LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: Serbia reliable partner and stability factor (Politika)

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Serbia would continue to be an important factor of regional stability and a reliable partner in international relations. At the conference in Salzburg, dedicated to the First World War, Dacic stressed that for Serbia Kosovo is the most important security issue and that Belgrade is dedicated to dialogue with Pristina and the implementation of the Brussels Agreement. At the panel discussion dubbed 2014: Modern trouble spots, Serbian Foreign Minister said that Serbia takes over the chairmanship of the OSCE in the delicate and complicated moment in the European region, and pointed that the involvement of the OSCE in resolving the Ukrainian crisis is another confirmation of the relevance of the organization. Dacic reiterated that all disputes in the world must be resolved peacefully.

 

Djuric: We are requesting a longer deadline for Ivanovic’s defense (RTS)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric expects the trial to Oliver Ivanovic to be fair and the defense team to be given enough time for an adequate preparation of the defense. “The request of the defense team is to extend the 30-day deadline,” Djuric told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). Djuric says that Ivanovic’s defense team needs an adequate time period to collect evidence and material, taking into account that the prosecution had 15 years to collect material. Djuric says that it would be good to accept defenses’ request for an extension of the 30-day deadline since there is a possibility of holding one more preliminary hearing. Djuric says that Ivanovic is in a fighting mood, for which he has the support of his family and associates, as well as the state of Serbia. He points out that Serbia stands not only with Ivanovic, but with other defendants in this process that affected politically the entire Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija. “We are requesting first of all that they are released pending trial, since there is not one serious legal argument for them to be detained any further… I think it is very important to conduct this procedure in a fair manner and not to have distancing of our people and institutions that are the holders of the judiciary in the province,” stressed Djuric. Speaking about cooperation with EULEX, Djuric says that one should talk with them and pointed out that Kosovo Serb representatives had requested a meeting with them. “Our representatives would like to meet as soon as possible, and these issues and problems need to be resolved since this is in our interest. Also, the extreme moves where EULEX is compared with the Nazi regime are not in the interest of the Serb community,” stressed Djuric. He added that this didn’t mean that EULEX didn’t bear the greatest responsibility for this kind of antagonism, concern and fear. Speaking about the support to the Serb (Srpska) list for the election of Isa Mustafa, Djuric said that the Serbs in the southern province haven’t had so far any sort of influence on the institutions and that now they are seeking a partner with whom they could project their influence. “There is no Kosovo government without the Serb list. Their representatives are looking for a partner among the Albanian parties to stop the criminal privatization and who will enable the creation of the Union of Serb Municipalities,” stressed Djuric. Speaking about the continuation of the dialogue in Brussels on 4 September, Djuric pointed out that they will discuss informal topics, such as crossings, energy, telecommunications, but that we need to wait for the formation of the institutions in Kosovo and Metohija for a breakthrough of political topics.

 

The Association of Families of Missing Persons in Kosovo seeks justice for Serb victims (Tanjug)

The Association of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Kosovo and Metohija submitted to the Serbian Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes the list of demands for the prosecution of Albanian criminals that the members of the Association believe to be responsible for the death and disappearance of their loved ones. Representative of the Association Snezana Brankovic said that the Prosecutor’s Office received names of the dead and missing, and names of their kidnappers and criminals. The Association requested of the Prosecutor’s Office to disclose the names of the criminals, the number of indictments, the number of prosecuted persons, as well as the number of trials that ended in conviction, said Brankovic. On the wall at the Special Court in Belgrade, the Association hung placards with names and photographs of 2,500 missing and murdered civilians, soldiers and police from Kosovo.

 

Miscevic: Brussels requests solidarity from Serbia (Blic)

The Head of the Serbian negotiating team for the EU negotiations Tanja Miscevic explains in an interview for Blic what does Brussels request from Serbia regarding Russia. “They defined this as an issue of solidarity or active neutrality. They understand that our position is specific and that Serbia, due to its foreign political and economic interests wishes to keep the situation where it will not introduce sanctions to Russia, but that it is ready to accept, until the moment of becoming an EU member, all obligations stemming from membership, including the EU foreign and security policy.”

Do we depend from Pristina?

“The states that had negotiated membership before us never encountered the fact that some country that is not an EU member should be a criterion of their progress. It is in the interest of all sides to open Chapter 35 as soon as possible, because it is composed of monitoring the implementation of everything that was agreed.”

When?

“I believe that it will be opened by the end of the year. The first possibility is in October, and the other in December.”

Will Chapter 35 contain conditions for full normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations, including the obligation for Serbia not to prevent Kosovo from becoming part of European and international organizations?

“Only conditions that exist in the EU legal heritage are defined in the negotiating process, and such a rule doesn’t exist. So far, there was no discussion on Pristina’s participation in international organizations. If these issues are opened in the future, this will occur through the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and not in Chapter 35.”

That means that “Brussels 2” will be organized?

“That is a colloquial name. The Serbian government has clearly pointed out that it is interested in the issue of property, protection of monasteries and cultural heritage. The issue of overall normalization of relations is even further in the future, while Belgrade and Pristina will define through dialogue what will this practically mean.”

 

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

B&H Council of Ministers didn’t fulfill obligations (Nezavisne novine)

The B&H Presidency requested the B&H Council of Ministers and all other competent institutions in B&H to accelerate activities and invested efforts so flood-hit areas could be reconstructed as soon as possible. The statement by the Presidency reads that it is necessary to accelerate procedures for directing money collected at the international donors’ conference and to pay attention to urgent needs of the endangered population and the damage occurred. “The B&H Council of Ministers has not fully realized the past conclusions of the Presidency regarding the recovery of flood-hit areas and it has been requested to fully realize these conclusions and to inform the B&H Presidency,” states the Presidency. In order to accelerate the recovery, it was decided to engage the B&H Armed Forces in Bratunac, Celinac, Zepce, Osmaci, Janja, Srebrenica and Kostajnica. The Presidency also accepted the amendment to the Agreement on Grants between B&H and the U.S. that envisages that $10 million must be directed for the reconstruction of schools and kindergartens. The Presidency also accepted the invitation for participation in the inauguration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday, and the Chair of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic will attend the ceremony. The B&H delegation will be headed by the Republika Srpska member in the B&H Presidency Nebojsa Radmanovic at the 69^th session of the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September.

 

Radoncic: Along with property cards, SBB will also request family cards (Dnevni avaz)

In a crowded hall of the Bosnian cultural center in Tuzla, where along with 700 filled seats the same number of people also stood, 300 party cards were handed over to the new members of the SBB-Fahrudin Radoncic. New thousand members have been registered since April to this day. After the supporters were addressed first by Fuad Hadzimehmedovic, Zijad Mahmutovic, Sanel Razic and Mirsad Donlagic, the SBB leader and candidate for the Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Fahrudin Radoncic also appeared, followed by ovations. “They said that Tuzla was red, then green, and following the large citizen rebellion in B&H that you led against the incompetent government at the beginning of February, you are a free Tuzla! You demonstrated civic courage on which I congratulate and thank you. They insulted you by calling you terrorists, junkies and hooligans, while you are only disenfranchised people robbed and humiliated by the insatiable authorities. That is why I was and remain on your side – with the people!” Radoncic started his speech, and continued: “The SDA-SDP government destroyed the B&H state stability, its economic foundations and created a society for friends and relatives. Along with 560,000 unemployed, 200 more people get sacked every day, and so many families continue to starve. We are completely lagging behind on the European path, because the current government didn’t have the strength to move the country forward. For the federal government, which caused immeasurable damage to the Federation of B&H with its incompetency and corruption, it can be said that it was a greater economic disaster than the disastrous floods,” said Radoncic. He stressed that Bakir Izetbegovic has been constantly demonstrating that he is making from B&H a pendant of radical ideologies and exposes complete inability except when at issue are his closest associates and party friends. Following the October elections, B&H will not be the state of several very powerful families, but it will become an economically potent country with an equal chance for all of its citizens. From primitive feudalism and the manner of this government these people deserve Western democracy and full economic opportunity, where our national and religious affiliation is not questionable at all,” said Radoncic.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Yugoslav General to Serve War Crimes Term in Finland (BIRN, By Milka Domanovic, 27 August 2014)

Former Yugoslav Army general Nebojsa Pavkovic, convicted of murders and deportations in Kosovo in 1999, will serve his 22-year sentence in Finland, rather than in Serbia as Belgrade would like.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) announced on Tuesday that former Yugoslav Army general Nebojsa Pavkovic, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January, will be sent to a prison in Finland despite requests from Serbia for war crimes convicts to serve their jail time at home.

Pavkovic was convicted along with another Yugoslav Army general, Vladimir Lazarevic, former Yugoslav deputy prime minister Nikola Sainovic and former Serbian police general Sreten Lukic, who were found guilty of the murder, deportation and inhumane treatment of Kosovo Albanians in 1999.

An appeal in January upheld the initial verdict on the four men in 2009, when the court found that “there was a broad campaign of violence directed against the Kosovo Albanian civilian population conducted by forces under the control of the [Yugoslav] and Serbian authorities, during which there were incidents of killing, sexual assault, and the intentional destruction of mosques”.

Finland has indicated its willingness for Pavkovic to serve his jail term there, said the decision by the Hague Tribunal’s president, Theodor Meron, which was made on March 13 but only published on Tuesday.

Serbia has asked several times to become one of the countries in which the ICTY convicts can serve their sentences.

But according to the United Nations, which set up the Hague court, people convicted of war crimes should not serve their sentences in their country of origin.

The Serbian government said in May last year that UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon had filed a request to the Hague Tribunal to determine whether it is possible to fulfil Belgrade’s demand for Serbian convicts to serve their sentences at home.

The final decision, according to the ICTY’s rules, can only be made by the UN Security Council.

Pavkovic will remain in The Hague’s custody until he is transferred.

 

 A Bosnia-type settlement would hurt Ukraine (London Daily Telegraph, By Charles Crawford, August 26, 2014)

It's late August. Western politicians are trickling back to their offices, glumly hoping that while they were away some of the problems bothering them at the end of July have sorted themselves out. Alas for them, the Ukraine imbroglio is still here.

Kyiv wants to end armed resistance in the east once and for all, and has made important progress toward achieving that. Russia has recently been scrambling to avoid the fiasco of the "rebels" in eastern Ukraine collapsing completely and has been forced to send soldiers into Ukraine openly. Moscow's military moves are an invasion of a European sovereign state whose borders touch several EU members, an unambiguous act of aggression under the UN Charter. Some of these hapless troops have been captured and Russia is reduced to blathering that its personnel are in Ukraine "by accident."

Amid this mayhem, Petro Poroshenko, the Ukrainian president, has called for new parliamentary elections in October as the already weak economy deteriorates. And high-level diplomacy continues. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Poroshenko have met in Minsk at a gathering featuring other heads of former Soviet republics, with senior EU figures in the margins.

Before this encounter, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, visited Kyiv to have a heart-to-heart talk with Poroshenko. Poland is watching keenly: a senior Polish foreign policy adviser warns that Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are so dependent on Russian natural gas supplier Gazprom that they are like "rabbits in the desert paralyzed by the stare of the snake."

How should Western capitals respond as the Kremlin digs in? EU and U.S. sanctions will cost the Russian economy staggering losses in the years to come, but even targeted sanctions are slow and imprecise. And Russia's economic base is healthier than Ukraine's. The uncertainty and ill will these measures create hit ordinary Ukrainians, too. In these conditions, can a deal be done to end the crisis?

Russia's "principled demands" are unchanged: that Ukraine stay independent of all "blocs"; that Ukraine's eastern areas get radical autonomy allowing them special economic relations with Russia; and that Ukraine kisses Crimea goodbye.

A settlement that Russia probably favours is the Bosnia-ization of Ukraine. Ukraine loses Crimea, where Russia wins all, but pretends that the issue is still open: "let future generations decide." Otherwise, Ukraine's territorial integrity is preserved on paper, but some regions have something like the autonomy given to Republika Srpska, the "Serbian" entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

These areas could then be merged into Russia's economic and political space as Moscow decides, but through them the Kremlin also would enjoy an effective veto on strategic choices made in Kyiv. Obviously it's humiliating for Ukraine to accept anything like this.

 

Outlook For Bosnian Job-seekers Remains Grim (BIRN, By Eleanor Rose, 27 August 2014)

Tens of thousands Bosnians lost their jobs since this year began, and the latest employment figures show that the labour market remains stagnant.

Almost 35,000 people in Bosnia lost their jobs in the first half of this year, new figures published by the Agency for Labour and Employment show.

Statistics published in late August reveal that 34,605 became unemployed from January to June, approximately 5 per cent of the total workforce.

In the same period, the Agency reported that 47,443 jobs were filled. However, experts caution that many of the new jobs created were seasonal or related to short-term contracts on flood-related projects.

The number of registered unemployed increased slightly from May to June, from 544,594 to 545,362, slightly down on the January total of 557,314.

Compared to January 2013, January 2014 saw a 0.5 per cent increase in the number on the unemployment register in Bosnia.

Jasmin Mujanovic, a PhD candidate in political science, said the figures were cold comfort for the unemployed and for those stuck in precarious or seasonal work.

“Depending on how you want to crunch [the numbers], the unemployment figure for the last 20 years has been either somewhere in the forties or the high twenties, depending on whether you include the [informal] 'grey' economy.”

Mujanovic said he expected the situation to worsen, both in the short and long-term. He pointed to the fact that summer jobs will end soon and flood relief projects will be completed.

“Bosnia's public budget is funded by IMF loans. That bill is going to come due at one point or another. When it does, there’s no telling what will happen,” he said.

The Agency for Labour and Employment put the figure of registered unemployed at the end of June at 43.5 per cent.

 

Karadzic Requests US General’s ‘Muslim Attack’ Evidence (BIRN, By Denis Dzidic, 27 August 2014)

Former Bosnian Serb president Radovan Karadzic has asked the Hague Tribunal to accept new evidence from a US Army cable alleging that only Bosniak troops attacked UN peacekeepers.

Karadzic filed a motion to the UN-backed court on Wednesday asking it to reopen the evidence presentation process in his trial to include the US Army cable which he believes will aid his defence by showing Bosniaks were the aggressors.

Karadzic’s motion said that the cable from US Brigadier General James Jones in 1993 alleges that “Muslims were responsible” for all casualties among UNPROFOR (UN peacekeeping troops) in Bosnia.

“This piece of evidence is relevant for the defence, because it shows that Bosnian Muslims are responsible for sniper and shelling incidents, which are described in the indictment. This document fits into the defence’s strategy, because it offers evidence by an independent third party, which confirms the [defence] witnesses’ allegations,” the motion said.

The presentation of evidence in Karadzic’s trial has already ended and closing statements are scheduled for the end of September.

Also on Wednesday, the Hague prosecution asked the Tribunal to allow it to reopen its evidence presentation process in Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic’s trial, so it can present the judges with forensic evidence from a mass grave at Tomasica near Prijedor, which was discovered last year.
The prosecutors said they wanted to introduce evidence about the 275 whole bodies and more than 100 body parts found in the mass grave.
“These new pieces of evidence are very relevant for the accusations related to a joint criminal enterprise aimed at removing the non-Serb population from municipalities under Serb control by committing crimes and genocide,” the prosecution’s motion alleged.

“These pieces of evidence confirm the [Bosnian Serb Army’s] important role in murders, burial and concealing of murders of non-Serb civilians in Prijedor,” it said.

The prosecution has already finished setting out its case in Mladic’s trial, and the presentation of defence evidence is currently underway.
Mladic and Karadzic are on trial in separate cases for genocide in Srebrenica and seven other towns, the persecution of non-Serbs, terrorising the population of Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

 

West Balkans PMs flag up Adriatic highway (Journal of Turkish Weekly, 26 August 2014)

Ahead of a joint meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, leaders of Albania, Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro agreed that a highway running through all four countries is their priority project.
Ahead of an important German-hosted meeting in Berlin on Thursday, the Prime Ministers of Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Montenegro met on Monday in Cavtat, Croatia, to discuss the planned construction of an Adriatic-Ionian highway.
The highway will connect Central and Western Europe with Greece through the Western Balkans, running down the coast.
Zoran Milanovic of Croatia held a short working session with the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, Montenegro's leader, Mile Djukanovic, and the President of Bosnia's Council of Ministers, Vjekoslav Bevanda.
The regional leaders agreed that the highway, which will require outside funding, is a priority that will help all their economies.
Milanovic said the motorway would also assist Kosovo, which was not represented at the meeting.
“If this road is built and goes all the way to Albania, millions of vehicles will pass through Croatia,” Milanovic said, pointing to the financial benefit for his own country.
Addressing the city of Dubrovnik's connections with the rest of Croatia, Milanovic pointed that the highway would reach Dubrovnik through Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Noting that Milanovic has also offered help to neighbouring countries in their negotiations with EU, Djukanovic of Montenegro thanked his host for promoting regional cooperation.
“The Adriatic-Ionian corridor is very important corridor and a priority for the development of our region,” Djukanovic said.
Bosnia's Bevanda praised the meeting for building trust and said it was useful "for setting standpoints and priorities before going to Berlin.
“This corridor is something good for all of us, which will connect us with each other, and will help develop the infrastructure of BiH and our economy,” Bevanda added.
This meeting follows earlier meetings in Cavtat and Dubrovnik in mid-July, when the presidents of the Western Balkan countries, along with the presidents of Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo met to discuss possible cooperation and joint projects.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel briefly visited one of these informal meetings, promising a subsequent formal meeting under German sponsorship.

On Thursday, Merkel, along with German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier, will host the Balkan prime ministers and their economy and foreign ministers in Berlin, where unresolved questions and the possibility of joint projects will be discussed.

 

Macedonian budget debate degenerates into blows (Associated Press, 27 August 2014)

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) A debate over Macedonia's budget has degenerated into a fist-fight in a parliamentary committee, with lawmakers from rival ethnic Albanian parties pushing and punching each other while reportedly trading insults. Local media reported one lawmaker sought medical treatment for an eye injury.

It was unclear what sparked Tuesday's brawl between lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party of Albanians, or DPA, and the Democratic Union for Integration, or DUI, which is part of the governing coalition. Footage aired by local media showed about seven deputies joining the fray.

Parliament's security intervened and separated the fighting lawmakers.

DPA chief coordinator Imer Aliu said the party would be walking out of parliament until the legislature initiates proceeding against the DUI lawmakers, while DUI called for an immediate inquiry into the incident.

 

Albania Starts Shifting Weapons to Iraqi Kurds (BIRN, By Besar Likmeta, 27 August 2014)

Tirana has started transferring large caches of weapons and ammunition to Iraqi Kurds, to help them stem the advance of Islamic State Sunni militants.

A source in Albania's Ministry of Defence, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told BIRN that weapons transfer had begun following a government decision earlier this month.

At least one C-17 US Air Force transport plane, commonly used for the transfer of weapons and ammunition, was seen leaving Tirana’s Mother Teresa Airport on Sunday.

Under a decision taken on August 15 and published in the official gazette on Tuesday, Albania intends to transfer 22 million rounds of AK-47 7.62 millimeter bullets, 15,000 hand grenades and 32,000 artillery shells of different calibers to Kurdish forces in Iraq.

Tirana also announced that it is donating 10,000 model-56 Kalashnikov automatic rifles to Afghanistan.

The donations are part of an international drive to help the embattled Iraqi Kurds curb the Sunni militants of Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL, who have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and committed numerous atrocities - the latest being the beheading of a captured US journalist, James Foley.

In a statement on Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, said that seven Western governments in addition to the United States have pledged to provide weapons and ammunition to Kurdish forces.

"In addition to support from the US, and the central government of Iraq in Baghdad, seven additional nations - Albania, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom - have committed to helping provide Kurdish forces urgently needed arms and equipment," Hagel said.

"Operations have already begun and will accelerate in the coming days with more nations also expected to contribute," he added.

The Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL, was founded in the early years of the Iraq war, becoming known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

The militant Islamist organisation is fighting to establish a Sunni Caliphate in the Middle East. The US recently launched air strikes to halt its advance into the Kurdish region, which has taken in hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christian and Yazidi refugees.