LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: Serbia loves the world organization the most because it also loves us (Tanjug)

In his address on the occasion of the 71^st anniversary of the United Nations, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the world organization is an opportunity for peace, equality, justice and development. “The Republic of Serbia remains strongly committed to the principles of the UN Charter. We are resolute in defending international law, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 that protects our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the defense of our national interests in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Dacic. He said that Serbia would continue to oppose attempts abuse and Pristina’s unilateral acts, convinced that dialogue and peaceful resolution of all issues of importance for the Serb and Albanian community are the only way of finding a compromise and lasting solution. “I congratulate the Day of the world organization that Serbia loves the most because it also loves us”.

 

Dacic: Agreement not prejudging status of Kosovo (Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has stated that Serbia, by ratifying the Agreement on the establishment of the Western Balkans Fund, will not recognize independence of Kosovo. Elaborating the Agreement in the Serbian parliament, Dacic pointed out that Serbia will not change its policy regarding Kosovo and that it will not recognize independence of the self-declared state. He notes that when the Agreement on the establishment of the Fund was signed Kosovo was marked with an asterisk and footnote, that this was negotiated several years ago and it is a good thing that this was respected. “I think we need to realize that Kosovo has become a member of various other international organizations without the asterisk and footnote, so if you think that this agreement with an asterisk and footnote needs to be attacked, I disagree. It was signed based on the dialogue with Pristina that has been conducted over the years,” said Dacic. He points out that when the agreement was signed Serbia attached an interpretation statement whereby it was stressed that “Kosovo and Metohija was an integral part of Serbia”, that it wasn’t signing an international agreement and that ratification could not be interpreted as recognition of Kosovo. Dacic says that the goal of the Fund is strengthening of cooperation through the field of culture, education, exchange of youth and sustainable development. The signatories of the Agreement are Albania, B&H, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.

During Dacic’s speech, certain opposition MPs were calling out from their seats so the parliament speaker had to call a break.

 

No consensus in EU on opening chapters for Serbia (Tanjug)

Tanjug cited an announcement received from the Slovak EU Presidency, that there was currently no consensus of all the EU members, necessary for Serbia to, by the end of this month, open a new chapter in the accession agreements. Chapter 5 (public procurement) in the pre-accession agreements with Serbia will be opened at that moment when a consensus is reached of all the member-countries, states the announcement of the Slovak Presidency. “At this moment, we do not have the necessary consensus and are not able to announce a possible date for the opening of the chapter,” it is added.

 

Dacic: No opening of chapters – so what (RTS/Tanjug/Beta)

“Serbia will not be ruined if some chapter is not opened in October, December or July. I believe that they are not taking Serbia at all seriously,” Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters at the UN Day celebration. “Everyone knows” why the chapters are not being opened: because “we did not accept that which they ultimately requested concerning the dialogue with Pristina”, he continued. “It is better for there not to be any opening of chapters than for us to harm our national and state interests. And they are counting precisely on this, that we shall, if they frown upon us and say that there will be no opening of chapters, sign everything. Forget it, that story is passed”, Dacic said. “We are not their punching bag”, he added. “If someone believes that it is sufficient to say ‘we will open your chapters, sign to everything concerning Kosovo’, I believe that to be ridiculous, and not serious. My response to that is – ‘you will not open the chapter, so what’”, Dacic said.

 

Miscevic: Opening of chapters depends on dialogue with Pristina (Tanjug)

The green light for opening new chapters in Serbia’s EU accession talks by the end of the year will depend on a progress report on the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the Head of Serbia’s EU negotiating team Tanja Miscevic said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in the Slovak Embassy in Belgrade, she said a report by the European External Action Service on implementation and monitoring of agreements in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue was due by the end of 2016. “That will be an assessment that will give, or not give, the green light for opening chapters by the end of the year,” Miscevic said. Opening negotiations on Chapters 5, 25 and 26 by the end of the year remains Serbia’s objective, she said. Serbia has major support for this from Slovakia, which holds the EU presidency, and excellent cooperation with the EU and the European Commission, she said.

 

Patrushev proposes Memorandum of Understanding to Serbian Interior Ministry (B92/Beta)

Head of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev has proposed a memorandum of understanding to the Serbian Interior Ministry, which would be signed in 2017. Patrushev said during his meeting with Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic that the document would establish regular communication between the two countries' security services.

“For the sake of introducing order into our contacts, I propose a revitalization of the work on a memorandum on mutual understanding between the Security Council of Russia and the Serbian Interior Ministry,” he said at the start of his meeting with Stefanovic. Patrushev added that the document would not have a legally binding character or the status of an international contract - but would create the necessary formal conditions for consultations on issues of mutual interest that would be taking place on a regular basis.

 

Djukanovic steps down (Beta)

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic has announced that he is leaving all state roles, Beta reports. Djukanovic twice in the past left the position of prime minister, but both times returned, as he explained, because it was politically needed. His experience was appraised to still be indispensable in important state affairs, Beta reported.  The agency also said that this time there is no doubt Djukanovic is leaving all state roles - but noted there have been opinions that he might decide to run for president in 2018.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dusko Markovic DPS candidate for prime minister (CDM)

Dusko Markovic is DPS candidate to form a new government, the executive committee of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) confirmed the DPS Presidency’s decision. Markovic would start negotiations on forming new government. Also, as DPS stated, the Presidency also determined the dynamics of post-election activities and negotiations with DPS’s natural coalition partners, which should lead to swift formation of a new government. According CDM’s unofficial information, nobody was surprised by the decision. “Nothing spectacular. We assume that Djukanovic and Markovic previously agreed about that,” a source from DPS told CDM.

 

Djukanovic: Foreign interest interference is an attack on European values (CDM)

Foreign interest interference in the election process is not a Montenegro’s issue, but an attack on the system of European values, said the leader of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Milo Djukanovic. He met the head of the OSCE election observation mission in Montenegro, Roman Jakic and the mission’s political analyst Zaina Ismailova. Djukanovic thanked for the work done professionally and support for the elections in Montenegro to be conducted in accordance with the electoral and democratic rules. Djukanovic also said he was satisfied with other international institutions’ assessment on elections in Montenegro, based on the election observation mission’s preliminary report. He said that DPS began talks with the natural allies, as well as the processes within the party aimed at forming a government that will continue progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic and European integration and the acceleration of economic growth. “The officials talked about foreign interest interference in the election process in Montenegro. Djukanovic expressed his belief that this experience is not a Montenegro’s issue, but an attack on the system of European values,” DPS stated. Jakic said that great progress in the electoral process had been made compared to previous elections and pointed out that the OSCE final report would include recommendations for further improvements. He particularly thanked Montenegrin institutions for their cooperation and openness during the mission's stay in Montenegro.

 

Appellate Division of B&H Court rejects appeal filed by Durakovic regarding election process in Srebrenica (TV1)

The Appellate Division of the B&H Court rejected on Tuesday the appeal filed by independent candidate for the Head of Srebrenica Municipality Camil Durakovic and his lawyer Nedim Ademovic, according to which the B&H Election Law was violated and, therefore, the election process in Srebrenica should be annulled and repeated. This means that the decision of the B&H Central Election Commission became final and binding. The Appellate Division of the B&H Court is also expected to make a decision on the complaint filed by SDA and SBB B&H in the forthcoming period. Following the decision of the Appellate Division, Durakovic and Ademovic addressed a press conference in Sarajevo and voiced disappointment over the Court’s decision. Durakovic stated that he will respect the Court’s decision, but noted that it is his moral and legitimate right to continue the legal battle.

 

B&H CEC fails to pass decision on cancellation of elections in Stolac (BHT1)

B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) held a session in Sarajevo on Tuesday but failed to pass a decision on annulment of local elections in Stolac. The proposal of CEC member Suad Arnautovic to include the decision on annulment of elections in Stolac into the agenda of Tuesday’s session failed to obtain the support of four out of seven CEC members. On the other hand, CEC adopted the proposal on launching the process of establishing responsibility for obstruction of election process in Stolac. CEC Chairman Ahmet Santic stated that it is uncertain when the elections in Stolac could take place but he deems that, at this moment, there is no reason for further delay of adoption of the decision on annulment of elections in that municipality. Santic assessed that the process of establishing responsibility for obstruction of the election process and the preparations for new elections can take place in parallel.

 

RSNA passes Law on RS Day as secular holiday (RTRS)

At the special session held in Banja Luka on Tuesday, the RS National Assembly (RSNA) passed the law on the RS Day in urgent procedure, deciding that the RS Day will be observed on 9 January as a secular holiday. The RSNA also passed a conclusion of the SNSD Caucus in the RSNA that obliges the RS government to adjust the RS law on holidays in the part related to expression of religious freedoms. As many as 57 MPs voted in favor of the law, two MPs voted against and three MPs abstained from voting. The MPs from SDS supported the law jointly with the MPs from the ruling coalition, stressing that their principles have origins in 9 January.

The MPs from the ‘Domovina’ coalition did not attend this special session of the RSNA dedicated to the law on the RS Day. RSNA Deputy Speaker from the ‘Domovina’ coalition Senad Bratic said that the RSNA continues with anti-Dayton and anti-constitutional activities through imposing on Bosniaks the date that the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) declared discriminatory. NDP leader Dragan Cavic presented the amendments to the law on the RS Day that were rejected. The opposition argued that the law actually represents implementation of the decision of B&H CC and not implementation of the RS citizens’ will. They warned that adoption of the law on the RS Day varies from the previous stance that the decision of B&H CC is political and will not be implemented. The MPs from NS voted against the law. “The MPs from the ‘Domovina’ coalition are the only ones who have a reason for celebration today since they and their leader Bakir Izetbegovic achieved their goal and succeeded in their plan to annul the RS Day as the RS holiday”, NS leader Adam Sukalo stressed. The MPs from the ruling parties assessed that this is a good legal solution and divisions regarding this issue are unnecessary.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Montenegro's veteran PM stepping down for new government (AFP, by Olivera Nikolic, 26 October 2016)

Montenegro's longtime leader Milo Djukanovic will not continue as prime minister in the next government, according to his party, which topped the country's parliamentary polls. The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) late Tuesday said its leadership had decided to propose Djukanovic's deputy and former national security chief, Dusko Markovic, as candidate for prime minister-designate. The move, expected to be approved by a party committee on Wednesday, would end the rule of the longest-serving head of government in the Balkans, who has dominated the country for more than 25 years. But analysts said 54-year-old Djukanovic, who has twice before stepped down only to return to power two years later, was likely to remain a powerful force. "He is ever-present in Montenegro," Balkans specialist James Ker-Lindsay told AFP, adding that the news should be "taken with a pinch of salt". Djukanovic rose to prominence in the communist party in the late 80s when Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia, becoming prime minister for the first time in 1991 at the age of 29. He has since served several times as premier and once as president, stepping down from power in 2006 and again in 2010 but both times retaining his position as party leader. He led Montenegro to independence from Serbia in 2006 and has since brought it to the doorstep of NATO and European Union membership, but his critics accuse him of corruption, cronyism and links to widespread organised crime. Djukanovic, who faced large anti-government rallies last year, pitched the recent election as a choice between ties with the West or with traditional Slavic ally Russia, whom he accuses of funding opposition parties. The DPS, which has topped all the elections in Montenegro since 1991, took 36 of the 81 seats in parliament in the October 16 elections, meaning it requires coalition partners to form a government.

- Mystery plot -

The election day was marred by Montenegrin police's arrest of 20 Serbians accused of planning anti-government attacks. Their detentions were dismissed by the opposition as DPS propaganda.

Fourteen of the those arrested, including retired Serbian police chief Bratislav Dikic, have been placed under one-month detention while the other six were released. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic initially questioned the timing of the arrests, but said this week that authorities in Belgrade had also made detentions over "illegal activities" prepared for Montenegro. Vucic did not give more details about those arrested, but said there was evidence that certain people had "followed the movements of Montenegro's prime minister". Montenegro was invited to join NATO in December, a decision yet to be ratified by Podgorica and existing member-states.

The Democratic Front, Montenegro's main opposition bloc which won 18 seats, openly calls for closer ties with Russia and Serbia and is against membership of either the EU or NATO, calling for a referendum on joining military alliance. Other opposition groups have more nuanced positions -- some are pro-EU but would also like a referendum on NATO. The issue of NATO accession divides the country's 620,000 people, who remember the alliance's 1999 bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, of which Montenegro was then part. Critics however accuse Djukanovic of exploiting geopolitical rivalries as a way to distract from domestic problems and economic woes, which weigh more heavily on the population.

Albanian Court Stalls Vital Judicial Reform Law (BIRN, by Fatjona Mejdini, 26 October 2016)

The constitutional court stalled a law on vetting judges and prosecutors – an important part of a judicial reform programme which is a condition for the EU to open accession talks with Albania.

The Albanian Constitutional Court decided on Tuesday to stall one of the core laws on judicial reform, a move that experts believe could jeopardise the country’s chances of opening EU accession talks this year. The court accepted a request from the main opposition Democratic Party to stall progress on the Law on Reassessment of Judges and Prosecutors, known as the ‘vetting’ law. As the Democratic Party requested, the decided to ask for an opinion from Venice Commission, a Council of Europe advisory body on constitutional law, about whether the legislation was compatible with the Albanian constitution or not. This process is expected to take some months, although Albania had been expecting to get a positive recommendation from the European Union on November 9 for opening accession talks. Judicial reform is one of the EU’s main requests from Albania in order to open the much-awaited talks. The stalled law aims to vet around 800 judges and prosecutors in the country on their professional ability, moral integrity and level of independence from organised crime, corruption and political officials. But the Democrats consider the initiative - which is backed by EU and US representatives in Tirana – to be a 'witch hunt'. They also claim that the method of electing members to the Independent Commission of Qualification - tasked with vetting justice officials - is biased to comprise government officials. The commission will be in charge of the checking process, along with the College of Appeal and the International Monitoring Operation. Gledis Gjipali, the director of the European Movement in Albania, told BIRN that every delay in approving the laws that comprise the judicial reform programme directly affects the country’s EU prospects. "Albania’s political class has lost considerable time passing the constitutional changes necessary for the reform and any further delays in the approving of the legislation increase scepticism over the reform," he said. Gjipali said he believes that even if EU commission recommends the opening of negotiations with Albania in November, the EU Council of Ministers - the decision-making body made up of EU countries' ministers - could block the opening of talks until real progress is made. "Some important EU member states said they want concrete results from the Albanian judicial reform [programme] in order to approve the opening of accession talks. This stance makes impossible for Albania to get the Council’s decision to open the negotiations in December," he said. Taking into account the time needed for the Constitutional Court to made a decision over the vetting law, the implementation of the judicial reform is only expected to start at the beginning of 2017.