LOCAL PRESS

 

Kuburovic: Interrogation records on Ivanovic’s murder sent to Pristina (TV Pink/Beta)

 

The Serbian Justice Ministry has sent the authorities in Pristina a comprehensive report and interrogation records in the investigation of the murder of Oliver Ivanovic, Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic said on Wednesday. She told TV Pink that the report and transcripts were sent in response to a request from Pristina for the authorities in Belgrade to question several people as part of the investigation.  “That shows that Belgrade is ready to cooperate and respond to all requests from Pristina. We do not have two-way communication with Pristina,” she said.

She voiced regret over the failure to establish closer ties and cooperation in the investigation because Pristina refused a joint investigation, which she said is one of the reasons why the investigation has produced no concrete results. “If we had been given access to all the data that the Organized Crime Prosecutor had requested in January and February last year, I believe the investigation would have been more successful,” Kuburovic said.

 

Kocijancic: Vucic, Thaci to continue dialogue (Tanjug/RFE)

 

The political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will be continued by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and there will be no change there in the future, European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic has said. Speaking to Radio Free Europe on Monday, she said the European External Action Service (EEAS) had invited Pristina's new team tasked with continuing the dialogue to come to Brussels on Tuesday for consultations. "The consultations are a possibility for discussions with Kosovo representatives in the EU-facilitated dialogue on normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations. The high-level dialogue is conducted by the two presidents, and that is not changing," she was quoted as saying.

 

Dacic: Republika Srpska is our vital interest (N1)

 

Nobody should criticize Serbia for saying that it has a vital interest in a strong and stable Republika Srpska (RS), Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said. "If Erdogan can say that Sarajevo is of vital importance to Turkey, why can we not say that our vital interest is RS?" Dacic asked. Dacic appealed to all in the RS to take into account the interests of the entity, saying that the narrative in the region has the goal to weaken Serbia so it grants Kosovo recognition as an independent state and also "maybe" in order to change Bosnia's Constitution and weaken the RS. Dacic denied allegations that Serbia's police recently intervened in Banja Luka, the administrative center of the entity, to help the police there shut down a protest.

David's mother, Suzana Radanovic, alleged that police forces from neighboring Serbia took part in the police operation, which Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic, firmly denied. According to Dacic, such a statement has the goal of pulling Belgrade into the crisis and portraying Serbia as a destabilizing factor in the region. "Serbia's interest is not to destabilize RS or to interfere in the political relations there, and especially not to participate in any police operations," he said.

He appealed to regional leaders to turn toward the future and tend to joint interests together with Serbia, but also added that one cannot expect Serbia to advocate for the interests of others instead of its own. "Serbia wants good relations with everybody, but being a European does not mean being anti-Serb. Being a European means advocating for one's national and state interests," he concluded.

 

Kusturica: Serbia should not give up Kosovo (N1)

 

Filmmaker Emir Kusturica said he would not give up an inch of Kosovo because “it was the greatest robbery of the 20th century”. Speaking on N1’s Pressing talk show, Kusturica said that “the solution lies in seeking a solution”. “We have a situation in which they have ID cards, borders, customs, that was all done long ago, but we have UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the hope that the authorities will not recognize Kosovo and give them a seat in the UN,” he said.  Asked about the Justice for David protests in the RS, Kusturica recalled that prosecutors ordered the police to investigate the murder of David Dragicevic on 28 June. “There are different ways to find the truth – extreme and political. The investigation should be conducted without the burden created by the public but here everything is vice versa,” he said. “Someone knows who committed the murder and is doing nothing and that is the person who triggered the whole thing,” he said adding that the law and justice are two things with nothing in common. “I have no problem with the protests up to the moment that someone says the idea was to topple the government,” he said. Speaking about the protests in Belgrade, Kusturica said that they have “communal justification”. Kusturica said the Russians were always Serbian allies which, according to him does not mean they were always friends.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Pompeo calls on B&H Presidency to adopt National Annual Plan; stresses that B&H’s NATO path must not be changed (BHT1)

 

US State Secretary Mike Pompeo sent a letter to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency calling on it to adopt B&H’s Annual National Program related to NATO accession of B&H. Pompeo commended B&H’s Commission for NATO Integration for preparation of the draft of B&H’s Annual National Program and called on competent B&H authorities to forward this document to NATO as soon as possible. The letter also reads that this activity will not predetermine future membership in NATO, but will have positive influence on transformation and modernization of B&H Armed Forces. The letter further reads that this step will also improve security in B&H and strengthen process of reforms that is part of B&H’s efforts to get status of the EU candidate country. Pompeo called on B&H Presidency to resume with activities that have been implemented by previous convocations of B&H authorities and to use advantage of process of adoption of Annual National Program. US Secretary of State reminded that current foreign policy strategy of B&H clearly talks about willingness of this country to make progress towards NATO. Pompeo added that he is aware about concern within B&H Presidency that improvement of cooperation with NATO could affect relations with neighboring countries. He emphasized that although Serbia is not NATO member country and never expressed willingness to become part of this alliance, cooperation of this country with NATO is at high level. Pompeo stressed that there is no reason preventing B&H to establish similar close relations with NATO. Abovementioned letter concludes that B&H is of strategic importance for regional stability, adding that this is why the US wants higher level cooperation with this country.  “I understand that B&H Presidency is concerned that higher level of cooperation with NATO might affect your relations with neighboring countries. I want to stress that Serbia has notable cooperation with NATO although it is non-NATO member and it has never expressed wish to become the NATO member,” Pompeo said in the letter, adding that now is the right time and there is no reason for B&H not to make close ties with NATO.

 

Dodik: RS was and remains synonym for statehood, but also for freedom which soldiers gave their lives for in past wars (ATV)

 

Marking of 9 January - the Day of Republika Srpska (RS) - commenced in Banja Luka on Tuesday by remembering those who gave their lives for the RS. In the presence of senior RS officials, wreaths were laid at the monument to fallen soldiers of the RS Army, but also at the monument to twelve tragically killed Banja Luka babies. B&H Presidency Chairman Milorad Dodik said that the RS was and remains a synonym for statehood, but also for freedom which soldiers gave their lives for in past wars. Dodik stressed that every attempt to abolish the RS through war and pressures of the international community proved to be meaningless and "that is why we need to celebrate 9 January. "The only our country here is the RS and we do not have the right and we will not - and we are not only swearing to the victims who died for the RS, but also to the living people here today - give away any of our rights and we need to return all the rights we had under the Constitution and the international agreement. Today more than ever we need to be aware that bad intentions of the High Representative, ever since he was introduced here, were directed towards the RS and that our rights have been devastated," Dodik said. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic stated that they cannot allow anyone to violate the peace which the RS institutions are still fighting for today and that they are obliged to remember the many victims who gave their lives for the RS. Cvijanovic said that a lot was done in the previous period and that the RS officials intend to build and strengthen the RS and its institutions in the coming period, but also to strengthen awareness about the importance of its survival. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic said that the RS government, RS Prime Minister, Serb member of the B&H Presidency and all those who are holders of an important office in the RS have an obligation to preserve the RS.

 

Salkic: Day of RS is still unconstitutional (TV1)

 

RS vice President (from line of Bosniaks) Ramiz Salkic stated that continuation of marking of 9 January as the day of ‘B&H entity RS’ represents denial of decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H, which explicitly banned marking of 9 January as the day of the RS. Among other issues, Salkic said that the fact that organizers, ideologists and people who carried out conclusions of the Assembly of Serb People from 9 January, 1992 were found guilty of ethnic cleansing, expulsion, genocide and joint criminal enterprise by the ICTY, which speaks enough about meaning of 9 January and consequences of conclusions adopted on that day. Salkic noted that the CC's decision on this matter is clear, and reminded that the Venice Commission's conclusion was also that 9 January is discriminatory to other constituent peoples living in the RS.

 

B&H Armed Forces will not participate in Day of RS events (ATV)

 

The Armed Forces Bosnia and Herzegovina (AFBiH) will not participate in the marking of the RS Day this year. Chairman of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that he did not request the participation of the Third Infantry Corps of AFBiH anyway. He said he did not do this because of the structures on B&H level. Dodik added that the RS will return all of the rights they are granted by the B&H Constitution. Dodik said that the RS police is one of the strongest institutions and that constant attacks on the institution - aimed to deprive the RS of essential elements of statehood - are no accident at all. Dodik stated: “They took our army and now, they are trying to revoke our police from its powers. In my opinion, this society is stable, peaceful and aside from individual cases – of course, we all have our own opinion about this - I think that the police are doing its job in the best possible way and it is (the police) an important segment of a safe and healthy society in the RS”.

 

Only three cantonal governments in Federation of B&H formed so far, talks in other cantons underway (N1)

 

The B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) verified candidate lists for election of Federation of B&H delegates from three out of 10 cantons. Only three cantonal governments have been formed so far, while talks on formation of governments in other cantons are still underway. The West Herzegovina Canton (WHC) was the first canton that obtained the new government and the budget after the 2018 general elections, and it was formed by a coalition led by HDZ B&H. The Sarajevo Canton (SC) government was formed by the coalition of six parties i.e. NS, SDP B&H, DF, Independent B&H List (NBL), SBB B&H, and People and Justice (NiP). The Una-Sana Canton (USC) government was formed by the coalition of A-SDA, SDP B&H, SBB B&H, NS, and NB. There is still no agreement on formation of authorities in Canton 10, where HDZ B&H, SDA and SNSD – as well as HDZ B&H 1990 as a potential partner – are carrying out talks. NBL and parties of civic bloc are carrying out talks on formation of authorities in Bosnian Podrinje Canton (BPC), without SDA. The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) authorities still have not been formed, even though HDZ B&H and SDA won enough posts in the assembly to form a majority. SDP B&H official Aner Zuljevic told N1 that there are practically no talks on establishing of parliamentary majority in HNC. HDZ B&H’s Djuro Topic has been appointed the Posavina Canton (PC) Prime Minister-designate, and he is expected to nominate ministers from rank of his party soon. SDA, HDZ B&H and HDZ 1990 are conducting talks on formation of authorities in Central Bosnia Canton (CBC).

 

HDZ MP’s son detained for anti-Serb hate speech (Hina)

 

Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parliamentary deputy and HVIDRA war veterans' association leader Josip Djakic on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms an anti-Serb post which his son Ivan Djakic put on his private Facebook wall, and apologized for the shameful and insulting content of the post, whereas his son decided to leave the HDZ which his father sees as an act whereby his son admits to having made a huge mistake. "Following the shameful and insulting post on the private Facebook profile of HDZ member and my son Ivan Djakic, I hereby condemn in the strongest terms such conduct on the part of any HDZ member, including my son, and I apologies and express my regret at the incident and the thoughtless conduct of the young man, who was not brought up to hate or spread hate speech," reads Josip Djakic’s statement.

The 22-year-old Ivan Djakic on Monday posted on his Facebook wall a shocking photograph showing a person wearing Ustasha insignia holding the severed head of a person wearing Chetnik insignia. "Merry Christmas to all the Serb 'friends'," he wrote under the photograph.

On Monday evening, the HDZ condemned the post and said it would launch disciplinary proceedings against Djakic as his conduct was contrary to the party statute. Ivan Djakic was taken in by the police in Virovitica, 150 kilometers northeast of Zagreb, on Tuesday for questioning over hate speech. The leader of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) Milorad Pupovac on Tuesday strongly condemned the Facebook post written by Djakic. Pupovac expressed doubt that judicial authorities would prosecute that incident ex officio.

The Croatian government condemned in the strongest terms a Facebook post by MP Josip Djakic’s son Ivan, which it said spreads hate speech which incites intolerance, according to a press release issued by the government's public relations office on Tuesday. Relevant institutions have already launched action against such behavior, the press release said.

 

Dacic: Belgrade-Podgorica relationship would benefit from Serbs joining government (Beta/Vijesti)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that it would be good for relations between Podgorica and Belgrade if Serbs joined the ruling coalition in Montenegro. Minister Dacic said in an interview for Vijesti that Serbia "wishes to have a good relationship with Montenegro, the many differences aside." "I still believe that for bilateral relations, as well as the internal stability of Montenegro, it would be good if the Serbs were part of the ruling coalition. It would help overcome many problems," Dacic said. Describing Montenegrin-Serbian relations as "stable," Dacic said it was important to have a dialogue. "We share the same goals - the European Union and regional stability. Economic cooperation, growth, the development of infrastructure projects and cooperation in the energy sector have been satisfactory. It goes without saying that we are equally cooperative in the EU integration processes and cross-border operations," Dacic said. Dacic pointed to differences in the views of Podgorica and Belgrade, explaining that they largely referred to the position of Serbs in Montenegro, and the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church. "We differ insofar as we believe that Serbs are a constituent people in Montenegro, not a minority. Serbia also believes that the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro is an important part of its history and culture, and should be treated as such. I personally believe that most people in Montenegro feel the same way. As you know, a decision on which language the citizens of Montenegro will use is their own, but I can see we needed no translation for this interview," Dacic said.

 

Zaev makes additional concessions to get Albanian votes (Republika)

 

During a series of meetings with ethnic Albanian opposition leaders on Tuesday, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev accepted further changes to the Constitution that erode the position of the Macedonian nation in the Republic of Macedonia. The BESA and Alliance of Albanians parties said they will not vote to amend the Constitution and rename Macedonia into North Macedonia unless Albanians get even more of their demands out of the final deal, and without the two parties, Zaev would fall short of the required two thirds majority. One of the changes which Zaev agreed to alter the Preamble of the Constitution, in the portion which begins with “The citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, the Macedonian people and the citizens who live in its borders and are part of the Albanian people, the Turkish people, the Vlach people, the Serbian people, the Roma people, the Bosniak people and the others, assuming the responsibility…”. In the future, under Zaev’s proposal, the mention of the word “citizens” in front of the minorities in Macedonia will be erased, indicating a stronger role for the minority communities in the country. The words “who live” will also be deleted, Zaev said. The final version will be: The citizens of Macedonia, the Macedonian people and the part of the Albanian people, the Turkish people, the Vlach people… This appropriately and substantially equalizes the citizens before their fatherland – the Republic of Macedonia, Zaev said following a meeting with Ziadin Sela, leader of the Alliance of Albanians. Another change which Zaev agreed to, is to alter Article 49 which regulates that the state will take care of the rights of its diaspora. It now mentions the “diaspora of the Macedonian people” and will, in the future, mention the diaspora of the other communities that live in Macedonia as well. Kosovo will also be mentioned in the Constitution as one of the five neighboring countries of Macedonia. Zaev expressed hope that these concessions will be enough for the Albanian parties to support the renaming of Macedonia into North Macedonia.  Following the meeting, Sela indicated that he is satisfied with the agreement and Zaev expressed his hope that this will be enough for BESA to also support the proposed amendments. We discussed the demands of the Alliance of the Albanians. I’m happy to say that with the outcome of the coming few days, and with the vote in the parliament, there will no longer be two categories of citizens as we had so far. As a party we contributed that all citizens feel equal and we continue to demand that Macedonia is part of NATO and EU, said Sela, also announcing additional demands such as an explicit mention of the Albanian language in the Constitution. Zaev relies of votes from ethnic Albanians and on the ethnic Albanian parties to prop up his government, as a significant majority of Macedonians rejects the proposed name change of the country. Poll after poll have shown that Macedonians refuse the proposed name “North Macedonia”, while ethnic Albanians, whose nationality would not be impacted by the name change, approve of it by a large percentage. Another demand BESA and AA made is that the formula which Zaev accepted in his negotiations with Greece about the Macedonian nationality is thrown out. Zaev agreed that the nationality is identified as: Macedonian/citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia. Albanian parties want this to say just “citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia. Zaev insisted that this will be resolved in the law passed to implement the constitutional amendments, which specifies that nationality refers only to citizenship and does not prejudge the ethnic background of the citizen. The proposals are sent before parliament on Wednesday. Zaev needs 81 votes to push them through. At the opening of the process he had the support of all the ethnic Albanian parties, as well as from eight representatives from VMRO-DPMNE, who voted in favor in order to get amnesty for various criminal charges raised against them and their family members.

 

New foreign minister proposed by Rama, supporter of 'Greater Albania' (ADN)

 

Gent Cakaj, the man who was suddenly selected by Prime Minister Edi Rama personally as the person who will lead the most important department of the Albanian government the Foreign Ministry, appears to be a great supporter of the so-called ‘Greater Albania’. In his latest public appearance, Rama stated that ‘Greater Albania’ is a term and concept invented by the enemies of Albania. In an interview Cakaj gave about a month ago, while occupying the post of the deputy foreign minister and adviser to Rama, Cakaj talked openly about border changes in the Balkans. In the interview, he appears not only as a great supporter for changing the borders and swapping lands between Kosovo and Serbia, but goes even further by launching an archaic and dangerous proposal; change of borders between Albania and Greece too. He even equates this issue with that between Kosovo and Serbia.

 

Rama welcomes Thaci’s idea for 2019 to be the year of NATO (ADN)

 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has welcomed on Tuesday the idea of Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, who stated that it is time to announce 2019 as the NATO year following the 20th anniversary of the interventions for the liberation of Kosovo from Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbian regime. According to Rama, this corresponds to the 10th anniversary of Albania's membership NATO. "I welcome the brilliant idea of Hashim Thaci for declaring 2019 as the NATO Year, 20 years after the historic intervention of the Alliance in Kosovo. This year coincides with Albania's 10th anniversary in NATO. Let's make the day of the Schengen border in Morina, a culminating moment of this NATO Year," said Rama.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Kneissl urges France and the Netherlands “not to leave Southeastern Europe in a vacuum” (European Western Balkans, 8 January 2019)

 

 

VIENNA – Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Karin Kneissl remarked today that, despite the enlargement fatigue that is present in France and Netherlands, Southeastern Europe should not be left in a vacuum. During a press conference which summarized the foreign activity of Austria in the past year, Kneissl expressed satisfaction over the fact that, during Austria’s Presidency, new negotiating chapters with Serbia and Montenegro were opened. However, she emphasised that it was not easy to secure support for the European perspective of the Southeastern Europe, such as Serbia, Albania and others, in The Hague or Paris. “The fatigue that is present is already familiar. I have personally felt that the elections for European parliament are close in the talks I have had with my Western European partners since the spring. For us, SEE is geographically, historically and socially closer, which is not the same for the Netherlands or France,” said Kneissl. She underlined that it is very hard to convince the Dutch or the French that the Southeastern Europe is a part of the continent. “I never talk about the Western Balkans, because I do not like that phrase, it is an artificial term. The Balkans have a negative political connotation. I am consistent in using the term Southeastern Europe, and for me, the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Belgrade, Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra are all a part of Europe. I even feel closer to that region than, for example, Belfast, due to the geographic proximity,” explained Kneissl. She added that her “European-political heart” clearly says that Southeastern Europe cannot be left in a vacuum, but that she at the same time understands differing views in the Netherlands or France. She urged her French and Dutch colleague to remember the past. “You were the ones that always thought geopolitically in the bigger categories. I would remind of Mitterrand in the 80s. Nobody wanted Mediterranean countries, just out of military dictatorships, back then. It was France that lead them in the EU, they were the ones that made effort over Romania. It is necessary the implement the already existing practice,” Kneissl stated. She emphasized that Europe should be regarded as a cultural area and act upon that assertion.