LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: Serbia dedicated to cooperation with Non-Aligned Movement members (Tanjug)

The process of negotiations and Serbia’s aspirations towards full-fledged membership will not reduce support to the Non-Aligned movement in terms of balanced development, solidarity and equality of countries in the resolving of key challenges, said Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who is attending the 17^th Non-Aligned Movement conference in Algeria. He said Serbia would remain committed to cooperation with Non-Aligned Movement members. With a view to the strengthening of international security, Serbia strongly supports all the initiatives aimed at the prevention of conflicts and peaceful mediation in the resolving of disputes within the UN, said Dacic. He said Serbia gave concrete contribution to the preservation of international security by taking part in UN and EU peace operations in the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Cyprus, Haiti, Somalia and the Middle East. Dacic thanked the Movement members that have remained faithful to the principles of the international law, not recognizing independence of Kosovo, which unilateral proclamation of independence constitutes a breach of the UN Charter and UN SC Resolution 1244.

 

Belgrade has not yet passed decision on Kosovo elections (Novosti)

In the following days, the authorities in Belgrade will take the final stand on the upcoming parliamentary elections in Kosovo and Metohija, Novosti has learned. The government and the president of the Republic should decide whether they will invite openly and publicly all fellow-nationals and displaced to turn out for the 8 June elections. Prior to that, according to Novosti’s information, official Belgrade will try to exert diplomatic pressure on Brussels and European capitals so all statehood symbols would be erased from the ballots.

 

International panel of judges acquitted former KLA members (Tanjug)

The international panel of judges of the Basic Court in Kosovska Mitrovica acquitted former chief commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Sulejman Selimi and three of his comrades from arraignment for a war crime against the civilian population. Selimi, currently the Kosovo Ambassador to Albania, and his comrades were charged with maltreating and raping two girls near Kosovska Mitrovica. Selimi faces another indictment for membership in KLA’s “Drenica Group” whose members are charged with war crimes committed against the civilian population and the trial for this case is underway.

 

Joksimovic: Serbia’s stand on Ukraine important for Chapter 31 (Beta)

“The crisis in Ukraine has raised the issue of the neutral position that Serbia is trying to maintain, but the question is whether it can be maintained over the long term, and whether there will be pressure on Serbia to change it,” said the president of the Centre for Foreign Policy Aleksandra Joksimovic. For West Balkan nations, the Ukrainian crisis has shifted some of the balance in international relations and new issues have arisen regarding taking a position between the EU and Russia, she said.

Benedikt: Serbia didn’t support six EU decisions on Ukraine (Politika)

Serbia’s EU accession cannot be partial, but complete, and this also refers to harmonizing the foreign policy with Brussels, said Oskar Benedikt, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia at the gathering “Joint Foreign and Security Policy and Candidate Countries”. “Accession to the EU club is not partial but complete and narrow harmonization with the EU acquis must be established before the accession day,” said Benedikt, according to whom Serbia has so far stood along 10 of 22 EU foreign political decisions and declarations, and six of those that it hasn’t joined refer to Ukraine. Speaking about Chapter 31 that refers to foreign policy and security, for which screenings are envisaged in July and October, he said that Serbia would have to harmonize with the EU foreign policy within this chapter.

 

Due: You have become exporters of security to the world (Politika)

Serbia is one of the ten European countries that has greatest participation in the United Nations peacekeeping missions throughout the world, while it is the leader in this in the West Balkans, says Peter Due, the Head of the UN Office in Belgrade and the Representative of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in charge of this region. In an interview with Politika, he points out that it is “nice to see that the West Balkans has become from a region that had to ‘import’ security a region that now ‘exports’ security,” whereby he announced that he will organize a high-level regional conference on UN peacekeeping missions in Belgrade in October. “We will invite from New York the head of UN peacekeeping missions, and we will also invite the ministries of defense, interior and foreign affairs of the West Balkan countries, as well as representatives of partner countries and organizations like the OSCE and NATO. We will then encourage the states to contribute more to missions, by sending soldiers individually, but also together in agreement with the neighboring countries. We think that the countries that used to be in war can now jointly send troops to peacekeeping missions, which will show how much this region has progressed and how big is Serbia’s leading role in directing this region in the right direction.”

The UN peacekeeping missions have changed over the past years by being directed now towards protecting civilians and fighting terrorism, but with the use of force?

“Today is (29 May) the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, and this is a day when we remember all those who gave their lives for establishing peace. Last year there were 106 peacekeepers who gave their lives in the service of peace. But, this is the day when we point out what the peacekeeping missions are doing and how this job is changing. As you have said, the challenges we are facing have changed, and so has the manner of establishing peace. Now we have 16 peacekeeping missions throughout the world in which 115,000 soldiers, policemen and civilians are taking part. Some of them are traditional missions of military observers who are monitoring the situation from the buffer-zones. Yet, many of them, especially those in Africa, are in the regions where there are still active battles, like Congo, Mali, South Sudan and the Central-African Republic (CAR). In order for the UN to stay relevant in preserving peace, it was decided that the UN Missions must be more robust. That is why we are now focusing on modernization of the peacekeeping job by having unarmed (unmanned) aerial systems that assist in gathering information. For example, we decided to have in Congo a brigade that will intervene and eliminate enemy rebel groups. You can do this only if you improve intelligence activity. There is no doubt that this increases the risk for the peace missions, but if we want the peace missions to be relevant for today’s conflicts and terrorism, we must do this. We are not changing the peace mission into war forces, but we are only crossing the borders of traditional peacekeeping missions.”

Where can the Serbian Army best contribute in these missions?

“Serbia is presently participating in UN peacekeeping missions with more than 200 soldiers and ten policemen. This might not seem much, but it is actually much if one takes into account the size of Serbia. That is why you are among the ten European countries that contribute most to UN missions. Your greatest contribution is in Lebanon and Cyprus. You can be proud on what your soldiers are doing, because they are highly respected professionals and well-trained and equipped. These are the real peacekeepers that we need for this more robust form of peacekeeping. That is why the UN expects even greater contribution by countries such as Serbia, because if we want to have higher risk missions we need well-trained and equipped professional soldiers and policemen.”

When you say that, do you have a specific mission in mind that the Serbian Army could join?

“Yes, they are the two latest operations. One is in CAR, where the situation is extremely difficult and very close to genocide. The other one was successfully established in Mali last year. These missions need the support of countries like Serbia that has qualified people. It is difficult to attract countries for these missions, because risks are significant. We would be grateful if Serbia would join since it has significant military expertise.”

How do you comment criticism of certain analysts who have pointed out these days that the Serbian Army is fighting against pirates and terrorists in Africa, while it is more necessary to be better prepared in Serbia for responding to floods?

“I think that the Serbian Army and the army in B&H have done a very good job in fighting against floods. There is no sense in withdrawing peacekeeping mission members since this would last too long, while the most dramatic part of flood-defense efforts are over. Of course, you can again estimate for what you are using your resources, but we hope that you will continue to participate in the UN peacekeeping missions and that you will help people throughout the world just as you have helped your own people at home.”

Apart from the gaining experience for soldiers, what are the benefits for a country that participates in missions? Is it possible to achieve economic interest as well?

“We never link peace missions with economic interest, but if you are in some field, you create contacts that will only help you if you wish to do certain projects. Still, we would like to point out more that by taking part in the UN peacekeeping missions you are improving the international image about yourself, because you contribute to the goals of the UN Charter. This is good training and gaining of international experience for soldiers and policemen. But, it is also necessary to mention the reimbursement mechanism, because when Serbia sends one soldier it receives slightly over $1000 for this engagement, so that its expenses are partially covered.”

 

Without real changes in B&H until next year

Last week’s meeting of the Peace Implementation Council in B&H, according to Peter Due, was discouraging because the members (Western countries and Russia) couldn’t agree on a joint statement. “What was clear at that meeting was that tensions around Ukraine have spilled over to B&H. What is clear is that there will be no significant changes until next year. The elections are in October, but it is unlikely that there will be any significant changes. Not only will we wait for the formation of the government in B&H, but also for changes in Brussels, who will replace Catherine Ashton and Stefan Fule, as well as whether the EU will develop a new approach towards B&H. All in all, nothing significant is expected to change until next year, and this is concerning considering the February socio-economic protests, but also current damages from the floods,” said Due.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

New chapter in relations between Serbia and Slovenia (Radio Serbia, by Suzana Mitic)

Serbia and Slovenia are tied by close relations, confirmed during the recent devastating floods that have struck Serbia, and there are no open issues between the two countries, it was stated by the presidents of the two states, Tomislav Nikolic and Borut Pahor, after the meeting in Belgrade. They have signed the declaration on deepening the friendly relations between Serbia and Slovenia in all fields. This is the first opportunity for Serbia to host the Slovenian President since that country became independent, said Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, adding that there is full consensus of the two governments with regards to the future actions. He has thanked Slovenia for the fastest possible reaction to the catastrophe that hit us and for the help that the state and its citizens have extended. “Slovenia has promised the full support to Serbia on the path of European integrations, because they wish to see us in the community of European peoples. Slovenia is a big investor in Serbia, and more than one thousand economic subjects in our country were based on the Slovene investments. Serbia is a good partner due to the fact of having privileged position in some markets around the world, while Slovenia has the merchandise that we can offer in those markets together,” the Serbian President stressed.

Nikolic has expressed belief that nothing can interfere with the good relations of the two countries. Slovene and Serbian leaderships strive to make their citizens live better than now, and with that goal in mind we must not miss any of the chances, so we will do everything to have our relations develop for the mutual benefit of the citizens on both sides,” he underlined.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor has expressed sincere condolences and solidarity with Serbia and its citizens in the difficult moments, and said that Slovenia would continue helping in mitigating the consequences. He has assessed this visit as the turning point and opening of a new chapter in the relations between the two countries. We wish the political relations to stay good, and the economic ones to get more momentum, Pahor added, while especially emphasizing the need for the joint appearance in the third markets.

Slovenia is an ally of Serbia on its European course, Pahor pointed, while expressing the wish to see Serbia making faster progress on that path, in which Slovenia will offer the expert, administrative, logistical and technical support. He conveyed pleasure for seeing the flags of Slovenia and Serbia in the Belgrade streets and for having the opportunity to address the MPs of the Serbian Assembly.

In response to reporters’ questions, Nikolic has said that Slovenia and Serbia do not agree on certain issues, such as the recognition of the so-called independence of Kosovo or introduction of sanctions to Russia, but it does not affect the bilateral relations. As part of his stay in Serbia, the Slovenian President will visit the flood affected areas tomorrow.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbs in Kosovo north suspend pre-election activities (Xinhua, 29 May 2014)
Serb mayors complained about the presence of Kosovo "state symbols" in the ballots
The mayors of four Serb-dominated municipalities in the north of Kosovo, Mitrovica north, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok suspended on Wednesday all pre-election activities for June 8 general elections.
The reason behind is their disagreement with some of the latest decisions of Kosovo's Central Election Commission (CEC).
The decision for suspending pre-election activities occurred on the day when the election campaign for early parliamentary officially started.
According to the four mayors in the north, the recent CEC decisions clearly violated the laws on elections as well as the minority rights.
"Taking into account the changes of CEC which relate to the composition of the councils of voting centers, which were obtained contrary to the ethnic composition of the population in our municipalities, but also to lists, as well as in line with the regulations in force which provides CEC timelines and guidelines, we've decided to suspend all the election activities for an indefinite period," read a press release signed by the four mayors.
According to them, Albanians are eligible to be part of elections councils in polling centers in the north, thus the same should be applied also for Serbs interested to be part of councils in the south of Kosovo.
Another complain of the four Serb mayors is the presence of Kosovo "state symbols" in the ballots. They want a status neutral participation in elections therefore they do reject the presence of Kosovo's "state symbols."
"Given that the electoral process in all democratic countries is a unique one, a European standard is to have on the ballot only the symbols of the Election Commission," said the mayors.
They stressed that Serbs from the north want to take their fate into their own hands, and be part of the elections, but what the CEC is doing, according to them, is an example of "racism and discrimination."
They offered Pristina electoral authorities some time to reconsider these decisions, otherwise they warned they will reconsider their participation in elections.
Serb political parties alongside Albanian and other communities' parties have been certified by the CEC for general elections. Serbs participation is regarded as a positive approach in the process of reintegration after years of separation between the two major communities in Kosovo.
Serbia categorically refuses to recognize Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, though most leading European countries and the United States have exchanged diplomats with Kosovo.
Kosovo is currently supervised by NATO peacekeepers and the European Union. In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians make up 90 percent of the population.  
Albanians Promised Jobs for Votes, Study Finds (BIRN, by Besar Likmeta, 29 May 2014)
A survey by the Institute for Development Research and Alternatives, IDRA, said many Albanian were aware of people being promised gifts or favours in exchange for votes in elections. “About 43 per cent of respondents declared they were aware of cases in which votes were promised in return for favours,” IDRA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Voting ‘to keep their current job’; to 'get a job after the elections’; and ‘in return for money or gifts’, are mentioned as frequent phenomena encountered by more than a third of the respondents,” it added.
The study, called “Freedom of Vote and Family Voting”, was based on a national survey of 2,000 respondents aged 18 years or older.
The objective was to elicit citizens’ opinion on different practices that might interfere with the freedom of voting, evaluate the occurrence of “family voting”, as well as understand and identify the factors behind such practices.
According to the survey, only 5 per cent of those who voted in the June 2013 parliamentary elections said they noticed cases in which the Voting Center Commission allowed more than one person into the voting booth.
The vast majority of respondents - 93 per cent - declared that they felt “completely free” when making their decisions on whom to vote for in the poll.  
The study also found that the majority of the population in Albania, especially women, take little interest in politics.
One in three respondents said they were “not at all interested” in politics while an additional 18 per cent had very low levels of interest in these matters.
Only 18 per cent of respondents declare themselves “very interested” in politics and government.
The study also found that civic engagement, measured in terms of respondents' declared membership of different political and civil society organizations, is weak.
Only 1 in 10 people declared they belonged to a political party, and only a negligible number declared their membership of a civil society organization or NGO.
Flood-hit Serbia Thanks Russia for Help (RIA Novosti, 29 May 2014)
MOSCOW - Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has thanked Moscow for helping the country with the aftermath of the devastating flood that hit Serbia earlier this month, Russia’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
“The Serbian minister extended his sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Russian Federation for the tremendous assistance that was rendered to cope with the catastrophic aftermath of the flood, including deliveries of humanitarian goods and rescue operations,” the Russian ministry said in a statement Thursday.
Ivica Dacic today met with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on the sidelines of the ongoing Non-Aligned Movement summit in Algeria. Foreign chiefs agreed to boost multilateral cooperation in various spheres.
In May, Serbia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, declared states of emergency and asked Russia and the European Commission for humanitarian assistance. Russian rescuers were on mission in the flood-hit region from May 16 to 26, evacuating about 3,000 people.
Three Russian emergency helicopters brought over 100 tons of humanitarian cargo, with additional 40 tons for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia floods unearth ‘war remains’ (AP, 28 May 2014)
SARAJEVO – Last week’s record flooding in Bosnia has uncovered human remains experts believe belong to people who went missing during the country’s 1992-95 war. Lejla Cengic of Bosnia’s Institute for Missing Persons said Tuesday that teams fixing power lines damaged by the floods discovered the remains near the northern town of Doboj after water receded.
She says the institute is hoping the remains belong to some of the dozens of people who have been missing since the war from the town of Maglaj — a few kilometers up the river Bosna from Doboj. Nearly 30,000 people went missing during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. One third of them have been found in mass graves, mostly in Bosnia.
Serb Fighters ‘Threaten’ Belgrade War Crimes Prosecutors (BIRN, by Denis Dzidic, 29 May 2014)
Belgrade prosecutors and police officials working on an investigation into the wartime killings of Bosniaks said that they have been threatened by former Bosnian Serb fighters.
The Serbian war crimes prosecution said on Thursday that it had been warned of possible retribution from the ‘Visegrad’ former Bosnian Serb fighters’ union over its joint inquiry with Sarajevo prosecutors into the kidnapping and killing of 19 Bosniak civilians from a train in Strpci in February 1993.
The Serbian prosecution said it had received “threats that the veterans will organise themselves if this ‘filthy game’ is not stopped”.
The warnings were a clear indicator that some members of the former fighters’ union are scared of being held responsible for the killings, the prosecution said in a statement.
It also accused local media of “publishing misinformation about the alleged kidnapping of witnesses and their children during the night and illegal and unauthorised searches through Visegrad”.
The Strpci inquiry is one of only a handful of investigations in which the Serbian prosecutors have been exchanging evidence with their Bosnian counterparts, after the two institutions signed a protocol to cooperate in war crimes probes last year. So far, there have been no indictments as a result of the agreement.
Bosnian state prosecutors issued a statement in support of their Serbian counterparts on Thursday, condemning the alleged threats.
“The Bosnian state prosecution is intensively cooperating with the Serbian war crimes prosecution in this investigation and assisting our colleagues from Serbia in discovering facts about this kidnapping and murder war crime of Bosniak passengers, who were Serbian citizens, who were taken from a train in Strpci in 1993,” the statement said.
The Bosnian prosecutors said that cooperation in this and other cases would continue despite the threats.
Hague Tribunal Frees Bosnian Serb War Criminal (BIRN, by Marija Ristic, 29 May 2014)
The international court released Ranko Cesic, an ex-policeman jailed for 18 years for ‘depraved’ crimes at a notorious detention camp near Brcko, after he served two-thirds of his sentence.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Wednesday granted early release to Ranko Cesic, who was convicted of torturing, raping and murdering Bosniak and Croat detainees at the Luka detention camp in 1992.
Cesic admitted killing 10 people, two of whom were beaten to death and the others shot dead, in a series of crimes that the court’s verdict said were committed with “depravity and cruelty”.
Theodor Meron, the president of the ICTY, said that Cesic had shown remorse and had cooperated with the international court’s prosecutors by testifying in other war crimes cases in The Hague.
“Although the crimes for which Cesic was convicted are very grave, Cesic’s completion of more than two-thirds of his sentence, his demonstrated signs of rehabilitation and his cooperation with the ICTY prosecution counsel are in favour of his early release,” Meron said in his decision.
Cesic, who was serving his sentence in Denmark, was eligible for early release from May 25, Meron said.
The ex-policeman, a former member of Bosnian Serb Territorial Defence forces, was arrested in 2002 in Belgrade and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2004 after pleading guilty to all the charges against him.
“Without any false sentiments, I wish to express my deep remorse for all the evil I have done. Words such as ‘remorse’ are insufficient to express what somebody like me feels,” he said in 2004.
“Before the trial, I pleaded guilty to the counts of the indictment, and I did my best to help the office of the prosecutor and the Tribunal to bring to light a small part of the overall truth, the part that refers to my actions,” he added.
Meron said that the Danish prison authorities had reported that Cesic had demonstrated signs of rehabilitation.
Cesic “feels ‘bad’ about the crimes of which he was convicted, regrets the actions he took and wishes he had acted differently”, Meron explained.
According to the Danish prison report, Cesic “looks forward to living in a democratic society”.
The report said that after his release, he will go to live with his wife and “will support himself through the income generated from the couple’s restaurants”.
Montenegro Watchdog Activists ‘Assaulted’ at Election Commission (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 28 May 2014)
Activists from the well-known Montenegrin watchdog MANS said they were manhandled at the Podgorica election commission when they tried to make a complaint about municipal poll violations.
The director of MANS, Vanja Calovic, along with activists Dejan Milovac and Vuk Maras, said they were assaulted on Tuesday by a municipal election commission officer to whom they were attempting to hand over complaints about alleged irregularities at the polls on Sunday.
“While my colleague Milovac was pushed out of the office, [the officer] jumped at me. He grabbed my arms and pushed me,” Calovic said.
“Some man locked us inside. I asked him for the key because he did not have the right to lock me in a state institution,” she added.
The police said they were investigating the incident.
About 500 MANS observers monitored Sunday's local elections and reported more than 400 irregularities.
MANS has been locked in a long-running conflict with Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS party, which it has accused of “shamelessly abuse state funds for personal promotion”.
In response, the DPS has accused MANS of working for the opposition and requested that foreign donors that fund the NGO "reconsider their support".
MANS is Montenegro's most influential non-governmental organization and addresses issues of corruption and organized crime.
It has published several reports and audio recordings in recent months which it claims prove “serious wrongdoing” by the DPS.
It has also made a series of allegations against Djukanovic's party connected to the municipal polls, accusing the DPS violating electoral law and of buying ID cards from opposition supporters in order to prevent them from voting.
The DPS has denied any wrongdoing and urged the state prosecutor to take action against "those responsible for waging a campaign of lies against the party".
Macedonia Opposition MPs Quit Parliament (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 29 May 2014)
All opposition MPs - bar one - who accused the government of electoral fraud during April's polls submitted written resignations to parliament on Wednesday, raising questions about what should now be done with the empty seats.
The 33 MPs from the opposition Social Democratic Party, SDSM, the Liberal Democrats, LDP, and the New Social Democrats, NSDP, have submitted formal resignations to the speaker of parliament.
They dispute the legitimacy of the April general and presidential elections and attribute the victory of Nikola Gruevski's VMRO DPMNE party to fraud.
“We will not participate in a parliament that does not reflect the real will of the people. No one can influence this standpoint of the opposition,” the SDSM head, Zoran Zaev told the media.
Only Roza Topuzovska-Karovska from the LDP did not tender her resignation. Topuzovska, whose party called her decision “political suicide”, was not available for comment.
“It is true that the battle should be waged within institutions but only when they function in a democratic ambient. The opposition must not be a mere decoration and an alibi to this regime,” the LDP said.
Earlier, Rufi Osmani, the resigning head of the small National Democratic Rebirth party, NDR, the only member of the party to become an MP, also returned his seat for the same reasons.
The resignations of the opposition MPs will not greatly affect the new parliament, as 89 of the 123 seats remain filled, which is more than two-thirds of them.
The ruling majority, led by the VMRO DPMNE party and the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, controls 81 of those seats.
Law professor Osman Kadriu said parliament should now declare the 33 MPs' mandates no longer valid and decide what to do with the empty seats.
“Calling additional elections only for the empty seats would not be legally possible,” he noted.
The opposition insisted that Gruevski's party won both the April general and presidential elections by fraud, and had demanded the formation of a caretaker government that would prepare the country for new elections.
The SDSM-led opposition cited post-poll statements by election monitors from OSCE/ODIHR election observers to back their stand.
The monitors said polling day on April 27 went smoothly but also that the election failed to meet key standards.
These concerned the separation of state and party activities, the existence of a level playing field between the parties, the neutrality of the media, the accuracy of the electoral roll and the possibility of gaining redress through an effective complaints procedure.
The European Union delegation to Macedonia and the US embassy in Skopje said it “echoed” these concerns.
At the same time, it urged political leaders to resolve the dispute before it further endangered the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration process.