LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: A difficult fall awaits us regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija (TV Prva)

 

On the occasion of the allegations of intelligence services that Thaci’s terrorist-criminal group “b13” is preparing a bloody fall and attacks on the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zubin Potok, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told TV Prva that he has no evidence for something like that. “A difficult fall awaits us regarding the issue of Kosovo and Metohija,” warned the President, noting he doesn’t know with whom can one talk in Pristina nor about what, and that nobody understands that taxes cannot survive. He assessed as nonsense the decision of the Pristina authorities not to let citizens with Serbian passports in Kosovo. “It is clear that the Serbian side has made agreement for travelling with IDs, but you have the right to also travel with the passport. The one who has more also has the right to less,” he explained. Vucic said that he supposes that the western countries will request the acceleration of the solution for Kosovo and Metohija, but that he still hasn’t heard their proposal of the solution, except for increasing pressure on him. “Let us see what is your proposal, I still haven’t heard it. Except for pressures on me, where they will state – ‘you can endure, you will win at the elections even if you recognize Kosovo, and we will help you with the EU and with the money for Serbia…” said Vucic. He said that he does not believe US National Security Advisor John Bolton will visit Belgrade and Pristina. He said that Bolton is considering the visit but that he has no one to talk to in Pristina because of the coming early elections which is why the president believes that the US official won’t be making the visit.  “The elections are postponing the dialogue and they are talking about the taxes and the stupidest issues such as documents,” he said, adding that the US administration is urging Pristina to revoke the taxes. Vucic said that events in Pristina indicate that the negotiations with Belgrade will be prolonged indefinitely.

 

Pristina doing its best to make life difficult for Serbs in Kosovo (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Following the ban of entry of citizens with Serbian passports into the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said that this is the best indicator that this is a quasi-state in which the political situation is chaotic. Speaking to reporters in Novi Sad, Brnabic said that this also shows how uncertain the situation in the southern Serbian province is.

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic emphasized that the authorities in Pristina are in every way trying to make life difficult for the Serb population in Kosovo. They show that they do not intend to stick to the international agreements they themselves signed, but to show the Serbs in Kosovo that they are not welcome, Stefanovic stressed, adding that he did not expect anyone from the EU to react because there was no serious reaction even when Pristina imposed fees.

 

Dacic: I don’t plan to interfere in US internal politics (Politika/B92)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic rejected criticism of Michael Carpenter, former advisor of US Vice President Joseph Biden, of interfering into US affairs. Carpenter said that Serbian Foreign Minister plans to interfere in US domestic politics. “When Jews vote for Trump, that’s not interference or when Albanians vote for the Clintons or Engel. I’m not talking about Serbia as a state, I’m talking about US citizens of Serbian origin. That’s simply how things work in America. Albanians always bring Engel victory in his constituency”, Dacic told Politika. Dacic added that the Serbian diaspora in the US should organize "so that no one will be in a position to degrade them as the Democrats are doing presently”, Serbian Foreign Minister concluded.

Carpenter, in the capacity of a candidate of the Democratic Party for the president, voiced his criticism after Dacic's announcement that he would organize the Serbian diaspora in the US to vote for Trump at the next presidential elections, perceiving it as Dacic's intention of interfering into US internal policy. "The Serbian Foreign Minister plans to interfere in US domestic politics by rallying Serbian Americans to support Trump in 2020", Michael Carpenter tweeted, sharing Dacic's statement. Carpenter added that he "personally think he's making a big mistake, and U.S. support for Serbia's European path should remain a bipartisan issue".

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Members of B&H Border Police find 18 injured migrants on territory of Velika Kladusa Municipality; Migrants claim members of Croatian police beat them (TV1)

 

Members of the B&H Border Police found 18 injured migrants on the territory of Velika Kladusa Municipality, near the border with Croatia, in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The migrants, who were divided into several groups, told the B&H Border Police that members of the Croatian police beat them, took their money and phones away from them and then transported them to the territory of B&H. The migrants were transported to a hospital in Velika Kladusa. Twelve migrants sustained minor injuries and they were immediately released from the hospital, while six migrants had to undergo additional examinations. Following additional examinations, doctors in Velika Kladusa concluded that the six migrants also sustained minor extremity injuries. Una-Sana Canton Minister of Healthcare, Labor and Social Policy Nermina Cemalovic said that out of the eighteen discovered migrants, 14 are from Pakistan, while four are from Iraq. "They came with certain injuries which, according to them, they sustained during illegal crossing of the border with the Republic of Croatia," Cemalovic stressed. The B&H Border Police representatives did not want to give any information about this case, noting that the case was handed over to the Prosecutor's Office of B&H. The Prosecutor's Office stated in a press release that it has been informed about the case and that, together with law enforcement agencies, it is working to gather relevant information. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of Croatia issued a press release regarding the claims of migrants that members of the Croatian police beat them, took their money and phones away from them and then transported them to the territory of B&H. The Croatian MoI stated that Croatian police officers did not use means of coercion, adding that the Croatian police found 18 adult male persons in the area of Bihac in an attempt to illegally cross the border and that they were deterred from crossing the border illegally. The Croatian MoI stressed that there were no visible injuries on the migrants and that none of the migrants asked for medical assistance.

 

Dodik: Thirty days for Council of Ministers or deep crisis (Nezavisne)

 

The daily carries interview with Serb member of the B&H Presidency and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. Commenting on the agreement on principles for formation of authorities at the level of B&H, which he has signed with SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic, Dodik said that he is convinced the state-level authorities will be established within the next 30 days, “if there is political will to do so”. “I know that SNSD, SDA and HDZ B&H want this to be over as soon as possible, and that European path of B&H continues”, said Dodik. He explained that the Council of Ministers of B&H needs to be formed for the country to start making progress on the European path. “Deadline is 30 days. We will see, we have other ways too. If the agreement is not implemented, it would mean that B&H is entering a deep crisis”, said Dodik. He added that European officials have expressed support to the agreement signed several days ago, and noted that the EU also believes blockades in B&H cannot continue and authorities at the level of state need to be established as soon as possible. Author reminded that opposition parties in the RS accused Dodik of capitulating, to which he briefly replied by reminding that the RS parliament has adopted decision on military neutrality. “Those from the opposition parties sat and are still sitting in the Council of Ministers, and they have allowed adoption of many decisions which are not good for the RS, including - among others - implementation of the Annual National Program (ANP) for NATO, but also the Foreign Policy Strategy, which includes NATO,” explained Dodik.

 

Stevandic: Sarovic will attempt to negotiate with Komsic about formation of new parliamentary majority at B&H level with DF (ATV)

 

Head of the Serb Caucus in B&H HoR and leader of United Srpska Nenad Stevandic stated that SDS leader Mirko Sarovic will attempt to negotiate with Zeljko Komsic, the leader of DF, about formation of new parliamentary majority at B&H level with DF. Stevandic went on to say that Sarovic’s intention became clearer after leaders of SDA, HDZ B&H and SNSD signed the agreement on formation of new authorities at &iH level. He underlined that since the leader of SDS has been concerned about his political carrier, he was prepared to hand over all posts in B&H CoM to DNS and SP RS so that the Alliance for Changes (SzP) can form authorities along with SDA. Stevandic stressed that after this plan failed, SzP turned to Komsic, adding that their goal is to convince Komsic to resume to condition formation of a new B&H CoM so that they can remain in power for as long as possible. ATV learns from its sources in DF that Sarovic has been attempting to start negotiations with DF for some six months. Reporter commented that SDA is against such scenario, because this party decided to form new B&H authorities with legitimate election winners. Also, SNSD, SDA and HDZ B&H have support of MPs necessary to appoint new B&H CoM.

 

US Embassy to B&H: Political parties confirmed existing consensus on importance of B&H’s progress on path towards EU and NATO (Hayat)

 

The US Embassy to B&H commented on the agreement on formation of authority signed on Monday, in a press release published on Wednesday. “We understand that the leaders of three of the largest political parties have reached agreement to form authorities at the level of B&H. Among other things, party leaders reaffirmed the existing consensus on the importance of B&H’s progress on the EU and NATO paths. We welcome this and we will work with political parties and members of B&H Presidency to clarify the issue of how the next government will interpret this agreement, including in particular whether there is a clear consensus on the early submission of B&H’s Annual National Program (ANP) to NATO,” the statement reads.

 

Bissell: NATO supports ongoing efforts to form authorities at B&H level and it will support B&H authorities in further steps in cooperation between B&H and NATO (BHT1)

 

SDA-SNSD-HDZ B&H agreement on the formation of the authorities continued to spark reactions and BHT investigated if B&H will indeed activate the Membership Action Plan (MAP) and continue with the accession to NATO. The opposition parties in both entities perceive the agreement as capitulation of either SDA or SNSD and the appointment of the B&H Council of Ministers may be a true test for the agreement. The reporter reminded that the third principle of the agreement stipulates a framework for further cooperation regarding continuation of B&H’s path to join NATO, adding that both the US Embassy to B&H and the NATO HQ Sarajevo welcomed the agreement although there are uncertainties regarding submitting of the Annual National Program (ANP). A statement issued by Commander of NATO HQ Sarajevo, Brigadier General Marti Bissell reads that NATO supports ongoing efforts to form the authorities at B&H level and it will support B&H authorities in further steps in cooperation between B&H and NATO.

 

Opposition’s political fiasco (CDM)

 

Only 7 out of 39 opposition MPs who have signed Agreement on Future attended the meeting organized by the “Resist” movement. Representatives of most parliamentary parties didn’t come. Democratic Front (DF), Socialist Democratic Party (SDP), part of Socialist People’ Party, United Montenegro and several independent MPs failed to attend the meeting. There are so many reasons for that. Broad divisions and animosity among political alliances and parties would be the main one. Representatives of URA and Democrats, leader of Workers’ Party, Janko Vucinic, Anka Vukicevic, Aleksandar Sasa Damjanovic and Danijela Pavicevic attended the meeting. Leaders of URA and Democrats didn’t attend the meeting. The main message of the meeting is that this war within opposition must come to an end and that technical government must be formed. Resit movement announced protests in autumn again. Members of Democratic Montenegro, Momo Koprivica, accused DF of failing to turn up for the meeting because they were afraid of the face-to-face contact with Democrats. He suggested boycott of the parliament and elections. Aleksandar Damjanovic said he wanted to see every opposition member gathered in one open and direct conversation. He called on the opposition to finish the war.

 

Technical government or boycott

Leader of Workers’ Party Janko Vucinic says that the situation on the political stage in Montenegro is complicated. As he said, the Brussels plan had to address the issue of technical government. “However, the plan doesn’t say there’s no technical government. Therefore, when the Committee starts its activities, the majority of the opposition members has to be there. Otherwise, DPS wins. We have to be united and make DPS accept technical government,” said Vucinic. He adds that boycott is another solution. “We must focus on Montenegro, improvement of quality of life. Let’s build a new, better Montenegro,” said Vucinic. Anka Vukicevic agreed. No technical government- no elections. Danijela Pavicevic also urged the opposition members to stop arguing.

 

URA members keep their word

Representative of URA, Milos Konatar, said that everybody had to be aware of the responsibility they had towards the citizens of Montenegro. “We must not let down those who were coming to protests, or those who have been fighting for changes and liberation of our country for decades,” said Konatar. He says that members of URA keep their word. He added that opposition shouldn’t be afraid of boycotting the elections. “URA will obey every provision of the Agreement on Future,” said Konatar.

 

New protests in autumn

Leader of the “Resist” movement, Mr Dzemal Perovic, said that the current situation hadn’t been envisaged by the Agreement on Future. He pointed out that the Agreement was the only way towards peaceful change of power in Montenegro. He said that there would be another wave of mass protests in autumn.

 

Inappropriate meeting

DF failed to attend the meeting. Here’s why: “Since that we have been officially informed that Brano Gvozdenovic, Marta Scepanovic and Nikola Rakocevic, DPS members, had scheduled extraordinary session for 23 August, in order to complete the agreement they had reached with Democrats, we feel obliged to say this. After Democrats and DPS had made the Agreement on Future seem absolutely senseless, we find this meeting inappropriate#, said the representatives of DF. They added that DF kept its promise and adhered to the Agreement on Future and that, therefore, they wouldn’t be part of the Committee and secret and public deals with DPS. “Also, we maintain that representatives of the “Resist” movement have been drawing their legitimacy from civil protests. Unfortunately, these protests were stifled and it would be good if they resumed,” said the representatives of DF.

 

North Macedonian court rejects extradition of Morina to Serbia (Novamakedonija)

 

Skopje’ Basic Criminal Court refused on Wednesday Serbia’s request for the extradition of Tomor Morina, wanted by Belgrade under suspicion of war crimes in Kosovo and arrested on an Interpol warrant, local media in North Macedonia reported. The final word will have the country’s Supreme Court. “Acting upon the request of the Foreign Ministry, the Criminal Court ruled that, based on accompanying documents, court practice and the international law, there was no basis for the extradition of Morina to Serbia,” Novamakedonija quoted the court statement.

Morina would remain in custody.

 

President: Elections only solution (Radio Tirana)

 

Albanian President Ilir Meta considers the 13 October local elections as the only solution of the political stalemate. President Meta declared that by staying at the side of law and the participation in institutions, the opposition can help the country, democracy, justice and itself.

Stressing the role of the opposition, Meta declared that “if the opposition in Serbia would expect Milosevic to punish Milosevic, or guarantee free and fair elections, he would still be in power. But the opposition took the right decision to join and confronting him, thus beating him. Afterwards they arrested him and took to Hague,” said Meta. “That is why the elections are the only solution for democracy and justice. Any other thing is justification or alibi. 18 October is coming,” declared Meta.

Dialogue facilitation with consent of all sides (ADN)

 

In response to President Ilir Meta's request for their mediation in the domestic crisis, the OSCE senior leaders have pointed out that dialogue facilitation, as requested by the president, can be successful only with the consent and participation of all relevant parties through a broad process with national, shared ownership. While deeply valuing the trust which President Meta continues to vest in the Organization, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly George Tsereteli and OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella, said in a joint letter that the OSCE and its Institutions, within their mandates, would be ready to offer support to such an inclusive process. "Such support could for instance focus on concrete reform proposals, such as electoral reform," they said. Also, the OSCE leaders noted that "the significance attached by the Organization to the situation in Albania is most recently reflected in the consecutive visits of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the OSCE Secretary General to Tirana this year, as well as the planned visit of the President and Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in September". It was also pointed out that during previous visits, the OSCE leaders urged all actors to engage in dialogue without preconditions, pursue a solution acceptable to all, respect the country's democratic processes and institutions, and encourage restraint in civil discourse. They encouraged all sides to explore jointly with the relevant OSCE Executive Structures opportunities for targeted technical assistance, including on the basis of the ODIHR's election-related recommendations. "On our side, we will remain engaged in good faith and with Albania's best interests in mind, as it prepares for its OSCE Chairmanship in 2020," the letter concluded.

 

Some Rama government's tendencies are worrying (ADN)

 

Senior Policy Advisor of Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Robert Hand declared this Wednesday that OSCE needs strong leadership and that he hopes for Albania to be able to provide it. While commenting on Albania's diplomatic corps of Albania, Hand said that it is very professional, but did not leave out the concern regarding the changes in Foreign Ministry in relation to whether the present Minister's experience is enough to take OSCE forward. Regardless, Hand mentioned the fact that OSCE needs strong leadership, taking into account the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the situation in the Caucasus and other intrusions into Europe, and that he is slightly more worried about whether Albania will be able to provide it than he was when the first offer was made. "I can tell you that last year, when we first heard that Albania proposed to head the OSCE in 2020, I was extremely supportive. And I think it could do this very well. It has a very professional diplomatic corps, the Foreign Minister who was supporting this idea was competent, he had many years of experience. But it was very disappointing that within a month after the OSCE came to terms with the idea, there were changes in the foreign ministry. You know: there is now a question as to whether this experience is still there to succeed in pushing the OSCE forward. As I mentioned above due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also to other intrusions into Europe, the situation in the Caucasus, etc., the OSCE needs strong leadership, and I really hope that Albania will still be in the able to provide that leadership, but today I'm a little more worried than I was last year when the first offer was made," stated Hand.

 

SMI to participate in 13 October local elections (ADN)

 

Former MP of Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), Silva Caka declared on Wednesday that SMI will take part in the local elections of 13 October, as decreed by President Meta. Prior to making the SMI's participation's announcement, Caka said that all parties have the constitutional and legal obligation to implement President of the Republic's Decrees.

Meanwhile, she said that the decision for participation came naturally to them, since they are a political force that respect every institution and their lawful activities. Caka underlined that other forces which decide to register, as well as those that do not, such as the Democratic Party (DP), are morally legalized, because they do not discuss entering in the electoral process, since they believe that Prime Minister Edi Rama is running the government with exponents caught in scandalous wiretaps, ballot theft and massacre of electoral campaigns. "Implementing the President's decree is a constitutional, legal obligation for all parties. And that is why the decision of the Socialist Movement for Integration to participate in the local elections which are legal and decreed by the President came naturally as long as we are a political force that we certainly respect every institution and respect even the lawful activities of institutions. For this reason, a decision was made with the other two parties on the opposition front, which agreed to register in the 13 October election. In this particular case, for the participation in the elections, I get the impression that either the decision of the Socialist Movement for Integration, or other forces that decide to register, as well as the decision of the Democratic Party or other forces that do not decide to register, are morally legalized. We wish to participate in elections as long as they are lawful and decreed by the President, while the Democratic Party is fully convinced that having a government still run by Edi Rama, with all those exponents who have been caught in scandalous wiretaps, ballot theft and massacre of electoral campaigns, both local and central, and have judged that until some point they do not discuss entering the electoral process," stated Caka.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Bosnian Deal on New Govt Leaves Key Issues Unsolved (BIRN, by Danijel Kovacevic, 8 August 2019)

 

Without a consensus on the key point of NATO, experts and opposition politicians in Bosnia say this week’s ‘landmark’ deal on forming a new state government has little worth.

Without a consensus on the key point of NATO, experts and opposition politicians in Bosnia says this week’s ‘landmark’ deal on forming a new state government is worth very little.

Almost 10 months after the October 2018 elections, at a meeting hosted by the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian political leaders this week finally agreed that a new state government – a Council of Ministers – should be set up within the next 30 days. Leaders of the three parties that won most votes in the elections, Bakir Izetbegovic of the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, Milorad Dodik of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, and Dragan Covic of the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, on Monday agreed on 12 principles that cover a range of key issues that have effectively blocked Bosnia from functioning. The EU has welcomed the agreement as “an important step forward, first and foremost for the country and its citizens”. However, the news was not quite as good as it looked. The biggest and most divisive issue, Bosnia’s potential membership of NATO, was swept under the carpet. And many political analysts insists that without an agreement on NATO, the politicians have merely bought some more time. Political analyst Adnan Huskic told BIRN that the agreement was worryingly thin, for a start. “The coalition agreement between the CDU [Christian Democrats] and the SPD [Social Democrats] in Germany is 178 pages long while this document is barely two pages; this speaks best of the seriousness of the signatories’ intentions,” he said. “This is such a salad of nonsense; its sole purpose is to mislead the people that there was some document they agreed on,” he added. Another political analyst, Ivana Maric, echoed those concerns. “They wanted to sign something to get some time because they were obviously not ready to make a deal,” she told BIRN. In fact, the leaders of the main parties agreed on a divide-up of government ministries back in April – and that deal was confirmed on Monday. But core disagreements over NATO membership, which most Bosnian Serbs vehemently oppose, remain. Specifically, the main cause of disagreement over the past ten months has been over whether to activate the NATO Membership Action Plan, MAP, an essential first step toward accession to NATO. Bosnian Serb leaders are against doing so, while Bosniak and Bosnian Croat politicians support activating the MAP. The post-electoral political deadlock in Bosnia in Herzegovina has meanwhile had serious economic consequences. The country still faces the prospect of a financial shutdown, and the state budget for 2019 is still not adopted – with the year more than half gone. The interim government and parliament rarely sit. Progress on EU membership has almost stopped. Symptomatically, after repeatedly failing to appoint new delegates on time to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE, despite getting an extension, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been suspended from its work.

 

Verbal fudge over move towards NATO membership

On the vexed issue of NATO, the agreement is deliberately vague.  Article three of the agreement states only: “The integration processes [to NATO] will continue under the Constitution and laws, harmonizing the views and interests of all levels of government … without prejudicing future decisions on Bosnia’s membership”. Huskic called this formula contradictory and unconvincing. “On the one hand, you say that, following the law, you are moving towards NATO membership, but in the end, you add that this does not prejudice a future membership decision. That is frivolous,” he said. “The political parties have already started spinning this – so it is being said both that Izetbegovic showed a statesmanlike attitude while, on the other hand, Dodik did not yield to pressure,” he added. Mirko Sarovic, leader of the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, the main opposition party in Bosnia’s Serb-led entity, Republika Srpska, RS, on Tuesday said he doubted the parties even knew what they were signing up to. “I think it was not completely clear to the participants what they agreed on. It will be interesting to see how the agreement will be implemented,” he said. Dodik has since insisted that he has not abandoned the Republika Srpska’s cherished doctrine of military neutrality – which is irreconcilable with NATO membership and has been bolstered by an RS National Assembly resolution. On Tuesday, he insisted the agreement was “in line with our resolution [in the RS] on military neutrality. There is no need to justify myself [concerning the agreement]”, he told a press conference. Bosnia’s main external partners are watching and waiting to see if the agreement means anything substantial. The US embassy in Sarajevo on Wednesday welcomed the deal – but added that it wanted the tripartite state presidency to clarify whether this implies a real consensus on NATO. “We welcome this and we will work with political parties and members of the Presidency to clarify the issue of how the next government will interpret this agreement,” the embassy said, “including in particular whether there is a clear consensus on the early submission of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Annual National Program, ANP, to NATO.”

 

Deadline to form cabinet will be hard to meet

Under the terms of the agreement, the new Council of Ministers will consist of three Serbian, three Croatian and three Bosniak ministers, plus one minister representing the so-called “others” – those who belong to neither of the three main national groups. Dodik’s SNSD will have the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers, the de facto state prime minister. Earlier, it was announced that the candidate would be Zoran Tegeltija, a former Finance Minister in the RS. The party will also take the ministries of Communications and Transport, Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and Displaced Persons and Refugees. The HDZ will get the Finance, Justice and Civil Affairs ministries. The SDA will get the Foreign, Security and Defence ministries.

But analysts note an important point: if they do not form a government within 30 days, the agreement will cease to be valid. “It is technically almost impossible to appoint a new Council of Ministers within 30 days, especially because they [the politicians] are on vacation. Within that timeframe, it will be very difficult to carry out security checks on all ministers, convene a session and confirm a new Council of Ministers,” Maric pointed out. On the other hand, Dodik has said everything must be completed within the agreed deadline. “Failure to implement the agreement would mean Bosnia entering a deep crisis,” he said on Thursday. Maric doubts anything is really about to change. “If they were serious about resolving the problem, they would convene a session of the Presidency and nominate a candidate for the new Chair of the Council of Ministers. “Instead, they went to the EU Delegation Office, and so again sent a message that Bosnian leaders are not capable of solving problems on their own,” he said. “The worst part is that they were given international legitimacy – because everything was done in the presence of [EU delegation head Lars-Gunnar] Wigemark and the EU welcomed the document – probably not even knowing what was written inside,” Huskic said. “Basically this is a document that fulfils everyone’s wishes – and does not solve anything,” he concluded.