LOCAL PRESS

 

Croatia still blocking Serbia in EU talks; UK now "unclear" (B92, Tanjug)

EU member states will on Monday once again try to reach consensus on a common negotiating position for chapter 23 in accession talks with Serbia.  As Tanjug learned from diplomatic sources before a new meeting of the Working Group for Enlargement and Countries Negotiating Accession to the EU (COELA), Serbia lacks the approval of six member countries. Among them is the Netherlands, which as the current country presiding over the EU, and one that should complete the consensus. Sources from the Dutch presidency said that some of the five remaining countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Croatia and the United Kingdom) announced giving their consent to the draft negotiating position for Chapter 23, but that two remain opposed. One of these, as Tanjug was told in Brussels, has "a substantial" problem, while the other's problem is of "technical nature". Although the diplomatic circles in Brussels expected a declaration signed recently by Serbia's prime minister and Croatia's president to speed up Zagreb's approval to open the chapter, "that did not happen up to this moment."  Meanwhile, for technical reasons related to the Brexit referendum, the working group failed to receive the official approval from London when it comes to further steps towards Serbia's accession negotiations.  Circles close to the EU Council said that it was unclear at this time how the United Kingdom will behave when it comes to the technical decisions related to EU enlargement processes. According to announcements, COELA should meet again on June 30, when a meeting of ambassadors of member states (COREPER) has also been scheduled. Tanjug learned from EU diplomatic sources that it is "still technically possible" to reach consensus that day on a draft common European negotiating position for chapter 23 and give the green light to open chapters 23, 24 and 5 at the meeting of ambassadors. In that case, it would be technically feasible to organize the Intergovernmental Conference the same day, at which Serbia would open these chapters and make a new step towards membership in the EU. Otherwise, Slovakia, who will on July 1 take over the EU presidency, announced that opening new chapters with Serbia will be "one of the priorities of its EU's enlargement policy."

 

PM's cabinet program presentation to last "at least 5 hours" (Blic)

PM-designate Aleksandar Vucic is close to finishing writing his exposé - i.e., the presentation of his new cabinet's program to the National Assembly. The document will have "about 180 pages, this means Vucic will be reading it before the Serbian Assembly deputies for at least five hours." This will make the presentation "at least an hour longer than in 2014," when Vucic formed his first cabinet. Meanwhile, Vucic is holding a second round of consultations with representatives of political parties represented in the Assembly on "how each see the future of Serbia, and the ideas related to that." However, these talks are being held behind closed doors so it remains unknown which parties have already had a chance "to present to the PM-designate their proposals regarding the new government's priorities," Blic daily reported. After the first round of consultations in early June, Vucic said he heard "many different proposals," and that he would include some of them in his program.  The program will consist of ten key points, including job creation, a balanced budget, "solving the problems from the past," investing in infrastructure and tourism, and kick-starting the agriculture. Other points refer to education system reforms, a new health care plan, fighting against crime, corruption and terrorism, preserving national security, support and on those most in need of "a more just system of social welfare." "Serbia's path toward the EU goes without saying, while radical changes to make the public sector more efficient will also not be abandoned," reads the paper, adding that it was "interesting" that justice reforms, the media, and the situation in sports have not made it to this list of the key priorities - "even though problems are evident there, too."

 

SNS takes over power in Belgrade Vracar Municipality with aid of LDP (VIP)

Mihajlo Grupkovic, the only counselor of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Vracar municipality, was elected as the assembly speaker of the municipality on Friday, at the proposal of counselors from Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), with the support of some “opposition” counselors, from Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Dveri Movement and Serbian Left (LS). This, practically, brought SNS to power in Vracar, after more than 25 years, the period of governing of the so-called democratic forces in this Belgrade municipality, and for all that time, the parties created by the fallout of Communist Party or its satellites: Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Yugoslav Left (JUL), Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) were never a part of local government. Even after elections in April, Vracar was considered the only “safe” zone, because the counselors from Democratic Party (DS) ticket (Vracar – Free) and It is Enough (DJB) had the majority to form the government, and it was expected that counselors from DSS, LS and Dveri would give them support. It turned out that this calculation was wrong, because, instead of voting for the candidate of DS Branimir Kuzmanovic, the counselors from the three parties supported the candidate from LDP, which was proposed by SNS, and who, in order to make even bigger mess, was elected as a part of DS ticket! Grupkovic thus won 23 votes and Kuzmanovic won 22. Zoran Lukic from SNS was also elected as a new secretary of the municipality, on the proposal of the newly elected assembly speaker Grupkovic. Municipality president, as well as his deputy and members of the municipality council should be elected on the next session, which must be held in the next 30 days in order to avoid interim authorities in that municipality, but also new municipality elections. Grupkovic said to the reporters after the session that it turned out that LDP was right when they stopped negotiations with the ticket of Democratic Party (DS) and DJB Movement on formation of authorities in Vracar, without clarifying his statement. “We expect that DS should agree to compromise as SNS has done in the next month, in order to avoid bring interim authorities to Vracar. The compromise would be an efficient government and not majority that will fall apart by the first session”, Grupkovic said. The head of the ticket and a candidate from DS Kuzmanovic said that they had a post-coalition agreement with LDP where the Liberals should get a member of the municipal council. “Influence trade is a crime and it obviously happened here”, Kuzmanovic said. These accusations were discarded by the head of SNS in Vracar Ugljesa Mrdic, a former wrestler, known for taking part in beating of Vracar citizens at the end of 1990s as a member of SRS and SPS, when they were organizing opposition protests. “We proposed Grupkovic because we wanted to show that we would support a policy of compromise. Grupkovic showed that he honored the election will of the citizens, because he proposed a man from SNS for the office of secretary”, Mrdic said.

 

DS and DJB accuse LPD of preparing coalition with SNS (N1)

Leaders of city councils of the DS and DJB have accused on the LDP and its leader Cedomir Jovanovic on Sunday of “buying” himself a place in the new government using the Vracar municipality as bargaining chip. “I have no intention of justifying myself in front of them”, Jovanovic replied in a statement to N1, but then indirectly admitted that they are right: “If this is what this country needs, if people are prepared to accept it, then it is my duty to do the job together with them”, Jovanovic declared. Sociology professor Jovo Bakic also believes in an SNS – LDP accord: “These two parties (SNS and LDP) share the same value system and their deal in Vracar is normal, and so is their deal at government level. This value system is to steal from citizens under the excuse of EU integrations”, Bakic claims. “If the LDP becomes part of the government, it will strike a political-business deal with it, which means that the LDP will obtain positions at lower scales of power, as was shown in the case of the Vracar municipality”, Bakic declared.

 

Kosovo and Metohija Office: No justice for Kosovo Serbs (Beta)

The Serbian Government'sOffice for Kosovo and Metohija said on June 24 thatthe draconian 30-day jailing of four Serbsapprehended on the Klina-Pec road on June 20 whilecoming home from a village feast day "is a sadconfirmation that there is no justice for the Serbpeople in Kosovo and Metohija.""The people taken into custody are the victims of anorchestrated incident, in which they were provokedand insulted on a religious holiday, after which theirelicited reaction was treated as the worst of criminaloffenses," a press release reads.The statement includes an appeal to everyoneinvolved in the proceedings to think long and hardabout the consequences which the "openly anti-Serborientation of judicial organs" can have.According to the statement, the Office will extend allnecessary legal and political help to Marko Lukic,Srdjan Stosic, Nenad Rakic and Bojan Tomic to make sure they are free as soon as possible.

 

Serbian state officials declared unwelcome in Srebrenica (Danas)

Serbia's top officials have been declared unwelcome at a commemoration in Potocari, near Srebrenica, scheduled for July 11. This has been decided by a committee that organizes the marking of the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, Beta agency is reporting on Monday, quoting Belgrade-based daily Danas. Srebrenica Municipal President Camil Durakovic told the paper the decision was made "due to genocide denial and disrespect of the victims and their families." He added that "the families of Srebrenica victims made such a decision due to the events during last year's visit of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Potocari." "That was the attempt of the victims to stretch out their arm and sincerely move forward. However, the position of a majority of families is that the presence of a genocide denier brings nervousness and leads to scandals that cast a shadow on what is most holy to us, and that is Salat al-Janazah and commemoration of the victims of genocide," said Durakovic. Vucic was attending the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica crime last year when he was attacked with stones by a group of those present at the commemoration.

 

Serbia to join a different European Union (Beta)

Britain's decision to leave the EuropeanUnion (EU) means that Serbia will be entering adifferent one - this was one of the conclusions at aJune 24 debate following the publication of the"Guide to Cooperation in EU Internal Affairs."Senior Legal Adviser at the Organization for Securityand Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in SerbiaMaurizio Salustro said that the EU had "pursued apolicy of enlargement so far, and that it shouldperhaps consider a policy of reduction now." Salustroexpects the pace of Serbia's accession to the EU toslow down, but said that a slower process had somepositive aspects, too.Onny Jalink, head of the regional rule-of-lawdepartment for the Western Balkans at the Dutchembassy, said that it is too early to discuss theconsequences of Brexit, and that it was not the resultshe had expected, but that the British had voicedtheir opinion.The Dutch diplomat pointed out that the rule of lawremained vital for Serbia in the accession process,and that Chapters 23 and 24 could not be separatedfrom the process.Director of the Belgrade Center for Security PolicySonja Stojanovic Galic said that the UK's decision toquit the Union meant that Serbia would enter adifferent one. She explained that in the comingperiod the EU states and institutions would turn thefocus on themselves, and that the result of thereferendum ought to make them think why this hadhappened in the first place.Stojanovic-Galic said that a delegation from herCenter had recently visited Brussels, and that EUrepresentatives told them that Brexit changedeverything, and that it would be the dominant themeif the UK actually left the Union.Head of the OSCE Mission in Serbia Peter Burkhart underlined that Serbia was an important partner inthe European security community, recalling that theOSCE supported the Serbian interior ministry'sdevelopment and the implementation of differentreforms of the police system.

 

New protest, march organized by don't drown Belgrade (N1, VIP)

A protest and marchorganized by the Don't Drown Belgrade initiative overthe demolition of buildings in Belgrade's Savamalaquarter took place in the capital on June 25.After the two hour gathering and March from theBelgrade City Assembly to Serbia Palace, whichhouses the Serbian Interior Ministry, the organizersreiterated once again that they would insist onholding Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali, Interior MinisterNebojsa Stefanovic and Belgrade municipal policechief Nikola Ristic accountable politically andcriminally."As long as the lies grow, the duck will grow," theorganizers said, adding that the purpose of thedemonstration was to make Belgrade a free city andthat the rallies would continue until all of thedemands were met.The long marching crowd of all ages, estimated atbeing around 20,000-strong, reached Serbia Palacevia Branko's Bridge, occasionally halting traffic boundfor New Belgrade. The symbol of the protest, a big,yellow duck, awaited the protesters in front of SerbiaPalace.There were no incidents, though citizens opposed tothe protest appeared in front of the Terazije Tunnel atone point, at the beginning of the march, bearingbanners which read "A Duck Would Not Have You"and "Give Your Duck to Your Father, or YourMother."A modest number of police secured the demonstration. According to their estimates, reportedby N1 TV, there were 5,000 protesters.Structures located in Hercegovacka Street, inSavamala, were torn down in the night of April 24 to25, carried out, according to eyewitness statements,by men wearing ski masks with excavators, whoimprisoned the witnesses in a hangar. The policedirected people calling for assistance to thecommunal police, which did not respond either.Serbian prime minister-designate Aleksandar Vucicsaid 20 days ago that the top bodies of Belgradeauthorities were behind the demolition and that theywould be held accountable.

 

Vucic, Uruguay’s former President discuss cooperation (Beta)

Serbian Prime MinisterAleksandar Vucic and the former President of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, met in Belgrade, on June 25,to discuss the need to establish stronger political andeconomic ties between Serbia and South America.Vucic and Mujica agreed that opportunities to makethat happen were there, the Serbian government'spress office reported.The Serbian Prime Minister and the formerPresident ofUruguay also talked about the need torespect and preserve the values of moderncivilization, "freedom and the independence ofsovereign states" being the most important.Vucic said he "admires Mujica's fight for freedom athome," underlining that Serbia "has always knownhow to jealously guard its sovereignty andindependence."Vucic and Mujica exchanged opinions on currentinternational affairs, especially the UK's decision towithdraw from the European Union, the press office went on to say.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

RS officially against proposed adaptation of SAA (RTRS)

The Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik met in Banja Luka on Sunday with representatives of the RS institutions, economic and agricultural sector. Participants discussed adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) in order to take a joint stance on this issue. Representatives of the RS institutions, economic and agricultural sector unanimously concluded that the proposed adaptation must be rejected in order to preserve the RS agriculture. They reminded that by accepting the adapted SAA Europe would give up on EUR 8 million a year, while B&H would have to give up some EUR 80 million a year. They warned that the direct damage would amount to BAM 210 million a year and it would be impossible to compensate such damage, while the losses when it comes to jobs and other segments are immeasurable. They said they expect Serb member of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic to demand new negotiations at the session of B&H Presidency scheduled to take place on Monday, when the SAA adaptation is supposed to be discussed. Addressing the press conference after the meeting, Dodik said that Ivanic now has an official stance from the RS ahead of the session of B&H Presidency on Monday. “The RS rejects the SAA adaptation since it inflicts immense damage primarily to the processing industry and agricultural production in the RS”, Dodik stated. He added that the RS is ready to negotiate but under condition to protect its domestic production. “We first have to evaluate the damage and to find solutions for that and then the talks can take place”, Dodik emphasized, noting that negotiations with Croatia will not start until the issue of the Gradiska Bridge is resolved. Representatives of the economic and agricultural sector of the RS also addressed the press conference, explaining their reasons for rejection of the SAA adaptation. President of the RS Association of Fruit Growers Dragoja Dojcinovic said that the Association cannot allow signing of the SAA adaptation as it would be detrimental to agricultural producers in the RS, noting that producers must be directly included in negotiations. President of the RS Union of Associations of Agricultural Producers Stojan Marinkovic said that the adaptation was planned with the purpose to choke the agricultural production in the upcoming period and thus increase the citizens’ dependence on food import, noting that this food will cost too much and will affect the citizens’ standard. B&H Foreign Trade Chamber Vice President Nemanja Vasic reminded that some 65% of B&H’s agricultural production takes place in the RS, adding however that agricultural producers and processors from the Federation of B&H are also jeopardized. “We have timely warned of the possible scenario in case that the SAA adaptation is accepted entirely or even through phases”, Vasic said. President of the RS Association of Dairy Farmers Vladimir Usorac warned that the SAA does not give the right to B&H to negotiate but to capitulate only. “There are no negotiations here but only ultimatums and we can only accept that over our dead bodies”, Usorac stressed. SDS leader Mladen Bosic said at the press conference on Sunday that the RS representatives in B&H institutions will respect the stance of the RS Government on adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). “Representatives of the RS authority in Sarajevo will certainly support any kind of decision made by the RS leadership, since a principle agreed during negotiations on the Coordination Mechanism means that anything concerning the European community must have a consent from both entities and the state level”, Bosic stated.

 

Zeljka Cvijanovic: Government stance has to be sought regardless of political trick (Srna)

Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic says whatever hides behind the game played by the RS representatives in the joint institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), the Government finds it important that its view is sought, even though it would be much better if the B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic had done so before the B&H Presidency and the Council of Ministers launched the new negotiations. Cvijanovic has told Srna that this is why Ivanic's statement that he would respect the view of the RS Government about the proposed adaptation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) sounds weird, to say the least. “If he really meant it and if he really wanted to respect the RS Government's stance on the matter, the B&H Presidency, within which body Ivanic had a part in decision making, would not have ordered the Council of Ministers in October 2015 to change the previous negotiating position and through such change allowed a phased adaptation of the SAA, in accordance with the demands from Croatia and the EU, entirely contrary to the view of the RS Government,” said Cvijanovic, adding that the behavior of the RS representatives at the State level now seems like a cheap political trick. Asked to comment on the announcement by the Party of Democratic Progress that their officials will not take part in a meeting on the SAA adaptation, which was called by President Milorad Dodik, Cvijanovic said she wasn't surprised by it, even though the idea for such a meeting came exactly after the meeting between Ivanic and Dodik. “It seems to me that the PDP are now evading the whole thing and running away from responsibility because it was them that caused the problem with their action at the State level that we are now dealing with,” said the PM. She noted that the B&H Presidency and Council of Ministers had totally annulled the previous basis for negotiations, which included the RS's stance, and then, when the negotiations began, the stance of the RS representatives was ignored by the negotiating team throughout the process. “Our stance has been the same and well-known since 2012. The fact that those who ignored our stance and worked regardless of it now suddenly seek it is just a political trick,” she said. Asked to comment on the claim made by PDP leader Branislav Borenovic that the responsibility for the SAA adaptation lies with Milorad Dodik and the ruling structures in RS, Cvijanovic said that the responsibility lies with those who initiated and conducted the negotiations on the SAA adaptation, who failed to ignore the RS's views. “They can now say whatever they want, they rolled the dice themselves and now they will have to stop it on their own. They started the whole process without respecting the RS's views and now that they got tangled up with it, now it's suddenly important to know what the RS Government thinks,” said Cvijanovic. Recalling that the RS Government had not changed its views, the PM pointed out that the problem was that the entity representatives launched and conducted the process at the State level without respecting those views, and then tried to get away with it when problems occurred. “The same thing happened with the coordination mechanism; first they accepted everything that was served them on a platter, and then they stepped aside for us to fix what they broke. Now it's happening with the SAA negotiations, they launched and conducted a new process of negotiations themselves ignoring the RS's views along the way. And now that they are tangled up with it, they throw the ball back to the government to fix their mistakes. If they wanted to know the government's stance, they wouldn't have launched, conducted and concluded the whole process of negotiations without taking our views into account,” Cvijanovic told Srna. She believes this situation will not obstruct the negotiations with the EU, and that solutions need to be sought that will be good not only for Croatia and EU, but for B&H as well. “We remain open for talks and negotiations in order to reach such solutions,” said the PM.

 

Petrov: All key decisions in parliament were passively or actively agreed by SDP, HDZ (Hina)

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Bozo Petrov on Saturday dismissed claims that a vote for his Bridge party was a vote for the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union), saying that a vote for the HDZ was a vote for the SDP (Social Democrats) and vice versa, and that the ruling HDZ and the opposition SDP got along perfectly over the past six months and that all the key decisions in parliament were made by them either by active or passive agreement. If you consider the benefits and salaries of MPs that Bridge wanted to cut, the agreement on the Constitutional Court judges and the impeachment of PM Tihomir Oreskovic, it was the HDZ and the SDP that worked well together instead of the government, Petrov told reporters after a parliamentary session on the occasion of Croatia's Statehood Day, adding that the ministers had worked well together at government level but that the political parties had not. Asked if Bridge would form a coalition with the HDZ after the coming election if Andrej Plenkovic was elected HDZ president, Petrov said it was pointless to talk hypothetically or interfere in other parties' processes. "I hope the (HDZ) will elect a good leadership and that it will be a democratic HDZ, which I would recommend to the SDP too," he said. Petrov reiterated that Bridge's condition for the survival of the outgoing government had been that Oreskovic remain PM or a new election. As for Tomislav Karamarko, who resigned as First Deputy PM and HDZ leader, he said that "if there is a conflict of interest, which was eventually confirmed, such a person... has no right to be in the executive authority. That's the standard we asked for from the beginning." "Unfortunately, over these 25 years politicians were allowed too much, so they think everything is allowed to them because no one punished them. I hope citizens will appreciate this in the (coming) election," most likely in September. A reporter remarked that he was not clearly dismissing the possibility of cooperation with the HDZ or the SDP. Petrov reiterated that one person was not the party and that the HDZ leadership made all the key decisions in recent weeks. "They need to change because we simply can't do anything with such leaderships." He said it was disgraceful that a record low number of MPs attended today's session for Croatia's 25th statehood anniversary. "If they weren't willing do come today and celebrate Statehood Day, what can they give for Croatia?" Croatia deserves much better than what happened over the past six months, he said. "I believe we will try to do proud all those who gave their lives for Croatia and those to whom Croatia was number one 25 years ago. That's what I expect of all politicians, that general interest be above all else when they become publicly active."

 

Montenegro remains committed to European integration (MINA)

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic said that the referendum decision of the citizens of Great Britain to leave the European Union (EU) has a special sensitivity and weight, and is binding us to the maximum commitment to preserve the unity of the 27 member states in order to preserve the values of the EU. Vujanovic said to the agency MINA that Montenegro welcomes the position of President of the European Council Donald Tusk on the readiness of the EU to preserve its unity. "Montenegro will continue with its commitment to the values of the EU and the European integration process", said Vujanovic.

 

Macedonia's President Ivanov: All open issues should be resolved in State Institutions (Dnevnik)

“If citizens gave us the confidence to assume high­level positions in state institutions, then the place to solve all open issues and crises is in those institutions, not foreign embassies, says President Gjorge Ivanov in an interview with daily "Dnevnik". He says these actions demonstrate subservience to foreigners. "Therefore, when talking about law violations, they should be aware of the precedents they are making and that someone will use this in the future", says Ivanov. According to him, everything in politics is solved through dialogue, not monologue. "This is not a life or death struggle as they want to present it. Political crises are not solved by threat, blackmail, pressure, and destruction of the institutions. If there is no dialogue, then the only thing is to observe the stipulated procedures, meaning elections. There is no other way to solve a crisis, because if you don't respect the Constitution and the laws, then all types of conflicts are inevitable", stresses Ivanov. Referring to the impeachment motion by the opposition, he says the Parliament debate did not focus on arguments, but was reduced to insults. "I passed the pardoning decision based on the rights provided to me as President in the Constitution and the Law on Pardoning. Everything is clear from a legal point of view", adds the President. Ivanov says that friendly countries and their services provided information over expected actions, while those who thought they could produce violent acts by violating the Constitution and laws have underestimated their own country, its institutions and services. "Even heads of several states personally briefed me over scenarios prepared for Macedonia. There is also information from our services that I cannot publicly disclose. Certain criminal structures and former inmates were mobilized in order to create unrest and violence in the country", stresses Ivanov. The President says citizens should be calm and trust the country's institutions and services. "The police and security services are again under one command. The Idomeni migrant camp has been cleared. The threat coming from the northern border has been prevented. The 'Cell' defendants, returnees from Syria battlefields, admitted guilt, while the remaining 86 are under police supervision. In addition, information is gathered for those still in Syria, Iraq and Libya", says Ivanov. He also referred to the possibility of a new migrant wave, which could be bigger than the initial one. "This wave will include economic migrants primarily from Africa, people who risk everything because they have nothing to lose. Therefore, instead of spending resources for securing of protests, we should concentrate on the second wave of refugees", underlines Ivanov in the interview.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbian EU chief says chapters may open in June (BIRN)

Ahead of the last session of the working group under the Dutch EU presidency, Serbia's head of negotiations expressed mild optimism over Serbia's chances of opening Chapters 23 and 24. The head of Serbia's EU negotiation team, Tanja Miscevic, says there is still time to open Chapters 23 and 24 in June and that outstanding issue with neighboring Croatia will soon be solved. "Last week there were still talks about a joint approach of the EU to the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 with Serbia. There is still time to achieve Holland’s agenda - to open those Chapters,” Miscevic told BIRN. The EU working group on the Serbian negotiations has its final meeting under the Dutch presidency on Monday to discuss a joint approach on opening Chapters 23 and 24. A European Council working group on April 6 pulled opening the chapters - dealing with the rule of law, the judiciary and human rights - from its agenda after Croatia failed to give them a green light. However, Miscevic said she does not think Croatia is “using the EU to press Serbia” but is trying to solve bilateral issues through the negotiation process. “Croatia... did not have full support among other EU countries for their point of view. Serbia is ready to solve bilateral issues with Croatia,” Miscevic said, recalling that both countries are working on solving the impasse. Serbia's Prime Minister-designate, Aleksandar Vucic, and President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic recently discussed the issues burdening relations between the two countries, she noted. Croatia is demanding that Serbia pledges full respect for national minority rights, full cooperation with the Hague war-crimes tribunal, ICTY, and scraps a law giving Serbia jurisdiction to try war crimes committed in all the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. “Even if the chapters are not open during the Dutch presidency, they will be opened in the near future," she said. "We are dedicated to the EU and we are more than interested in implementing EU standards, including rule of law and human rights,” Miscevic added. Asked about Slovakia assumption of EU presidency in July, Miscevic said she was confident that Slovakia’s policy towards expansion of EU will be positive and supportive. “We had both technical and political talks with representatives of Slovakia so we know that the process of enlargement of the EU is very important to them,” Miskovic said. Slovakia takes over the presidency of the EU from The Netherlands on July 1. Miscevic also stated that Britain's exit from the EU following a referendum will not put in Serbia’s own path to the EU in jeopardy. “Britain’s exit will not happen for the next two years. Also, our negotiations basically just began, there is a lot of work. Our logic is that we need reform and adjustment to EU standards, not just membership. “For Serbia it is important to monitor processes going on within the EU. For start, no officials in Brussels want to talk about 'Plan A' or 'Plan B', or what will happen after the referendum in the UK,” she said.

 

Moscow: What did NATO defend against in Serbia and Libya? (Sputnik)

The Russian Defense Ministry was "surprised" by the German defense minister's insistence on Russia reporting about the movements and the number of its troops. "Moscow is informing its European partners about all snap drills and large-scale exercises for two years," said the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov, Sputnik reported. According to German media Ursula von der Leyen said NATO and Russia should publicly report on the movements and the number of its troops within the framework of the OSCE, and that the initiative has long been promoted by NATO. She also referred to NATO as "a defensive organization." "The German defense minister's statements have surprised us. She is possibly unaware that we have, at our initiative, been informing our European partners about all snap drills and large-scale exercises for two years, which is something we are not obliged to do under the Vienna Convention," Konashenkov said. As for the defensive nature of the Western military alliance, the Russian general spoke about NATO's "dramatic campaigns in Yugoslavia (i.e., Serbia, then a part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and Libya." "Will Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen be able to explain to the world how selflessly the alliance defended itself without sparing ammunition," he said. In 1999, NATO carried out its military operation against Yugoslavia in violation of the UN Charter. According to Serbian authorities some 2,500 people died during the bombing. In Libya, NATO carried out airstrikes against the regime of Moamer Gaddafi, that aggravated the consequences of an armed uprising. After Gaddafi was killed, the country descended into a civil war that resulted in a dual regime.