LOCAL PRESS

 

Serbian government: Decision is shameful, scandalous and political (RTS)

 

If it wasn’t sad, the explanation of the French court would be funny, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a press conference, which is also attended by Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic and the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric. Vucic said that the decision of the French court not to extradite Ramush Haradinaj is political and that the Serbian legal team will analyze it. Vucic pointed out that Serbia had submitted to the court complete documentation for extradition. He says that the key was the fourth point of the decision that notes that extradition would have grave consequences for Haradinaj. “We didn’t invite him for chocolate and candies, but for war crimes,” said Vucic.

Vucic said that the Serbian Ambassador to France would be withdrawn for consultations, and that a protest note would be sent to France. He also announced meetings and consultations with the several ambassadors, and a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the afternoon.

Vucic also revealed that he was sorry because Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said this was a victory of Albanians. “Serbia will, beside these measures, continue to prosecute all those who have committed war crimes, and we will continue to behave in line with that. I only wish to tell people in Serbia that they can walk the streets with their heads held high. We have not been defeated and humiliated - that happened to those who made such a decision,” Vucic said.  “To us, a person who commits a crime is a criminal, to them, a crime is not a crime if it is committed against those they fought against militarily or politically,” he added. Various threats have been heard in recent days, Vucic said. “And what’s the price we can pay - well nothing,” he said. “Therefore I am calling on all citizens to walk with their heads held high. We are a small country in Europe fighting for law and justice, ready to stand up to the most powerful powers; it’s good that they have shown what they think about our people,” Vucic added, and concluded:  “They lecture us on how the rule of law should function. Do not be showing us how any longer.”

 

French court originally ruled to extradite Haradinaj (TV Prva)

 

The court in Colmar, France, on Thursday ruled not to extradite Ramush Haradinaj to Serbia after reversing its original decision in favor of Serbia’s request. According to TV Prva, the court initially decided to send Haradinaj to Serbia where he would face trial for war crimes. The broadcaster said it learned that the court then ruled against this as the consequences of extradition would have been very difficult on Haradinaj. Euronews this morning reported on its website about the original decision and its reversal - but this article was later removed.  Reuters also first reported that Haradinaj would be extradited to Serbia, but corrected the report several minutes later.

 

Drecun: Decision of French court is political (Tanjug)

The Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun considers that the decision of the French court that rejects the extradition of Ramush Haradinaj is political and not legal, and as such it will encourage extremists among the Kosovo Albanians. “Despite irrefutable evidence submitted by France, the court had issued acquittal.

It is evident that everything went from the legal to the political field and this is utterly unacceptable, this is not good and a completely wrong decision,” Drecun told Tanjug.

 

Djordjevic: Serbia firm in policy of military neutrality (Beta)

 

Serbia is a key player in the region in maintaining peace and stability, primarily in the battle against global terrorism which has become the top challenge and risk in the world and is firmly determined to pursue a policy of military neutrality while protecting and promoting its national interests, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic said on Wednesday, news agencies reported quoting a ministry statement. Speaking at a conference on international security in

Moscow, Djordjevic said that Serbia is a responsible, reliable and predictable partner which, as candidate for the European Union, wants to share responsibility with its European partners and to develop cooperation with all international security players and contribute to global security.

“Serbia has proved successful in resolving the consequences of the migrant crisis and preventing potential threats, including terrorism. For that reason, I am especially proud of the excellent cooperation within the Mixed Forces of the Internal Affairs Ministry and Army of Serbia which are trying to ease the consequences of the migrant crisis in a humane and professional manner,” Djordjevic said.

 

Skulic: Musliu’s statements requires attention of police and BIA (Tanjug)

 

Statements by the President of the National Council of Albanians Jonuz Musliu are political non-culture and provocation, Professor of Criminal Law at the Belgrade Law Faculty Milan Skulic says. He says that such statements require the attention of authorized organs, but not the launching of criminal procedure. “Only in case he starts calling for secession of part of Serbia or change of constitutional order, i.e. if he would undertake some concrete action, Musliu could be criminally liable as a perpetrator or inciter,” Skulic told Tanjug. He thinks Musliu’s statements do not yet require the attention of the prosecution but that of the police and Secuity-Information Agency (BIA).

 

Bosniaks and Albanians last bastions of Ottomanism for Turkey (B92)

 

Turkey has an ambivalent relationship towards the policy in the region, Vladimir Ajzenhamer from the Belgrade Security Faculty told B92. “On the one side, Turkey views this region as part of its Ottoman heritage on which it needs to rely. For Turkey, Bosniaks and Albanians are the last bastions of Ottomanism. However, it also needs other regional actors like Serbia. That is one ambivalent policy, it depends from the moment, regional events, relations among Serbia, Kosovo, B&H, Albania…” says Ajzenhamer.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Dodik: I wouldn’t be surprised if West supported the formation of Greater Albania (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has said that the RS still supports Serbia’s policy regarding its territorial integrity, which it demonstrated by its opposition to Kosovo’s declaration of independence, since it considers it unacceptable. Commenting on media reports from Serbia who write about aspirations for the establishment of a Greater Albania, Dodik told reporters in Banja Luka, that to be ‘for’ or ‘against’ it, does not mean that the process can be stopped. Dodik believes that the Albanians intend to do exactly something like that, because if such an idea came from the Prime Minister of Albania or self-proclaimed Kosovo, than it is far more serious than some informal gathering of like-minded. “There is a belief among many politicians in the region and Europe, that the support that has been given to the Albanians in addressing the issue of Kosovo, and the support that has been given to the Albanians in Macedonia, speaks about the tendency of the wider international, primarily Western, community for supporting the Albanians in all their requirements, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they would support them the formation of Greater Albania,” said Dodik.

 

Four SDA officials announce they will act in independent Caucus in B&H Parliament (TV1)

 

Due to the newly-emerged situation, the parliamentary majority at the state level could be jeopardized and some even claim that the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H will be forced to work as a minority government.

During its session held on Monday evening, SDA Presidency decided to expel Senad Sepic from this party, as well as to issue public reprimands for SDA MPs in B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Salko Sokolovic, Sadik Ahmetovic and Semsudin Mehmedovic for failing to support Law on Excise Duties and Law on Deposit Insurance in Banks of B&H at the last B&H HoR’s session. Shortly after, Sokolovic, Ahmetovic and Mehmedovic announced they are leaving the SDA Caucus in the parliament of B&H and that they would form an independent caucus in the B&H HoR.

Commenting on the issue, Ahmetovic stated in Sarajevo on Wednesday that the new caucus in the parliament of B&H will have four members, noting that they will continue to work in the interests of citizens of B&H. According to him, the recent move of SDA is nothing but blackmail and pressure against those who do not share the opinion of the SDA leader. “We will not be Izetbegovic’s poltroons and we will not tolerate blackmail or threats,” Ahmetovic argued. Commenting on the fact that they failed to support the Law on Excise Duties in B&H and Law on Deposit Insurance in Banks of B&H at the last B&H HoR’s session, Ahmetovic announced that they will submit a number of amendments to the Law on Excise Duties in B&H in the forthcoming period. Furthermore, Ahmetovic denied claims that he intends to join another political party. On the other hand, Vice President of SDA and B&H HoR Speaker Sefik Dzaferovic stressed that there is still no official confirmation on formation of a new caucus, adding that SDA will present its stance on the matter once the decision becomes official. Commenting on the fact that Ahmetovic, Sokolovic, Sepic and Mehmedovic stated they will not tolerate SDA’s blackmail and threats, Dzaferovic pointed out that the four SDA officials were not threatened, but merely warned. According to him, the newly-emerged situation is result of dissatisfaction of the four SDA officials with their position within the party after the recent party congress. Dzaferovic also warned that parliamentary majority at the state level could be jeopardized if Sokolovic, Ahmetovic, Sepic and Mehmedovic go ahead with their plan. In the meantime, SDA voiced hope that Sokolovic, Ahmetovic and Mehmedovic will continue to act in a responsible manner, that they will remain part of the SDA Caucus and that they will continue to respect and implement decisions of SDA.

B&H Minister of Civil Affairs and SDA Deputy President Adil Osmanovic warned on Wednesday that functioning of state-level ruling coalition is in question after one MP in the B&H HoR was expelled from SDA while three reprimanded MPs left the SDA Caucus in the HoR. According to Osmanovic, SDA should have worked on keeping the four MPs in its ranks in the B&H HoR. “No one communicated with those people for a year so communication over media led to escalation of the situation,” Osmanovic underlined.

 

Izetbegovic: Croats should elect their member of Presidency of B&H (Klix.ba)

 

Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H Bakir Izetbegovic commented the situation within SDA, stressing that the party has the best position since the times of late Alija Izetbegovic. He underlined that all those who are discontent with their position in the party are trying to disguise that into the story about fight for state and the people, alleged concern for policy that leadership is leading and they will tell stories about corruption and nepotism, while in fact they are searching the path for achieving personal goals and ambitions.

Asked about changes to the Law on Elections, which HDZ B&H and its leader Dragan Covic announced, Izetbegovic said that he still has not read the proposals of the HNS (Croat People’s Assembly), but he assumes they will repeat the set of demands that SDA earlier did not accept.

“We have no intention to change the stance, the minimum that you have mentioned was determined earlier. When it comes to election of members of the B&H Presidency, this issue can be resolved through implementation of the ruling of the Court in Strasbourg, by the model proposed by Stefan Fuele. Ruling of the Constitutional Court, upon the motion filed by Bozo Ljubic can be implemented exclusively in a way to honor the Constitution of Federation of B&H, to honor the ruling itself and HDZ is asking more than that, they suggest for the Parliament to comply with Ljubic’s demands that the Court rejected,” said Izetbegovic. He stressed that results of the latest population census also have to be taken into the account. “Besides, SDA is expected to accept from the Croat side the package of agreements that would relax relations in the Federation of B&H and B&H alone. We have to declare ourselves on territorial integrity of the country, give up on all stories on new divisions, remove remnants of the outvoting and domination at the local level, resolve the model for elections in Mostar, and finally sign the agreement between state and Islamic Community, which other religious communities have for some time… When it comes to sidelining at the lower levels, in CBC where Bosniaks are 60% of the population, in certain schools all the children are educated in line with Croatian curriculum, they are thought that Zagreb is the capital, that HRK is the currency…”, said Izetbegovic.

 

HR Inzko meets Slovenian President and PM, informs them about problems B&H is facing (Oslobodjenje)

 

High Representative Valentin Inzko paid an official visit to Ljubljana on Wednesday and he met with Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Slovenian Prime Minister Karl Erjavec. Inzko informed the two Slovenian officials about the two parallel and contradictory political trends in B&H – one focused on positive steps B&H has taken in the process of the European integration, and the other one focused on divisions, threatening to take over the integration process and lead to country into a difficult position. According to a press statement issued by the Office of the High Representative, Inzko also met with Ljubljana Mufti Nedzad Grabus, who thanked Inzko for his professional and humane stance towards the Islamic Community in Slovenia.

 

Croatian government to fall? (TCN)

 

During a session of government held on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic made a decision to dismiss three ministers from MOST who moments earlier voted against Finance Minister Zdravko Maric. Plenkovic dismissed Minister of Interior Vlaho Orepic, Minister of Justice Anto Sprlje and Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy Slaven Dobrovic. The government had voted on a motion for a vote of no confidence in Finance Minister Zdravko Maric, and Prime Minister Plenkovic called on all the ministers to vote against the motion and in favour of the Finance Minister. However, the three ministers from MOST Dobrovic, Orepic and Sprlje voted against Maric. “I would like to ask the cabinet secretary to prepare a decision on the dismissal of the three MOST’s ministers,” said the Prime Minister after the vote. Shortly before, MOST leader and speaker of parliament Bozo Petrov commented on Plenkovic’s decision. “Plenkovic is trying to dismiss three successful ministers who have brought three billion from EU funds, who have implemented reform of justice system and are fighting corruption. He has done that to save a minister who can no longer be a minister because he has to exclude himself from all decisions regarding Agrokor, the largest company in Croatia.

MOST is responsible for our four ministers. Finance Minister Maric is HDZ’s responsibility. We have informed the Prime Minister one week ago that we would vote against Maric, expecting that they will solve the problem in their own courtyard. We cannot and will not bring down the government, but we will not support this minister. Plenkovic has to answer whether he will bring down the government. One year ago, he called on then HDZ president and Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko to stand down so that the stability of the country would not be compromised. HDZ is now for the second time in a year bringing down the government. MOST just wants the truth. Plenkovic has to say whether he wants the truth or whether he will continue with old politics. Plenkovic will decide whether there will be a government coalition reshuffle or early parliamentary elections. We did not vote against the government, but only against one minister. MOST’s ministers have not been dismissed. For formal dismissal, it is necessary for speaker of parliament to co-sign it or for the Parliament to debate the issue. Prime Minister has not dismissed the ministers. At the moment, government is not stable. But, the stability is responsibility of the prime minister. He is the one who decided to try to dismiss the ministers,” said Petrov.

 

Plenkovic claims he has a majority in the parliament, are we going to avoid another election? (Jutarnji list)

 

"All options are open. More than that, I cannot say, "said HDZ Secretary-General Gordan Jandrokovic when asked where the decision of Prime Minister Andreja Plenkovic to dismiss three ministers from Most (Bridge), is going to take us. It is unlikely that the coalition between HDZ and Most is going to survive, and after its breakup there are two options. One is the reshuffling of the Parliamentary majority, and the other one is early elections. The first option is possible because even without the Bridge, HDZ can have the majority in the Parliament. In their Club they have 62 MPs, they can count on another four from the HDS, HDSSB and HSLS Club, on eight representatives of national minorities, one Reformist, two MPs from the Party Bandic Milan 365, and one from the Inter-Generation Solidarity Party. So, even without the Bridge, HDZ has the majority of 78 MPs (the minimum is 76). However, early elections are likely to happen, primarily because Andrej Plenkovic is constantly pointing out that he wants to have a stable government, which cannot be done with the majority of only two votes in the parliament.

SDP representative Sinisa Hajdas Doncic urged Prime Minister Plenkovic to call the new elections, while the HSS president Kreso Beljak called on all parties to come together and create a new majority, without the HDZ.

 

Shoigu: Montenegro has zero military potentiality (CDM)

 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Montenegro’s accession to NATO is needed to increase the alliance’s control in the Balkans, adding that our country has zero military potentiality. According to the Russian minister, NATO continues to perform projection of forces near Russia’s borders and to include new states in its sphere. “The latest decision on the accession of Montenegro to the alliance is a direct confirmation of this. Podgorica has zero military potentiality, but its geographical position allows NATO to strengthen control of the Balkans,” said Shoigu at Moscow Conference on International Security.

As a reminder, this is not the first time that Russia’s officials and the media mention Montenegro in a negative context. A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova earlier urged Russians not to travel to Montenegro because, as she said, there is an anti-Russian sentiment there. “The Russophobia comes from the political leaders of this country and in this context, the recent Montenegro’s decision to extend visa-free stay of our compatriots for 90 days is a trick made in favour of relations between the West and Russia,” said Zakharova, adding that citizens who want to travel to Montenegro should take all the mentioned circumstances into consideration. The campaign has started since the US ratification of the Montenegro’s NATO Accession Protocol. In fact, only a day after the US Senate ratified the protocol, Russian media suddenly started to negatively report on Montenegro. Thus, Russian state TV stations aired features aimed at preventing Russians from visiting our country.

 

Russia and opposition misinforming citizens (CDM)

 

After Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Montenegro’s accession to NATO was needed to increase the alliance’s control of the Balkans and that our country had a zero military potentiality, the Defense Ministry headed by Predrag Boskovic told CDM that such statements from official Moscow only confirmed the fact that Russia was not ready to accept the reality that the new century brought new priorities. The ministry stated that Montenegro had never been a military force, nor had it the pretension to become one. However it did not stop the country to have a great and glorious military history. “In its Independence Declaration, Montenegro has defined its way to Europe and NATO, and therefore collective security as the only guarantor of lasting peace and stability in a very turbulent area,” the ministry said. As the ministry pointed out, the Shoigu’s statement is another attempt to challenge the decision of the Government of Montenegro to independently decide on its foreign policy, as well as a possible incentive to recent efforts by opposition structures to obstruct the dynamics of the Euro-Atlantic processes, particularly at a time when the Draft Law on Ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty is on the Montenegrin parliament’s agenda. “When opting for European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, the government of Montenegro was led only by the interests of its citizens, which required the implementation of intensive and comprehensive reform of the Montenegrin society. Now, when we are at the brink of achieving the goal, opponents of NATO membership, with strong support from Russia, openly conduct a campaign of misinforming Montenegro people and falsifying facts,” the Ministry added. It also said that Shoigu’s statement directly referred to latent attempts to destabilize the Western Balkan region and create security crisis in this part of Europe. “Given the turbulent history of the region and the fact that Montenegro has been a factor of stability in the Balkans since the ’90s, Montenegro’s membership in NATO will additionally reinforce peace and security, as well as the democratic values of European and Euro-Atlantic communities. By promoting stability in its immediate surroundings, Montenegro will contribute to expanding the zone of stability in the Mediterranean, while the foreign influence of Russia in the immediate environment is very evident in the example of Ukraine,” the ministry stated. According to them, the fact that Montenegro will soon become the 29th member of NATO, does not violate the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation in any way, but it might just threaten Russia’s pretensions to influence the region, as well as its capacity to threaten, influence and undermine NATO a policy of “open doors”. “Shoigu’s statement that Montenegro has zero military potentiality is best denied by the fact that in 2013 Russia was interested in stationing Russian military ships on the coast of Montenegro, the country without zero military potentiality. Also, it is the fact that 28 members of the alliance recognized the quality of Montenegro’s active contribution to global peace and stability by its long-term participation in international peacekeeping missions,” the ministry stated. It also pointed out that the official Montenegro repeatedly emphasized that its membership in NATO was not based on anti-Russian platform, but only on the regional and global security motives.

 

Hoyt Yee asked for a meeting with Ivanov, but the president is too busy (Meta)

 

The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the US Department of State, Hoyt Brian Yee, will not be meeting with the president Gjorge Ivanov, confirmed the president’s cabinet for Meta. “The cabinet of the President of Republic of Macedonia was sent a request for a meeting with the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Hoyt Brian Yee, but due to previously set obligations, the President of Republic of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov has no time for having a meeting,” said the cabinet.

Yee’s visit comes two months after he called upon Ivanov from Zagreb to revisit the decision for assigning the mandate. “We sincerely hope that the Macedonian president will allow the MPs that have expressed their wish and the parties that they are representing to form a government as soon as possible since Macedonia needs a government that will continue and will finish the started processes within the pre-accessing process of the European Union,” said Yee.

On Monday, Yee will try to help in the process of surpassing the political crisis. During the one-day visit, he will be talking with the political leaders about the status of forming a government, bilateral relations as well as the necessary reforms for the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.

 

Sela to VMRO-DPMNE: Lets first vote on the SPO, then hold snap elections (Meta)

 

After half an hour of discussion between MPs from VMRO-DPMNE and accusations against SDSM, with the occasional calls for early elections, on the rostrum at today’s 19th continuation of the constitutive session spoke Zijadin Sela from the Albanian Alliance who called on MPs from VMRO-DPMNE to vote to extend the mandate of the Special Prosecutor’s Office and for a special court, and then he will vote for snap elections. “We have Albanians have an expression: How you treat the mountain, the mountain will treat you the same. The same goes for the platform and sovereignty… The platform existed when you had the mandate, now you just want to avoid responsibility. I’m not one of those politicians who want to leave their children a future of bribery and corruption. Therefore, I accept your proposal for early elections. But are you sure Ivanov will not play the same games with not giving the mandate. Let’s resolve it in Parliament. Let us have local and parliamentary elections simultaneously, but first let’s vote on the SPO with a two-thirds majority, the special court, and then hold early elections. I will vote, ask your president and let us know. I know that you are not ready to vote on the SPO, because behind all those big words lies the fear of responsibility before the law,” said Sela.

 

EU Ambassador Zbogar visits Stip within “EU for YOU” campaign (MIA)

 

EU Ambassador to Macedonia Samuel Zbogar visited Stip on Wednesday within the “EU for YOU” campaign. Stip Mayor Ilco Zahariev briefed the EU Ambassador on the implementation of EU-funded projects in this eastern Macedonian town. Commenting the ongoing rallies of the Initiative for United Macedonia, Zbogar said everybody 'is entitled to voice own opinion'.

“I know that there are people who protest in Skopje and some other cities, and it's good that they are able to express their stance. Naturally the European Union has been closely monitoring these rallies, the messages they herald. This is one of the democratic principles the EU has been based on. However, an election process took place in Macedonia at which the majority of citizens expressed their opinion and accordingly a Parliament was constituted. Hence we expect for the processes to move forward,” Zbogar told reporters. Asked about a possible solution to the political crisis, Zbogar said Macedonian politicians should make decisions to that effect. The political dialogue is a must, he said, but it should take place within the institutions, such as the Parliament. Zbogar also presented the “EU for YOU” project to the civic associations in Stip.

 

McAllister: Albanian leaders failed to reach consensus on election date, formation of technical cabinet (ATA)

 

The Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister (EPP) said via Facebook on Wednesday that it was time for Albanian leaders to overcome the political impasse that seriously threatens parliamentary elections scheduled for 18 June. In a statement a day after he and European Parliament’s Rapporteur Knut Fleckenstein sought to mediate between Albania’s political groupings to end the political deadlock, McAllister acknowledged that parties had failed to reach consensus on main issues, including the election date and potential formation of a technical cabinet. According to him, parties should work together to overcome the political impasse because country faces a serious crisis that threatens parliamentary elections. “Albania faces a serious political crisis that threatens elections scheduled for June 18. Yesterday in Tirana I mediated between the government and the opposition. Talks saw progress in several areas but no consensus was reached on main issues such as the election date and possible formation of a transitional technical government. It is time to overcome political impasse,” European lawmaker said in a statement. European parliamentarians, David McAllister (EPP) and Standing Rapporteur on Albania Knut Fleckenstein (S&D) visited Tirana a day ago in a last effort to defuse political deadlock in the country, following the centre-right opposition’s boycott of parliament and 18 June parliamentary election. During their meetings with both government and opposition leaders, the two MEPs presented proposals for the way forward that included points on decriminalization, the fight against narcotics, technical measures for improving the conduct of elections, and the political confidence building measures.

They also proposed ideas for discussion on the date of elections and possible pre-electoral changes to government structures to build long term confidence in the system. For the majority side there was agreement on the points provided as long as vetting would be voted in parliament. The Democratic Party held to its position that a technical Prime Minister be appointed, and that an electronic voting system be adopted for the sake of free and fair elections.

 

Opposition coalition threatens to escalate political protests (ATA)

 

Albania’s opposition parties have unanimously decided to escalate their political protest against what they called “the dictate of the government-sponsored crime and drug over the citizens’ free vote.” In a joint press statement on Wednesday, the opposition coalition said “all parties in opposition confirmed their determination not to allow farce elections under the dictate of crime and drug, starting with the 7 May mayoral by-elections in Kavaja.” “All political parties in the opposition coalition reconfirmed massive political commitment to civil disobedience. Opposition parties agreed to establish a coordinating committee of the united opposition to coordinate the popular movement,” the statement read. The opposition also rejected what it called “farce talks aimed at unilateral manipulation of the electoral code and cloning façade opposition under the government’s service.” “The only solution to the political crisis would be the formation without further delay of a technical government to prepare free and fair elections,” opposition said in its statement.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Kosovo ex-PM Haradinaj's extradition rejected by French court (Reuters, 27 April 2017)

 

A French court has refused to extradite a former prime minister of Kosovo who served as a rebel commander during the conflict with Serbia. Ramush Haradinaj, 48, is wanted by Serbia for alleged war crimes in 1999. Detained on a Serbian arrest warrant as he flew into France in January, he was released on condition that he did not leave the country. A court in Colmar in eastern France ruled on Thursday that he was now free to leave France.

The decision prompted delight among the former prime minister's supporters outside the court as well as in Kosovo's capital, Pristina. Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said he was grateful to France for handling the case but criticised what he called Serbia's "ill-intended allegations".

Serbia called an immediate cabinet meeting to discuss the court's decision, which cannot be appealed. The case has heightened tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008. Ramush Haradinaj, now an opposition leader in Kosovo, was arrested by police at Basel Mulhouse Freiburg airport, close to the Swiss and German borders on 4 January.

Serbia has accused the former Kosovo Liberation Army commander of overseeing a campaign of torture and murder against ethnic Serbs during the 1998-99 conflict. He has been tried and acquitted twice at the UN tribunal at The Hague, although Serbia said it had further evidence involving civilian murders which it was asked to hand to the French court. Mr Haradinaj has consistently denied the allegations, and stepped down as prime minister after just 100 days to face the charges.

 

Serbia 'Remains Military Neutral State' Despite Montenegro's NATO Bid (Sputnik, 26 April 2017)

 

MOSCOW — Serbia will retain its military neutrality despite neighboring Montenegro's decision to join NATO and will not seek membership in any military alliances, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic told Sputnik. "As for our relations with Montenegro, we have good relations with this country, we respect its choice. They are [seeking accession to NATO] in the interests of their people. Serbia has an independent policy and remains a militarily neutral state. It does not want to join military alliances, remaining the guarantor of security," Djordjevic said.

 

Russia Yet to Supply MiG-29s to Serbia

Russia has not delivered its MiG-29 fighter jets to Serbia yet, however, this delivery will certainly take place, Djordjevic said. "We did not discuss this issue during the meeting [with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday]… The public will be informed about that. The delivery has not taken place yet, but it will certainly take place," Djordjevic said after a meeting with Shoigu. In December 2016, Vucic announced that Belgrade was planning to receive six MiG-29s, as well as 30 T-72S and 30 BRDM-2 armored scout vehicles, as part of a Russian military aid package. In late March, a senior Serbian defense official told Sputnik that the agreements between Belgrade and Moscow on delivery of the fighter jets had been signed and their transfer could take place in the next few weeks. Reports of NATO hindering the delivery of six Russian MiG-29 jets to Serbia were not true, Djordjevic said. "There are no problems. Have you heard Minister Shoigu or President Vucic or me saying anything about that? There are media reports, which I cannot call serious. We want to comment only on serious information," he said.

 

S-300, S-400 Purchase Not Discussed With Shoigu

Djordjevic told Sputnik that the purchase of Russia's S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems by Serbia was not discussed during his meeting with Shoigu but that Serbia is still interested having all necessary means to protect its sovereignty. "We have not discussed precisely this… I would not like to disclose technical details. Serbia has needs in air defense, we have several options for how we would like to protect our sovereignty in the sky. Naturally, we rely on Russia, because we already have a lot of Russian technologies. As for the S-300, S-400 systems, they are very expensive, but we would like to get the best to protect our sovereignty," Djordjevic said.

 

Serbia Wants More Joint Military Drills With Russia

Djordjevic told Sputnik he discussed the potential for increasing the number of joint Serbian-Russia military drills during his meeting with Shoigu. "We want to increase the number of our military exercises with Russia and we talked about this [with Shoigu on Tuesday] and discussed our participation in the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] exercises in Kazakhstan in September and in other conferences, training our people in your advanced training courses. This improves the operational readiness of the Serbian army," Djordjevic said. The minister added that Belgrade had held eight drills with NATO, two with the United States and two with Russia in 2016.

 

Serbia Sees No Alternative to NATO-Led Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo

Serbia sees no alternative to the NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR), as it is the only instrument to ensure the security of the Serbs in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, Djordjevic told Sputnik. "The KFOR is the only guarantor of security for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. All other solutions are unacceptable for us. We are cooperating with KFOR and we want this situation to be preserved," Djordjevic said.

 

Serbia to Be Ready for Joint Demining Operations With Russia by End of 2018

Serbia has no groups currently capable of taking part in international demining operations, however the country will be ready for such mission, including jointly with Russia, by the end of 2018, Djordjevic told Sputnik, adding that Serbia would like to do everything possible to promote lasting peace in the world. Djordjevic and Shoigu discussed joint efforts aimed at demining Syrian territory, among other things. "We talked about the possibility of participating in joint peacekeeping operations and participation of Serbian groups in demining operations. At the moment, there are no such groups in Serbia, which could be capable of participating in demining. Serbia has two platoons, which will be ready to take part in demining operations by the end of 2018," Djordjevic said. He added that Serbia wants to take part in demining operations together with international forces under the auspices the United Nations and the European Union.

"Serbia would like to do what it can to help bring stability and lasting peace to the world," the minister said. According to the minister, Russia currently does not need any assistance in demining activities, as the process of demining Syrian Palmyra has already been finished, however, Belgrade is seeking to train its troops in demining, because there are many areas in the country, which need to be demined. "We did not discuss in principle Serbia's participation in any specific peacekeeping operations with Russia, but I want to note that Serbia would like to make a feasible contribution to the establishment of stability and security in the world. At the moment we are participating in 11 peacekeeping operations, including four under the aegis of the European Union and seven under the aegis of the United Nations," Djordjevic added.

 

Mine Sale Sparks Bosnian Serb-Israeli Diplomatic Row (BIRN, by Danijel Kovacevic, 26 April 2017)

 

The possible sale of Bosnia's key iron-ore mine to an Israeli investor has sparked political infighting in Republika Srpska and a diplomatic row involving Bosnian Serb politicians and Israel.

The National Assembly of Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, opened a discussion on Tuesday on the possible sale of the Ljubija iron-ore mine, an issue which in recent days has been at the centre of clashes among Bosnian Serb politicians, as well as in Israel.

The vote on this complex and deeply controversial issue will test the ruling coalition in Republika Srpska, and could exacerbate a diplomatic spat between Israel and Republika Srpska.

These political tensions have grown in recent months as the RS government inched closer to selling Mines Iron Ore, MIO, Ljubija Prijedor to the Israeli Investment Group-Balkan - an unknown offshore company with little or no experience in mining ore. The government meanwhile rejected an offer from ArcelorMittal - a global iron ore-producing giant, which has been exploiting ore from a nearby mine in Omarska since 2004 and was seeking to expand its business. According to sources close to the RS government, Israeli investors offered to invest some 47 million euros in the Ljubija mines in the next three years, while the ArcelorMittal offer was around 32 million euros. The fact that Arie Livne, RS's special representative in Israel and a personal friend of the RS president and leader of the ruling Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, Milorad Dodik, lobbied for the Israeli group is believed to have made its offer even more attractive. However, the deal has been stalled for more than a year by Marko Pavic, the former mayor of Prijedor and the leader of the Democratic National Union, DNS, which is the SNSD's key ally in the RS's ruling coalition. As Prijedor mayor since 2004, Pavic was a key actor in bringing ArcelorMittal to the town, and has in recent months repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the ruling coalition if the Ljubija mines are to be sold to the Israelis, RS sources said. Yet as IMF financial support for Bosnia's threadbare budgets stalled in September last year, and as the RS government grew more and more desperate for cash, the Israeli offer appeared more and more attractive. At the same time, relations between the SNSD and DNS grew increasingly strained as the two parties clashed over the distribution of power in several local municipalities they won in the 2016 local elections, as well as over key positions in the preparation for the upcoming general elections in 2018. As a part of these preparations, DNS officials reopened old talks with other parties, including opposition parties - such as the National Democratic Movement, NDP and the Party of Democratic Progress, PDO - pondering the possible establishment of a new third political bloc in RS.

 

Republika Srpska’s Israel office ‘closed’

This political wrangling, as well as the dispute over the sale of the Ljubija mines, has finally snowballed into an ugly and complicated diplomatic spat. It exploded last week after RS and Bosnian government officials received a note from the director of the Balkan Department at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying that the RS representative office in Israel has been closed for several years and demanding that Livne be excluded from official meetings with the Israeli ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. "According to the best of our Ministry's knowledge, Commercial Representative Office of the Government of the Republic of Srpska in Jerusalem was closed on December 31, 2013, and was not reopened. In fact, according to the official register of companies and our information, Commercial Representative Office was re-registered as a privately owned company, Ltd. managed by Mr. Arie Livne and has no hired bureau rooms of its own [sic]," said the letter, which was written in English and has been seen by BIRN. "What we have seen from Mr. Livne were attempts to organize meetings between political figures from our countries, bypassing competent institutions, with no clear goal of developing relations between our countries in fields of whom Mr. Livne is supposed to be in charged [sic], from the side of the Republic of Srpska,” the letter added. This letter caused shock in RS and immediately raised the question about the money which RS regularly paid from its budget for the apparently non-existent office. According to officials, RS was paying 150,000 euros a year for its office in Jerusalem, which raised questions about what happened to around 500,000 euros which were paid out since, according to Israeli officials, the office was closed.

A senior RS official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the letter was a hasty result of internal political clashes on the Israeli political scene, as well as an attempt by certain Israeli officials who wanted to take Livne's position.

 

Dodik and Livne fight back

Dodik and Livne, in separate press statements, also accused their respective opponents of using the Israeli Foreign Ministry for their political advantage. In his statement, Dodik accused RS opposition leaders, while Livne suggested that some of his former closest aides may have been a part of the plot in an apparent attempt to take his place. Both also suggested this may have been yet another attempt to stop the sales of the Ljubija mines to Israeli investors. In an apparent attempt to sort out this embarrassing and confusing situation, the Israeli ambassador to Bosnia, Boaz Rodkin visited the RS administrative centre of Banja Luka over the weekend to see Dodik; Livne, who is also an adviser to the RS president, was at the meeting as well. According to BIRN sources, Dodik asked Rodkin to confirm the authenticity of the letter. "If they [the Israeli Foreign Ministry] confirm the authenticity of the letter, if these humiliating allegations are correct, Republika Srpska no longer wants to cooperate with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Dodik said in a press release after the meeting. While this threat may ring hollow, as Bosnia and Herzegovina - let alone RS - cannot be seen as an important diplomatic partner of Israel, RS officials told BIRN that the situation is creating serious political ripples in Israel, where some politicians, businessmen and even local communities have been establishing special ties with RS for several years, mainly thanks to Livne's influence. Livne, a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor and World War II veteran, has denied all the accusations. He insisted that the RS Representative Office in Jerusalem has existed since 1998 and is still operating. He also stressed that all the spending was done under the watch of the Israeli Ministry of Finance, as the money paid by Republika Srpska is money from abroad. “I'm extremely happy to have become so important that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina has no other issues than me," Livne told a press conference on Saturday in Banja Luka.

Some Bosnian analysts believe that the parallel rows in Israel and Republiska Srpska are now threatening to become so embarrassing that the issue will be silently forgotten. "The whole scandal is likely to end in a way in which everything will be swept under the carpet because this kind of situation doesn't work for anybody," said Banja Luka-based analyst Srdjan Puhalo.

"The fact is that we ... never saw any proof about where all that money for the RS office in Israel is going. But that is also the case for all RS offices around the globe: Washington, Moscow, Brussels, Belgrade, Vienna," Puhalo told BIRN. Yet while the Israeli scandal could end up being brushed aside, the growing political tensions within RS's ruling coalition could yet boil over when the eventual sale of Ljubija mines come to a vote.

 

McCain Calls for Greater US, EU Engagement in Balkans (Voice of America, by Milena Djurdjic, 26 April 2017)

 

WASHINGTON — Increased U.S. and European engagement in the Western Balkans will be critical to countering an increasingly assertive Russian in the region, Republican Arizona Senator John McCain told VOA Wednesday. McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the comments shortly after returning from a tour of the region, which included a stop in Montenegro, whose U.S.-backed accession to NATO has been vigorously opposed by Russia. “Some age-old, some new tensions in the region require our attention, and my concern is that as our attention has been diverted to Ukraine, the Middle East, to China ... and it’s very clear the Russians are trying to extend their malign influence in the region,” he said. “The attempt at a coup in Montenegro is a graphic example of that.”

 

A provocation for Russia

Russia has described Montenegro’s NATO membership as a provocation, because of the country’s geographical proximity to Russia. The Kremlin has long seen the Balkans as inside its sphere of influence. Further evidence of Russian influence in campaigns in Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo, McCain added, are “a result of a lack of American and European leadership.” “We fought a conflict there. There was enormous loss of life, and we seemed to have walked away in recent years,” he said. The European Reassurance Initiative, launched by the Obama White House in 2014, represents the kind of joint military-diplomatic strategy that McCain wants the U.S. to replicate throughout southeastern Europe. Under that program, which boosted the U.S. military presence in Poland and the Baltics, the U.S. plans to quadruple military spending in Europe to $3.4 billion in 2017. “In the Baltics we are doing some very interesting and useful things,” McCain said, referring to U.S.-NATO troop rotations, the stockpiling of military hardware and the formation of a rapid-reaction force designed to counter Russian military aggression, such as Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. “And yet, to a large degree, we seem to be ignoring arguably the most volatile place in Europe.”

 

Macedonia’​s importance

He called the “very dynamic and explosive situation in Macedonia” just one example of where increased U.S. advocacy and mediation will be vital to de-escalating regional tensions.

“It’s not in anybody’s interest to the see the breakup of Macedonia. No one should ever, ever forget that two world wars were spawned at a bridge in Sarajevo, with the assassination of [Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria],” he said. “...I’m not predicting a world war or even conflict, but I am saying the tensions are rising and the situation is deteriorating.”

U.S. and Western allies, he said, should also stabilize the region via the soft-diplomacy of aid packages targeting increased employment, youth engagement and counterterror efforts.

 

A balance in Serbia

Despite increasing political power consolidation in nearby Hungary and Bulgaria, McCain said Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's victory in this month's presidential election in Serbia, which has long-established ties to Russia, means the newly elected leader will need to strike a diplomatic balance.

“He [Vucic] knows the citizenry is much more pro-European than it is pro-Russian, and I don’t think he wants to be perceived as being too closely aligned with Russia,” McCain said. “I found my conversations with him productive.”

 

Trump, Russia ties

Asked about an executive branch investigation into ties between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia, McCain said, “There will be more shoes to drop before this is over.”

On May 8, a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony regarding the issue from Sally Yates, former acting attorney general, and James Clapper, former director of national intelligence.

That subcommittee will be headed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, one of McCain’s closest political allies.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Serbian Service.

 

In the Balkans, perhaps it is time for an Ummah (Transconflict, by David B. Kanin, 27 April 2017)

 

The fraying status quo in the region gives Islamists an opportunity to broaden and deepen their influence.

The exchange between Albanian and Serbian notables over the latest rhetorical conjuring of greater Albania in Tirana and Pristina (and Presevo) reflects one piece of the nascent search for alternatives to the faltering post-Yugoslav Balkan security cap. It is increasingly clear in the region that European Union rhetorical admonishments and fantasies of prosperity are wearing as thin as the ever-receding prospect of EU membership. At the same time, the Bosniaks and Albanians who have been the major clients of the United States are finding themselves largely ignored (except when they make noise) by a Washington that over time has forgotten its promises of the 1990s and early 2000s about crafting some sort of viable Bosnia and ensuring universal sovereignty for Kosovo.

America’s major clients in southeastern Europe are a Bosnian Muslim community and an Albanian universe with a large Muslim component. Washington’s inattention to the region (and the EU’s congenital impotence regarding Balkan developments) therefore presents opportunities to Muslim outsiders with an interest in attracting even nominal Muslims in the Balkans to a more assertive, self-confident, and muscular approach to religious and communal identities.

The systematic deterioration of prospects for Bosniaks (to include residents of the Sanzak in Serbia and Montenegro) and ethnic Albanians (to include residents of Montenegro and Macedonia) has drawn attention to the region from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and elsewhere at least since the Bosnian War of 1992-95. Some foreign Mujahedin who fought in that war married locally and stayed on. Of these, some assimilated into prevailing secular or Hanafi society, while others served as exotic and attractive models to Bosniaks seeking a more affirmative and spiritually satisfying flavor of Islam. Islamist activists promoting the latter option can point to two decades of stunted economic prospects, poor international stewardship, breakdown of efforts at democratic politics, and intensification of inter-communal mistrust.

It should not be assumed that the traditional reputation of Balkan Muslims as harboring relaxed, tolerant, or explicitly secular attitudes toward Islam will keep the region largely immune from overt and assertive religiosity, especially in the context of another declining internationally-imposed security cap. Work on Muslims in Bulgaria illustrates the potential for relatively quick reorientation toward faith and greater micro-communal identification. By 2004, Mary Neuberger had identified the leadership provided by Bulgarian Muslim women who were pivoting toward their Muslim selves. ”Muslim women, through sustained refusal to de-veil or through deliberate re-veiling, transformed the veil…into an ‘armory’ of protest against state-defined emancipation and imposed modernity.” Yana Hashamova, from whose work I took this quote, cited similar findings by Kristen Ghodsee and analyzed the actions of Bulgarian Muslims who – with the encouragement of financial support from Middle Eastern states – are building mosques, schools, and introducing Islamic teachings from the Middle East unlike “indigenous” Balkan practice.

In my view, over time increasing numbers of Balkan Muslims will resist US and EU efforts to impose civic, multicultural, secular norms just as these Bulgarian Muslim women rejected the Communist version of modernity. The continuing influx of significant numbers of Muslim migrants to Europe could have a magnifying impact on this phenomenon by deepening a stagnant Europe’s dependence on their labor and thrusting a vibrant, disputatious religiosity against the contrasting self-absorbed sterility of European and Western culture. Islamists in the Balkans would do well to adjust their proselytization strategies to the range of Islamic expression likely to emerge in Europe.

Islamists need to overcome two problems if they are to increase their prospects for reorienting at least some pieces of the Balkan region toward association with the Muslim world. First, they must overcome the residual sense of “Otherness” that has relegated the idea of a Muslim identity to be something marginal to an individual’s ethnic, civic/national, or “European” self-awareness. Second, it would have to become clear that being “Muslim” does not mean cascading into the unending perverse pathology of sanguinary jihad.

Turkey periodically has attempted to influence Balkan Muslims’ struggles to grapple with the first issue – and likely will use President Erdogan’s recent constitutional self-aggrandizement to do so again. The example of his success at brushing aside EU hectoring and legal rulings while wielding leverage on the migrant issue will not be lost on those Bosniaks and Albanians who have grown tired of broken international promises and are looking for reliable, proximate, Muslim support. Any shift by elements of Vetevendosje, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), or the emerging Besa Party in Macedonia toward more robust support of Erdogan’s person or regime would be a sign of diminishing US ability to influence local politics and a harbinger of more muscular opposition – including overtly Islamic activism – to local status quos.

Saudi Arabia and Iran will continue to attempt to attract Balkan Muslims toward their versions of Islam, but likely will remain less potent contenders for influence. The Saudis build a lot of mosques but their attention is diffused among internal succession issues, the general rivalry with Iran, and the playing out of that rivalry in Yemen. Right now, for the Saudis influence in the Balkans appears to be a “nice to have.”

The straitjacket of Wahhabi sectarianism – and Iranian Ayatollahs’ reactions to it – also clouds prospects for either state to deepen its inroads into local Islam. As much as Riyadh decries terrorism, it finances attitudes conducive to anti-social takfiri activity. The Iranians have a hard time selling Shi’a Islam to largely Sunni Balkan communities. Over the past couple of decades, these outsiders have not proven to be effective as patrons or social/religious models.

Muslim communities, like their non-Muslim Balkan counterparts, would do well to treat the outsiders as marginal, imperfect, and less than trustworthy actors. The selfish interests and extra-Balkan rivalries engulfing these greater powers make them more like than unlike the West Europeans, Russians, and Americans. The more endogenous, variegated and supple a future transnational Balkan expression of Islam (and Islamism) is, the more effectively Bosniaks, Albanians, Pomaks, Balkan Turks, and other Muslims in the region can find their place in a global Islamic mosaic that is moving toward a world lightened by diminishing Western hegemony.

David B. Kanin is an adjunct professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins University and a former senior intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of TransConflict.