LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: We are listening to threats on a daily basis (TV Pink)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was a guest on TV Pink where he was cross-questioned by Tanjug Director Branka Djukic, Aleksandar Apostolovski from Politika and host Predrag Sarapa.

Speaking about the meeting with the US official Hoyt Yee, he says there are no easy talks, and that these were difficult talks. Asked whether he was bothered by Yee’s statement that Serbia must not sit on two chairs, Vucic said: “These talks were not easy, they were difficult. The talks were not very pleasant, but there were no unpleasant words. The main topics were Kosovo and Russia. The US is one of the strongest powers, while I represent a small country, so my task was to protect its freedom spirit. As Yee says, the US supports the territorial integrity of an independent state of Kosovo. Nothing should not and cannot be changed, this is the US policy. You cannot touch upon Kosovo’s territorial integrity, yet you were allowed to touch upon Serbia’s territorial integrity nine years ago. I told him this into his face now, just as I had in the past. He coldly accepted that and conveyed that this was the message of the US, whether you accept it or not. We are listening to such threats on a daily basis,” said Vucic.

I will write a book on Brussels negotiations

Vucic says that he didn’t accept their interference through Catherine Ashton’s plan. “They came to Belgrade two days later, Davenport plated an important role here. He told me that Ashton was ready to give up on one point if I accept another one. I said this was not trade,” he said. According to him, today is the 1,666^th day that the Albanians, as well as their sponsors, didn’t fulfill the key part of the agreement, which is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities. “It is up to you to deal with your own emotions. I will write a book about the Brussels negotiations. We need to be rational. We also need to be rational with Kosovo and Metohija, for the first time they are bothered with our presence in Kosovo, because they thought they have finished with the Serbs…” said Vucic.

If we experience failure in the negotiations with Albanians, nothing horrible, we’ve tried

Responding to the question whether the state has the capacity to preserve its independence, he says that Serbia is sitting on its own chair, nobody can guarantee until when it will be able to do so. “One it is impossible we will have some other people in the government and in the post of the president. I think that the only right direction is to preserve independence. They are bothered by our military neutrality and with the fact that we didn’t recognize Kosovo,” said Vucic. He says Serbia cannot be passive and it must offer solutions that have to do with the reality, the pressures will not stop. “It is our job to conduct an independent policy and to try to find an historical agreement with the Albanians, this is good for the future of our children. If we fail, nothing horrible, we’ve tried,” said Vucic. “Yes, we are on the EU path, because this is the best path for Serbia. We must be rational regarding Kosovo. It is up to us to harmonize our policy with that of the EU before we join the EU. We are looking up to numerous EU member states, but Russia is our friend.”

We will repent

Speaking about the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Centre, he says a large propaganda is underway. “Whatever decision we make, we will repent,” he said. “I believe that Putin will come again, we will continue to strengthen our army,” he said. He says that one of the topics discussed with Yee has been our relationship with Russia, and that he had received the message, and that Serbia would behave as an independent and sovereign country and make decisions in this respect. “The things happening in the US today will bring new problems. We will be in trouble over their internal problems. Anyone who has any kind of relationship with Russia will be in trouble,” said Vucic.

About Catalonia

There is not one single reason for Catalonia to receive its state. If this is zero for Catalonia, then it is minus three for Kosovo, he says, adding he doesn’t wish to speak about details over Spanish friends.

About early parliamentary elections

“We haven’t made a decision, the people in the party support early parliamentary elections, but I do not. We will have a meeting, if we decide to hold city and parliamentary elections, then we can’t have them in December, perhaps in February or March. We will pass decisions not because we like elections. We will have a session this week, we will discuss this more. In any case, the chances for the elections are 50:50,” he said.

 

Dacic:  I would like the same to happen to those who recognized Kosovo (RTS)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has told an RTS broadcast that Catalonia is not looking at the former Yugoslavia, but at Kosovo. “They are looking at Kosovo because they have unilateral acts, but they also look at some former Yugoslav republics that conducted such a policy. It is a short path from support to the unity of a country to quick recognition of the newly create reality such as Slovenia, Croatia, not to mention Kosovo,” said Dacic. He says that Kosovo and Catalonia are linked by the fact that at issue is a unilateral secession without dialogue with the state from which they are breaking away. “You don’t depend anymore from international law, but from a set of international circumstances. Serbia doesn’t recognize any kind of unilateral acts and we support Spain’s unity,” notes Dacic. “I think that some realized that the problem will come back at them. We are not rejoicing over that, but still, I wish that the same happens to countries that recognized Kosovo, and then for us to decide whether at issue is international law,” said Dacic.

He criticized the US and Great Britain, with whom “he has been trying all these years to find common interests and to reset relations”, but they have not been making moves that he considers not to be friendly acts. He says that Kosovo has become an unwanted child a long time ago. “In fact, they don’t know how to justify this anymore. While the British say that we are a genocidal nation, I need to pay attention how I speak about them so that they are not insulted. Let Vucic dismiss me, but I will speak how our people view this,” says Dacic.

He reminds that Great Britain submitted a resolution two years ago whereby it “branded the Serbian nation as genocidal”, without informing Serbia about this, while Russia vetoed this resolution. “Ten days ago, again without informing Serbia, Great Britain has come up with an idea of abolishing regular Security Council sessions about the situation in Kosovo and for them to turn into closed consultations. The US immediately supported that stand, while Russia and China opposed it,” said Dacic.

Speaking about the internal dialogue on Kosovo in Serbia, Dacic points out that we need to convince the “big brothers”, i.e. the US and Great Britain, that this is a solution for stability and not for some new conflicts. “Time is needed, but this point needs to be launched. One delusion

Is that everything is lost, and the other is that everything is ours and that we should give in,” says Dacic.

He says that there is nothing new in the messages conveyed by Hoyt Yee, but that this is the first time that he had clearly stated that Serbia cannot sit on two chairs. He says that Serbia needs to focus on the US President and Vice President and not on officials at Yee’s level.

“I don’t know what is expected of us, but we certainly will not commit political suicide. He wants us to kill ourselves by angering our friends and allies, those who will submit tomorrow a veto in the UNSC, because the US will certainly not to this,” says Dacic, adding that Yee is asking Serbia to quarrel with Russia and China so nobody can defend it in the SC, and for the US to be on the side of the Albanians.

Dacic thinks that the only way for Kosovo to receive UN membership is if there would be nobody in the UNSC to place a veto. Asked what Yee asked for when it comes to Kosovo, Dacic says that Serbia doesn’t operate according to the principle “what they request”. “They requested nine years ago that we recognize Kosovo,” said Dacic.

Knowing Vucic, Dacic says that he expects local Belgrade elections to be held at the same time with early parliamentary elections. “Knowing Vucic, I do expect! There is one expression ‘don’t poke’, and the opposition is constantly poking, but prays to God that he doesn’t slate elections. Knowing him, I am not sure that this will not happen,” said Dacic. He doesn’t believe this will happen in December, but in March – why not. “I miss elections,” said Dacic.

 

Suriname withdraws recognition of Kosovo (RTS/Tanjug/B92)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today that the government of the Republic of Suriname withdrew its decision to recognize Kosovo and Metohija as an independent state, which is a historic event for our country. At an extraordinary press conference, Dacic explained that diplomatic note from Suriname arrived during the night. “This decision shows that one must persevere, talk with everyone - if we want Kosovo to be our national interest,” Dacic said
On 8 July 2016, Suriname recognized Kosovo’s independence, he reminded and pointed out that during his mandate only five states recognized Kosovo, while one country withdrew its decision.
So far, 106 countries have recognized the independence of Kosovo, he specified. Dacic went on to say that by August 2012, more than 80 countries had recognized Kosovo - while since he took office, only five countries did so. “This shows that it’s not over, as some are saying. I’m not sure they’ll publish this news in Pristina. This is a very significant event that deserves special attention, not to be spoken about at some other events,” Dacic said. But, he continued, the decision is not a precedent, as this happened before, but not often. “In the case of Kosovo, it happened with Sao Tome and Principle, after a change of government. We did not achieve this with money - there's no money; we didn’t do it with pressure - we have nothing to pressure with, but we must persevere. I regret that many who were our friends during Josip Broz Tito have recognized Kosovo, but we were dealing more with our enemies,” Dacic stressed. He also observed that what has been created through the violation of law in the case of Kosovo is now spreading like a virus. “Our generation will not be the one to see Kosovo get a chair in the UN. That will certainly not happen until Russia and China change their position. We will certainly not support them (Pristina). They have miscalculated. Our man who has contacts in the Suriname authorities helped with this. I call on our entire diaspora to work for their country. We will not stop here. They find fault with me in Brussels and Washington for working on this the most. We I do, because this is our biggest problem,” he said. According to Dacic, the news came out of the blue for the authorities in Pristina. “They didn’t expect this. They were announcing that everyone would recognize them, we just had to support them to join the UN. They’ve miscalculated a little, they don’t know that they’re dealing with persistent, principled, and slightly stubborn people,” Dacic concluded.

 

Odalovic: Internal dialogue on Kosovo is not a farce (RTS)

 

The Secretary General of the Serbian Foreign Ministry Veljko Odalovic has told RTS that the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija should be opened as widely as possible and should involve as many as possible most reference institutions and special organizations, as well as civil societies and the NGO sector. The internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija starts today where more than 40 law professors will present their opinions at the first round table. Serbian Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic and the Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric will listen to the stands of the legal experts concerning the solution for Kosovo and Metohija. “The Belgrade Faculty of Law has undertaken the first step at this moment, opened the dialogue and it is good that most eminent law professors are in one place and discussing in a very open manner about one very delicate and sensitive issue,” said Odalovic. Speaking about the dynamics of the dialogue and who will participate in it, Odalovic says that it should involve the broadest possible circle of individuals and institutions, meaning that institutes that deal with scientific research, such as the Institute of Social Sciences, have their role.

According to him, we never had a dialogue that was conducted in a very transparent manner by including the widest public – these were dialogues that were conducted inside a circle of political structures. “One should not run away from the media dialogue. Why wouldn’t chief editors sit once and talk with us,” wondered Odalovic. The dialogue will be very transparent, without previous limits and it will be open for the media, says Odalovic. It would be very wise for political parties to organize themselves their own round tables, noted Odalovic. “One cannot build any policy at present in denial and negation,” says Odalovic, adding this is not a responsible approach. Some parties say they will not take part in the dialogue, which is irresponsible, says Odalovic, underlining that this is an opportunity to debate in a public, transparent and expert manner. “All state officials are individually exposed to pressures, we are conducting also the dialogue with Pristina in Brussels, but we lacked an internal dialogue and I hope we will reach a shaped stand in the next several months, with good organization, but not in order to have a unified stand, but how different segments of society view all this,” said Obradovic. “The dialogue is not a farce, but a realistic necessity,” said Odalovic, underlining that it needs to be founded on material truths. “We cannot just talk about something without knowing certain topics, issues and problems,” said Odalovic.

Odalovic says that somebody will have to sit and go through recent Serbian history. If one goes some seventy years back, we will see that we had certain dialogues that we hadn’t seen or felt, opines Odalovic. “The first dialogue was conducted in 1945 when the autonomous district of Kosovo and Metohija was formed, then there was certain dialogue in 1963 when we had constitutional amendments when we reached the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, then we had another dialogue in 1974 that was extremely costly for us when we received the name Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija was erased, and then we had one more dialogue in the 1990s when we tried to return all these frameworks,” recalled Odalovic.

 

First round table starts; legal experts first present stands (RTS/Tanjug/RTV)

 

The first round table within the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija started today at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade.

Serbian Assistant Justice Minister Cedomir Backovic has stated that the academic community is the first place from where the dialogue needs to start, while the Dean of the Belgrade Law Faculty Sima Avramovic has pointed out that it is important that the dialogue is starting with the thoughts of law professors. He assessed that the path taken is “foggy” but also “thorny”, and to frequent remarks that Kosovo is lost, responds that Kosovo is not lost as long as there are 120,000 Serb inhabitants there. Avramovic says that Kosovo is less lost than the Serbian village that is disappearing, noting that the population in Kosovo is the biggest value that is a capital that Serbia needs to nurture and take advantage of. He notices that birthrate in Kosovo is higher than in Serbia proper despite the misfortunes that occurred, and that the readiness of the people to fight is at a high level, while it is up to the state to think how it will help everybody to stay there.

“There are no magic moves. This will be a long road that implies a series of small steps. There is no big solution, there is one variety of smaller, and it seems to me, important steps that could be heard here,” said Avramovic, recalling there had been different proposals in the past from “more than autonomy, less than independence”, then “standards before status”…However, he points out that the fact of the matter is that “what Serbia could have received during Milosevic could not have received during Kostunica any longer, and that the more time passes Serbia will be less able to affirm its presence in Kosovo and Metohija”.

Dean of the Pristina Law Faculty Vlada Mihajlovic says that he sees the dialogue as a challenge that “we all together feel the Kosovo pain”. “It is true that there is no army and police of ours there, but our people are there, we already have a built network of institutions, education, healthcare, social and other services and we must not cling and give up,” said Mihajlovic. He says that education is the key pillar in Kosovo and Metohija and that the destiny and survival of Kosovo is linked precisely to this sphere with the University in Kosovska Mitrovica.

 

Dveri: Referendum on Kosovo and Metohija needs to be organized (Beta/Politika/Novosti)

 

Presenting the conclusions of the round table on the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the leader of the Dveri Movement Bosko Obradovic has stated that he will launch an initiative for forming a working group for preparing performance and documents for defending Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia. He says that prior to a referendum it is necessary to organize a free public dialogue so citizens could be acquainted with all circumstances that led to the present situation of the alleged necessity to definitely hand over Kosovo and Metohija to the Albanian minority. “The policy of the President of the Republic and the Serbian government concerning Kosovo and Metohija is condemned and rejected, because this policy has over the past five years been leading to not only factual but also legal recognition of the so-called state of Kosovo,” said Obradovic. “The issue of Kosovo and Metohija needs to be returned within the framework of the United Nations Security Council and, in accordance with this, the state of Serbia needs to gradually abandon cooperation with the EULEX Mission in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Obradovic, adding that participation in talks with Pristina should be ceased within the Brussels agreement, which is, as he put it, “Serbia’s giving up from Kosovo and Metohija”.

He pointed to the necessity of launching an initiative for the Serbian Constitutional Court to examine the constitutionality of the oath taken by the ministers, deputies, MPs, judges, policemen, “with the persuasion and approval” of the Serbian authorities, before the institutions of the “false state of Kosovo”. “This is the only way of stopping Serbia’s rushing into recognizing the false state of Kosovo and Serbia’s self-destruction under the direction of the current authorities,” said Obradovic, presenting the conclusions of the round table, agreed upon by all participants.

On the occasion of the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, the leader of the Statehood Movement Slobodan Samardzic has stated that this dialogue has so far been chaotic. “So far, there has not been enough public in this public dialogue. Now they will perhaps move on to the institutional phase of the dialogue,” said Samardzic, adding that he doesn’t expect in March 2018 a document that will reveal something new. The participants in the round table have also been the representative of the “Otadzbina” (Homeland) People’s Movement from Kosovo and Metohija Marko Jaksic, the Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies Dragana Trifkovic, the representative of the Eastern Alternative Dragan Todorovic, and expert in international law Dejan Mirovic.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Ruling majority asks for annulling of decision on referendum in RS (Fena)

 

Caucuses of SNSD, DNS, SP RS and SDS-K submitted to the RS Assembly a demand to schedule a special session, at which the decision on a referendum in the RS on the B&H Court of B&H and Prosecutor’s Office would be placed out of force. The ruling majority proposed for the agenda to include two items: a proposal of the decision on placing out of force the decision on announcing the RS referendum and a proposal of the decision on placing out of force the decision on appointing members of the Commission for Implementation of the Referendum. This information was confirmed from the RS Assembly and RS Assembly Speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic scheduled a session of the RSNA Collegium for 3 November, at which the agenda would be determined more precisely, as well as the date of the special session.

 

Govedarica claims that Vucic requested from Dodik to end destructive political behavior (TV1)

 

SDS leader Vukota Govedarica assessed on Monday that during the Sunday meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik was requested to stop with destructive political behavior and obstructing of reforms. Govedarica added: “The interest of the RS is not destruction or halt in implementation of reforms, but following of Serbia on its European path and not being in service of some radical Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians who want to make personal profit out of that radicalism.”

Reacting to this statement, Dodik said that Govedarica thus reveals the nature of meetings that he attends in Belgrade, stressing that his only experience from those meetings is related either to orders or criticism due to disobedience. He stated that Govedarica does not understand how come that partners who do not have the same stance on all issues hold talks and respect each other despite opposite opinions.

 

Independent Bloc calls Vucic-Dodik meeting ‘another in series of failed meetings’ (Dnevni list)

 

The Independent Bloc is of the view that the last meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik is one in a series of failed meetings. President of the Independent Bloc and representative in the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) House of Representatives (HoR) Senad Sepic says that politicians in B&H and Serbia must explain to their citizens and voters how they will prepare their countries for EU membership by the year 2025, how they will improve economy, create new jobs, build infrastructure, schools etc. “They must also show how to open the media space, strengthen parliaments and institutions and decrease influence of individuals”, said Sepic.

 

Milivojevic: EU and US expect Vucic to discourage Dodik’s plans (TV1)

 

TV1 carried an analysis of relations between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik. Political analyst from Belgrade Cvjetin Milivojevic deems that in psychological sense, Vucic has been attempting to compensate Kosovo with intensifying cooperation with the RS and through expressing additional care for this entity. Milivojevic went on saying that it is clear that Vucic will never work against interests of the RS. He stressed that the Serbian President has been presenting himself as a peacekeeper before the international community. Milivojevic said that after he has been presenting himself as a globalist and Europhile, it is important for Vucic to act and present himself as a patriot. He underlined that considering the fact Dodik is very unpopular in B&H, as well as in Brussels and Washington, Vucic will have to change his “deliberate passivity.” Milivojevic explained that the EU and the US expect Vucic to discourage some Dodik’s plans and political adventures, including organizing a referendum on B&H judiciary, and not to act after something has been done. Political analyst Esad Bajtal said that if it becomes Vucic’s interest or some foreign factors advise him to do so, Vucic will have to “change direction” of his influence on Dodik, especially if he wants to accelerate the EU path of Serbia.

 

Tegeltija sends letter to international representatives in B&H (ATV)

 

Conclusion of the B&H High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) which calls for examination of war past of all judges and prosecutors at the B&H level continues to spark reactions. President of B&H HJPC Milan Tegeltija sent letters to the Office of the High Representative (OHR), the OSCE, the UK and the US Embassies to B&H and the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H, thus responded to deep concerns coming from representatives of the international community (IC), saying that they were interpreted in the wrong way. "Rest assured that the HJPC and all its members are deeply committed to the preservation and improvement of independent judiciary in B&H and protection of the integrity of all judicial office holders in accordance with its statutory role and mission of umbrella regulator of the independent judiciary in B&H," Tegeltija wrote in the letter. In the letter, Tegeltija also explained the HJPC's conclusion which seeks amendments to the Law on HJPC which would enable removal of prosecutors and judges without carrying out disciplinary proceedings, noting that the HJPC's commission would prepare and submit the content of this provision that would not be contrary to European conventions.

 

HNB governor: Benefits from euro adoption will be greater than in other EU countries (HRT)

 

Croatian National Bank (HNB) Governor Boris Vujcic said on Monday that benefits from the transition to the euro would be greater for Croatia than had been the case with other EU member states. The transition from the Kuna as the legal tender to the euro has become a new strategic goal of the government, as could be seen at today's conference held in Zagreb and dealing with the process of the introduction of the euro in Croatia. The government and the Central Bank organized the gathering in a bid to provide more information about the process to citizens and start a public debate on the issue.

PM Andrej Plenkovic stressed that there was no set date for the introduction of the euro, but what was important was for the process to be well-prepared including reforms. The PM also said that its introduction means the cutting of the premiums and the interest rates for loans, which would mean better financing conditions for citizens, but also for companies and the state which would make Croatia even more attractive to tourist and investors from the Eurozone.

The leader of the Matica association of public-sector trade unions, Vilim Ribic, said on Monday that a decision on the adoption of the euro should be made by the people in a referendum rather than by political and business elites.

 

Montenegro will join EU on its own merit, like Croatia did (Pobjeda)

 

When Montenegro is ready and it has accomplished all its task, it should immediately join EU, said EU MP Ivan Jakovcic speaking to Pobjeda. “I am not a supporter of slow accession and the waiting process, as it can be demotivating for the citizens. When Montenegro is ready, it should join EU, and no waiting should be considered. There is no need for the countries in the region to join EU together – everyone should be accepted based on their own merit”, Jakovcic said. He said that there were always those who oppose everything, and the same is true with EU expansion. “However, it is clear to everyone that Balkan countries cannot be left behind. They have EU perspective, and that is the most important”, he said. He also said he believed all of Balkan will join EU. “With NATO is different. I do think that it is excellent that Adriatic area has been put under NATO safety umbrella,” Jakovcic said.

 

Montenegro already benefiting from NATO membership (CDM)

 

Council for NATO held its first session on Monday, led by the Council president Dusko Markovic, and concluded that the membership in NATO was one of the key foreign politics priorities for Montenegro. He said that the new position of our country entails a responsible approach to new national priorities. The Council stated that Montenegro has already begun enjoying benefits from the NATO membership, such as increased promotion of our country internationally, perception of our country as a safe investment destination and stronger interest of respected investors for Montenegro.

 

OSCE/ODIHR: The elections were democratic and we didn’t notice any act of violence (Meta)

 

The second round of mayoral elections were competitive and respect for fundamental freedoms contributed towards conduct of democratic elections, the observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded in a preliminary statement released on Monday. “The legal framework forms a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections. While most provisions of the Electoral Code apply for the second round, the Code does not clearly regulate certain aspects,” Ambassador Glover said, including that the law does not provide for the updating of voter lists between the rounds, effectively disenfranchising voters who turned 18 years old in this period. When asked how she would comment the accusations of VMRO-DPMNE’s party leader, Nikola Gruevski, about election irregularities and outbreaks of violence, Glover said “Those are accusations, but our short-term and long-term observers and us, we didn’t notice any violence. We noticed efforts for bribery, for photographing ballots, family voting, and the police is already reacting to that, but we have no evidence of violence. We don’t work according to accusations, but with evidence. We are here as observers, and not as election police. We cannot interfere in the election process – said Glover, including that the final report about the elections in Macedonia will be published in 2 months.

 

Local elections give clear mandate to new mayors and council members: EC Spokesperson (MIA)

 

These local elections give a clear mandate to the new mayors and members of the municipals councils on how the citizens would like their local government to be shaped in their municipalities, says European Commission Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic in a statement released on Monday. According to Kocijancic, the focus should now be on moving the EU reform agenda forward through an inclusive process in the interests of all citizens.

"The elections were observed by the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, which in their preliminary statements assesses that the elections in both rounds were competitive and held in an environment respecting fundamental freedoms, with some shortcomings identified", says Kocijancic. She stresses that all stakeholders now need to implement the recommendations made by the OSCE/ODIHR observers, which will allow the relevant state institutions to further improve their capacities well ahead of the next election cycle. "The European Union is ready to offer support in this regard", adds Kocijancic. The EC Spokesperson says any concerns or complaints by participants in the elections should be addressed to the relevant national authorities following the established procedures and within the deadlines.

 

Changes likely in government and parliamentary structure after local elections (MIA)

 

Results of the two rounds of the October local elections in Macedonia indicate both the government and the parliamentary structure will undergo changes. Also, it remains to be seen how the government and Parliament will be affected after the Alliance for the Albanians - a junior government coalition partner - and the opposition party VMRO-DPMNE had said last night they would contest the outcome of the local elections. Parliament is expected in the middle of the week to continue its sessions after Sunday's second round of the local elections.

 

Taravari: No stance yet over AA's future in government (MIA)

 

We do not have a stance yet over our future in the government. We will take a decision once the election results are analyzed, said Alliance for Albanians (AA) secretary-general Taravari. Regarding the elections, he criticized the engagement of government officials in the DUI campaign. "We are staying in the government for the time being. The party presidency will analyze whether there has been abuse during the election process, which we suspect. We will also talk to the Prime Minister. I believe it is scandalous that the PM and the Minister of Interior are working to DUI's benefit. This is unacceptable and goes against Priebe's recommendations,” said Taravari.

 

VMRO-DPMNE's reformists urge Gruevski to step down as party leader (MIA)

 

The reformist wing of VMRO-DPMNE if calling for urgent resignation of Nikola Gruevski as the party's leader and has dismissed calls for early parliamentary polls as being 'unnecessary' after the party suffered a crushing defeat at Macedonia's sixth local elections. Urgent resignation of the VMRO-DPMNE leader, Nikola Gruevski, organization of a free, democratic and unifying party congress, an end to threats to revoke the membership of all those who voice different opinion and a fresh legislation on the functioning of political parties - these are some of the demands of the party's reformist wing.

 

National informative service director resigns (ADN)

 

The National Informative Service (NIS) General Director, Visho Ajazi Lika resigned on Monday. His resignation letter has been already submitted to the Prime Minister Edi Rama while the motives of this unexpected act have not yet been made public. By law the NIS General Director is proposed by the Premier and is decreed by the President. This is presumed to have been the motive behind an unexpected meeting between Prime Minister Edi Rama and President Ilir Meta earlier on Monday. Lika's resignation was subject of a meeting between the Prime Minister, Edi Rama and the President of the Republic, Ilir Meta, on Monday. They discussed the motives of the resignation and for a possible candidate who will replace him in NIS.

The opposition’s leader, Lulzim Basha argues that Lika’s resignation is related to the political pressure. “I have ascertained the possibility of pressure against the NIS resigned General Director Lika. The fact that NIS is preparing a series of files proving the State Police highest ranks officials involvement in cannabis cultivation and drugs trafficking is motive of worry for Prime Minister Edi Rama narco-captured state. It means that maximal efforts are being done to shut down the former-Minister of Interior Sajmir Tahiri drug-related affair. Anyhow, the exactly opposite will happen. Tahiri will not manage to escape justice. The international partners can’t allow Albania’s transformation into a country ruled by the gangs,” said Basha.

 

Vetting wins in Constitutional Court (ADN)

 

Constitutional Court refused to accept on Monday the request of the Judges Union against the Vetting Law. After a long session behind closed doors, the judges of the Constitutional Court ruled to allow the vetting law implementation refusing the complain of the judges union.

The association of judges has appealed against some of the articles in the vetting law claiming that it runs counter to the Constitution. The law on reassessment of judges and prosecutors is the most important law of justice reform. This law was criticized last year by DP, however the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of this draft.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Kosovo led to Catalonia. But West won’t admit it (RT, by Nebojsa Malic, 30 October 2017)

 

The same countries that cheered when Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union broke up and insisted on ‘independent Kosovo’ now say Catalonia’s declaration of independence is unacceptable. But they wrote the rules the Catalans are now following.

On Friday, the Catalan parliament declared independence from Spain. Madrid has refused to recognize the declaration. Anything can happen next, from a negotiated settlement of some kind to a civil war. Tempting as it is to delve into the arguments of who is right and what should be done, this will not be an attempt to judge the legitimacy of Catalonia’s independence pitch or lack thereof. What I find interesting is the noise emanating from the capitals whose actions have enabled the crisis to arise in the first place ‒ not that they’ll ever admit it. France, Britain, and Germany have come out against Catalan independence and in favor of Spain’s territorial integrity. So has Washington, with the State Department declaring “Catalonia is an integral part of Spain.” NATO, of which Spain is a member, declared that “The Catalonia issue is a domestic matter which should be resolved within Spain’s constitutional order.”

How markedly different from 1999, when all these countries decided Kosovo was not a “domestic matter” or “integral part” of Serbia and took part in NATO’s illegal, illegitimate war to ensure its separation! Or 2008, when the ethnic Albanian provisional government in that occupied Serbian province declared independence, and all of these countries immediately recognized it ‒ and pressured others to do so as well. “Why were they so unthinking, driven by fleeting political considerations and their desire to please – I will put it bluntly – their big brother in Washington, in providing their unconditional support to the secession of Kosovo, thus provoking similar processes in other regions of Europe and the world?” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the Valdai discussion club on October 19, noting that “at one point they actually welcomed the disintegration of a number of states in Europe without hiding their joy.”

It’s true: the very same countries cheered on the chaotic dismemberment of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, then turned around and insisted on the integrity of their shards with the same zeal with which they now champion the integrity and sovereignty of Spain. Their position on separatism isn’t principled, but opportunistic. In March 1991, the vast majority (113 million, or 77 percent) of the Soviet Union’s inhabitants voted in favor of its preservation. Despite that, in December that year the US-backed Russian leader Boris Yeltsin struck a deal with his counterparts in Minsk and Kiev (Belavezha Accords) to dismember the USSR along the Communist-drawn borders of its republics. Though no such agreement had been reached in Yugoslavia, where Croatia’s attempt to claim ethnic Serb territories within its own Communist-drawn borders resulted in open warfare, in January 1992, a committee of European lawyers cited the demise of the USSR to declare Yugoslavia “in dissolution.” Moreover, while Russia was recognized as the successor to the USSR, the West refused to extend the same courtesy to Serbia and Montenegro when it came to Yugoslavia, declaring they would have to reapply for recognition, even though their official independence predated any kind of Yugoslavia by 40 years. Though Yugoslavia was one of the founding members of the UN, its membership was revoked. The stubborn insistence of Western powers on the arbitrary borders drawn up by Yugoslavia’s Communist government ‒ its only legacy they cared about preserving ‒ fueled war and atrocities. Yet in 1999, when Washington decided to crush the last vestiges of Yugoslavia by force, the rule about sacrosanct borders of republics was abruptly abandoned in favor of “might makes right,” as NATO occupied a part of Serbia and set about establishing it as a separate ethnic Albanian state. The principal argument of independence-backers was that Serbia somehow “forfeited” its right to Kosovo by allegedly oppressing and committing genocide against the ethnic Albanians. In March 2004, tens of thousands of Albanians rampaged across the province for several days, killing Serbs and looting and burning their homes and churches. Most NATO peacekeepers did little to stop it. A NATO admiral called the pogrom “ethnic cleansing,” while one UN official reportedly compared it to the 1938 “Kristallnacht” in Nazi Germany. Yet much of the Western commentariat did not see this as Albanians “forfeiting” their claim ‒ but instead proof Kosovo needed independence right away! That was achieved in 2008, in open violation of the UN Resolution 1244. The US, NATO and most of the EU cheered. Even so, five EU members refused to go along with this travesty: Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain.

Even though a Spaniard, Javier Solana, presided over NATO’s illegal war, and Spanish troops subsequently served as “peacekeepers” enabling the Albanian expulsion of ethnic Serbs and other “undesirables” from Kosovo, Madrid has since remained steadfast in refusing to recognize the renegade province’s statehood. Serbia took the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), asking, against Washington’s objections, for a ruling on the declaration. In 2010, the ICJ caved to the backers of “Kosovian” independence by redefining the provisional government in Pristina as “representatives of the people” and concluding that nothing in international law prevented them from declaring independence as such. The dissenting judges pointed out that this was specious reasoning, with Abdul Koroma of Sierra Leone calling it a “judicial sleight-of-hand.” It was too late: Pandora’s box was already open, international law rendered null and void for the sake of legitimizing a NATO land grab. In March 2014, when Crimeans voted to separate from the US-backed regime in Kiev brought into power by a coup ‒ while Russian troops safeguarded them from neo-Nazi thugs that crushed dissent elsewhere in fire and blood ‒ Washington howled about “Russian aggression” and insisted on the integrity of Ukraine. Berlin, London, and Paris followed suit. Attempting to argue that Kosovo was utterly different ‒ and not just because it was the US sponsoring the separatists ‒ President Barack Obama outright lied, claiming the existence of a proper international referendum that never took place, except in his imagination.

Washington continues to stubbornly insist that Kosovo was a “unique case,” thereby seeking to excuse its own blatantly illegal actions in Yugoslavia ‒ and later in Iraq, Libya and Syria.

Not only does the US invade whomever it wants, its leaders speak of “sovereignty” while sending various deputy assistant undersecretaries to browbeat vassal governments into obedience. The West may pose as the guardian of international law and order, but it is, in fact, an empire of chaos. That chaos will only result in more Kosovos ‒ today in Catalonia, God only knows where and when tomorrow ‒ until actual order is restored.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.