LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: Serbia defends internal law, UN Charter and supreme authority of SC (Tanjug/Beta)

On the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations at the Serbia Palace, and in comment to the recommendation of UNESCO’s Executive Council for Kosovo to join the organization, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic stated that the biggest countries in the world support Serbia, adding that the government will continue its struggle for preservation of Serbian cultural and historical heritage. “If you look, 14 countries that voted against Kosovo’s admission have three billion inhabitants, and they include Russia, China, India, Brazil, Spain and Nigeria, and the support of the biggest countries in the world can only be pleasing to us,” Dacic said answering the questions of journalists at the Palace of Serbia. Dacic, however, noted Serbia is not pleased with the fact it cannot possibly find a way to “reset its relations” with its Western partners, who he said are actually behind all this.

“Serbia will use all diplomatic means to oppose such abuse of an organization and the UN system as a political instrument of affirmation of an illegal and unilateral declaration of independence of a territorial unit of a UN member state, whose sovereignty and territorial integrity is guaranteed by the still valid and legally binding UN Security Council resolution 1244,” stressed Dacic. He emphasized that UN principles must be respected in full measure, because that is the only way to preserve the existing system of international relations based on the UN Charter, and for international law to preserve its universal validity. “By standing against this, Serbia defends international law, the UN Charter and the supreme authority of the Security Council to preserve international peace and security, but also the moral integrity and accountability of UNESCO toward cultural heritage,” Dacic concluded.

Belgrade-Pristina talks necessary (Tanjug/RTS)

Responding to a journalist question whether Kosovo could request membership in some other international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said this was possible, reiterating that Western countries were standing behind all this. “It is possible that this will be the next step. They have been thinking about this for one year now, yet, we don’t have Kosovo on the other side, we are not fighting with Kosovo regarding UNESCO. At issue are countries that support them. They are organizing everything, exerting pressure on other countries, yet they get angry when we ask our friends to remain principled when it comes to Serbia. This is not correct, but hypocritical,” said Dacic. He says that is why talks between Pristina and Belgrade are necessary, but that the Kosovo Albanians do not want this. “They just want to pressure Belgrade, and it is not possible with the Serbian government,” said Dacic.

 

Reactions to the decision passed by UNESCO Executive Council (RTS/Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has stated that Serbia should continue its struggle, because there are big chances for the recommendation – for Kosovo to join this organization – to be rejected at the General Conference.

“We should not react irrationally, but should continue the struggle since our chances for the decision to be rejected at the General Conference are big. Nothing is over yet,” said Dacic at a special press conference.

Dacic said that the Executive Council adopted the recommendation, just as this item was included on the agenda in an unlawful manner, without any debate. According to him, the voting showed that there are enormous divisions in the international community, as well as in UNESCO.

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric has told Tanjug that at issue is a decision of big and small states that tramples on international law and justice. He says that Serbia will not give up from the diplomatic struggle since “it is not over regardless of how difficult it is”. He stressed that no voting can redraw history or change identity and historial memory of the Serbian nation.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic also points out that Serbia will continue the battlle for preventing Kosovo’s UNESCO membership. “Not a single state organ will recognize this and we will not reconcile with this, especially when it comes to the property of our monasteries and something that is de facto Serbian heritage,” Stefanovic told journalists in Vrbas.

The Director of the Serbian Institute for Protecting Monuments of Culture Mirjana Andric told Tanjug that the decision of the Executive Council is not favorable for Serbia, but added that nothing is lost yet. She says that despite the decision, the experts of the Institute will continue to be present in Kosovo and Metohija and the work on the monuments of culture under UNESCO protection.​

 

Tanaskovic: Serbia’s chances of blocking Kosovo’s admission not small (Tanjug)

Despite the decision by the UNESCO Executive council to recommend Kosovo’s membership bid to the organization’s General Conference, the Serbian Ambassador to UNESCO Darko Tanaskovic is confident that the country’s chances of blocking Kosovo’s admission to the specialized UN agency are not small. The results of the vote at the Executive Board session confirmed convincingly that, even in adverse circumstances, concrete results can be achieved through planned and intensive diplomatic activity involving, as in this case, all state and national potentials, Tanaskovic said in a statement to Tanjug. “Even though being groundlessly optimistic is not recommended, I am confident that Serbia’s chances of preventing Kosovo’s admission to UNESCO are not small,” he noted.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Jerlagic: SB&H to stay with SDA and A-SDA (Novo vrijeme)

The Presidency of the Party for B&H (SB&H) reached a decision yesterday that this party is to stay in political alliance of the parliamentary majority with the block SDA and A-SDA, as it was done three months ago. The SB&H leader Amer Jerlagic told the press that this party will support the Reform agenda and all laws regarding the Reform agenda. Moreover, it will support the British-German initiative and stay consistent to the implementation of all regulations related to that initiative. “We will be a part of this pro-Bosnian alliance, and in a way also be a connective tissue regarding pro-Bosnian alliance and Bosniak unity, because we consider it is our patriotic obligation and that it is a part of the statesmanlike policy which is the heritage of the SB&H”, Jerlagic stated. He stressed that, when there were no indications on the new coalition between the SDA and SBB, the SB&H jumped in to provide the biggest and the most difficult law, the Labor law, “in order for the wheel to start moving forward instead of stopping and start moving backwards”. Regarding the path of B&H towards the EU and NATO, the SB&H supports all activities and the harmonization of laws between B&H and the EU.

 

Reconstruction of the FB&H government will be completed in 15 days? (faktor.ba)

The President of the FB&H Marinko Cavara is expecting that the process of reconstruction of the entity government will be fully completed in the next 15 days. “According to the information that I have, the Alliance for Better Future (SBB) B&H should suggest names of candidates for ministers in the FB&H government during the next week. I do not expect any kind of problems in the procedure itself, and I believe that the whole process of filling the Government will take no longer than 15 days,” said Cavara. He explained that after he receives the names of ministers, he will prepare and sign the decision on their appointment and with the consent of both Vice-presidents of the FB&H, he will refer decision to the House of Representatives on approval. That will be, as he says, preceded by decision on accepting the resignations of the remaining ministers from DF. “After the process of filling the government is completed, we will be going for more decisive and aggressive implementation of the reforms, especially those that are defined by the Reform agenda, as well as all other measures that will improve the living standard of citizens in the FB&H and ensure economic progress. We will also get a better passing rate of decisions in parliament. I believe that the citizens of the FB&H will feel the positive results of this work very soon,” said Cavara. Commenting on the speculations about possible additional changes of staff in the FB&H government, President Cavara emphasized that there are no such kind of requests from the parties for now, neither from the Prime Minister who is the formal applicant.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Kosovo to Sign EU Stability Deal Next Week (BIRN, by Petrit Collaku, 22 October 2015)

Kosovo is to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union next week, establishing a contractual agreement with the EU for the first time.

EU Enlargement CommissionerJohannes Hahh and Bekim Collaku, Kosovo Europen Integration Minister | Photo:Kosovo Government. Kosovo’s Minister of European Integration, Bekim Collaku, on Wednesday said the government would sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, SAA, with the EU next week. “The signing will take place next week on October 27th 2015 in Strasbourg,” he said. He said that the Council of the European Union had approved the SAA between Kosovo and the EU, opening the way for the signing ceremony.

“All [our] institutions have worked extraordinarily a lot to reach this day. I want to thank them for their work during the SAA negotiations as well as our international partners for the support,” said Collaku in a press release. Collaku, who negotiated the SAA process with EU, called the agreement a turning point for Kosovo and its EU relations. “This is a historic moment for Kosovo because for the first time it sets out contractual relations with the EU,” Collaku noted.

Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, confirmed the date of Kosovo's SAA signature. “Signature of SAA with Kosovo on 27 Oct in Strasbourg. Key step to reinforce European perspective and reminder of key challenges and reform homework,” tweeted Lajcak - whose country is one of the five EU states that do not recognise the country's independence. The benefits of the SAA for Kosovo will mainly be in the field of trade as Kosovo exports will now enjoy better access to the European market. The EU proposed SAA negotiations with Kosovo after it signed a major agreement on the normalisation of relations with Serbia in 2012. Kosovo is the only country in the region that has not signed an SAA with the EU.

The EU announced that when the time comes for Kosovo to sign an SAA, the procedure would be done differently - to avoid problems with EU member states that do not recognise Kosovo.

Therefore the agreement will not be ratified individually with the respective states, but will be signed by the EU as a single entity.

 

UNESCO recommends Kosovo membership despite Serbian disapproval (Deutsche Welle, 21 October 2105)

Kosovo could become the next UNESCO member. The UN cultural body has indicated its support, despite hostility from Serbia. The tiny Balkan country is home to four World Heritage sites.

In a 27 to 14 vote on Wednesday (21.10.2015), UNESCO's executive committee recommended that Kosovo join its ranks. Fourteen member states abstained from voting.

The UN Assembly, comprised of 195 members, will make the final decision on the membership of the small, war-torn Balkan state. Inclusion in the UN's organization for sport, culture and education could be a major step toward joining the UN itself. Kosovo is already a member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and has applied for membership in the EU.

Kosovo's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, 36-year-old Petrit Selimi, who is known for initiating Kosovo's Digital Diplomacy program, tweeted his relief over UNESCO's decision.

Serbia and Kosovo, which is predominantly made up of ethnic Albanians, fought a war in 1998-1999, and Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Since then, well over 100 states have recognized Kosovo's statehood, though Serbia continues to regard it as its own autonomous province.

In August, Kosovo's Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said that Serbia was attempting to "keep us isolated from opportunities in education, science and culture" by denying Kosovo membership in UNESCO.

Last week, ahead of the UNESCO decision, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic warned a group of 80 international ambassadors that permitting Kosovo to join UNESCO would have a negative impact on negotiations between the two countries, which have been brokered by the EU. Its refusal to recognize Kosovo's statehood is a point of conflict in Serbia's bid to join the EU.

Resistance in Serbia to Kosovo's UNESCO bid is so strong that a Facebook page for the cause has garnered over 25,000 followers.

Two monasteries and two churches in Kosovo are on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

 

ISIS Hacking Cell Found In Another U.S.-Freed Muslim Country: Kosovo (Investors Business Daily, 20 October 2015)

War On Terror: The Islamic State is freely operating in four Muslim countries America has "liberated" — Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and now, according to the FBI, Kosovo. This is the thanks we get for spilling blood and treasure?

In the latest slap, the FBI has charged a Muslim citizen of Kosovo with hacking into Pentagon computers and stealing personal information for 1,351 U.S. military and government personnel and their families in America, including their "emails, passwords, names, phone numbers and location information."

The FBI alleges that the suspect, Ardit Ferizi, handed the data to IS, which is using it to target U.S.-based soldiers for beheadings and other terrorist attacks.

The Kosovo-based cyberattack, which took place sometime between June and August 2015, has allowed IS to develop a "kill list" including the purported names and addresses of American service members.

"We are in your emails and social media accounts," IS said in August. "We are extracting confidential data and passing on your personal information to the soldiers of the khilafah (caliphate), who soon with the permission of Allah will strike at your necks in your own lands!"

The breach prompted the Pentagon to warn men and women in uniform to scrub "anything opposing terrorist groups or organizations" from Facebook and even remove "military pride decals" from their cars.

In August, the FBI warned U.S. military families that they are being watched and may even be "confronted" by Arab men outside their homes. "Middle Eastern males" have been approaching soldiers' wives outside their homes, casing them for possible attack.

Ferizi is believed to be the ringleader of an IS hacking cell based in Kosovo, a Muslim nation that the U.S. military liberated in the 1990s Balkans war. It calls itself the Kosovo Hacker's Security, Pentagon Crew.

The complaint indicates that IS has an entire cyberwarfare division set up inside Kosovo, which President Clinton defended, citing "U.S. interests." More chilling, the FBI says that the Kosovo unit in August also hacked into the server of an unnamed major U.S. retailer and stole the credit-card data, as well as names, addresses and email passwords, of about 100,000 Americans.

This is outrageous. President Obama has to do more to leverage client governments in Kosovo and other supposedly "friendly" Muslim countries to crack down on IS terrorists. Holding back aid in exchange for tougher internal controls is an obvious place to start.

 

Bosnian State Court Rejects Anti-Serb Bias Claims (BIRN, by Denis Dzidic, 22 October 2015)

The state court rejected allegations of bias which have caused Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska to announce a potentially destabilising referendum that will question its jurisdiction. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday rejected what it called “frequent inappropriate comments and poorly substantiated allegations” which it claimed “undermine the foundations of the legal and constitutional order”. Bosnia’s Serb-led entity Republika Srpska plans to stage a referendum questioning the authority of Bosnia’s international supervisor, the Office of the High Representative, as well as the state-level judiciary because of its alleged bias against Serbs, especially in war crimes cases. The international community and Bosniak politicians have warned that the referendum could destabilise the country and contravene the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 war. Despite this, Bosnian Serb politicians have vowed to go ahead. The state court rejected what it called “ungrounded criticism”. “The criticism that the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has only been trying Serbs is not only ill-founded, but also represents already known arbitrary rhetoric, the aim of which is apparently to divert attention from the real problems in society,” it said. It argued that its jurisdiction is defined by state-level law and could not be affected by any referendum held by either of Bosnia’s two political entities. It also said that it does not “pick and choose cases”, but only deals with those put forward by the state prosecutor’s office. But Banja Luka-based lawyer Milan Romanic, who has worked on war crimes cases at the state court, told BIRN that while the referendum is a “political issue”, there were “clear reasons for criticism and unhappiness from Republika Srpska”. “The Bosnian prosecution has worked extremely slowly on war crimes investigations in which Serbs are victims, and in some cases they were unwilling to share all of the evidence,” Romanic said. “The court, in my opinion, has been too welcoming in its relation to the prosecution, they accept all prosecution requests and deny many defence requests,” he added. The referendum was scheduled to take place on November 15, but Bosniak delegates in the Republika Srpska parliament have caused a potential delay by asking the entity’s constitutional court to rule on whether their rights are being violated by the fact that no non-Serbs were included in the parliamentary working group on the referendum.