LOCAL PRESS   Serbia marks Storm in Novi Sad (Beta)   The central state event marking the 22nd anniversary of the plight of the Krajina Serbs in the Croatian military and police operation called Storm took place in the Veternik Football Club's stadium in Novi Sad . At the marking of the Day of Remembrance of the Plight and Exile of Serbs, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said: “The Serbian people could not go through another Storm ever again. That is why I tell and promise you, citizens, that Serbia will never again allow the perpetration of such criminal actions against the Serbian people anywhere. We have no more right to lose heads and Serbian hearths. We are not threatening anyone, we do not covet that which belongs to others. That is Serbia's policy - peace and the protection of that which has been destroyed for decades.”   Selakovic: Serbia, RS preparing declaration on joint activities for survival of Serbian people (RTS)   Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke with representatives of Serbs from all countries of the region, except from Albania. The meeting in the City Hall in Novi Sad was held without the presence of the media, and upon its completion, all participants attended the marking of the mentioned event. Vucic said it was important to consider these problems, so that Serbia could in the best way contribute to the Serbs exercising guaranteed rights in line with international norms, the Presidency said in a press release. He went on to say that Serbia respected the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the countries in which Serbs lived and wanted the best relations with said countries, because peace, stability and cooperation in the region were in the interest of the Serbian people. By strengthening its economy and reputation in the world, as he put it, Serbia can do more for the position of Serbs in the region and other parts of the world. Vucic pointed out that Serbia would continue to support the educational and cultural institutions of the Serbian people in the region, in order to preserve the Serbian language and culture, and will also support the activities of the Serbian Orthodox Church, reads the press release. The meeting was attended by Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, cabinet ministers and others. President Vucic had a meeting with representatives of Serbs from the region, at which adoption of the joint declaration of Serbia and the RS on activities for survival of the Serbian nation and Serbian people was discussed, among other things, Secretary General of President of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said. “We will work hard on it for over three months and about 25, 26 November we will present a kind of declaration and our national program,” Selakovic told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). The future much larger contribution of Serbia and its institutions, government and ministries to improvement of the study of Serbian language and culture among the Serbs in the region and the rest of the Diaspora was discussed at the meeting, he said. The leader of the Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia Ivan Stoilkovic has stated that the position of the Serbs in this country compared to the Serbs in the region is a little unenviable and that the 1990s have returned to Macedonia through the small door. “This is a situation where whatever you do, especially if it is bad, then the easiest thing is to refer to the Serbs and correct mistakes of your own policy,” said Stoilkovic before the meeting with Vucic. The Serbs in Croatia are facing numerous unresolved, elementary, issues and we will convey to President Vucic at the meeting, the SDSS caucus whip in the Croatian parliament (Sabor) Boris Milosevic. “Maybe we can even agree on a joint session of the two governments, perhaps even some projects where Serbia and Croatia could find mutual interest, since the territories where the Serbs live in majority in Croatia are actually abandoned. I think Croatia and Serbia could find interest for people to stay in their homes,” said Milosevic.   Brnabic: We do not understand how one can celebrate Storm (RTS/Tanjug)   Serbia cannot understand how one can celebrate Croatia’s 1995 Operation Storm, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Friday. “We cannot understand how one can celebrate the fact that an entire country was practically ethnically cleansed at the time,” Brnabic told a press conference. “As the Serbian government, we will today honor all victims, both those who lost their lives and those who lost their property. As is the case every year, we will mark the anniversary of Operation Storm with dignity - but it’s unclear to us how somebody can celebrate it,” Brnabic said.   Stefanovic, Dacic react to Plenkovic’s statement (Beta/Tanjug/RTS)   Serbian Interior Minister and ruling SNS official Nebojsa Stefanovic has reacted to a statement Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic made about Operation Storm and Srebrenica. Stefanovic said it was at the very least scandalous. “I ask Andrej Plenkovic - does that mean the children and the elderly that were killed during Operation Storm died because of somebody's supposition and as a precaution?,” Stefanovic asked in a written statement sent to the media by his party, Beta reported. “It is hard to believe that anyone, especially a prime minister of an EU member-state, could say such a thing in the 21st century,” he said. Stefanovic also called on Croatian authorities to take a clear stance toward the crimes committed during the offensive, instead of celebrating something that represents a disaster for Serbs. Commenting on Plenkovic's statement later in the day, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said: “What Greater Serbia policy is Plenkovic talking about, when Croatia drove out more than 250,000 and killed several thousand of its own citizens? The Serbs were a constituent people in Croatia and lived there for centuries, while they are now less than five percent. It is especially hypocritical to claim that by this, they prevented a new Srebrenica - which means that they killed their own citizens, Serbs from Croatia, in advance,” Dacic said in a statement sent to Tanjug, and continued: “It is especially unscrupulous for such messages to be coming from the Croatia regime, that has not distanced itself from the genocidal Ustasha fascist authorities from the Second World War era. That is why Ustasha Thompson is taking part in the state marking of Operation Storm, the biggest ethnic cleansing in Europe after the Second World War. This is not how one builds good-neighborly relations, this is not how one buries the hatchet - this is how one brings back to life the anti-Serb hysteria in Croatia,” Dacic concluded.   Dodik: Together with Vucic, I am writing plan for protection of all Serbs (Novosti)   Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik told Novosti that Belgrade and Banja Luka will soon establish teams of experts which will develop the text of a joint declaration of Serbia and RS on activities for preservation of Serb nation and Serb people. This document should be prepared by fall, adopted by parliaments of Serbia and RS and they it will be officially presented by Dodik and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. “The goal is to have a document at the beginning of this century which will be able to stand against time to come and stay in possession of future generations of Serbs no matter where they are, as a guidance for national and political activities,” Dodik said and added that it is necessary to avoid any new sufferings in decades to come and, at the same time, strengthen national identity of Serbs as well as national states – RS and Serbia. Dodik added that the document will not represent any kind of threat to anyone or any ‘Grand Serbia’ project. “Whenever Serbs are trying to protect themselves, enemies accuse us of nationalistic aspirations. What about their aspirations whose goal was to force out Serbs, like they were forced out from Croatia during Oluja or from Sarajevo where 157,866 Serbs lived according to 1991 census and only 1,333 lived there in 2013. We, as the people, were forced out or killed in many other places, we have the sovereign right to decide as people on our own destiny and the declaration should be viewed only in this context,” Dodik said.   Djuric: We will do everything so that Kosovo is not admitted to Interpol (TV Pink)   Serbia will do everything to prevent Kosovo’s membership in Interpol, the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric said on Saturday. “Kosovo and Metohija is now represented in Interpol through the organs of Serbia and through UNMIK. If there is a criminal who should be detained from the territory of Kosovo, that issue has already been resolved,” Djuric told TV Pink. He pointed out that separatist goals and a desire to confirm sovereignty as an independent state are behind Pristina's request for admission to that international organization. “They would only use Interpol membership to persecute Serb citizens, people who participated in the defense of the country in 1999. They already have lists of people whom they would persecute and harass, including politicians,” he explained. Membership in Interpol enables each member autonomous action, while now, Djuric said, Pristina needs UN’s approval for someone’s extradition, and there is no possibility of political persecution, which will be possible if they become a member. Djuric finds it shocking that certain opposition politicians, like Sasa Jankovic, are in favor of such membership of Kosovo in Interpol. “I want to believe that those people do not understand what is happening, and that is why they say that Kosovo should become a member of Interpol. We will fight the hardest against this and we will do everything to prevent Kosovo’s membership,” he said.   Serbia warns of possible counter-measures against Croatia (B92)   Ministers from four regional countries have agreed their next moves in response to Croatia's new tax rates on imports of goods from third countries. The ministers representing Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro held an urgent meeting in Sarajevo on Monday, and said afterwards that Croatia violated the World Trade Organization (WTO) basic rules and principles, which the four countries had concluded individually with the EU. As the ministers pointed out, the interests of producers from their countries have been directly endangered by Croatia's actions. For this reason they made the following conclusions:

1. Croatia is called upon to urgently lift the discriminatory decisions on fees, which treat products imported from third countries differently
2. The price of inspection controls should correspond to real prices, and should be adjusted to the average price in the countries, and in the EU
3. An urgent meeting with the Croatian government is requested, since any delay would cause unforeseeable consequences at a time when export of seasonal fruits and vegetables is under way
4. The European Commission is called upon to engage in solving this problem
5. Montenegro and Macedonia, as WTO members, will launch an analysis before that organization
6. Until a solution is found, each country will take concrete measures that it considers appropriate
7. The removal of barriers that restrict the flow of people and goods is requested

After the meeting, Serbian Minister of Trade, Telecommunications and Tourism Rasim Ljajic pointed out that Croatia’s measures are protectionist and populist and absolutely cannot be justified - and that Croatia these last days provided three completely different explanations for its moves. “Our goal is not to have a (trade) war, but to protect our interests. We will be forced to introduce counter-measures if we fail to reach an agreement,” Ljajic concluded.   REGIONAL PRESS   Covic: I will confront those who might try to create unitary or state of one people in B&H (Glas Srpske)   In comment to the overall political situation in the country, Chair of the Presidency of B&H Dragan Covic said that the lack of mutual trust is far worse than constant turbulences on political scene. “We have to find the way out and restore mutual trust at least a little bit… We have to do that so that we do not stop European path, to have the NATO Membership Action Plan activated by the end of the year, the status of the EU Candidate Country obtained at the beginning of next year and economic stability restored by general elections (in 2018)”, Covic said. “Coordination mechanism has to start functioning and its implementation cannot be avoided anymore, especially when it comes to things where constitutional structure of the country needs to be respected”, Covic explained, adding that “everyone has to be incorporated in B&H’s stance about any issue”, within the framework on one’s responsibilities. Asked to say if B&H is late with implementation of reform processes on country’s path towards the EU, Covic noted that “reform path is unstoppable, even though some wants to stop it”. “Problem with relations in Sarajevo lies in the fact that they want to transfer the conflict of left and right wing on Bosniak political scene, as well as relations between individuals and entire structures within SBB and SDA, to the level of B&H. That is why culprit is always being sought for somewhere outside of that space”, Covic said. He announced that Chair of the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H Denis Zvizdic will have to present the report on progress at every session of the Presidency of B&H, starting on August 23, and explain what exactly the problem is in the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Asked to comment on failure of his attempt to organize the meeting of leaders in Mostar, Covic said that the meeting did not take place because SDA leader and Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H Bakir Izetbegovic “felt the need not to come”. “We, members of the Presidency, agreed to invite Dodik and Radoncic (…) The initiative has failed, and I do not find that to be some sort of a tragedy”, Covic said, adding that forces who obstructed the meeting are the biggest losers. He added that it is impossible to make progress in B&H without talks and discussions, adding that some issues - such as the agreement on accession to Transport Community and the Law on Excise Duties – need to be resolved as soon as possible, “through the use of the coordination mechanism, because those are European issues”. Covic refused to comment on statements that he and Dodik have teamed up to destroy B&H, adding that he is doing everything he can to make B&H start functioning as a normal state, “and normal state would be European B&H in which three constituent peoples are completely equal”. “It is clear that those who want to create some other kind of state, unitary or the state of one people, an individual or one policy, would have me as an opponent, regardless of what they might be saying about it”, Covic said. Asked to say what will happen with changes to Election Law, especially since Bosniak leaders have already rejected HDZ B&H’s proposal, Covic said that the only way to build B&H is to have “Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats completely constitutionally equal”. “Croat people want to be able to elect their own representatives in the Presidency and the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the FB&H, the way other two peoples are able to elect them. That right has to be guaranteed both by the Constitution and the Election Law”, Covic said, adding that he is convinced changes to the Election Law will be adopted by the end of November. “We have to adopt changes to the Election Law (…) in order to prevent any people from electing other people’s representatives”, Covic concluded.   Dodik: B&H politicians must clearly say that the return process is over (Srna)   RS President Milorad Dodik has said that B&H politicians must clearly say that the return process is over and that there is no room for progress in this field. Dodik has said that it is not realistic to expect, even though this sounds atypical, that all pre-war residents of some municipalities and cities will return to their pre-war places of residence. “All we can do is to enable them all to come freely,” Dodik told reporters in Bihac. He has said that many Bosniaks from the RS announced the return, renovated their homes by way of international programs and then sold them. “You can see this in the FB&H as well where Serbs did the same. The return cannot be increased by violence, but it must be voluntary. It is obvious that 20 years after the war this voluntariness is almost called into the question,” Dodik said. He has added that “the one who returned will stay, and the one who did not return will never come.” “This holds true for all sides regardless of stories of return,” Dodik has said. He has said that there are only some 50 Serbian houses in Bihac and that only three children are learning Orthodox catechesis. “There were 12,000 Serbs in Bihac before 1991. Of course, there were places in the RS where Bosniaks lived in significant numbers, but the reality is something else. Some things happened. I would like that neither 1941 nor 1991 or 1995 happened,” Dodik has said. He has said that people organized their lives in some other places, where their children have friends, get married… Dodik has said that no one should obstruct assemblies of various peoples in B&H and that those who want to mark the sufferings of their people must be enabled to do so.   Veritas: More than seven thousand killed in Croatian Army operations (Srna)   The director of the Veritas Documentation Centre Savo Strbac has said that Veritas records show that there are 7,299 Serbs killed in the Croatian Army operations Storm and Flash, in Medacki Dzep, Ravni Kotari and on the Miljevac Plateau. “It must be understood that the operation Storm was the concluding act of ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Croatia. This is why we must not forget other heinous crimes committed by the Croatian Army,” Strbac told reporters after a forum titled “Days of Sorrow and Remembrance” and added that 40 Serbs killed in the operation Storm were identified in the past year. He has said that a bulletin titled “Days of Remembrance and Sorrow” was distributed at the forum which dealt with court actions against Croatia for compensation of war damages. “At the same time, Croatia is celebrating today. They are celebrating double state holiday and say that they realized their 1000-year-old dream since they got an ethnically pure state without Serbs,” Strbac has said. He has said that he does not understand the way Croatia is celebrating, because this year also singer Marko Perkovic Tompson has been engaged. “A central celebration of the operation Storm is in a place where this singer is. It is horrible that messages of hatred are sent from his concerts and that young people are wearing Ustashe insignia,” Strbac has said, noting that some Croats are still being tried for crimes against Serbs. The former member of the UN forces in Croatia, Alun Roberts, who attended the ceremony marking the sufferings of Serbs, has said that respects to all killed in the operation Storm must be paid, but that one also must think of reconciliation. The forum was attended by representatives of NGOs that came into being after the patriotic-defense war and family members of Serbs killed in Storm. The Croatian military and police operation Storm, in which units of the 5th Corps of the so-called Army of B&H and the Croatian Defense Council (HVO) also took part, started on August 4, 1995 and in only few days, around 2,000 Serbs, mostly civilians, were killed. Around 200,000 Serbs were expelled from their ancestral homes in the areas of Lika, Banija, Kordun and northern Dalmatia, which were under UN protection.   Ivantsov: Conditioning such as ‘either EU or Russia’ is not fair (Nezavisne)   In relation to statements according to which Russia actually wants the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to remain in B&H, because the OHR is one of direct instruments of Russia’s influence in the country, Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov says if this is the logic, then how does one explain that Russia is constantly working on closure of the OHR. “The OHR played an important role at the beginning of its presence in B&H, but many things have changed in the meantime. B&H is a sovereign and independent country. It does not need mentors to tell local politicians what to do. Unfortunately, extended presence of the High Representative inevitably leads to creation of such an effect, because politicians are trying to act through the High Representative instead of taking matters into their own hands. That is completely wrong. Unfortunately, our partners have different opinion and believe that the OHR should stay here.” He noted that the Bonn Powers have not been used since 2011, and that the majority of Peace Implementation Council members believe that crisis of huge proportions would have to happen to justify the use of Bonn Powers. “Unlike them, we believe that they (Bonn Powers) are completely obsolete. The fact that the number of members of the OHR staff is going down is positive, so one can clearly see ‘through the wallet’ the real stance of the international community when it comes to OHR,” Ivantsov concluded. Commenting on the overall political situation in the country, Ivantsov said that the main problem lies in the lack of trust among political leaders. “I believe that dialogue and cooperation among peoples, institutions at all levels and their leaders is the only way to start moving forward,” Ivantsov said. He reminded that the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H might be given a vote of no confidence, adding that it depends on local politicians and that the entire situation is detrimental to the country and especially to citizens, who will suffer the biggest consequences of institutions’ failure to function properly. Commenting on the issue of Election Law, Ivantsov said that the main problem lies in the fact that one people - Croats - feel that their rights have not been fully respected, and the Constitutional Court of B&H has agreed with them. “Political representatives of Croats have presented their own proposal, but you know, as well as I do, that there is a little chance for that proposal to be adopted,” Ivantsov said, adding that solution lies in dialogue, which is lacking right now. Ivantsov underlined that both Russia and the US want peace and stability in B&H, but reminded that the US officials have recently presented a series of false arguments about Russian role in the region. “They claimed that the Russian Federation is using energy for promotion of its geopolitical agenda, as well as obstructs region’s accession to EU and NATO, and supports corruptive practices… and military engagement of the Russian Federation was even mentioned as well,” Ivantsov reminded. “When it comes to energy, I still believe that ‘South Stream’ would be the best solution for the region (…) and if the ‘Turkish Stream’ project is implemented, I believe that it would bring the energy stability to the entire region at reasonable prices,” Ivantsov said, adding that Russia wants fair economic competition and that he sees nothing wrong with it. “When it comes to the EU and NATO, we have clearly said that we have nothing against the EU membership of countries in the region, although we did add that we would like to protect our interests. And that is why we do not believe that conditioning such as ‘either EU or Russia’ is fair. There has to be a way where both things are possible. When it comes to B&H’s membership in NATO, our stance is well known. Statements about Russian Federation’s military engagement in the Balkans are completely groundless, especially when it comes to B&H. I believe that they were talking more about Russian-Serbian humanitarian center in Nis. We have six employees and four fire-extinguishing machines there. So, it is difficult to compare that with, say, Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo,” Ivantsov said. “To conclude, Russia does have its own interests in the region, but those interests are not contrary to interests of countries in the region, including B&H,” the Russian Ambassador explained.   Grabar Kitarovic: 5 August one of most important dates for Croatia (Hina)   Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said that 5 August 1995, when the military and police operation Storm ended with the entry of Croatian forces in Knin, "is one of the most important days in Croatian history." In a congratulatory note to all Croatian citizens, "especially the defenders and participants of Storm," Grabar-Kitarovic underscored that on 5 August 1995, under the leadership of its first president Franjo Tudjman, Croatia had "crowned its multi-centennial struggle for national liberty and state independence, confirmed its international position and ensured society's democratic development," the Hina news agency reported. "That great day fills us with pride, but also binds us to persevere in building a state in which each of our citizens will fully achieve their life goals and contribute to the greater good," added the president's note on the occasion of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, which was celebrated on 4, 5 August with a number of events and a government session in Knin.   Plenkovic: Storm prevented a new Srebrenica (Hina)   Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic headed a Croatian government delegation which laid a wreath at Zagreb's Mirogoj cemetery on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of the military and police operation Storm. Plenkovic said he was "honoring Croatian defenders and all who laid down their lives and health for the freedom of the homeland and in defense against the Greater Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic." He further said that "at the time, the stately wisdom and audacity of first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, in complex international and security circumstances, contributed to the liberation of not just the majority of occupied Croatian territories but rather a strategic turnabout of relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, too, and the prevention of a new Srebrenica in Bihac," adding that "thanks to Storm, the Dayton and Paris agreements were reached." Croatian parliament speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said that Operation Storm, which "liberated close to one fifth of the occupied territories, crushed the dream of a Greater Serbia," and that in Storm, Croatia had demonstrated "the unity of the entire nation and great military might." Jandrokovic called Storm a legitimate liberation operation and that "Croatia had to liberate its occupied territories after five years of humiliation, suffering and killing."   Croatian Minister of Agriculture: Measures apply to 168 countries, not only the region (N1)   Croatia’s measures regarding importing of agricultural products apply to a total of 168 countries, not only countries in the region, but Zagreb is prepared to discuss this issue with its neighbors, Croatian Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolusic stated on Sunday. “Under no circumstances was the intention to harm neighboring countries. I regret that this has been politicized; it was definitely not supposed to be like that,” Tolusic told TV N1. He said that there is no reason for the introduction of countermeasures. “I believe that there is no reasons for the countermeasures that Serbia has introduced, but alright, I expect that we will sit down with the ministers from the neighboring countries in a week or two and that we will see exactly what the problem is,” Tolusic said, “So far we have received only an objection from Serbia and we will see what we can do about it,” he said.   Government accepted text for the Law for the languages, what follow is a phase of consultations and explanations (Meta)   At the 20th session, the government has accepted the text for the Law for use of languages that resulted from the adjustment of the national program from the of the right of the European Union. “When the law is passed in the parliament, the Ministry of Justice, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will submit the law and the open issues that aren’t part of this law, to the Venetian Commission and will ask for an opinion about a package with legal solutions” informs the government.   Zaev: The law promotes the use of the languages ​​of all communities in Macedonia (Meta)   The Law on Languages will extend to the use of official language spoken by at least 20% of the people, which means by law, the use of languages extends to the institutions. This way, citizens will be able to communicate with state institutions in their mother tongue, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said in Ohrid. He added that “it is especially important that this law fully guarantees the proper use of the Macedonian language and other languages that are in official use in certain local self-government units – Turkish, Roma, Serbian, Vlach and Bosniak”. “The Law promotes the use of the languages from all communities in Macedonia. All regulations in the legal solution are in accordance with Article 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. We sent a package of legal solutions for the adoption in Parliament, and then, after its adoption, for review before the Venice Commission, with attached open questions, which are not part of this law”, said Zaev. Regarding bilingual money and uniforms in the army, he said there would be no such changes, unless the Venice Commission confirms that this is in accordance with the Constitution.   VMRO-DPMNE will not support the Law for languages as it is contrary to the Constitution (Meta)   The proposed Law by Zoran Zaev for a bilingual Macedonia is contradictory with the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, said the member of VMRO-DPMNE’s Executive Committee Antonio Miloshoski. He also said that VMRO-DPMNE cannot and mustn’t support the law that is in contrast with the Constitution. Miloshoski explained that what was cowardly done about the proposed-law for a bilingual Macedonia is that a European flag was put on it. “It’s a misuse of the European flag for a law that has nothing to do with adjustment of the Macedonian with the European legislation. This was done only because of the fact that the law can be discussed at the parliament for three days. The speeding up on part of Zaev and Shekjerinska for this bill on bilingual Macedonia to be passed at the Parliament means that they are aware how damaging it is and that the people are displeased and humiliated because it was lied to,” said Miloshoski. He stressed that the no one told the people before the election that a Law for bilingual Macedonia will be passed.   Xhaferi has called for local elections and has stated that all participants must obey the laws (Meta)   Macedonian parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi signed the decision for calling for local elections that will take place on 15 October. Xhaferi appealed to all participants, before and during the elections, to behave in accordance with the Constitution and the legal enactments, and the institutions to contribute for the elections to happen in a peaceful, fair and democratic ambiance as the citizens of Macedonia deserve. -I called for the elections in accordance with the legal obligation and in accordance with the deadlines determined by the Election code. According to the legal enactments, the local elections will take place on 15 October 2017. The decision for calling for the elections will be submitted to the organ for carrying out the elections, the State Election Committee. The parliament will be operational during the pre-election period, but there won’t be any plenary sessions so the MPs can devote completely to the election campaign and also not to be able to turn the sessions into an election campaign, said Xhaferi after signing the decision.   INTERNATIONAL PRESS   In Balkans speech, Trump’s VP pledges allegiance to the swamp (RT, by Nebojsa Malic, 6 August 2017)   Washington’s role in the 1990s bloody breakup of Yugoslavia is the oft-forgotten prologue in the modern history of American empire. Though President Donald Trump promised to restore the US republic, his administration is quickly reverting to imperial form. August 5 marked the 22nd anniversary of a Croatian offensive (Operation Storm) that obliterated the centuries-old Serbian community living in what was known as the Serbian Krajina. The Serbs of Western Slavonia had been driven out or killed in May 1995. Both operations were undertaken with tacit approval from Washington, after Croatian forces were armed and trained by US contractors in direct violation of a UN arms embargo. In fact, US diplomat Richard Holbrooke recalled in his memoirs (To End A War, first published in 1998) how he and his colleagues would coordinate Croatian attacks while the State Department and the Pentagon officially spoke against them. Holbrooke also presented the US involvement in Croatia and Bosnia ‒ which resulted in the Dayton Accords of 1995 ‒ as a triumphant reassertion of American power in Europe, after the end of the Cold War led some on the continent to ponder the need for US dominance. While it was tempting to dismiss Holbrooke’s characterization as self-serving in 1998, just a year later NATO began its drang nach Osten, adding the first Eastern European members even as it launched a war of aggression against the remnants of Yugoslavia. The latest shard of the former federation to join was Montenegro, in June 2017. For the purpose of bringing all of Yugoslavia’s ruins into the alliance, in 2003 Washington sponsored the so-called Adriatic Charter, a sort of “Junior NATO” club anchored by Croatia and Albania. Though both were admitted into NATO in 2009, the organization’s purpose is not yet complete, US Vice President Mike Pence told the gathering of its leaders in Podgorica, Montenegro on August 2. “For 15 years, the United States has helped guide your countries as you walk the path toward peace at home, unity in Europe, and allied for our common defense,” Pence said. “Take this opportunity, through your actions, to draw even closer to each other and to the West; complete the unfinished business of the Western Balkans; and finish the journey that we started together so many years ago.” Holbrooke himself could have delivered Pence’s Podgorica speech, had he not died of a ruptured aorta in 2010. Likewise the former secretaries of state, John Kerry or Hillary Clinton. Sure, Pence made a couple of references to President Trump’s campaign rhetoric, but cast them as continued commitment to NATO rather than a re-examination of America’s attempt to rule the world through military force, as Trump’s keynote foreign policy speech in 2016 implied. There were a number of cynical incongruities in Pence’s oratory. For instance, he praised the Balkan countries’ contributions in the fight against ISIS and “radical Islamic terrorism” even though many fanatical ISIS fighters are Muslims from Bosnia, the Albanian-occupied Serbian province of Kosovo, and even Albania proper ‒ all ruled by US-backed regimes. In fact, in 2007, a leading US congressman (Tom Lantos, a California Democrat) championed declaring Kosovo an independent state by saying it would send a message to “jihadists of all color and hue” that the US was not anti-Muslim. “The United States of America rejects any attempt to use force, threats, or intimidation in this region or beyond,” Pence said. “The Western Balkans have the right to decide your own future, and that is your right alone.” This after the US has spent 25 years bombing and occupying parts of the region, overthrowing governments it disliked via “color revolutions,” and having its ambassadors act like colonial governors rather than diplomats. Pence also praised “free and fair national elections” in Western Balkans countries, “with the participation of all political parties, and with a result that reflected the will of your people.” Yet in Albania the opposition had to be talked out of boycotting the vote they called unfair, and in Macedonia the US ambassador pushed hard for a minority coalition that would include a bloc of ethnic Albanian parties, raising the eyebrows of some in the US Senate. Though it was NATO that occupied Kosovo in 1999 and Washington that led the efforts to declare it an independent state in 2008, Pence accused Russia of seeking “to redraw international borders by force” and working to “destabilize the region, undermine your democracies, and divide you from each other and from the rest of Europe.” Say again? Was it Russia that declared Yugoslavia “in dissolution” in 1991, or the European Community’s Badinter Commission? Was it Moscow that booted Yugoslavia out of the UN, though it was a founding member, and insisted on Serbia and Montenegro reapplying for membership, or Washington? Was it Russia that asserted the Communist-drawn borders of Yugoslavia’s republics were sacrosanct (except when it comes to Serbia) or the US and NATO? In peddling this false history of “Russian aggression,” Pence sounds exactly like the empire-loving Washington establishment, the very “swamp” his boss swore he would drain. It makes one wonder who was the target of this speech, the ever-obedient client regimes of the “Western Balkans” he was addressing, or the swamp back in Washington seeking a suitable replacement for the president they loathe? But wait, there’s more. At one point, Pence quoted a line from a famous 19th-century poem by a Montenegrin prince-bishop, about how adversity reveals true heroes. This suggests that whoever wrote his speech at least made an effort to look into the country’s history. That look must have been entirely cursory, however, as the poem in question celebrated Montenegro’s Serbian identity and the struggle against the Ottoman Empire and its “Turk converts” in the early 1700s. The current regime in Montenegro is working hard to assert a separate and openly anti-Serb national identity for the country, while Turkey is a major US ally in NATO ‒ for the time being, anyway. Last, but not least, the very phrase “Western Balkans” is an attempt to erase the region’s history, culture, traditions and diversity that Pence facetiously praised in his remarks. It is a geographical term devoid of any meaning, a blank slate for US and NATO to project their fantasies, while the actual name for the region ‒ Yugoslavia ‒ seems to have been banished to the proverbial memory hole, lest its shade disrupt the self-righteous sleep of those that helped make it a desert and called it peace. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.   Macedonia’s Albanian Language Law Moves Towards Adoption (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 7 August)   A law to extend the official use of the Albanian language across the country should soon reach the Macedonian parliament after governing coalition partners reached a compromise over its content. The text of the new language law - seen as the last legal remaining provision stemming from a 2001 peace deal that ended an armed conflict between Albanian insurgents and Macedonian security forces - is expected to be put before parliament for adoption soon. The law would extend the official use of Albanian to the entire country, where ethnic Albanians make up around a quarter of the total population of 2.1 million. It will mainly ease communication in Albanian with institutions like municipalities, hospitals and courts. In a compromise between the main ruling Social Democratic Party, SDSM, and its junior Albanian coalition partners, they have agreed to send two key parts of the law to the Venice Commission for evaluation. The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, will be asked to evaluate whether the possible introduction of bilingual banknotes and uniforms for the army and police are in line with the Macedonian constitution and the 2001 Ohrid peace accord. If so, they could easily be incorporated into the law a bit later, the government source, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told media on Saturday. “There will be no bilingual banknotes and uniforms [in the new law], unless the Venice Commission confirms that this is in line with the constitution. We have no prejudices regarding those things,” Zaev said. “Anything that improves the quality of life of the citizens and that the constitution allows has been included in the law,” he added. Zaev promised to bring in a law that would extend the official use of Albanian when he struck a coalition deal with several Albanian parties earlier this year. In July the small, ethnic Albanian-led DPA - Movement for Reforms party threatened to withdraw its vital support for the government if Zaev did not deliver on the law within the first 100 days of his administration. The current law on languages defines Albanian as an official language, but it only has that status in areas where Albanians make up over 20 per cent of the population. In the north and west of the country, where Albanians are the majority in many areas, this is not a burning issue. However, in many other parts of the country, the number of Albanians is often far lower than 20 per cent. The proposed new law has sparked much criticism from the former ruling VMRO DPMNE party, which has accused Zaev of making too many concessions to his Albanian partners and betraying Macedonia’s national interests.This VMRO DPMNE insists that the law might endanger the unitary character of Macedonia. Commenting on the possibility that some ethnic Macedonians see a threat in this ethnically-sensitive legislation, the US ambassador to Skopje, Jess Baily, said on Friday that it is important that the law “falls within the guidelines set out in the Ohrid Framework Agreement [that ended the 2001 conflict]”. “This is an important issue to discuss and find solutions that both create an inclusive society and an inclusive political system, but also maintain the unity and the common sense of purpose among all the peoples of this country,” Baily told Alsat M TV.