LOCAL PRESS

 

Tanin: Brussels dialogue cornerstone of reconciliation (Tanjug, Beta)

The Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina remains a cornerstone of reconciliation, the head of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Zahir Tanin told a UN SC meeting Thursday. Speaking from Pristina via a video link, he said Serbian leaders in Belgrade had told him success in the dialogue was a necessity. Zahir Tanin, stated on Aug. 25 that, over the past three months, the situation in Kosovo had been more stable than in the previous period, but added that the leaders had the obligation to do more on solving the problem of the people gone missing during the conflict. All the leaders have the obligation to do more toward solving the problem of those who went missing during the conflict. Seven years later, these problems must not slip from the political agenda, Tanin said in his address of the U.N. Security Council, which convened to discuss the latest regular report on the work of UNMIK. Tanin said that some of the displaced people from Kosovo had returned, but that there was still no solution for the return of 16,000 people, adding that many of them had "built a new life" in the places where they lived now, and stated that a dignified return was a fundamental right. Commenting on the violence in Kosovo, Tanin said that it was counterproductive and that the use of explosives was "absolutely unacceptable," and that the authorities should deal with that problem. Tanin added that the European Union remained crucial for reconciliation and that the EU prospects continued to be the main guide of the government in the improvement of the rule of law.

 

Security Council members call on Belgrade, Pristina to continue political dialogue (B92)

The U.N. Security Council called on Aug. 25 on Belgrade and Pristina to continue their dialogue at the political level, saying that there were numerous challenges where the security situation in Kosovo was concerned. At a Council session where a report by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was presented on UNMIK's operations, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is now "deeply frozen," with Pristina "unprepared to implement the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities." Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said this late on Thursday European time, during a Security Council meeting dedicated to Kosovo. Churkin argued in favor of UN's stronger presence in the province in order to overcome the slowdown in the dialogue. According to him, the issue of border demarcation with Montenegro has brought to the surface stronger calls to "unite all Albanian lands" and create "a Greater Albania." Churkin also said the start of work of the Special Court (for KLA crimes) was being stalled, "excuses looked for - in order to identify and neutralize witnesses."

“Because of the weakness of law enforcement and security in the whole region represents a grey area in the center of Europe, which is used as a shelter and transit platforms, not only representatives of the criminal world, but also radical Islamists. This favors the use of the territory by extremist groups for recruitment and training of militants," the Russian diplomat said. Churkin also spoke about the situation concerning the Serbian Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior in Pristina, saying the temple "could have been a symbol of religious tolerance." Instead, he continued, digging has been done around the church in order to find alleged remains of Albanian victims - "but, as expected, nothing has been found." Churkin described as "unacceptable" Pristina's statements about the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, being an instrument of Russian influence, noting that he considered these "an attack on UNMIK and the UN." He also pointed out to "an episode" being left out of the UN secretary-general's report, that the Council gathered to consider - namely, that the Russian ambassador in Belgrade, who was visiting Kosovo, asked to meet with the commander of KFOR - the NATO-led troops in Kosovo - but that the officer "could not find the time." In this context, Churkin reminded the Council that NATO was present in Kosovo based on a UN resolution, Tanjug reported.  U.S. representative Michele Sison said that progress in normalizing relations had slowed down and called on Belgrade and Pristina's leaders to carry out their agreements, the Beta news agency reported. "The U.S. supports Kosovo on the road to becoming a peaceful, democratic country. If Kosovo succeeds, the entire region will succeed," she said and "voiced her hope that Kosovo would become a member of the UN and called on all member states to recognize Kosovo's independence." The U.S. representative said that she was concerned over violence in Kosovo adding that "there is no place for using tear gas in a democracy." China's ambassador said he hoped that Serbia and Kosovo would continue their dialogue at the highest political level for the purpose of maintaining peace and stability in the region. The British representative in also voiced his concern due to the stalemate in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and said that new energy was needed to achieve the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The French ambassador said that the Brussels agreement needed to be applied as soon as possible, including the key element in the dialogue the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, and called for the resumption of negotiations at a high political level.

 

Sebs have been ethnically cleansed in Kosovo - Dacic at UNSC (B92)

Pristina's representatives "continue to pile on the (UN Security) Council falsehoods and lies and have lately engaged in outright propagandizing." This is what Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told the Council late on Thursday European time, as it convened to consider UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's latest report on the work of the UN mission, UNMIK, in Kosovo. Dacic stressed that ethnic Albanians were implementing a nationalist policy aimed at unifying into one state all the territories where they are a majority.

Anticipating that Pristina's representative at the meeting "will, presumably speak about genocide and ethnic cleansing again," Dacic described it as "just another propaganda exercise and a lie," and added: "The basic definition of genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing is a destruction or expulsion of population. Serbia's representatives are on record of stating, million upon million of times, that each and every crime should be punished; yet, history does not record a 'genocide' after which members of the people which allegedly committed a genocide are ten times less in number than before, while the number of the people against which the genocide has allegedly been committed is substantially higher than before."

In his address, the Serbian minister also noted that Pristina, a town where 43,000 Serbs lived in 1981, 20 years later has 430. "One hundred times less, ladies and gentlemen! In 1981, 140,043 Albanians lived in this city and in 2011, 194,953. Now then, is it a genocide, crime or ethnic cleansing of Albanians? In 1981, 18,285 Serbs lived at Urosevac, in 2011, 32, six hundred times less. In 1981, 17,791 Serbs and Montenegrins lived in Pec, in 2011, 332," he said.

Dacic also said that "in the interest of regional stability and ever better Serbian-Albanian relations, the Republic of Serbia will continue the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina" and " continue the policy of peaceful settlement of conflicts by addressing normalization of relations responsibly and implementing the agreements reached in Brussels fully."

"We do not want the situation in Kosovo and Metohija to be a latent threat to the stability and progress of Serbia and the region and shall work, in good faith, on solving disputes peacefully, well aware that a long process lies ahead in which, to make things worse, we often lack a collocutor to share with us a vision of a prosperous and politically forward-looking region," he said. Dacic reiterated that based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kosovo in an integral part of Serbia,

"Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I call on the countries that have not recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo to persevere, despite the pressures that many of you are exposed to, in your consistent respect for international law, United Nations Charter and the supreme authority of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security, the UNSCR 1244 (1999) of which upholds the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia," Dacic told the Council. As for Ban's report, Dacic said it was "structured somewhat differently from the previous ones," adding: "It introduces new sections, on normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and partnership and cooperation, for instance. In the part related to the normalization of relations, the importance of the Community of Serb Municipalities is presented inadequately; reduced, it appears, to an administrative item, it is fleetingly referred to in paragraphs 18 and 19 of the report."

Speaking about the situation in Kosovo, the minister described as "inadmissible" the numerous cases of desecration, destruction and attacks on Serbian cultural and religious sites, "as well as the spreading of falsehoods, such as the one that mass graves are located by the Church of Christ the Saviour in Pristina."

"To the distance traversed to deny the rights to the Serbian community testifies Pristina's ban of the import of textbooks in the Serbian language into Kosovo and Metohija. It existed also before, albeit sporadically, but the confiscation of all books in the Serbian language became a regular practice at the beginning of June wherefore the St. Vitus Day Book Fair, scheduled to take place at Gracanica from 15 June to 1 July, had to be called off," Dacic said.

Beside Dacic, the meeting in New York was also attended by Vlora Citaku, the ambassador of the self-proclaimed Kosovo to the United States, and UNMIK chief Zahir Tanin.

Ban Ki-moon's report covers the period from April 16 until July 15, and states 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.

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.

 

Two protests against Jeremic's UN bid to be held in Pristina (Danas)

Two separate protest rallies have been scheduled in Pristina against Vuk Jeremic's candidacy for the post of UN secretary-general. This has been reported on Friday by the Belgrade-based newspaper Danas. Organizers said they were calling the protests because Kosovo's admission to the UN would be blocked "for the next ten years" should Jeremic succeed Ban Ki-moon at the helm of the world organization. Jeremic is Serbia's former foreign minister, who also in the past served as president of the UN General Assembly. The first protest in Pristina will take place on Saturday, August 27, the newspaper is reporting. This will happen ahead of a new round of voting (in the UNSC) on the candidates. This protest is organized by political activists, with support from political parties in Kosovo. Organizer Jeta Berisha told Balkan Insight they believe that Jeremic is "the biggest anti-Albanian politician" and if elected to head the UN, would prevent Kosovo from joining. She also thinks that Jeremic has a chance of being elected to the post, "where he could stay for ten years." The website also noted an earlier statement made by Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj that Jeremic "lobbied against international recognition of Kosovo and opposed the U.S. and EU policy on Kosovo." Hoxhaj assessed that Jeremic is "the least suitable candidate" and that he "lacks a peaceful character" that the UN secretary-general should have. As for the second protest, the Pristina media said it will be held on Saturday, September 3, organized by women's associations in Kosovo. Organizations Feminism, Women, the Union of Women of Kosovo, and Mother, said they received support from the Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa, who sent a protest letter to all members of the Security Council concerning to Jeremic's candidacy. A statement carried by the Pristina media said that Kosovo will lose the ability to become a member if the UN if Jeremic is elected. "For the benefit of all the martyrs, for the sake of all the Albanian mothers dressed in black, all the raped women and girls, and for all Kosovo families who are yet to find the remains of relatives who went missing during the war, we invite you to a mass protest on Saturday, September 3, 2016," said the statement.

 

Serbian President reacts, tells Croatia: "Stop this" (B92)

SDP leader Zoran Milanovic's comment about Serbs being "a small nation, a handful of miserable people" is reminiscent of what Ante Pavelic thought about them. This is what Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said on Thursday, after audio recordings were published from a meeting Milanovic - currently campaigning in Croatia's snap parliamentary elections - held with Croatia's "defenders", i.e, veterans from the early 1990s wars. The audio file can be accessed on SoundCloud, where it has been posted by Croatia's Jutarnji List daily. Nikolic's reference to Ante Pavelic concerns the leader of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) Ustasha regime. The NDH was a Nazi-allied Second World War entity that ran death camps for Serbs, Jews, and Roma. Among his other comments, Zoran Milanovic describes Serbia as "... being presented as a diplomatic powerhouse... (but) it is a handful of miserable people who for 150 years don't know whether to move toward Macedonia, (Serbian northern province) Vojvodina, Bosnia, Croatia - they aren't even ten million (people), f*ck it - they want to rule half the Balkans."

Milanovic, who until earlier this year served as Croatia's prime minister, also describes another neighbor of Croatia - Bosnia-Herzegovina - as "not a state at all, but a big sh*t" and pledges that if Bosnia's Serb entity (RS) seceded - Croatia would not leave ethnic Croats in Bosnia "alone with Bosniaks." The 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended with the Dayton Peace Agreement that organized the country into two entities: the RS, and the Muslim (Bosniak)-Croat Federation (FB&H). Although the media described the audio file as "secret", Milanovic, speaking for Nova TV, said he was "aware that the conversation was being taped" and added: "That was not normal, but I understood, kept silent, and laughed." In his comments on Thursday, Serbian President Nikolic said that his country was "offering a hand of reconciliation."

"I am afraid the passage of several decades has had no effect whatsoever on many people in Croatia. We will not close our border or break off relations with Croatia. We are still extending a hand of reconciliation and whether we will have good relations is up to Croatia," he told Sputnik.

"The fact that Serbia has been silent is not a sign of its weakness, but of its willingness to live in peace with everyone, including Croatia," Nikolic said, urging those in Croatia "who can stop this" - to do so. "There," he continued, "we have in mind Serbs in Croatia who might once again become the object of persecution due to such statements - and to that Serbia surely would not be allowed to look at, and remain indifferent." Finally, Nikolic remarked that he was unable to understand "a real motive" for Milanovic's statements - other than "the (election) campaign."

 

Stefanovic: I would like to hear the reaction of EU on Milanovic’s statements (VIP)

Minister Stefanovic said that Milanovic’s statement, which used a term “a handful” for Serbia, spoke more about him and that he would like to hear a reaction from the EU in that regard. While replying to the reporters’ questions, Stefanovic said that these Milanovic’s statements “very clearly and specifically speak about himself and everyone else who think the same in Croatia”. “And I would like to see a reaction from the EU, European Commission (EC) and, in the end, Mr. Michael Davenport as an EU representative in Serbia, to the usage of insults, since our state and our people are called a handful and all other used expressions”, Stefanovic said.

 

Serbia Gets Ministry for European Integrations, headed by Joksimovic (Blic)

A new Ministry in Serbian Government in charge of European integrations would be formed in September and it would be headed by the current Minister without Portfolio Jadranka Joksimovic, Blic daily reported on Friday. Joksimovic was a member of the Government in charge of European integrations so far, but she was not in charge of the Ministry i.e. she was heading the state administration institution ranked below the Ministry. The daily wrote that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic envisaged Joksimovic for the office even before the publishing the setup of the new Government and Ministries, but the formation of the Ministry had to be preceded by the voting of the new law on ministries and government in the Parliament. Enacting of the law should be at least two or three days after the discussion in the Parliament and this would not be feasible in such a short deadline before and after announcing the setup of the new Government. Blic daily wrote that thus the discussion and the new Ministry should be expected in September, and the Ministry should probably be formed before presentation of the annual report of European Commission on Serbia’s progress in European integrations expected in late October. Two new offices should also be established within the Government – for Ecology, headed by the member of Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Goran Trivan, and Relations with Russia, which should be led by Nenad Popovic, a leader of pro-Russian Serbian

People’s Movement (SNP), the daily stated.

 

Survey: Vucic most popular, Jeremic almost at tie with Dacic (Danas)

According to the telephone survey carried out by the New Serbian Political Thought (NSPM) in late July on a sample of 1,000 interviewees, the vast majority of votes at the presidential election, undecided persons not included, no less than 31.9 % would be given to leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Aleksandar Vucic, reads Danas in its Friday issue. Almost identical number of votes would be won by leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Ivica Dacic and former minister of foreign affairs Vuk Jeremic, who is not a member of any party after he was excluded from the Democratic Party (DS). Dacic would win 14.8%, while Jeremic would be given 14.3% of votes. Current president of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic took fourth place in the survey with 11.5% votes. NSPM director Djordje Vukadinovic says that the survey showed that Nikolic is not an outsider, but that he does not enjoy a guaranteed victory either, unless Vucic’s votes automatically pour onto him. Former president of Serbia Boris Tadic would be supported by 6.6% of citizens, while the leader of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) Vojislav Seselj would enjoy 4.4% of votes. Leader of the United Serbia (JS), Dacic’s coalition partner Dragan Markovic Palma, would be supported by 3.8% of citizens, whereas 2.2% would vote in favour of the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDPS). The hitherto leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Sanda Raskovic Ivic would be supported by 1.6%, while 1.1% of votes would go to the leader of the Dveri Movement Bosko Obradovic. 7.6% of voters would vote in favour of all remaining presidential candidates. The survey carried out by NSPM shows that presidential election would result in a somewhat different percentage if the undecided portion of voters was taken into account, a total of which amounts to 59.6%. This is an enormous number, and includes a half of those who never vote, and a half of those who do not know for whom to vote. This particular fact could make the run for the president less than certain, Vukadinovic told Danas. He added that the survey has shown that there is a great deal of confusion among SNS supporters with regard to presidential election. Some of them would automatically vote for Vucic by the force of inertia, whether he was running for the position of prime minister, patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church or president, while others state that the prime ministerial seat was ideal for Vucic, and the presidential chair for Nikolic, Vukadinovic explained. The third group of SNS supporters is a little confused and doesn’t know what to think. It is interesting to see that Vucic is also being supported by members of other political options, such as SPS. Nikolic, who is currently a mystery, would be voted for mostly by SNS supporters. Jeremic is a great surprise, as he enjoys support from all sides, both the right and the left wing, but also from the governing authorities and the opposition, said Vukadinovic.

 

Military maneuvers of Serbia, Russia, and Belarus in November (Vecernje Novosti)

Joint military maneuvers of Serbia, Russia and Belarus called “Slavic Brotherhood 2016” would be organized early in November in Serbia; news agencies reported the announcement of Army of Serbia on Thursday. Representatives of armed forces of the three countries discussed the preparations for the military maneuvers in Belgrade on Thursday. “Slavic Brotherhood 2016” maneuvers would be continuation of cooperation between Air-landing units of Russian Federation armed forces and Special Brigade of Army of Serbia started with a military maneuver “Srem 2014”, Army of Serbia announced. Last year, “Slavic Brotherhood 2015” military maneuvers were organized in Russia, where, besides armed forces of Russia and Serbia, members of Belarus armed forces took part for the first time. Vecernje Novosti daily wrote on Thursday that members of the three armies would practice fighting against terrorists, reaction in sudden security threats and airborne activities at one of Serbian rehearsing grounds. The daily also reported that Serbian Defense Ministry did not reveal the location of the maneuvers, but unofficially, rehearsing grounds in Nikinci (between Ruma and Sabac) and Pasuljanske

Livade (near Cuprija) were mentioned.

 

Referendum on RS Day causes further divisions among political leaders in B&H (RTS)

Final preparations for a referendum on the Republika Srpska (RS) Day are underway in Banja Luka, following the decision of the RS National Assembly (RSNA) that came after the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) ruled that January 9 as the RS Day is unconstitutional. While official Sarajevo is still making efforts to prevent the referendum, official Banja Luka keeps reiterating that the referendum will certainly be held on September 25. RS President Milorad Dodik is not concerned over the indications that High Representative Valentin Inzko could suspend or even ban the referendum. In a statement to RTS, Dodik said: “There is only one option here – to hold the referendum regardless of the circumstances that the HR is trying to impose”. Asked about media speculations that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic could make him cancel the referendum – and whether he would accept his friendly advice, Dodik replied that he would certainly try to explain to Vucic why the referendum is so important and that they will certainly hold it. Members of the opposition parties in the RS support Dodik’s intention to organize the referendum, although they have a series of remarks regarding the date of referendum during the pre-election period. On the other hand, Bosniak MPs in the RSNA disapprove celebration of January 9 as the RS Day. Senad Bratic from the Coalition Domovina reiterated that the international community (IC) led by HR Inzko should show that they have the necessary capacity and readiness to do what they were tasked and paid to do.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H CEC fails to discuss Referendum Commission's request; Petric: Dodik threatens CEC members with criminal reports (Hayat, TV1)

At its Thursday's session in Sarajevo, the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) failed to discuss the request of the Commission for the Implementation of the Referendum in the RS for delivery of data from the Central Voters' Register, which the RS needs to organize the referendum on the Republika Srpska (RS) Day. Member of the B&H CEC Branko Petric asked for the aforementioned request to be discussed at Thursday's session of CEC and for this story not to be dragged out. However, members of the CEC said that CEC's legal services are preparing responses to several requests, including the Referendum Commission's requests for delivery of data from the Central Voters' Register and exemption of B&H CEC member Suad Arnautovic during voting on the Commission's first request. Petric stated on Thursday that RS President Milorad Dodik threatened to CEC members with criminal reports, if they pass decisions that are against Dodik’s will.

 

Dodik: B&H CEC obstructing holding of referendum on RS Day (RTRS)

President of Republika Srpska (RS) and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik stated in Zvornik on Thursday that the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the Constitutional Court of B&H (CC) are obviously serving the purposes of SDA. According to him, former high-ranking officials of SDA are now deciding on behalf of B&H institutions whether the RS has the right to a referendum. “B&H CEC is a technical body and it was supposed to provide the voters’ lists at the request of authorized institutions – the National Assembly of the RS and the RS Commission for Implementation of Referendum. Every other act is an act of obstruction,” Dodik told reporters. He added that certain factors are obviously being synchronized in the sense that B&H Presidency Chairman and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic is raising the issue with B&H CC, whose current President (Mirsad Ceman) is the former Vice-President of Izetbegovic’s SDA party.  Commenting the issue, RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic, who was guest of RTRS on Wednesday, pointed out: “This referendum does not irritate anyone and it is not aimed against anyone.” She also wondered why Chairman of the Presidency of B&H decided to launch this issue now, not years ago: “What kind of a country can it be when you need to defend it by undermining democracy, and nobody is even attacking it?” Head of SNSD Caucus in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Stasa Kosarac said that 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 abused their offices when they had filed motions with B&H CC for resolution of an alleged dispute between B&H and the RS in connection with the decision of the RSNA to call a referendum on RS Day. Reporter noted that, while officials from the RS continue to stress that democratic right of expression on the Day of the RS must not be taken away from this entity’s citizens, the largest opposition party is suspiciously silent. Namely, SDS failed to protect the RS and the National Assembly of the RS (RSNA)’s decision on the referendum on the Day of the RS, even though this party’s representatives in the RSNA voted for it. According to the reporter, even the attempts of High Representative Valentin Inzko, Bosniak officials and B&H CEC to halt implementation of the referendum failed to provoke their reaction.

 

Zvizdic condemns Milanovic’s statement on B&H; other reactions in B&H (TV1, FTV)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Council of Ministers Chair Denis Zvizdic on Thursday sent an open letter to SDP Croatia leader Zoran Milanovic, as a reaction to leaked transcript in which Milanovic stated that B&H is not a state. In the open letter, Zvizdic strongly condemned Milanovic’s statements, and said he was surprised with his inappropriate comments in which Milanovic denied the statehood of B&H and offended all its citizens. He reminded Milanovic that he was able to cooperate and talk to B&H authorities and citizens, and used to stress kindness and openness of B&H citizens. Zvizdic stressed that Milanovic’s statements are unacceptable for European standards of political communication, moving towards arrogance and humiliation. He also reminded Milanovic that a lot of respectable citizens of Croatia arrived from B&H, and added that he offends them as well. “Therefore, Mr. Milanovic, you should know more about B&H to make some serious conclusion,” he said. Zvizdic also said he wants to believe that Milanovic’s statement was a pre-election lapsus, and that centuries of friendly relations between B&H and Croatia cannot be erased. Zvizdic called on Milanovic to come in B&H and make conclusion on basis of his personal experience. Zvizdic’s letter further reads that B&H citizens always welcomed Milanovic's visit to B&H but these visits were obviously not due to his love of B&H but due to political objectives. SDA Secretary General Amir Zukic stated that Milanovic may be appointed as the Croatian Prime Minister soon and he is expected to apologize in order to improve the relations between B&H and Croatia. SDP representatives warned Milanovic not to meddle with internal affairs of B&H. HDZ 1990 leader Ilija Cvitanovic said that this can serve as a warning to B&H politicians to get serious and reach an agreement on the new arrangement of B&H. SDP B&H representatives said that Milanovic's statements are unacceptable, as well as that such statements complicate the political situation in B&H, but also in the region. "Unfortunately, with such statements, Mr. Milanovic is showing that he does not understand BiH and that he allowed stereotypes conceived in the kitchens of nationalist leaders and camps to define his policy," member of SDP B&H Presidency Zoran Mikulic said. SBB BiH leader Fahrudin Radoncic considers Milanovic's statements to be unacceptable. "Harsh words can be heard during election campaigns. This time, those harsh words show certain centuries old prejudice against B&H and Bosniaks," Radoncic underlined

 

B&H FM: Milanovic has really stepped out of line this time (Fena)

Bosnia and Herzegovina's (B&H) Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak said on Thursday that Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zoran Milanovic "has really stepped out of line" with his statements about the situation in B&H and Serbia, adding that someone contending to become Croatia's next prime minister should show more respect and tact when commenting on neighboring countries. "I believe that someone who is in the running for the Prime Minister of Croatia and has already been in that position should show a lot more respect and tact when speaking about neighboring countries and relations in the region. Milanovic has insulted B&H and Serbia and Serbs as a nation," the Fena news agency cited Crnadak. Crnadak added that Milanovic's rhetoric was beginning to resemble that of Milorad Dodik in B&H. He said that B&H's Council of Ministers hoped to build the best possible relations with Croatia, however, Milanovic's statements now raised the question of whether that was possible.

"If Croatia's official stance will be like Milanovic's, that will be very hard to achieve," Crnadak said. Milanovic made the statements at a meeting with representatives of war veterans' associations that had protested outside the veterans' ministry for more than a year during the term of his government. According to a transcript of the meeting that was leaked to the media, Milanovic said "B&H is not a state" and there was no-one there for him to talk to. He also said that if someone were to ask him, he would push B&H to jump the queue into the European Union because "there is no order there." Crnadak believes that jumping the queue would not benefit B&H because in that case the country would join the Union before it managed to achieve European standards in the economic, social, legal and every other aspect.

 

Grabar-Kitarovic welcomes veterans' call for defusing tensions in Croatia-Serbia relations (Hina)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic did not attend a presidential round table debate at the Dubrovnik Forum that started on Thursday because Serbia is not a member of the Three Seas Initiative, however, there is a possibility that it will participate in future projects, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Thursday, welcoming Croatian war veterans' call for defusing tensions in relations with Serbia. Asked by reporters if she had talked on the phone with the Serbian PM, whose participation in the Dubrovnik Forum had been speculated about, with Vucic himself contributing to such speculation, Grabar-Kitarovic said that she had not but that she would talk with him when she had the opportunity. Prime Minister Vucic was not invited to the Dubrovnik Forum because Serbia is not one of the 12 EU member countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas, Grabar-Kitarovic said at a news conference that marked the end of the presidential level of the two-day conference in Dubrovnik. The event continues on Friday at the ministerial level. Grabar-Kitarovic said there was prospect of participation of other countries as well in future projects, when the Three Seas Initiative connects to the areas south and east of the Baltic-Adriatic-Black Sea region. She said that she was aware that in the run-up to elections strong words were used, welcoming Croatian war veterans' call for defusing tensions. Croatian-Serbian relations, which have been strained for months, have worsened again in the past few days following accusations from Serbia that Croatia is rehabilitating Ustasha ideology and Croatian diplomats' statements that Croatia will introduce counter-measures for Serbian nationals over Serbia's law on universal jurisdiction for war crimes, which enables its judiciary to prosecute war crimes committed in the entire territory of the former Yugoslavia, including Croatia.

 

Croatian Serb official condemns SDP leader's rhetoric (Hina)

The vice-president of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), Milorad Pupovac, on Thursday commented on his Facebook account on an audio recording of a meeting between Social Democratic Party leader Zoran Milanovic and a group of war veterans by saying "It was way out of line, even for Zoran." "Just when you think that communication with other nations and states cannot be worse than the rhetoric used by the Croatian right and its official representatives, the leader of the Social Democrats and the People's Coalition chips in," Pupovac wrote on his Facebook account.

In a transcript of the meeting between Milanovic and veterans, which was leaked to the media, Milanovic says that if necessary, he would block Serbia's talks on accession to the EU and have a law passed to enable the prosecution of Serbian nationals who had committed war crimes in Kosovo. He describes the Serbian government as "a street-level government".

"Our policy regarding Croatian Serbs is that they are our citizens and we try to embrace them as much as possible, but the government in Belgrade is a street-level government, they act arrogantly," Milanovic said, according to the transcript published in the Jutarnji List daily. Speaking about Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milanovic said that it was not a state.

"This in Bosnia and Herzegovina is even more dangerous. As one war veteran put it, it's a 'big shit'. Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a state, there is nothing you can talk about with anyone there. If it was up to me, I would push them to jump the queue into the EU and cut them some slack because there is no order there," Milanovic said. Asked by veterans about his position on the Ustasha salute "For the homeland ready", he said: "You have seen the Constitutional Court ruling. That salute is banned, but, look, I don't really care about that." "After revealing publicly that his grandfather was an Ustasha amidst rightist pro-Ustasha outbursts, he is now showing off before the tent protest leaders with statements such as 'I don't give a f... about the For the homeland ready' and is once again manifesting his liking for insulting and disparaging other people and other nations."

"This time he is insulting other states for a handful of votes... it's way out of line, even for Zoran. So, you'd better take a look at your own country, Zoran," Pupovac said in his post.

 

The nonpartisan ministers staying in the government, but they will consider it again in 15 days! (CDM)

Nonpartisan figures in the government of electoral trust, Deputy Prime Minister Milorad Vujovic and the minister of labour and social welfare and agriculture, Boris Maric and Budimir Mugosa, will stay in their positions. “We made a unanimous decision to stay in the government with even greater energy and commitment to control the authorities. We take responsibility for the decision we made”, Vujovic said at a press conference in Podgorica. He considers that the decision was adopted in the interest of Montenegro. “We had meetings with the ‘troika’. Demos and SDP suggested staying in the government, whereas URA Civic Movement said we should decide on our own. Zarko Rakcevic said he does not mind if we stayed. We believe that DPS members should not be at important positions in this moment”, Vujovic said. Journalists asked what will happen to URA’s representatives at management and operational positions who resigned. “They have made the greatest contribution. Their resignations will be ascertained today. We will insist to fill those places”, Vujovic said, pointing out that the issue of replacing URA’s staff was not defined by lex specialis, and that this issue represents a legal void. Maric announced they would re-analyze achieved results in the next fifteen days. “After that, there may be a revision of our decision to stay. We believe that, for the time being, there is a sense to stay in the government”, he pointed out. For Mugosa, it was important to join the government to show that there is an alternative to Montenegrin policy. “We'll stay for a while and try to change something”, Mugosa said. Vujovic said that the agreement on free and fair elections, among other things, was not obeyed when it comes to A2A, legalization of facilities, as well as the media. Those were the reasons why URA left the government. Vujovic sees declaring many of the documents that were requested for review secret as most dramatic example of obstruction in their work. In addition, the ministers noted other irregularities, for which they will file criminal charges to special prosecutor Milivoje Katnic. Among others, the charges are related to Roksped, Societe General Bank and Telenor. As Vujovic said, in these cases there are indications that there were irregularities in collection of the tax debt.

 

Milic to present plan on coalition with Lekic? (Pobjeda)

SNP’s leader Srdjan Milic is to present the plan for a coalition with Miodrag Lekic’s Demos, at today’s session of SNP’s executive board, Pobjeda newspaper learnt. The session is scheduled for 3pm. According to Pobjeda, Milic will probe the position of the party authorities on the pre-election coalition with Demos. After the session of the party’s executive committee, a meeting of the SNP’s main board will be held no later than 28 August and the final decision should be made then. Two thirds of the SNP’s main board has to support the idea on the coalition for it to be adopted. Meeting of the executive committee followed a session of the Parliament speaker’s collegiums, at which Milic presented results of the negotiations held so far to the closest associates. The only obstacle in forming the coalition could be Demos’s informal request that Lekic be the leader of the list of candidates for the elections, as well as that most of the names on the list be from Demos. According to the informal proposal, Lekic would be the first candidate on the electoral register and Demos would have eight places in the top 16, whereas one would belong to an independent figure. According to Pobjeda’s sources from SNP, the main board is not likely to accept such a proposal. Milic’s key opponents within SNP, Aleksandar Damjanovic and the mayor of Berane Dragoslav Scekic, have nothing against the coalition with Demos, provided that this is a fair deal and programme coalition. Damjanovic was even involved in negotiations with Lekic and Danilovic. Milic was aware of that but did not attend these meetings. Damjanovic and Scekic are attending today's session of SNP executive committee.

 

Vladimir Bozinovski: Elections are expected, but with SDSM we never know (Telegraf.mk)

All conditions for holding elections have been met, but when it comes to SDSM, one has to keep in mind that the members of this party may change their positions and avoid elections again, or create new conditions, political analyst Vladimir Bozinovski believes. According to Bozinovski, one has to be very careful when it comes to SDSM. "This time everyone is expecting there will be elections, but with SDSM we never know. Their excuses they presented are no longer valid. SDSM wanted to avoid elections by saying the citizens who will not register are the so-called phantom voters. But it is clear those are living, real people, and their votes have not been abused," said Bozinovski in a statement for Telegraf.mk. According to him, it is quite symptomatic that SDSM's leadership has not publicly said the party will take part in the elections. "It is not excluded that SDSM is doing tactics and will come out with a new demand which was not part of the negotiations. Although that may sound unreal at the moment, it should not be excluded," Bozinovski added.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Hungary offers Serbia help in guarding borders against migrants (Reuters)

Hungary is offering to send police to Serbia's border with Macedonia and Bulgaria to help its neighbor stem the flows of migrants crossing illegally into Western Europe, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said on Thursday. Last year, hundreds of thousands of migrants took the Balkan route that includes Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.  Balkan countries closed their borders in March, but thousands of migrants still resort to perilous illegal crossings or pay people smugglers. For the majority of them, Hungary is a key entry point into the EU's border-free Schengen zone.  "Hungary proposed to help Serbia to guard its (southern) borders ... with police and legal help,” Pinter said after meeting his Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic in Serbia’s border town of Hajdukovo. He spoke through an interpreter. Stefanovic said the two Interior Ministries were ready to assess where additional police would be most needed when the migration routes switch back to the land from the sea as the weather worsens.  There are some 4,000 refugees in Serbia, most of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To stem the flow, Serbia last month formed joint military-police border patrols. Since the beginning of the year more than 103,000 migrants have passed through Serbia, an EU membership candidate. Its authorities prevented 5,000 illegal border crossings and charged 356 people with the smuggling of around 2,000 people.  Separately, Serbia’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday it detained 34 migrants found in a house in a Belgrade suburb. A day earlier, a 20-year-old Afghan migrant was shot dead near Serbia's border with Bulgaria. A hunter was detained in connection with the shooting.

 

Kosovo’s Thaci seeks new ‘Peacemaker’ image (BIRN)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime guerrilla leader, has been embracing reconciliation by commemorating murdered Serbs, but analysts question whether he is sincere or just trying to win international approval. Hashim Thaci has been under fire in his own capital Pristina after he recently paid tribute at memorials to Serbs who were killed during the 1990s war.

His pledges to solve their murders were seen as no more than rhetoric by Serbs, while Albanians believe that Thaci effectively admitted that his own people were responsible for the crimes.

Analysts in Pristina suggest that the move can be seen as an attempt by Thaci to clear the image that some people have of him as a warlord potentially responsible for human rights abuses ahead of the impending establishment of the new Hague-based Special Court that is to try former Kosovo Liberation Army officials for alleged crimes committed during and after the 1998-99 conflict. A 2011 Council of Europe report alleged that Thaci, a former KLA leader, was one of the main organizers of criminal activities in the Kosovo Liberation Army during and after the war. The allegations made in the report eventually led to the setting up of the new Special Court, but Thaci has always denied any links to crimes and publicly supported attempts to prosecute those responsible. Since he took the presidency in February this year, Thaci has made a number of moves seen as attempts at reconciliation with the Serb community in Kosovo, which still perceives him as the main culprit behind the expulsions and murders of Serbs from Kosovo.

Among KLA veterans, he is still considered as one of key political leaders who secured Kosovo’s independence after the war. Last Friday, Thaci called for the whereabouts of the 1,666 people still missing from Kosovo conflict to be established. “I appeal one more time for the fate of missing to be resolved, no matter which ethnic, religious or professional group they belong to. Reconciliation among nations demand honesty, truth and justice,” Thaci wrote on Facebook. He added that those listed missing are lawyers, doctors, agricultural workers, journalists. A week before that, Thaci paid homage at a memorial decided to Serb boys killed in the town of Gorazdevac/Gorazhdec in 2003. In July, he laid a wreath at a memorial to 14 Serbs killed in July 1999 in the village of Staro Gracko/Gracke. Both of these cases remain unresolved, but Serbs from these area are convinced that the perpetrators were Albanians. On both monuments, it is written that they were victims of “Albanian terror”. As a result, most Serbs from these areas didn’t see it as sign of reconciliation, but more as a provocation. Family victims also refused to welcome Thaci into their homes.

“We told him will not be the right time until those who ordered this crime have been brought to justice for one of the biggest crimes against Serbs in Kosovo. And until this happens, he is not welcome in our village,” said Zoran Cirkovic, the mayor of Staro Gacko. Pristina-based analysts however point out that by commemorating the dead Serbs, Thaci indirectly acknowledged the Albanians are responsible for the murders despite the fact that no court rulings have established this. “Reverently honoring victims regardless of nationality to which they belong is a noble gesture by anyone. But in this way, Thaci is making Albanians responsible for crimes, even though the perpetrators have not been found and convicted yet," Imer Mushkolaj, a political analyst from Pristina, told BIRN, referring to the wording on the monuments that identify Albanians as the killers. According to Mushkolaj, Thaci’s visit to the monuments was only to score political points. “Sure, he is making these visits in order to gain political points. But he is insincere in these cases, despite the fact that he is trying to show himself off as a unifying president,” said Mushkolaj.

“Throughout [his] years in power, Thaci was supposed to be working so that people responsible for these and other crimes to be brought to justice,” he said. But instead, he added, Thaci’s recent actions “insulted and accused Albanians of murder and terrorism”.

Since the war ended in 1999, Thaci and his Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, which emerged from Kosovo Liberation Army, has been in power in the country. Thaci himself was prime minister, then foreign minister and since February has been president. Other analysts agree with Mushkolaj that Thaci’s homages are more political than sincere, especially in the light of the establishment of the new Special Court, which is expected to be operational by the end of the year. Sources close to the court have told BIRN that the first indictments can be expected at the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017. The court will be staffed by international judges and prosecutors, although it will operate under Kosovo’s laws. In order to be start work, it still needs the approval of the Dutch parliament, which it will probably get place this autumn. Many believe that top Kosovo politicians will end up in the dock, including Thaci. According to Pristina-based analyst Behlul Beqaj, the transformation of Thaci from the political leader of the KLA to the president of all ethnic communities in Kosovo, as highlighted by his visits to Serb memorials, is positive but insincere, aimed at changing his image. “Thaci did not change his beliefs, but he realized that in this way he can be supported by the international community to remain in power, or it’s a condition of not being subjected to the Special Court,” Beqaj told BIRN. David Schwendiman, who is expected to be chief prosecutor at the Special Court, told BIRN in March that no one was immune from prosecution. “We can only reiterate that, under international law, there is no amnesty for anyone for violations of international humanitarian law,” Schwendiman said when asked about Thaci and if his possible position as president may spare him from prosecution. “This is also made clear in the law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office [that was passed by Kosovo’s parliament],” Schwendiman added. The law which enabled the establishment of the new court makes it clear that no official is out of bounds for prosecution. “The official position of any accused person, including the head of state or government or a responsible government official, shall not relieve such person of criminal responsibility nor mitigate punishment,” it says. Thaci has so far only visited in The Hague as a speaker at conferences and for meetings with the Dutch government.

In a speech he gave at the Hague Institute for Global Justice in March this year, he said he wants a “transparent court process” because there is “nothing to hide”. He also sought to reassure his audience that Kosovo was a country “for all its citizens” and that its energies must be spent on creating a future for them.

“The past is the past,” he said. But only when the Special Court starts operating will it become clear whether or not Thaci can put his own past behind him.

 

 

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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.