LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Serbia will take its own defense in UN Security Council (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has stated that Serbia will not allow to be trampled on by anyone, and added that the Serbs are showing their magnitude by being able to bow before other victims the same way they are bowing before their own. At the opening ceremony of a bridge near Topola, Vucic has stated that Serbia will take its own defense on the occasion of the British resolution on Srebrenica in the UN Security Council. Those who think it is enough to just threaten us and say we are the only ones to blame for what happened in the former Yugoslavia, while forgetting Jasenovac and Jadovno, and all other places of Serbs’ demise, they are actually just saying and showing who had caused the conflicts in these parts,” concluded Vucic.

 

Mihajlovic: Resolution on Srebrenica does not contribute to reconciliation (RTS)

On the occasion of the debate in the United Nations Security Council on the resolution on Srebrenica, the Head of the Office for Media Relations Milivoje Mihajlovic has told the morning broadcast of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) that the international community, i.e. the West, is deeply involved in the events of the B&H war. He pointed out that a good part of the blame was on both, i.e. all three sides, but that a large part of the blame was on the international forces that had the mandate to protect the population that was exposed to attacks. “The Balkans has taken the path of reconciliation and it is time to take the path of reconciliation,” said Mihajlovic. On the occasion of the upcoming visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Belgrade and other states in the region, Mihajlovic points out that Germany is seriously present in the Balkans, that Merkel will have something to tell the Balkan leaders and that these messages will motivate them to further cooperate and address remaining problems. Mihajlovic says that the Serbian government expects assistance from Germany, not only economic, but also assistance in resolving the problems in Kosovo and Metohija, i.e. the problems of the Kosovo Serbs. Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina talks, Miahjlovic announced that the dialogue will certainly resume, and that progress at present primarily depends from Pristina. Mihajlovic adds that this fear is justified, that the Union of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) is one of the most important agreements made during the Brussels dialogue, that the realization of this agreement has been on stand-by for two years and three months and that the ZSO is a step towards a more just resolution of the Kosovo problem.

 

Popovic: Resolution will not have lasting effect (Tanjug)

The resolution on Srebrenica will not have lasting effect, and its goal is to point to the need of strengthening the role of the centralized state in B&H, says former Serbian ambassador to Great Britain Dejan Popovic. However, he has assessed that the document itself could mean the temporary distancing in the relations of Belgrade and London. Several formulations in that resolution indicate the desire of Great Britain, and probably some other powers as well, to reinforce the functioning of the central state in Bosnia-Herzegovina, he specified.

 

Spasojevic: Attempt to bring resolution on Srebrenica to our interests (Tanjug)

The former Serbian ambassador to Turkey Dusan Spasojevic has said about the voting on the resolution in Srebrenica, scheduled for 7 July, that it is a delicate situation, so the events in the world need to be carefully observed, with more active participation. In this case, Spasojevic noted, Serbia has Russia on its side, but not everything should be left to their intervention. We ought to turn to other member-states, too. There are several countries that traditionally are inclined to support us, so we should strive to adapt the text of the resolution as much as possible to our interests, he underlined.

 

Opening of chapters depends on Belgrade-Pristina relations (Politika/Tanjug)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said on the eve of her visit to Belgrade that the opening of the negotiating chapters in the accession talks between Serbia and the EU is related to the progress in the relations of Belgrade and Pristina, but she also pointed to the progress made by the Balkan states. Merkel has also stated that the measures aimed at Kosovo entail the striving of both sides to move forward. After the remark that Serbia has not recognized Kosovo and the question about EU’s responsibility for the situation in the Balkans, the German Chancellor responded that the EU is accountable there. “We are holding our responsibility. I wish to remind that hundreds of soldiers are deployed in Kosovo, in order to diffuse the tensions between the Kosovo Albanians and the Serb minority there,” Merkel specified, adding that there is also the EULEX mission.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Passage of a resolution would mean a disintegration of B&H (Srna)

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said that only a failure of the UN Security Council to pass a resolution on Srebrenica can determine the path of B&H.  “The passage (of a resolution), regardless of the power of the UN Security Council, is a disintegration of B&H. Of course, we implore Russia to veto it,” Dodik said on Mount Mrakovica at an event marking the 73rd anniversary of the Battle on Kozara. He said that “a cunningly and skillfully written resolution” serves Bosniak politicians to slowly record the Serb people as the only people who committed genocide, after all genocides in the world. “But, even if this happens, let’s us ignore this! Let us say that this is not valid for us! We will not write in our books that which you want us to write and you will not threaten us with making this area an unstable area like the IMF has already been doing,” Dodik said. He added that no one can force Serbs out of B&H without forcing RS out, together with the people, calling on RS citizens to say ‘no’ to the B&H Court and Prosecutor’s Office in a referendum. “We humbly kept quiet when you took away our leaders, Gen. (Ratko) Mladic and President (Radovan) Karadzic. But it is not true that only they took part in this war, it is not true that only they have a command responsibility and it is not true that evil happened only here,” Dodik said. He said that regardless of the fact that he has constantly called for unity, there is a problem he must emphasize. “Serbs gathered around (SDS leader Mladen) Bosic are a greater danger for the RS than Bakir Izetbegovic. We cannot cope with that which Bosic, (Ognjen) Tadic and (Aleksandra) Pandurevic are doing,” Dodik said. He said that this is not about his personal political struggle, but about the fact that RS now has “false representatives in Sarajevo.” “I will invite you very soon to politically settle accounts with politicians who are ready to be obedient to Bakir Izetbegovic,” Dodik said. He added that a unity between Serbia and the RS has never been more visible than now and thanked the Serbian President and Prime Minister for this.

 

Dodik calls Serbs to withdraw from state parliament (Srna)

The RS President Milorad Dodik has called all the RS representatives to withdraw from the work in the B&H parliament, after, as he said, “MPs abused this institution to send letter to the UN, in which they expressed their support to the British resolution on Srebrenica”. “An internal investigation will not help, it does not mean anything. It is necessary to raise our voices because their vote went to the UN. Our voice must be heard, and it will be heard. You cannot and will not humiliate us,” said Dodik. He stressed that “Serbs are not interested in B&H where they are not equal”.

 

Izetbegovic to meet David Cameron on Monday, Ahmetovic not going to London (Oslobodjenje)

The B&H Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic will meet on Monday in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron. As announced today by the Presidency, Izetbegovic will attend on Monday the British central event marking the 20^th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. On that occasion, he will also address the guests at Westminster Abbey. In the afternoon, Izetbegovic will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, in the British prime minister’s headquarters. The culmination of events connected to the commemoration of Srebrenica in Great Britain will be at Westminster Abbey on 6 July, and among others, B&H parliamentarian Sadik Ahmetovic was invited. But Ahmetovic, according to himself, has been prevented from traveling to London. On the occasion of marking the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, the organization Remembering Srebrenica is organizing an entire series of events titled Memorial Week, which will last from 5 to 12 July across Great Britain.

 

Interview with HR Valentin Inzko (Oslobodjenje)

Mr. Inzko, how do you view the events related to Naser Oric’s detention in Switzerland?

Valentin Inzko: I cannot tell you in which direction the issue is going to develop after the extradition decision. It is not up to me or anyone else to comment on decisions of the Swiss judiciary on which there shall be no doubt that they are addressing the legal proceedings in an impartial, fair and independent manner.

RS President Milorad Dodik has once more announced the possibility of holding a referendum related to state-level judiciary.

Valentin Inzko: The judiciary must be allowed to act independently. An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of any democracy, and should be respected by all. The OHR fully supports the institutions that were established to exercise state constitutional responsibilities in the field of judiciary. It is also important that those institutions meet these responsibilities in a timely and professional manner. These institutions were established in accordance with the constitution to exercise constitutional responsibilities of the State in the field of judiciary. This was confirmed by the Constitutional Court in a number of final and binding decisions. Entities are obliged under the constitution to respect State constitutional responsibilities and implement decisions of the B&H institutions.

After the decision of Swiss authorities to extradite Oric to BiH, the Organisational Board has no further objections to going ahead with the burial and commemoration in Potocari.

Valentin Inzko: Regardless to Swiss decision on Oric's extradition I have always expected it to go ahead. I believe this is the right thing to do, especially on the 20th anniversary of the genocide committed in Srebrenica. I have little doubt that the priority of the families is that the burials take place on 11th of July. The respect for the dead and their dignified burial must be the priority and should not be called into question.

Therefore, you expect no further problems to holding the commemoration on July 11?

Valentin Inzko: Yes, absolutely! For the world, 11 July must be a date of planetary importance, a day the significance of which nobody can deny. Just like the day of the liberation of Auschwitz, 27 January, cannot be denied or postponed, or 9 May, the end of the Second World War. 11th July in Srebrenica should be above politics, a day when we are all obliged to bow heads and to remember the innocent victims in Srebrenica and in the country as a whole. 11 July is a day when we must always commit to never allow such crimes to be repeated in the future..

Do you expect Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić to attend?

Valentin Inzko: I believe he should. He is a man who has made it explicitly clear that we must turn over a new leaf to build a better future for the region and its citizens. This requires actions as well as words. Certainly, if nothing else then because of the Serb people to use Srebrenica for healing their souls, like we do in Austria with the Mauthausen concentration camp, or Germans, who have gone through a catharsis, and are now one of the strongest societies in Europe. In Srebrenica we can heal the wounds in our souls together, Serbs, Bosniaks but also Europeans, who in this case carry the blame of co-guilt, the guilt of having allowed it.

Lately some officials from Banja Luka, namely the Minister of Education and RS President Dodik, have said that “there is no such thing as Bosnian language”. What do you say?

Valentin Inzko: This is incorrect. The Peace Agreement recognizes Bosnian as a language and the jurisprudence of the constitutional court is also clear regarding the issue. These statements and actions are futile and damaging. Politicians would be better advised to focus their actions on delivering rights rather than undermining them..  Why this exclusivist attitude? Why is the name of a language an issue at all? Putting aside the clear legal situation, why would you be against the name of a language? For example, my wife is Argentinian, but the language of the Argentinian people is called Spanish. The language of the Brazilian people is called Portuguese, in America it’s English, the language of the Austrian people is German and the language of the Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina is called Bosnian. That’s so very simple. Why are problems being needlessly created when we have more than enough other problems to deal with, not least creating new jobs for the unemployed?

European Union Agenda, when will it be signed?

Valentin Inzko: This is a question you should ask the authorities in this country. I certainly hope it will be signed without further delay. We cannot afford to waste any more time. Every day more and more young people are leaving. Every day we delay is a day we lose the brightest and the best in this country. We need politicians to show a sense of urgency and we need them to show it now! There is no alternative kick-starting the reform agenda that has to all intents and purposes been stalled for the last ten years. Quite frankly, I don’t think there is an alternative. Yes there are tough reforms ahead, but there is also a readiness of the International Community to provide support to the country to get through the reforms and to emerge in a better place where there is more prosperity, stability and Rule of Law. The Council of Ministers and the Federation Government have signed up. I hope the RS will come aboard as well. We have seen written commitments. Now we need to start seeing results. It really is as simple as that.

 

Captain Dragan’s extradition to Croatia expected on Thursday (Tportal.hr)

Dragan Vasiljkovic, known as Captain Dragan, will be extradited to Croatia this Sunday and his appearance in Split is expected on Thursday 9 July. At the Split County Court, preparations are being made for the reception of Vasiljkovic, who is in Australia's detention for almost nine years. He is charged with alleged war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war in the period 1991 to 1993. Last month a duty counselor was assigned to Vasiljkovic, the lawyer from Split named Darko Stanic. Stanic is very experienced in the area of ​​war crimes and is known for defending one of the accused in the case of Laura. He has an extensive list of references working on the most serious criminal cases. Assigning of a duty counselor to Vasiljkovic caused problems at the County Court in Split, because most of the Split’s lawyers refused to represent him, while Borivoj Milosevic, who was briefly appointed quickly, apologized and resigned. Vasiljkovic has testified himself that two Croatian lawyers have resigned his legal representation because they received serious threats against their families. It is still possibility that someone else would represent Vasiljkovic, because as an Australian citizen he is entitled to a paid defense before the Croatian court. After the extradition to Croatian authorities on Thursday morning, Vasiljkovic should be handed over to the Split County State Prosecutor’s Office, which is conducting an investigation against him.

 

How Britain and the US decided to abandon Srebrenica to its fate (Bosnia Today/Guardian)

The fall of Srebrenica in Bosnia 20 years ago, prompting the worst massacre in Europe since the Third Reich, was a key element of the strategy pursued by the three key western powers – Britain, the US and France – and was not a shocking and unheralded event, as has long been maintained, British daily Guardian writes.  Eight thousand Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed over four days in July 1995 by Bosnian Serb death squads after they took the besieged town, which had been designated a “safe area” under the protection of UN troops. The act has been declared genocide by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, and the Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadžic and General Ratko Mladic await verdicts in trials for directing genocide. Blame has also been placed on Dutch troops, who evicted thousands seeking refuge in their headquarters, and watched while the Serbs separated women and young children from their male quarry. But a new investigation of the mass of evidence documenting the siege suggests much wider involvement in the events leading to the fall of Srebrenica. Declassified cables, exclusive interviews and testimony to the tribunal show that the British, American and French governments accepted – and sometimes argued – that Srebrenica and two other UN-protected safe areas were “untenable” long before Mladic took the town, and were ready to cede Srebrenica to the Serbs in pursuit of a map acceptable to the Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, for peace at any price. But as they considered granting Srebrenica to the Serbs, western powers were also aware, or should have been, of the Bosnian Serb military “Directive 7” ordering the “permanent removal” of Bosnian Muslims from the safe areas. They also knew Mladic had told the Bosnian Serb assembly, “My concern is to have them vanish completely”, and that Karadzic pledged “blood up to the knees” if his army took Srebrenica. Robert Frasure, a US diplomat working as an international representative, reported to Washington that Miloševic would not accept a peace map unless the safe areas were ceded to the Serbs. His boss, Anthony Lake, the US national security adviser, favored a revised map that ceded Srebrenica, and the US policy-making Principals Committee urged that UN troops “pull back from vulnerable positions” – ergo, the safe areas. France and Britain agreed, with UK defence secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind arguing that the safe areas were “untenable”, as defended in 1995. As Mladic’s troops advanced on Srebrenica, the west failed to heed warnings of the town’s imminent fall. Once it had, says General Van der Wind of the Dutch defence ministry, in an exclusive interview with the Observer, the UN provided 30,000 liters of petrol, used by the Serbs to drive their quarry to the killing fields and plough their bodies into mass graves. As the killing hit full throttle, top western negotiators met Mladic and Milosevic but did not raise the issue of mass murder, even though unclassified US cables show that the CIA was watching the killing fields almost “live” from satellite planes. The shocking findings of high-level willingness in London, Washington and Paris to cede Srebrenica were collated over 15 years by Florence Hartmann, a former Le Monde correspondent, for a book, The Srebrenica Affair: The Blood of Realpolitik. Hartmann worked as a spokeswoman for the prosecutor at the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia between 2000 and 2006. Her previous book, Paix et Châtiment (Peace and Punishment), published in 2007, carried an account of a decision by the tribunal not to release crucial documents on the massacre to the Bosnian government in its unsuccessful attempt to sue Serbia for genocide at the international court of justice down the road in The Hague. In August 2008, the tribunal indicted Hartmann for breach of confidentiality and summoned her for trial. In September 2009, she was convicted of contempt of court and fined €7,000. She deposited the fine in a French bank account, but the tribunal deemed the money unpaid and sentenced her to seven days’ imprisonment, ordering France to transfer her to The Hague. France refused.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Merkel: Western Balkan States Have Good Prospects to Join EU (Novinite, 5 July 2015)

There are good prospects for Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. There is still very much to be done, but there are really good signs of progress, and we are pushing to accelerate the process, Merkel said in her weekly video message on 4 July ahead of her official visit to the western Balkan countries on Wednesday and Thursday. She said it was only through their prospects for EU membership that the western Balkan neighbours could settle their differences, according to DPA. The German Chancellor is expected to address the surge in asylum seekers inflow to Germany from the region during her trip. Asked about her opinion concerning relations between Serbia and Albania, Merkel said that the first visit of Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama to Belgrade in decades was a sign of hope. Rama was the first Albanian leader to pay an official visit to Serbia in 68 years in November 2014. Aleksandar Vucic followed suit by making the first visit by a Serbian Prime Minister to Albania in May of this year. During his meeting with Rama the two leaders agreed to disagree on Kosovo and sought closer cooperation between their countries. Merkel also said that Albania and Serbia were working very actively to accomplish the objectives of the Conference of Western Balkan States held in August of last year. Commenting on Serbia’s prospects of building closer ties with the EU, Merkel said that the opening of the first chapters in the country’s accession talks with the EU hinges to a large extent on progress achieved in relations between Belgrade and Pristina, according to Tanjug. The latest EU-facilitated dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo failed to reach agreement between the two sides, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced earlier this week.

 

Serbia Interested in Turkish Stream, Waiting for Russia, EU to Get Along (Sputnik, 4 July 2015)

Serbia is interested in diversifying its gas supplies, including through the Russia’s Turkish Stream gas pipeline, and hopes the project will consider the interests of both Russia and the European Union, the ambassador of Serbia to Russia said.

MOSCOW – In May, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that Belgrade was interested in joining the project to deliver Russian gas to southern Europe via Turkey and called on the European Union to clearly determine its stance on the issue. Earlier in June, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Moscow was waiting to see what options Brussels will offer for building its internal gas infrastructure. “The issue of energy security is extremely important for us. We laid high hopes on the South Stream. After it was cancelled we are looking for new sources [of energy]. Serbia is currently discussing all the possible streams, especially those that can bring Russian gas to Serbia. Turkish Stream is one of them,” Slavenko Terzic told RIA Novosti. Terzic added that the difficulties in the project's implementation “arise from the EU’s attitude toward Russia.” He expressed hope that they will be resolved taking into account the interests of all sides. The Turkish Stream is a proposed pipeline from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea with a planned annual capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of gas. It is expected to become operational in December 2016 and is a substitute for the South Stream pipeline project, cancelled in December 2014 over the position taken on it by the European Union. The European Commission claimed that the South Stream would violate the EU Third Energy Package that prohibits simultaneous ownership of a pipeline and the gas that flows through it. The Turkish Stream will run to a hub on the Turkish-Greek Border. From there, according to Novak, it might be extended to Austria through Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary.

 

Migrants in Serbia dream of EU (newsfultoncounty.com, by Kristoff Saunders, Talha Ozturk, 5 July 2015)

– Number of asylum seekers in Serbia quadrupled in past two years

BELGRADE, Serbia – Abbas Mohammadi, 32, has finally made it to Serbia after a three-month trek from Afghanistan. With his six children and 17 of his relatives, he has traveled from country to country to reach the Serbian capital of Belgrade. “Because of the ongoing war in Afghanistan I do not have a job and money. My children cannot go to school. That’s why we left our country,” said Muhammedi. But the journey is not over as their final destination is Germany. Serbia has recently seen a surge in the number of migrants on its soil. According to the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, the number of asylum-seekers in Serbia quadrupled since 2013. It has risen from 5,066 in 2013 to more than 20,000 in the first five months of 2015, senior protection officer at the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR, Anne-Birgitte Krum, has indicated recently.  Serbia received a total of 77 asylum requests in 2008, added Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic in a press conference last week. He noted that those asylum seekers are mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan. “Of course most of these people do not want to essentially keep the Republic of Serbia and only a small number of them through the asylum system remains here, but for each of these people the Republic of Serbia is obliged to provide some funding,” said Stefanovic. A similar surge in neighboring Hungary has led Budapest to reconsider applying rules forcing people to apply for asylum in the first European Union country they arrive in.  There are also plans to build a fence along the border with Serbia, which is not part of the EU. Meanwhile, in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, numerous migrants, who for the most part arrived by foot, gather together between the train and bus station.

Among them are Abbas Mohammadi from Afghanistan and Abed Gharibi from Isfahan from Iran, who also wishes to reach the EU. He dreams of becoming a football player.

“I was a football player in Iran but because of the bad economic situation I had to leave my country,” he explains.

 – Asylum Centre

According to the migrants, police often order them to leave threatening to place them in asylum centers or deport them. Serbia has six asylum centers and refugees usually stay in one of the centers no more than two weeks, according to the director of the Banja Koviljaca asylum center, Robert Lesmajster, who says that the majority of migrants know very well their final destination. And it is never a Balkan state. “People come to the asylum centers to extend the time due to lack of money for the illegal border crossing to Hungary. This is what happens if they need accommodation or if they get sick,” he said. Abdullah Ahmed Nor, 25, from Somalia told Anadolu Agency that, although the conditions are good in this particular asylum center, he wants to continue his journey to Germany or Sweden to be a journalist. “Over a year ago, I decided to leave my country, mainly because due to the conflict,” he says. “My life was in danger because of some people in connection with Al-Qaeda.” Nor says he walked all the way from Macedonia to Serbia, which is the reason why his ankles were horribly swollen and bruised. Since June 2008, the center has welcomed more than 3,500 people who have come and gone. Although the number of migrants in Serbia is increasing, the numbers of refugees in the asylum centers remains low. According to the center’s director, the fact that the center is not at full capacity despite the number of refugees climbing exponentially is further proof that Serbia is only a stop on the road for migrants.

 

Serbs Prefer Closer Ties With Russia to EU Integration – poll (Sputnik, 6 July 2015)

Serbian citizens have a more positive attitude toward Russia than toward the EU with a recent poll indicating that less than 50 percent of the country’s residents see their future

Only 44 percent spoke in favour of EU integration, while a hefty 61 percent voted for closer ties with Russia, according to Politika newspaper survey conducted earlier this month. This public sentiment somewhat contrasts with the official line though. Speaking at a recent graduation ceremony at the Higher School of National Security and Defense, President Tomislav Nikolic said that integration with the EU remained a top priority as it would make the people more affluent and better protected. EU integration would also help modernize the country’s military, the President added. At the same time, both Nikolic and his Prime Minister Alexander Vucic have repeatedly underscored the importance of closer ties with Russia and said that Serbia would not join the EU’s sanctions against Moscow despite strong pressure from Brussels. Serbia applied for full EU membership in December 2009 and was confirmed as candidate in March 2012. Prior to joining the 26-nation group Serbia needs to bring its legal system in line with EU standards, but consultations on this and  other accession issues have not even started yet.

During a recent meeting with German ambassador in Belgrade, Serbian first deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ivica Dacic said he expected Germany’s support for the earliest possible opening of negotiation discussions for Serbia's EU accession talks.

Mr. Dacic thanked Germany for its support for Serbia's European path and expressed hope that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s upcoming visit to Belgrade would speed up the country’s integration with the European Union.