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UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, September 20, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

  • Osmani: EU measures towards Kosovo do not contribute to advancement of dialogue (media)
  • The USA, Germany and Britain side with the EU, Kurti refuses to comment (Koha)
  • Stano: EU has made problem in dialogue clear, it is 'definitely' not Borrell and Lajcak (media)
  • Gervalla: Basic Agreement without de jure recognition, "biggest compromise" (VoA))
  • Ristuccia: Everything related to security in Kosovo must be coordinated with KFOR (media)
  • Svecla: Arsenal of weapons found in the north belong to "Severna Brigada" organization, it is the latest generation weaponry produced in Serbia (media)
  • Begaj thanks Borrell for engagement in Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Albanian Post)
  • Kamberi: Serbia should follow Kosovo’s example for treatment of minorities (Reporteri)

Serbian Language Media:

  • Vucic: We will be strongly protecting Serbia's position at UNGA session (Tanjug, media)
  • Vucic: Many meetings in New York with almost all European leaders (Tanjug, media)
  • KFOR commander in farewell visit (N1)
  • Ristuccia: KFOR and NATO support the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, only political solutions bring peace (Tanjug, RTV, Kosovo Online)
  • Odalovic: By filing a criminal complaint against me, Kurti blocking the process of searching for the missing (Blic, Kosovo Online)
  • The first hearing in the case of MTS in Kosovo ended, both sides remained in their positions (RTS)
  • Office for KiM: KLA graffiti on the elementary school in Klokot (KiM radio)
  • Poll shows Serbian ruling coalition lead (N1)
  • People's Party: The goal of fake surveys is to create a false picture of the popularity of parties in Serbia (Beta, NMagazin)

International Media:

  • ‘Reform or rupture’ says Guterres, calling for multilateralism to be remade for the 21st century (news.un.org)

 

 

Albanian Language Media

 

Osmani: EU measures towards Kosovo do not contribute to advancement of dialogue (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, during her stay in New York where the 78th session of the United Nations Assembly is being held, met on Tuesday with the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell, at the lunch organized by him, with representatives of the Western Balkans.

The Office of the Presidency announced that in this meeting, among other things, the EU measures imposed on Kosovo were discussed. Osmani said that they do not contribute to the advancement of the dialogue.

"President Osmani laid out the need to speed up the process and take the necessary decisions by the EU for the integration of Kosovo, giving it the status of a candidate country, as well as the membership of the states of the region based on the fulfillment of the criteria. She also emphasized that the EU's measures towards Kosovo, in addition to not contributing to the advancement of the dialogue, they, through the suspension of EU projects, mostly affect the interests and well-being of the citizens", the announcement of the Presidency states.

Further, Osmani is quoted as having said that Kosovo is a constructive party and committed to peace and stability, fully coordinated with the policies of the EU in terms of sanctions and important reform processes.

"The EU should reward the states that are coordinated with the EU and at the same time have undertaken reforms, especially in the rule of law, economy and European standards", Osmani emphasized.

The USA, Germany and Britain side with the EU, Kurti refuses to comment (Koha)

The United States of America, Germany and Great Britain have offered support for the dialogue mediated by the European Union, a day after its officials were accused by Prime Minister Albin Kurti of partiality. The international factor has demanded concrete engagement in the Kosovo-Serbia talks. But Prime Minister Kurti did not respond to the European Union's reaction to the accusations he made the day before.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has refused to comment on the European Union's response to the accusations he made the day before.

Kurti's accusations of partiality of the European Special Representative  Miroslav Lajcak, in the European Union have been called baseless. The European bloc has also requested the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, without any preconditions.

The Ambassador of Germany in Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, while sharing the statement of the European Union, said that it should be engaged in a constructive way without delay.

"A crystal clear call from the European Union to Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively and in good faith without further delay," Rohde wrote.

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with the adviser of the State Department, Derek Chollet, during her stay in the USA. Chollet has requested the de-escalation of the situation in the north and urgent engagement in the dialogue facilitated by the EU.

"Good discussion with President Vjosa Osmani on our common commitment to the Euro-Atlantic future of Kosovo, the need to ease tensions and urgently engage in the dialogue facilitated by the EU, for the normalization of relations with Serbia - the key to regional stability and EU integration", Chollet wrote.

The Embassy of Great Britain in Kosovo has joined the European Union's call for Kosovo and Serbia to engage constructively in finding a plan for the implementation of the agreement. The embassy has distributed the reaction and statement of the European Union in which it asks the parties to engage constructively and in good faith, while they have emphasized that the work on the formation of the Association of Municipalities with a Serb Majority must begin without any delay or precondition. "Great Britain stands behind this clear appeal from the European Union for Kosovo and Serbia to engage in a constructive and honest manner without further delays" - says the post on the X platform.

Stano: EU has made problem in dialogue clear, it is 'definitely' not Borrell and Lajcak (media)

The European Union has again opposed the accusations of the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, that the mediator Miroslav Lajcak is being influenced by Serbia by fulfilling all the demands they have in the dialogue. In an answer to the online newspaper Reporteri.net, the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano, said that it is not Lajcak and Borrell who are hindering the progress of the dialogue.

Stano said that the member states of the European Union have repeatedly emphasized where, according to them, progress in the Dialogue is lagging. He added that Lajcak and Borrell represent the attitude of the member states, and that they are "definitely" not obstructing the process.

"The EU and our international partners engaged in supporting the EU-facilitated Dialogue have repeatedly made it very clear where they see the main problem for the lack of progress in the Dialogue, and it is definitely not just personal bias of HRVP Borrell or EUSR Lajcak".

The EU spokesperson also commented on the demands that the member states of the Union have towards Kosovo and Serbia. One of them is the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority.

"The 27 EU Member States expressed their concern about the lack of implementation of their commitments by the parties. They called on the parties to engage constructively and in good faith. This means starting the implementation of the Agreement based on the EU proposal without further delay. The Member States also repeatedly emphasized that the work on the establishment of the Association/Community of Municipalities with a Serb Majority should begin without any delay or preconditions.”

Meanwhile, Stano has called Prime Minister Kurti's statements baseless.

"As for Kurti's statements, we do not comment on them, especially when they contain baseless accusations. I think that the EU member states have consistently reiterated very clearly their full support for the EU Special Representative, Miroslav Lajcak, as well as for the High Representative [Josep Borrell]. They fully support their efforts to help Kosovo and Serbia reach the stage when they normalize relations between them," he said.

Gervalla admits: Basic Agreement without de jure recognition, "biggest compromise" (VoA))

Kosovo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, in an interview with "Voice of America", claimed that the acceptance of the Basic Agreement for the normalization of relations with Serbia without formal recognition was the "biggest compromise" that Kosovo has done within the dialogue under the mediation of the European Union (EU).

"The very fact that we, as an intermediate step, first accepted an agreement that brings the de facto and not de jure recognition of Kosovo is the biggest compromise we have made, but in the meantime, it is not that we have seen any appreciation for this compromise, which reinforces our position that we must be very careful with the promises we make".

"Now, if Kosovo remains the only party that insists on the implementation of this agreement, for which continuously, prior to giving our approval and despite the hesitation we had about its content, then where are those who proposed it and where has the strategy changed midway. Why are new requests and plans coming out now?", Gervalla added.

Among other things, the head of Kosovo's diplomacy has confirmed the position of the government of Kosovo that the failure of the new round of negotiations for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations under EU mediation is the fault of the EU's Special Envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, who according to her, last week "filled the cup" with his positioning in favor of Serbia.

"He has been completely one-sided in the dialogue process in which the EU should have been impartial to ensure that both sides see that their representation is taken into account. We have several times expressed our dissatisfaction internally with how Lajcak leads this dialogue and last week the cup was full, so he was very openly in favor of Serbia".

Ristuccia: Everything related to security in Kosovo must be coordinated with KFOR (media)

The commander of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Angelo Ristuccia, said on Tuesday that everything related to security in Kosovo should be done in coordination with this mission.

In a media conference in Belgrade, he answered the journalists' questions about whether KFOR's permission should be sought when it comes to sending special units of the Kosovo Police to the north.

The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said on September 7, after a meeting with the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, that ten years ago, Kosovo pledged not to engage the Kosovo Security Force in the north, without consultation prior approval of the KFOR commander.

"In accordance with the obligations of Pristina in 2013, any engagement of the Kosovo Security Force in the north requires negotiations with KFOR. We expect consultations on any action of the special forces of the Kosovo Police that may affect security", Stoltenberg said that day.

Ristuccia has estimated that the security situation in Kosovo is "very unstable" and that the situation can quickly escalate.

He assessed that the events that threatened to damage security were followed by great military and diplomatic efforts to create a more peaceful and balanced situation.

"They only confirm that political solutions can result in long-term peace and stability in that area. Many events, especially those of May 29, confirm that political solutions are necessary. This is why NATO and KFOR fully support the dialogue mediated by the United States and the European Union".

He said that the constructive approach from both sides is key to create the necessary conditions for permanent security in Kosovo and in the region, for the benefit of everyone and the new generations.

Svecla: Arsenal of weapons found in the north belong to "Severna Brigada" organization, it is the latest generation weaponry produced in Serbia (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Svecla, told ATV the details about the action of the Kosovo Police in June, where a large amount of weapons was found in Zvecan. These, the Minister said, were brought in an organized manner from Serbia, to supply their criminal structures in Kosovo.

Svecla has said that this contingent belongs to the so-called "Severna Brigada" organization, and that those involved in its transportation and accommodation are also known. Further, he said that these are new weapons, manufactured in Belgrade, and that they do not date from the time of the war.

"Undoubtedly, the Kosovo Police has the right information on this contingent of illegal weapons discovered. These, in terms of who they belong to as a side, as a force, as a group, is clear. These are from the organization Severna Brigada. The individuals involved in the collection, carrying, sheltering of these weapons are also known".

"These weapons were supplied directly from Belgrade. They are not weapons left over from the time of war", he said.

These weapons that the Minister talked about were found in a car with Belgrade license plates in Zvecan.Inside the car were found various weapons, explosive devices as well as radios with a number inside it, military clothing and 19 emblems of the Severna Brigade.

Svecla, has also commented on the statement made a few days ago by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, that he will visit Kosovo very soon. 

"With permission, to the Prime Minister, without permission, to me", Svecla said.

Asked if he was saying that they would arrest Vucic, Svecla said that anyone who enters the territory of Kosovo without permission will be arrested, including the Serbian president.

"It is a decision-making matter for the Prime Minister, if there is a request, whether or not to grant permission to Vucic. And, without permission, then it is known which institutions deal with it".

"If he enters Kosovo, without any doubt. How do you think that someone, a foreign citizen, can enter the Republic of Kosovo without the permission of the Kosovo institutions."

If the opposite happened, Svecla said, ‘this would prove non-statehood on our part.’

Begaj thanks Borrell for engagement in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia (Albanian Post)

The EU High Representative Josep Borrell, has brought together the presidents of the six countries of the Western Balkans in New York, where they are engaged in the work of the UN General Assembly.

In this meeting, the President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, found the opportunity to thank the head of the European foreign policy, for all the support given to Albania's aspiration to be part of the union, and to the region.

“The future of the Western Balkans lies within the European Union.

Thanked Josep Borrell for supporting Albania's EU aspirations and focusing on the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. This is crucial for regional and European stability,” Begaj wrote.

Kamberi: Serbia should follow the example of Kosovo for treatment of minorities (Reporteri)

The only Albanian MP in the Parliament of Serbia, Shaip Kamberi, has criticized the treatment of national minorities, the process of their representation in this parliament and the electoral system there.

"Unlike the states of the region, in which the representation of minorities in the parliament is done with the guaranteed seats, the current electoral system makes Serbia an ethnocentric state, with the Serbs in the center and the rest (Barbarians) in the periphery," Kamberi said.

According to him, among the most important indicators of democracy in a state is the way national minorities are treated. Therefore, the participation of national minorities in the process of making political decisions from the local to the central level is a topic that international institutions have given importance to.

He said that the countries that have moved and are moving towards liberal democracy, such as Croatia, Slovenia and Kosovo, to ensure the effective participation of minorities in public life, with internal legislation guarantee such principles that ensure the participation of minorities in political public life.

"Kosovo can be said to be the best example of the institutional treatment of minorities. The amendment of the Constitution of Kosovo can only be done if 2/3 of the MPs from the ranks of the minorities, which at the same time, in the Parliament of Kosovo, guarantees 20 mandates for the minorities, out of 120 that the Parliament has, (10 for the Serbs). Of the five vice-presidents of the parliament, two vice-presidents belong to the minorities...", Kamberi said.

According to him, the Constitution of Serbia itself defines Serbia as a "state of Serbs and others", which in practice creates the possibility of the dominant position of Serbs over others.

 

 

Serbian Language Media

 

Vucic: We will be strongly protecting Serbia's position at UNGA session (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is attending the opening of a general debate at the 78th UN General Assembly session, announced he would be strongly protecting Serbia's position in a speech scheduled for Thursday, reported Tanjug.

"We got off to an early start in the UN this morning. We take the floor on Thursday, and we will be protecting Serbia's position strongly. I am confident the citizens of our country will be proud of their leadership," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram profile.

Climate change and the war in Ukraine are expected to be among the main topics of the UNGA session.

The presidents, PMs, and monarchs of 145 countries will speak at the general debate.

Vucic: Many meetings in New York with almost all European leaders (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he had many meetings in New York with almost all European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as European Council President Charles Michel.

"We had many meetings with almost all the European leaders present here. I haven't seen Giorgia Meloni yet, and I think I have seen all the others, including Chancellor Scholz," Vucic told reporters in New York and added that he will soon have lunch with the leaders of the Western Balkans, reported Politika last night. 

He added that he also spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that he had a long and very responsible conversation with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

"Perhaps the longest conversation was with him. I also discussed regional issues with the Turkish president and his upcoming visit to our country," said Vucic.

He also pointed out that he has an extremely important conversation with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the Chinese mission in New York.

He said that there will be more important bilateral meetings, among others, with the president of Korea, but also with everyone who can influence in the future both in terms of investments and in terms of political and regional issues.

"There will be a meeting with (EU special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina) Miroslav Lajcak and with everyone with whom we have to talk about the situation in Kosovo," said Vucic. 

He said that from the presentation at the General Assembly you could see and feel that there are completely different views of the world, and it seems to him, as he stated, that for the first time the Brazilian president received more applause than the American one, which has never been the case.

"I'm here at the UN at the General Assembly, I don't know how many times. That was nowhere near the case. I'm not saying this because it means anything to anyone in particular, except to see a slight change in mood in parts of Asian and African countries. You could see that at some European receptions where there is not enough attention paid to precisely those continents, which today are, first of all, Asia, which is the most powerful continent in the world," said Vucic. 

''Even today, in the era of the new conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the moments when you have tension between Canada and India due to the killing of Indian Sikhs not far from Vancouver, when you have so many dead on a daily basis in Ukraine, the growing cooling of relations between the Chinese and the English and the Chinese and the Germans, then it is clear to you, as he says, how important it is to start discussing the most serious topics,'' he said, reported Tanjug.

"I believe that the escalation of problems and conflicts will stop, otherwise the consequences for us will be more and more severe," said Vucic.

When asked by a journalist why Serbia is the only one not aligned with the EU regarding the introduction of sanctions against Russia, he answered:

"Here, now they will give me a lecture first, in 7-8 minutes, Borrell called me, so all the European officials will give me lectures, and everyone else will give me lectures. I will listen to them, and then I will tell them that I lead Serbia as the president and as long as we can lead this kind of policy, we will lead it. When we realize that we can't, we won't run it anymore, and we've been running it for one year and seven months already. We can do it that way now, and that policy is a policy of seriousness and responsibility, it is a fair policy, because we know how we used to go with the sanctions. Why would we take part in such things," Vucic told reporters in New York.

He pointed out that US President Joseph Biden stated as the greatest values of humanity, "first territorial integrity, then sovereignty, and only under three human rights" and "many times referring to the UN Charter".

"I will try to remind them all that this is not the case when it comes to Serbia. I will remind them when they bombed us in 1999, that they still do not respect UN regulations and Resolution 1244. But that is nothing new, those who are big are allowed everything, we who are small better realize that we are small in time. I still haven't realized how small we are; maybe now in these lectures they will convince me. All of them do not fail to give me a moral lesson in everything and explain how and in what way we should impose sanctions on Russia. I, who still has some influence on decision-making in the institutions of Serbia, I'm still not in favor of that," said Vucic, reported KiM radio.

KFOR commander in farewell visit (N1)

KFOR commander Italian Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia paid a farewell visit to Serbian chief of staff General Milan Mojsilovic, a Defense Ministry press release said on Tuesday.

General Ristuccia is due to hand over command of the NATO-led force in October.

The press release said that they discussed the current security situation in Kosovo and cooperation between the Serbian military and KFOR.

“They assessed that the situation in the province is still unstable and stressed that the professional cooperation between the Army of Serbia and KFOR at all levels in the previous period was in the function of lowering tension on the ground and preventing an escalation of the crisis,” it said.

Ristuccia: KFOR and NATO support the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, only political solutions bring peace (Tanjug, RTV, Kosovo Online)

The commander of KFOR, the Italian Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, said yesterday that KFOR and NATO fully support the dialogue under the leadership of the European Union and the USA, which aims to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and that only political solutions can bring peace and stability to the region, reported Kosovo Online, citing RTV. 

"The unfortunate events that took place in the north of Kosovo, especially those on May 29, showed that such a political solution is necessary," Ristuccia said at a conference at the Hilton Hotel in Belgrade.

He emphasized that due to a series of such events, which threatened security in Kosovo, Kfor is in a state of permanent crisis management.

"Each time a crisis breaks out, military and diplomatic efforts are needed to restore a peaceful and balanced situation," Ristuccia said.

He added that KFOR is the largest and longest NATO-led mission operating under the UN mandate, based on UN Resolution 1244 from 1999, in order to guarantee peace, protection and a safe environment for all people living in Kosovo.

Odalovic: By filing a criminal complaint against me, Kurti blocking the process of searching for the missing (Blic, Kosovo Online)

The President of the Commission for Missing Persons of the Government of Serbia, Veljko Odalovic, says that he is not surprised by the criminal complaint filed against him for alleged war crimes, indicating that he expected Kosovo PM Albin Kurti to seek a way to block the process of searching for missing persons. He adds that he is sorry that ''the families of missing persons are being instrumentalized and used in this case.''

The president of the association "Zov majki" (Mothers call) from Djakovica, Nesrete Kumnova, announced yesterday that she has submitted a criminal complaint to the Special Prosecutor's Office in Pristina against President Veljko Odalovic, because he is allegedly responsible for war crimes in Kosovo.

- I am sorry that Mrs. Kumnova was used, who herself experienced a personal tragedy, and is still looking for her son today. That is the most unpleasant thing in this whole situation, but the second thing is that I expected that Kurti and the people in his environment, who are blocking the whole process, will look for a way to block this process of searching for missing persons, because I know that they are running away from responsibility for the obligations they have also taken over and the search for locations where there are a large number of Serbs that we are still looking for today, as well as Albanians - said Odalovic for Kosovo Online.

He adds that Pristina and the Kosovo courts have started certain procedures based on command responsibility against people whose only sin, he says, was that they performed a certain function and job that was entrusted to them.

He reminds that he was the head of the Kosovo district, the head of the civil administrative structure and adds that everyone knows that and that he has no problem with it.

Adding that everyone should do their job, he says that he will probably be ''face to face'' with Kumnova and then he will ask her what her motives are.

In this sense, he indicates that there were ''five districts in Kosovo and Metohija, and that the Kosovo District was one of them''.

- Mrs. Kumnova is from the Pec district, she is from Djakovica, so we have not seen each other, nor do I know anything about her, we have not had any touch or contact of any kind so that she could now identify me. Although, let it be a matter for those who will deal with this criminal report, says Odalovic.

The first hearing in the case of MTS in Kosovo ended, both sides remained in their positions (RTS)

The first hearing in the case of the investigation against MTS d.o.o, which operates on Kosovo, was completed today in Pristina. 

During the hearing, as part of the investigation against MTS initiated by the Pristina Agency for the Protection of Competition, both sides have maintained their positions, and no new hearing has been scheduled.

The Agency for the Protection of Competition from Pristina accused the company MTS d.o.o that it illegally bought four small mobile and TV operators in 2019, 2020 and 2021, without declaring their profits, which, as the representatives of this agency claim, violated the law on competition protection.

On the other hand, consultants and legal representatives of MTS point out that the largest Serbian company operating in Kosovo was not obliged to report the profits of small operators, because the law on mandatory reporting came into force in 2022 and that according to all international and local laws, it is impossible to apply the law retroactively.

In Pristina is also the general manager of "Telekom Srbija" Vladimir Lucic, who will have a series of meetings with representatives of the international community in connection with the decision of the Pristina agency for the registration of business registers to revoke MTS's license, because allegedly one member of the Management Board has a passport in which Kosovska Mitrovica, Republic of Serbia, is written as the place of birth.

Office for KiM: KLA graffiti on the elementary school in Klokot (KiM radio)

"The writing of hate messages at the 'Sveti Sava' Primary School in Klokot, which is attended by more than seventy children, is another worrying confirmation that hatred towards everything Serbian, even children, is the ideological basis of Albin Kurti's policy, and that the danger of uncontrolled destabilization and escalation of violence is omnipresent,'' it was stated in the press release delivered to the media from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

"Graffiti celebrating the KLA and 'Fuck Serbia' messages on the school are not just an act of hooliganism, but a serious threat," reads the statement, recalling that "on two occasions this year, Serbian children received gunshot wounds in attacks by Albanian extremists." 

"Kurti's rejection of dialogue and his unwillingness to provide conditions for a normal life for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija is an implicit invitation to every Albanian thug and extremist to target their neighbors of other nations and religions," it states and adds, "which he publicly confirmed without hesitation saying that the Serbs will 'suffer and pay'".

The Office announces that this is "the 128th ethnically motivated incident directed against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija since the beginning of this year."

The statement concludes that this is a "clear message that Pristina does not intend to do anything to normalize the situation on the ground and enable Serbs to live without anxiety and fear".

Poll shows Serbian ruling coalition lead (N1)

The Stata polling agency said on Tuesday that 44 percent of the Serbian electorate would vote for the ruling coalition with 38 percent voting for the parties organizing the anti-violence protests.

According to the Stata poll, 11 percent would vote for the parties calling themselves the statehood opposition and 7 percent are undecided.

Stata said that 84 percent of the polled said they get their news from N1 and Nova S while up to 26 percent watch the Serbian state TV (RTS).

The poll showed that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) would win 36.3 percent of the vote followed by the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) with 9.8 percent and the ruling coalition’s Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) winning 7.3 percent of the vote. Other parties would win between 5.5 percent and 3.1 percent of the vote. The current threshold to win seats in parliament is 3 percent of the vote with unofficial reports saying that the authorities are considering raining the threshold.

Stata said that 48 percent of the polled said they support the calling of elections in the next few months with 26 percent opposed. The poll also showed that 58 percent want city elections called in Belgrade.

People's Party: The goal of fake surveys is to create a false picture of the popularity of parties in Serbia (Beta, NMagazin)

The People's Party assessed yesterday that the goal of "fake" surveys is to create a "false image" of the popularity of political parties in Serbia, reported NMagazin.

In the announcement of the party regarding the public opinion survey by the Stata agency, it is alleged that the goal of such "set-up surveys" is to misrepresent the real situation in Serbia.

"The agency that published the public opinion survey is the same agency that in 2022 came out with a survey before the last city elections in Belgrade, according to which SNS and SPS together will win 29.3 percent of the votes, while SNS won 39 percent and SPS in the elections 6.9 percent, a total of 44.9 percent," the announcement reads.

They indicated that this meant the margin of error was 15.6 percentage points.

 

 

 

International Media

 

‘Reform or rupture’ says Guterres, calling for multilateralism to be remade for the 21st century (news.un.org)

Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday warned the world is “becoming unhinged” and underscored the United Nations’ raison d'être, to resolve global crises during times of “maximum danger and minimum agreement.”

Mr. Guterres highlighted UN’s successful effort in preventing an environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea as testament to its determination and effectiveness.

“When no one else could or would, UN determination got the job done,” he said

He emphasized that despite the numerous global challenges, the same spirit of determination can guide the world forward, urging leaders to remain committed to unity, peace, human rights, and sustainable development for all.

“Let us be determined to … come together for the common good.”

It’s reform or rupture

Presenting his annual report on the work of the Organization, the Secretary-General stressed the need for a modernizing the multilateral system to address contemporary issues.

He pointed out that while the world has evolved, international institutions have not kept pace, potentially making them part of the problem rather than the solution.

He made it clear that there is no alternative to reform, stating “it’s reform or rupture.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2f6fmw5t