and former Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovc did not hold back, especially while discussing Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Jutarnji List published on Thursday secret recordings of meeting between SDP leader and former Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and representatives of veterans association. The meeting took place on Tuesday morning, and the main topics were implementation of Serbia’s law on universal jurisdiction for war crimes prosecution and the tensions between the two countries, reports Jutarnji List on August 25, 2016.

The meeting was held at the SDP party headquarters and was opened by Milanovic. “We are here to see what we can do about two issues, namely Serbia and Bosnia”, says Milanović and adds that he is ready to take even radical measures against Serbia if necessary, because German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European People's Party cannot dictate him what should be done. This was an allusion to HDZ president Andrej Plenkovic, who regularly speaks about his good connections with the European People’s Party.

Milanovic says that the Serbian government is acting arrogantly. “If necessary, not only are we going to block their EU accession negotiations, but we will adopt a special law which will allow us to prosecute their citizens who committed crimes in Kosovo”, says Milanovic.

Milanovic also speaks about the closure of border between Croatia and Serbia which he order while he was Prime Minister, last year during the height of the migrant crisis. He says that he could do it again, and he again mentions the possible suspension of Serbia’s EU negotiations. “If there is no other way, we will block them. We will not be pleased about it, but I would do it”, says Milanovic. Talking about Serbian government, he called them pathetic and told veterans not to demand a meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

After discussing Serbia, Milanovic switches to the topic of B&H. He explains that possible indictments against Croatian veterans by B&H might be even bigger problem than the indictments from Serbia. Discussing the issue of B&H, Milanovic says that he is not thrilled with the situation there. He cites one veteran who said that it was a “big shit” and complains that there is no one he can talk to in Sarajevo. He adds that he would like for B&H to enter the European Union even without all the preconditions being met, since “it is a country without law and order”. “We are dealing with some bad guys there”, says Milanovic. Veterans were interested to know what Milanovic thought about the “Za Dom Spremni” chant (For Homeland Ready), which was used during the Independent State of Croatia and is again being used now by some. Milanovic appears quite uninterested in the subject, saying he did not care about the issue. Veterans explain that it is important to them because there were “veterans who gave their blood for freedom under the slogan”. Milanovic says that the chant should not be used now because it is harmful to Croatia. At the end, Milanovic asked the veterans whether they wanted to have Veterans Affairs Minister Tomo Medved remain in his post if SDP returns to power.

It is not clear who recorded the meeting and released the recordings to the media. On Wednesday evening, Milanovic said that he knew he was being recorded by the veterans. It remains to be seen what kind of impact the recordings will have on the campaign for parliamentary elections being held on 11 September.

 

Bozo Petrov: Serbia should ask itself what it did (Hina)

The leader of the Bridge party, Bozo Petrov, on Wednesday commented on the current tensions in Croatian-Serbian relations, describing protest notes and statements coming from Serbia as "a circus" and noting that Serbia should ask itself what it has done. "I think that Serbia should ask itself what it did and where, accept the past as it really was and move towards a better future, towards a more normal relationship with neighboring countries, marked by tolerance rather than pretension," Petrov said while answering reporters' questions during a visit to Split, where he presented Bridge's candidates running in the September 11 early parliamentary election. Asked about Bridge's position on abortion and the Life Partnership Act, Petrov said every person was entitled to their own opinion on the matter. "Bridge's position is that anyone who is part of its platform has the right to their own opinion and when those laws and regulations are voted on, they will be able to state their own position," he said. Petrov also said that standards set by his party in the last eight months were finally yielding results, one being that "there is no more talk of Ustashas and Partisans" but rather of economic development. "Finally these elections will not be marked by worldview and ideological topics, but by platforms, and I'm glad that the HDZ and the SDP have finally accepted the programme Bridge offered eight months ago," Petrov said among other things.

 

Dubrovnik Forum to focus on strengthening Europe, connecting north and south (Hina)

Strengthening cooperation between 12 countries of the Adriatic-Baltic-Black Sea Initiative will be the focus of the Dubrovnik Forum, "Strengthening Europe: Connecting North and South“, on Thursday and Friday. Formerly known as the Croatia Summit, the event begins on Thursday afternoon with keynote speeches by Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Polish President Andrzej Duda. A round table called "The Three Seas Initiative", focusing on the political platform of the Initiative, will bring together Presidents Janos Ader of Hungary, Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, Borut Pahor of Slovenia and Rosen Plevneliev of Bulgaria. They will emphasise the necessity of cooperation and further development of the framework that will support future projects, especially in the field of energy, transport and telecommunications. Four panels are envisaged for Friday, including "Geopolitical Challenges", to be moderated by Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovac. The "Strengthening EU Energy Security" panel will focus on the benefits of regional cooperation in energy and the role of LNG terminals in connecting the north and the south. A memorandum on the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline is expected to be signed. Representatives of the Chambers of Commerce of Croatia, Poland, Slovenia, Austria and Bulgaria will discuss projects aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of national economies in line with EU policies. The "Connecting Three Seas" panel, to be moderated by Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Bozo Petrov, will focus on connecting Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea ports in order to raise their competitiveness and contribute, in the long term, to the realisation of White Paper 2011: "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area - Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system". The first Croatia Summit was held in 2005. It became the Croatia Forum in 2013 and the Dubrovnik Forum this year.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has been invited to this year's event but it is not known if he will attend. He said on Monday he "probably won't participate" because he not expect substantial achievements from the event.

 

Lukovac: Luksic should not have withdrawn from the race for UN Secretary General (MINA)

The candidate of the Government of Montenegro for the UN Secretary General UN, Igor Luksic, should have stayed in the race until final decision of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly, the former Montenegrin foreign minister Branko Lukovac said. On Tuesday, Luksic informed the president of the United Nations General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft and the president of the Security Council of the UN Ramlan Bin Ibrahim that he was withdrawing his candidacy for the position of secretary general.

“I think that Luksic should have stayed in the race until final decision of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly and use the opportunity to affirm his and Montenegro’s positions related to the importance and role of the UN in dealing with contemporary challenges”, Lukovac told MINA news agency. According to him, this was one of the important values of his candidacy and not only an estimate if Luksic had the greatest chance of being elected to the post, compared to other candidates”, said Lukovac. He added that Luksic’s decision was not unexpected, given the fact that some media have announced the withdrawal of his candidacy after the second round of voting in the Security Council.

Lukovac believes that, in presentations to the members of the Security Council, as well as in their estimates on impression of individual candidates, preference was given to candidates with international experience, particularly within the UN system rather than “to youth, education and the duties performed by a candidate in his/her country”.

Asked whether the lack of lobbying was one of the reasons for Luksic’s rating after the second round of voting, Lukovac said he believes that greater engagement of state authorities and lobbyists would remain without significant impact on the final decision of the Security Council.

“In particular its permanent members, which will be motivated by their political interests and relations”, said Lukovac.

 

Sotir Kostov: SDSM is running out of excuses not to participate in elections (Telegraf.mk)

SDSM and Zoran Zaev are running out of excuses not to partake in elections. All conditions for holding elections have been met, political analyst Sotir Kostov said. In regards to the current political situation, he pointed out that what remains now is for the party leaders to announce that there will be elections and that they will likely be held on December 11.

"The political leaders will have the final word on whether elections will be held. Taking the Przino agreement and its 3 modifications in consideration, I deem that conditions for holding fair and democratic elections have been met. The goal has been reached and all tasks included in the modified agreement have been accomplished. The Electoral Roll situation is well known, a few voter categories were introduced, which might not be in accordance with the Constitution. A big number of public persons appeared on the 'phantom voter list', but are clearly not disputable voters. The Electoral Roll is in order, and is, without any doubt, purged. SDSM can say whatever it wants, but it is apparent that they are running out of excuses not to participate in elections. Conditions have been met for quite some time now and brought on a more advanced level.

 

Macedonian Prime Minister: EU, NATO membership remains top priority (MIA)

The EU, NATO membership remains a priority of Macedonia's foreign policy, Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev said Wednesday in his address at an annual working meeting of the heads of Macedonia’s diplomatic and consular offices. "The active participation of Macedonian peace forces in NATO, EU and UN­led operations is the best indicator that the country, as credible partner of the Alliance and the international community, shares the common values and responsibilities," Dimitriev said, pointing out that Macedonia's accession to NATO would contribute to the stability and security of the Western Balkan region. Macedonia's accession to the Euro­-Atlantic organizations will mean a successful implementation of internal reforms and strengthen the military capabilities of the country. Hence, NATO will obtain a credible ally, which will continue to efficiently contribute to the regional, global peace and stability, Dimitriev said. Referring to the EU membership, Dimitriev said that Macedonia's progress to that effect, recognized by the European Commission recommendations thus far for opening of the accession talks, should now enter into effect. "The Government has been paying attention to the urgent reform priorities and an implementation of measures that will respect them and bring progress," the PM said. EU institutions, he said, have been closely monitoring the political situation in Macedonia, being rather familiar with the political crisis in the country. Macedonia has been facing the most complex, imposed political crisis, which is generating unfavorable economic consequences, Dimitriev said, calling on political parties to be responsible and fulfill their obligations. "All political stakeholders, all of us, should be aware of responsibility to citizens and our meeting with them at election is the democracy's top priority. All Government­ authorities are doing their best for organizing fair and democratic elections ­ the only way out of the political crisis," Dimitriev said.He also notified the EU's recognition of Macedonia's successful management of the migrant/refugee influx. Dimitriev extended gratitude to Macedonia's diplomats serving abroad for their engagement thus far and urged them to keep working on realization of the country's strategic goals- the EU and NATO membership.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbian PM decides against Croatia visit (BIRN)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is not attending a ministrial forum in Dubrovnik this week which could have been an opportunity to ease tensions with Croatia.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic did not travel to Croatia for the Dubrovnik Business Forum on Thursday, despite previous speculation that he would go. At a press conference on Monday, Vucic hinted this could be the case, saying he would "probably not attend" but that he had not yet made a final decision. One reason for his decision not to attend the Forum could be a downgrading of the official status of the event from prime ministerial to ministerial, Croatia’s outgoing Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic told media on Tuesday. “We told Vucic that we will not have a prime ministerial panel (but ministerial instead). I do not see a point to Vucic coming,” Oreskovic said. Experts had suggested that a Vucic visit to Croatia, could ease growing tensions between two countries which have persisted for several months, with inflammatory diplomatic protest notes being exchanged. Speaking about Vucic’s possible visit to Dubrovnik, Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovac took an apparent sideswipe at a Serbian law which gives Belgrade universal jurisdiction over all war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia – a law that Zagreb opposes. “Tell him to bring a list of Croats against whom there are charges or who are suspects,” Kovac, who is known for his outspoken statements, told media on Tuesday. However, as Croatia will hold parliamentary polls on September 11, many see the Croatian politicians’ recent rhetoric as a part of the election campaign.

 

Serbia: 22 tons of gold missing (InSerbia)

In 2001 Serbia sold off its gold, writes Serbian daily Vecernje Novosti. In succession from the former Yugoslavia, Serbia inherited nearly 17 tons of gold, and there was another five tons in the NBS (National Bank of Serbia) vault. All of the golden bars were sold by the new, Democrat government. The fate of the money is still unknown, and NBS claims that the competent authorities are working on uncovering the mystery surrounding the missing money.

In the period from 2000 to 2012 30.4 billion euros from abroad entered Serbia, and foreign exchange reserves were increased by 9.8 billion euros. To these should be added arrangements with the International Monetary Fund. This raises the question of why the gold was sold if the country had such an inflow of foreign currency. “In the succession, of 46.1 tons of Yugoslavia’s gold 16.8 tons went to FRY, which was sold in the period 2001 – 2002,” said NBS for “Vecernje Novosti”. “Until the moment of unblocking the funds, on the accounts of the SFRY in the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) in Basel were golden bars of the former state, which was managed by the National Bank of Yugoslavia before the blockade. It, independently of the gold which was on the account in Switzerland, in the second half of 2001 also contended about five tons of gold, which was subsequently sold in the international market. NBS does not know the details of these transactions at the moment. Although Jovanka Tabakovic, the governor of the NBS, recently said that she does not know where 46.1 tons of gold of SFRY went missing, one thing is certain – they were divided and sold. There is only one tone in Basel. The great enigma, however, is what has been done with the money gained from selling the gold. In 2001 succession 8.5 tons of monetary precious metal, which was at the time in Belgrade, was divided among the former republics. Serbia and Montenegro received about 40 percent. The rest of the foreign exchange reserves in gold are kept in the vaults of the NBS.

First Yugoslav monetary reserves in gold bars originate from the gold that the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia gained by its establishment on July 2 1884 as a private limited company. Serbia brought this treasure into the joint state and as such, in large part – lost it. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was forced to agree to the division of monetary gold. The government urgently agreed to a divorce or succession in the American style – everything that was brought into a marriage is shared when parting ways.

The gold brought by the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia into the new National Bank of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (SHS) on the basis of paid-in capital and the substrate (21 tons of gold), as well as gold produced in mines in Serbia (about 53.5 tons), substantially exceeded the amount that was blocked at the BIS in Basel. Despite this, however, after the October changes, authorities claimed that “there is no gold with Serbian stamp” in Basel. When Milan Dinkic, the former governor of the NBS, was asked about the sale of the golden bars, he said that during his mandate the foreign exchange reserves of the NBS increased by almost ten times. However, he said, he knows nothing about the existence of the golden bars or their sale.