LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: I am prepared to go to Srebrenica; I believe in good results in Brussels (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a press conference that the Serbian government cannot support the resolution on Srebrenica, but added that he is nevertheless prepared to go to Srebrenica and pay homage to Muslim and Bosniak victims. He notes that the draft resolutions arriving have not contributed to reconciliation in the region, but only inflamed passions. Addressing Bosniaks, Vucic especially pointed out that they have an extended hand from the Serbian government and him with which they need to make peace in the region over the future of next generations. He noticed that the situation is becoming complicated from the financial situation in Greece, terrorist activities in Macedonia and the unstable situation in B&H and because of all this, he added, things are, unfortunately, getting complicated for us. “When you add to this the arrest of Naser Oric and Ramush Haradinaj, then it becomes a little strange how everything is occurring in a short period of time, right before the resumption of talks on 23 June in Brussels and 20^th anniversary of marking the crimes in Srebrenica on 11 July,” said the Prime Minister.

Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Prime Minister said that 23 June, when the dialogue resumes in Brussels, is an important day for Serbia. “I cannot tell you whether we will reach agreement or not, this depends on the solutions to be proposed.  It will be a difficult day but I believe that we will come with good results,” said Vucic. He added that the Serbian side in Brussels will fight for national interests, entire Serbia and the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs. He said that the acceleration of opening chapters depended from 23 June, but also the general economic climate, because creating political stability and safety is the most important condition for economic prosperity. He noted that technical talks were underway in Brussels and that the Serbian side was fighting to reach compromises. “I don’t like criticizing the other side, I can only say that it takes two for a successful result,” said Vucic.

 

EU proposal for Mitrovica probably to be accepted by both sides in dialogue (Novosti)

The proposal for a solution for the main bridge over the Ibar River, presented by the EU Special Representative in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar to Belgrade and Pristina representatives should be acceptable for both sides, Novosti has learned. Unofficially, the mayors of the northern and southern parts of Kosovska Mitrovica who are taking part in the talks in Brussels “have demonstrated great cooperation”. “We cannot give out details, because the talks have not ended. The procedure requires that the content of the proposal can be announced only when and if both sides agree on it,” Zbogar’s spokesperson Stojan Pelko told Novosti. Ensuring freedom of movement over this bridge is one of the Berlin-Brussels conditions to open the first negotiating chapters on Serbia’s EU membership.

 

Trapara: U.S. undermining the Dayton Accords and UN Resolution 1244 (Radio Serbia, by Mladen Bijelic)

We have often heard that, at the key moments, when power was being redistributed in the world, Serbia lost a huge amount of precious time, misestimated the situation and failed to timely take sides. According to many analysts, that was exactly the reason why we lost a powerful ally in the U.S. and got an even more powerful enemy instead. Thereby the whole blame is laid on Serbia. However, according to Vladimir Trapara, from the Institute for International Politics and Economy in Belgrade, that is not exactly the case. At a gathering on U.S.-Serb relations, Trapara said that the key influence on the subsequent relations had been exerted by events of the late 1980s, when the Cold War was about to end and was eventually won by the Americans. It was on the basis of that victory that the U.S. formed a new world order of its own choice, says Trapara. According to Trapara, the U.S. had visions of certain regional orders, including the Balkan one. He believes that the continuous U.S. pressure that ensued later was due to the fact that the world’s only super power did not want to see a freely united Serbian nation taking the position formerly occupied by SFR Yugoslavia. As it was unable to finish everything during the wars of the 1990s, when they were always on the side of Serbian enemies, the U.S. agreed to two compromises, with a view to continually undermining them in peace time. Those two were the Dayton Accords, whereby the Republika Srpska was formed although the U.S. had conceived a unitary Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which did not envisage an independent Kosovo, explains Vladimir Trapara. The U.S. idea was to have those compromises last only a short while and to gradually undermine them, which the U.S. has been actually doing for the last 15 years, trying to obtain consent from Serb political leaders to realize their concept. In that process, they achieved progress (when Resolution 1244 is concerned) with the recognition of independence of Kosovo in 2008 and later with the Brussels Agreement, but the ultimate goal, an independent Kosovo, has not been realized yet. As for the Republika Srpska, the ultimate goal of the U.S. is to annul it or, at least, to have its major competences reduced. Therefore big pressure is currently being exerted, especially on the Serbian leadership, to agree to the full realization of the U.S. design, says Trapara. Whether we will be able to fight that depends on many circumstances, but it is in the interest of Serbs not to give in either on the Kosovo issue or on the issue of the Republika Srpska, stresses Vladimir Trapara.

 

Moral lessons of the “Oric” and “Haradinaj” cases (Politika, by Jelena Cerovina)

Even though all competent international courts have established that Serbia didn’t commit genocide in Srebrenica, as professor Tibor Varadi reminds, the West is constantly exerting pressure on Serbian officials to once again pay homage to the Srebrenica victims and thereby show their attitude towards the 1995 massacre. Obviously the declaration of the Serbian parliament of March 2010, which mostly sharply condemned the crime against the Bosniak population, was still not enough.

Why are they insisting constantly on Belgrade’s link with this crime and why can’t Belgrade, in the eyes of some neighbors and Western countries, win the right to distance itself from Srebrenica?

Perhaps a better question would be how relevant the argument is at all that international courts acquitted Serbia of being guilty of genocide if one knows that these courts acquitted also Naser Oric and Ramush Haradinaj. Namely, it is amazing that Belgrade is expected to at least admit the moral responsibility for the crime, while none of those who are pressuring every new Serbian leadership to face in Srebrenica the Serbian responsibility for the massacre, do not have even remotely similar expectations from Haradinaj and Oric. Moreover, they are mentioned in some European capitals over the past days as innocently detained people.

The vast majority of citizens in Serbia consider both Oric and Haradinaj responsible for war crimes. They have actually become the symbols of impunity for crimes committed against Serbian civilians.

When the Hague Tribunal revoked in 2006 the two-year first instance verdict to Naser Oric (for which former president Boris Tadic said it was a verdict for the thieves in a supermarket), it was noted that serious crimes were committed against the Serbs in Srebrenica in the period between September 1992 and March 1993, but that evidence that the crimes were committed was not enough for sentencing an individual. At the same time, they considered as mitigating circumstances for Oric “certain cooperation with the prosecution” and his “certain remorse”, and “general circumstances prevailing in Srebrenica at the end of 1992 and 1993”. Especially surprising was the observation of the judges that Oric, who was the war commander of this region, “didn’t know about the crimes against the Serbs that occurred in Srebrenica”. The indictment charged him for inhumane conduct towards 11 Serbs in Srebrenica and the murder of seven, while the units under his command were accused of the assault on 50 Serbian villages and the expulsion of their population. Nobody has ever been held accountable for these crimes.

Haradinaj was also acquitted according to the same matrix. In his case, the Tribunal established that there were crimes against the Serbs in the Jablanica camp, but that the three indicted, former KLA commanders, including Haradinaj, were not responsible. As it was adjudicated, “there is no credible evidence that Haradinaj knew about the crimes committed in Jablanica”. So that nobody has ever been held accountable for the crimes against the Serbs in Kosovo.

The culprits have also not been found for the crimes against the Serbs in Croatia. Following the 24-year first instance verdict, the second instance panel nevertheless observed that Ante Gotovina is not responsible for the crimes in the “Storm” and that the “Storm” “was not a joint criminal enterprise aimed at expelling the Serbs from the Knin Krajina”.

The fact that Oric, Haradinaj and Gotovina and many others have not been punished doesn’t mean that Belgrade should also adopt the Hague standards and cease to expect for someone to at least pay homage to the Serbian victims.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Ivanic not going to Srebrenica (Glas srpske)

The Chairman of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic has stated that, following the cancelling of the visit of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic to Sarajevo and the competition with resolutions, it is unrealistic for any Serb representative to be present in Srebrenica on 11 July. “I also don’t intend to go there in this atmosphere, although I was ready to go. This is not anymore an issue of victims and respect towards them, this is a political struggle that is returning B&H to a state of war, and I don’t want to participate in that,” said Ivanic. He added he has warned the ambassadors of the key countries that those who will write the resolution will bear responsibility for the consequences. “Some countries didn’t take part in that. Great Britain reamined and today we have a much worse situation than before,” said Ivanic.

 

Ivantsov: Consistent Russian policy in regard to Srebrenica (Srna) 

The politics of the Russian Federation is consistent regarding Srebrenica and it is unacceptable to accuse one people in B&H of genocide, the Russian Ambassador to B&H Petr Ivantsov told Srna. “The term genocide, or more precisely, the crime of genocide, was used by the ICTY in the case of general Radoslav Krstic who was in charge of the armed forces in Srebrenica,” Ivantsov said. He said that after this ruling, genocide charges continued to multiply, which is not right particularly having in mind the role of all the peoples in the B&H war. “Everything is now happening in the context of a commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of the Srebrenica events and a way how the international community wants to mark these events,” Ivantsov said. He said that talks in the UN about a draft resolution, headed by Great Britain, are in progress. “These talks are now, I believe, in a well-advanced phase, although I am not sure that UN Security Council members met in order to consider this issue. I know that the text of this draft resolution is circulating and I should speak of this with great care since this is something that is currently being discussed,” Ivantsov said. The Russian Ambassador stressed the fact that all Serbian representatives in B&H are united in a position that the resolution, as it was presented, does not serve reconciliation and will not contribute to inter-ethnic relations in the country, and that it is even detrimental to the processes in B&H. “I am certain that this will be taken into account when this resolution is in the focus of the UN Security Council,” Ivantsov said. The Russian Ambassador touched the various proposed resolutions before the Republika Srpska Parliament, the B&H Parliament, the European Parliament and even before the U.S. Congress, stressing that he did not see the texts of these documents but that it seems to him that the issue of Srebrenica has become very politicized. “To accuse one of the constituent peoples in B&H is absolutely wrong. Crimes were committed on all sides, and Srebrenica is a place where respects are being paid to Bosniak victims. But on the 20^th anniversary of the events in Srebrenica, one should not neglect the innocent victims from among others, that is, Serbs and Croats,” Ivantsov said. He added that he has a feeling that the resolution of the U.S. Congress, and a draft resolution before the B&H Parliament, whose text he did not see, are rather unilateral, which cannot be a foundation for constructive talks and decisions on reconciliation and this sensitive issue. “This is why while commemorating the 20^th anniversary of Srebrenica one should not forget other crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes against civilians which were committed,” Ivantsov said.

 

Ivanov invites party leaders to resume talks (Republika)

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov called on the leaders of the political parties to resume talks about the political agreement brokered by European Commissioner Johannes Hahn on 2 June. Ivanov said that talks could resume in the Office of the President. “I believe there will be a solution. No crisis can last forever. There is a tremendous pressure on Macedonia, and we might lose the recommendation to open accession talks with the EU, which means that the stakes are high. We need to encourage the leaders of the parties, who accepted to find a solution in talks witnessed by the European Commissioner and ambassadors”, Ivanov said in a TV interview on Wednesday evening. “Following this interview, my office is open to the leaders for talks. They are free to come tomorrow, to resume the talks”, President Ivanov said.

Part of the agreement included investigating some of the reform priorities, in rule of law and media freedom, under methodology used in European accession talks. On the other hand, Commissioner Hahn made it clear that if there is no political agreement, Macedonia could lose the recommendation for accession talks.

 

EU expects a constructive outcome from today’s meeting of political leaders (MIA)

The EU expects to see constructive actions coming from the meeting of the leaders of the four largest parties in Macedonia that is scheduled to begin shortly on Friday. EU spokesperson Maja Kocijancic said that she expects to see progress on implementing the agreement that was brokered by Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on June 2nd. “We believe that, in the interest of the country and its people, it’s necessary to reach a sustainable political compromise”, Kocijancic told the MIA correspondent in Brussels. EU Ambassador to Macedonia Aivo Orav is expected to attend the meeting, together with the US Ambassador Jess Baily. Kocijancic said she can’t confirm whether it’s possible to have another meeting in Brussels, this time with EU’s foreign and security policy chief Federica Mogherini, for next week. Kocijancic said that EU countries will discuss Macedonia on Monday, during a regular meeting of their Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg. This meeting is supposed to prepare conclusions about Macedonia’s further European integrations, which have been stalled by a Greek veto for years. Commissioner Hahn opened the prospect of working on two chapters, covering the rule of law and media freedoms, under the same methodology used in accession talks. But, on the other hand, failure to reach an agreement between the party leaders could put in jeopardy even Macedonia’s recommendation to open accession talks, which was given for each of the past six years.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

German parliament extends military mission in Kosovo (DW/AFP/dpa, 19 June 2015)

The German army will continue is 16-year service in the breakaway region of Kosovo. Parliament is set to approve two other foreign military missions, leaving thousands of German soldiers stationed abroad. The German army will continue is 16-year service in the breakaway region of Kosovo. Parliament is set to approve two other foreign military missions, leaving thousands of German soldiers stationed abroad. Germany's oldest ongoing military mission on foreign soil was extended by on Friday after an overwhelming majority in parliament, the Bundestag, voted in favor of keeping Bundeswehr soldiers in Kosovo. 532 parliamentarians voted for the measure, with only 60 voting against. The mission, called the Kosovo Force (KFOR), has been active in the former Serbian province since 1999. Currently, there are around 770 German soldiers stationed in the politically volatile, only somewhat internationally recognized state. The Bundestag approved plans for stationing up to 1,850 soldiers for the mission that will cost around 47 million euros (53.3 million dollars) in the next twelve months. On Friday, parliament also discussed the foreign missions in Mali and off the coast of Libya, which they are set to vote on soon. Both grand coalition parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) are known to support the continuation of these missions, making their approval almost certain. The Bundeswehr currently has a total of 2,600 stationed outside Germany.

 

Slovenia ‘Will Not Extradite’ Kosovo Ex-PM to Serbia (BIRN, by Una Hajdari, 19 June 2015)

Slovenia’s justice ministry said that Kosovo politician Ramush Haradinaj will not be extradited to Belgrade after he was detained in Ljubljana on a Serbian war crimes warrant. The Slovenian justice ministry decided on Thursday that wartime Kosovo Liberation Army commander and former prime minister Haradinaj will not be extradited to Serbia, no matter what a Slovenian court decides to do about the arrest warrant accusing him of war crimes during the 1998-99 conflict. “It is very important that the minister of justice has decided not to allow Haradinaj’s extradition, even if the court takes such a decision. This is because all the charges in the arrest warrant have been addressed by the Hague Tribunal,” said Slovenian Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec. Haradinaj was acquitted in 2012 by the Hague Tribunal of committing war crimes. But the Serbian war crimes prosecution is currently investigating him in three cases, accusing him of the killing of at least 60 people. The Slovenian court has decided that Haradinaj, who was detained at Ljubljana airport on Wednesday, must remain in the country until it processes “a complaint about the manner in which the arrest procedure for the citizen of Kosovo was carried out”, the Slovenian STA news agency reported. Only after this will any extradition request be considered, the court said. Haradinaj has insisted that the 2004 warrant is not valid. The arrest of Haradinaj, who served briefly as prime minister in 2004-2005 and now leads the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo party, has infuriated many people in Kosovo who consider him a hero for his role in fighting Serbian forces. Protesters gathered for a third day in front of the Slovenian embassy on Friday morning holding placards with slogans such as “Shame on Slovenia”. Some of Haradinaj’s staunch supporters had spent the night outside the embassy. Supporters of Pristina’s basketball club, Plisat, threw firecrackers at the premses of Slovenian companies in Pristina on Thursday, saying they wanted to burn down “everything that is Slovenian”. Albert Kastrati, the head of Plisat, said that “this will continue until Ramush is released”. The attacks were criticised by President Atifete Jahjaga. There have also been strong reactions in social media, with people posting photos of burned Ljubljanska Banka bank cards and spilled Alpsko milk, calling for a boycott of such Slovenian products. The Kosovo parliament meanwhile passed a resolution on Thursday calling for the immediate release of Haradinaj and his return to Kosovo. Parliament also decided to send a protest note to Ljubljana, a move that is seen as controversial as Kosovo enjoys good relations with Slovenia. Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci urged parliamentarians to reconsider, saying that “the problem is in Belgrade, not in Ljubljana”.

 

Surge of nationalism with terrorist manifestations observed in Balkans — Russian FM

(TASS, 19 June 2015)
Sergey Lavrov is meeting President of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik

ST. PETERSBURG. A surge of nationalistic sentiment has been observed in the Balkans, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday at a meeting with President of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik.

"It’s a good opportunity for me to exchange views on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Balkans in general, taking into account the clear surge of ethnic nationalism that we have observed, with terrorist manifestations in Zvornik and recently in Macedonia," the minister said. "In this context we certainly consistently pursue the line for the preservation of the main principles of the Dayton Accords," Lavrov said. Dodik for his part drew attention to the alarming situation caused by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation. He said that some 380 people from Bosnia and Herzegovina are involved in the IS hostilities. "This testifies to the threat to all of us," he said. Lavrov said the proposed UN Security Council’s resolution on Srebrenica will complicate the situation in the Balkans. "We have discussed the situation in the UN Security Council, where attempts are being made to push through a resolution timed for the 20th anniversary of the events in Srebrenica," Lavrov said. "The resolution’s tone is absolutely anti-Serbian. It interprets the events in an utterly wrong way even from the legal standpoint. Those events have been given the UN Security Council’s assessment." Lavrov believes that it may trigger more inter-ethnic frictions in the Balkans."

 

Serbian PM says ready to attend 20th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre (Reuters, 19 June 2015)

BELGRADE - Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, a former hardline nationalist during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, said on Friday he was willing to visit the site of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia to mark the 20th anniversary. "If Bosniaks want it, if it is not too hard for them ... I am ready to pay my respects to the Muslim and Bosniak victims of Srebrenica," Vucic told a news conference. "I will go there regardless of the risks."

More than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces when they overran the United Nations' 'safe haven' of Srebrenica in July 1995, in the worst mass killing on European soil since World War Two. (Writing by Matt Robinson; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

EU Solidarity Idea ‘Naive,’ Bloc Under Threat of Dissolution (Sputnik, by Anna Liatsou, 18 June 2015)

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Vojislav Seselj said that crucial financial difficulties are among the main reasons why member states might decide to exit the European Union and no "European solidarity" will prevent them from doing so.
MOSCOW — The concept of pan-EU solidarity is a "story for the naive," as the bloc is facing a number of unsolvable tasks that could lead to a mass EU exit, former Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Vojislav Seselj told Sputnik Thursday. "The EU has a conceptual problem and faces unsolvable tasks… Countries leaving the EU one-by-one is something we can expect. Greece is the first test," Seselj said. According to the politician, crucial financial difficulties are among the main reasons why member states might decide to exit the European Union and no "European solidarity" will prevent them from doing so. "The EU nearly emptied the wallets of its citizens and voters will increasingly look for someone who will stuff their wallets again. The EU cannot do it anymore, and solidarity within the EU is a story for the naive," Seselj said. According to Seselj, if European Union member states had any common ideology at all, it would be reflective of dominant right-wing political goals, while social justice and the rule of law merely favor the interests of private capital. "Social justice is in general used as a marketing trick that creates an illusion of freedom, satisfaction, high and guaranteed life standard," Seselj said. The European Union has witnessed a rise in popularity of Eurosceptic parties and movements. Earlier this week, a new anti-European Union bloc, "Europe of Nations and Freedoms," led by France's National Front was established in the European Parliament. "‘Euroscepticism’…that phenomenon is maintained, nurtured and controlled by the EU rulers… It cannot jeopardize anything, but can perhaps frighten," Seselj said, adding that the anti-EU movement has embarrassed itself "with the perception that it is a natural part of the EU system." According to the Serbian politician, European voters turn to anti-EU parties out of desperation, concerned with mounting problems such as the inflow of migrants. "Simply put, they are looking for political forces that could break the ‘European melting pot,’" Seselj said. According to Seselj, social problems could bring about a situation where a revolutionary Eurosceptic party could come to power in a EU state. "Yet it will still not be the determining blow that could defeat the Americanization of Europe. For the EU to dissolve it would need for states to start leaving the EU one-by-one by the will of the people. It is too early to talk about the voluntarily or arranged dissolution of the EU," he said. According to Seselj, one of the most significant problems Eurosceptic movements are facing today is their lack of recognized leadership. "Revolutionary Eurosceptics have no authorities among themselves, [they have] no real leaders or charismatic personalities, which to a great extent disables the political motivation of the majority and turns the revolt into an instant emotional discharge, as at football game," Seselj said. Also Vojislav Seselj noted that the so-called "EU ideology" is merely a product of forced Americanization that was imposed on Europeans after World War II, substituting traditional ideological differences between European parties. "The Americanization of Western Europe nullified the classical ideological distinction between political parties and political ideas…. Thus, the traditional ideological divisions were replaced by the imposed 'EU ideology' as an obligatory standard under which Americanization is concealed," Vojislav Seselj said. According to the Serbian politician, the Americanization of Europe started in 1945 and became especially obvious after the fall of the Berlin Wall. "The American melting pot is in Europe imposed as the ‘European melting pot,’" Seselj added. In January, more than 1000 people took part in an anti-Americanization rally in the German city of Erfurt. An ICM Research poll conducted for Sputnik and published on Tuesday, revealed that most Europeans believe that mass migration to the EU, the failure of governments to fulfill their promises and a general disillusionment with the European Union have been the main reasons behind the rise of anti-EU sentiment.

 

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ.  The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.