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LOCAL PRESS

Vulin: Pristina doing everything to cause a crisis (RTS)

Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin says that Pristina is doing everything to cause a crisis so Serbia would be blamed for some doings or non-doings. The Brussels agreement is slowly becoming the biggest problem for Pristina, Vulin told the morning news of Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). He was again banned to visit Kosovo, and he says that Pristina had explained this with the repeated elections in Pasjane. “That is true, but two weeks ago, when I visited Mitrovica, elections were also repeated,” said Vulin. He says it is clear to the authorities in Pristina that the candidate of the Serbian (Srpska) list Dragan Nikolic will beat the rival that is more known by criminal offences than by political work. “All the violence in Kosovo and Metohija is occurring over the repeated elections, but, primarily because of Friday, when the negotiations in Brussels continue, on which depends the decision of the European Council on scheduling the first inter-governmental conference,” said Vulin. Speaking about the negotiations in Brussels about the judiciary, Vulin said the minimum of the minimum is the implementation of the Brussels agreement. “The Brussels agreement was very clear – a new network of courts, that is our compromise and we can accept this. Pristina continues to sabotage, and whenever some decision is passed to the benefit of the Serbs, Pristina’s reaction would follow,” said Vulin. Speaking about the integration of the Serbian police into the Kosovo police, Vulin says that all police members will retire by 31 December with 60 percent of the salary, plus two percent for each year.” The government really cares about its people because they live in special conditions, says Vulin, pointing out that Serbian policemen will pass, together with commanders, an appropriate application process, after which they will be admitted automatically. “Pristina wishes to cause panic among our policemen. They lost their head when more than 300 Serbian policemen submitted applications, and said they didn’t expect this,” says Vulin, adding that Pristina knows that it can’t influence these policemen. “Pristina wants the territory but not the people. I will not give them the territory, and people will be there,” concluded Vulin.

Bonnet: No plans for postponing negotiations (B92)

Henry Bonnet, the Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation that is close to the ruling Christian-Democratic Union in Germany, spoke for the B92 news about whether Germany is preparing new conditions for Serbia’s advancement towards the EU and how the news appeared that Berlin is proposing for this process to continue in March. The German sources have strongly refuted the statement by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic that Germany may request the postponement of the beginning of the negotiations. Bonnet said that, according to his information, there are no plans for postponing the negotiations and that there is no concrete date when they should start. “I suppose that at issue are domestic reasons for the Serbian Prime Minister for such a statement. The decision will be passed on 20 December, and I think that we will see then what will be the concrete date, but I am an optimist that this will be at the beginning of next year,” says Bonnet. Asked whether Serbia will manage to define the negotiating framework by 19 December, he says the negotiating framework has been prepared for several months now, in coordination with Belgrade and Brussels. “That is already in the phase of a draft, I think that only the concrete terminology is not clear but it will be by 19 December.” In regard to the statement that it is clear that Germany wishes to link each individual chapter with Kosovo, that whatever starts to be negotiated should be linked with Kosovo and if there is no progress between Belgrade and Pristina the negotiations could stop, Bonnet says: “In the resolution from June it is clear that Chapter 35 will deal with relations and normalization of relations, especially with Kosovo. I suppose this will be primary in that field. We have seen that everything Serbia does towards the EU is also linked with Kosovo, so it is logical to include this in the negotiations. I think that the EU Summit decided that in June and the Serbian Government is aware of this. Now there is a proposal in this informal document (the German non-paper) to directly link each chapter. I think this should be done within Chapter 35. There are certain passing goals for each chapter when it comes to the normalization of the process from Chapter 35. As regards other chapters, like the one on infrastructure, it can’t be excluded that they will not touch upon issues that concern Kosovo within a political connotation. I think that everyone is aware that none of the sides wish to slow down the negotiating process and the people who drafted the negotiating framework do not want to slow down Serbia’s advancement,” says Bonnet. The Serbian Government advocates that Chapter 35 remains Chapter 35, which concerns Kosovo, and for other chapters to get rid of this issue, which is contrary to the clear German-British initiative to link everything with Kosovo. Bonnet commented this with the fact that he was an optimist and that compromise would be reached. “The point of the German-British initiative is not to specifically slow down the process but to predict where, in what chapters there could be issues that concern the issue of borders. I hope Chapter 35 will be the main chapter and that others will be technical ones. I think there is room for optimism and we expect a lot from the next round of negotiations on Friday,” says Bonnet. Reminded that he had stated that Serbia should demonstrate “creativity” by allowing Kosovo to become a UN member, and that this is interpreted in Serbia as new conditioning, he said: “I think that sooner or later, and this has been clearly stressed from Berlin, we must have a legally binding document that will guarantee that Serbia and Kosovo will not block each other on the EU path. The sooner Serbia starts thinking about how to make this document, it can shape this outcome and I think this is priority, that Serbia should avoid official recognition of Kosovo by placing a creative solution.” In regard to the statement that we are speaking about the UN and not the EU, he said: “Germany has never recognized East Germany, but it was a UN member. You must also think about other factors outside European integrations. This is the UN and joining other organizations. I think Serbia can try now to find a way of unofficially recognizing Kosovo, before it joins the EU.” Asked whether this is a new condition from Germany (legally binding document in international organizations and the UN), he says that he doesn’t see things this way. “The sooner Serbia deals with this it will be easier to shape the outcome, without having something forced in the end, which Belgrade doesn’t’ want,” concluded Bonnet.

Can Kosovo become a UN member without Belgrade’s recognition (Novosti)

Despite the determination of the Serbian authorities that Kosovo’s admission in the UN is unacceptable, the Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Henry Bonnet proposes a solution according to which Kosovo would be enabled UN membership without Serbia recognizing its statehood. According to Vladislav Jovanovic, former Serbian foreign minister and ambassador in the UN, accepting such “concession” would mark the end of any battle for Kosovo. He cites the example of Bangladesh, which, after seceding from Pakistan, became a UN member only when the home country had withdrawn its veto: “Such ideas are trying to make Serbia to give its approval, but then there is no way back. We should not delude ourselves that recognition of borders with Kosovo will not be required from us as a formal condition before joining the EU. All this is just preparation for the final act – that Kosovo is separated with our acceptance. Dusan Prorokovic, the executive director of the Center for Strategic Alternatives, opines that the scenario of “UN membership without recognition” would be difficult to implement formally and legally: “The UN doesn’t recognize ‘creative solutions’ and every move opens the door for application elsewhere. I don’t know whether China would accept Kosovo’s membership, since it must not play with this over Taiwan and Tibet. As far as I know, Beijing is also reluctant towards granting a special dialing code to Pristina, regardless of the fact that Belgrade will grant it,” Prorokovic told Novosti.

Pantic’s double function (Danas)

Deputy Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Krstimir Pantic was reappointed one week ago to the same post in the cabinet of Aleksandar Vulin, even though he had previously won at the mayoral elections for northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Namely, Pantic was dismissed at a government session on 4 December and reappointed as Vulin’s deputy. Asked whether he will resign in the Office for Kosovo and Metohija over the new post, Danas didn’t receive a response either from Pantic or in Vulin’s cabinet. At the same government session, the Serbian Minister Aleksandar Vulin was “strengthened” with two more assistants, so that now there are six of them in total. One of them Dejan Pavicevic, the liaison officer in Pristina, tells Danas that the number of assistants has been increased over the increased workload in the implementation of the Brussels agreement. “One of the reasons is the abolishment of the Office for negotiations with Pristina that was attached to the Office for Kosovo and Metohija,” Pavicevic tells Danas. 

REGIONAL PRESS

The federal “five” without agreement (Srna)

The meeting of the leaders of five parties from the B&H Federation, held in Sarajevo towards finding a solution for implementing the Sejdic-Finci ruling, ended without agreement. The leader of the HDZ B&H Dragan Covic has assessed there is a solution for implementing the Sejdic-Finci ruling. He points out the key word is “trust” but that no one trusts anyone any longer. Covic says the B&H Constitution must be changed, i.e. Annex 4 of the Dayton Accord if they wish to implement the ruling of the Court in Strasbourg. “We signed in Brussels that one nation will not choose representatives to another nation. We don’t want anything more. I believe we have a chance for agreement, but one should not have illusions that someone will choose representatives of the Croat nation, because then the deal will definitely collapse,” said Covic.

The leader of the HDZ 1990 Martin Raguz says that the talks were interrupted since there was no agreement, and that B&H must press the negotiators to reach results. “We are ready to organize the next talks without conditioning, because otherwise we can’t reach agreement. Any kind of ultimatum-like position brings us into a situation where negotiations fail,” said Raguz. The leader of the SDP B&H Zlatko Lagumdzija says the participants of the negotiations don’t view the manner of implementing the Sejdic-Finci ruling in the same way. “There have been several varieties on the negotiations conducted in Prague,” said Lagumdzija, adding he didn’t have a chance to present his proposal because the meeting was very short. He assessed there was room for agreement, but that it was a matter of good will. Lagumdzija said the SDP was ready to discuss the principles of the Sejdic-Finci ruling, but that the resolution of this issue must be the same throughout B&H.

Howitt: Launching accession talks to benefit both Skopje, EU (Dnevnik)

“Amendments to the European Parliament’s (EP) draft resolution on Macedonia are present, after the deadline for filing them expired yesterday,” Dnevnik writes. The EP rapporteur on the FYROM Richard Howitt, said that the MEPs had filed a serious number of amendments. “There is a strong debate on the country, on its European future, as well as on the challenges it is faced with. There will be essential remarks, which will be put under debate and be voted on,” Richard Howitt said. In his words, launching the accession talks is both to Skopje, EU’s benefit.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Serbia postpones trilateral meeting with Turkey over Kosovo remarks (Today's ZAMAN, 11 December 2013)

Serbia has postponed indefinitely the trilateral meeting with Turkey that was going to be held in Belgrade this month, after Turkey failed to mend ties with Serbs by expressing regret for the “misinterpretation” of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan's remarks on Kosovo.

The trilateral meeting among Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina was scheduled to take place in Belgrade this month, but Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu's attempt to mend ties with Serbia fell short of Serbian's expectations, Today's Zaman has learned.

“Do not forget that Kosovo is Turkey and Turkey is Kosovo,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, as he made the “Rabia” hand sign that has become synonymous with the anti-coup protests in Egypt, during an address in Prizren, where there is a significant Turkish population, on Oct. 23.

“Never forget that all of us are people with a shared history, culture and civilization; we are brothers and relatives to one another,” added the prime minister.

Erdoðan's remarks were, however, received with skepticism by Serbia, which refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of Serbian culture.

"In the Republic of Serbia, such statements cannot be received as friendly. They depart from assurances that we get in our contacts with Turkey's top officials,” said the Serbian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Davutoðlu promised to his Serbian counterpart, Ivan Mrkic, that the Turkish foreign minister will use the first opportunity to express his regret publicly about the misinterpretation of Erdoðan's Kosovo remarks.

Four days after Erdoðan's remarks, Davutoðlu spoke on the telephone with his Serbian counterpart in the morning and promised that he was going to patch up the relationship. On the same evening he spoke with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic, Davutoðlu appeared on TRT 1 channel and said that Erdoðan's remarks on Kosovo were misunderstood in Serbia, adding that Turkey has the same relationship with all Balkan states.

Davutoðlu said Erdoðan's remarks on Kosovo were taken out of context by some nationalist circles in Serbia and thus misinterpreted, in what was the first official response to Serbia's reprimand of Turkey. This response was not enough to satisfy Serbia's annoyance at Erdoðan's remarks, sources told Today's Zaman.

Davutoðlu met with Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzja and Serbian Foreign Minister Mrkic in New York back in September while attending the 68th United Nation General Assembly and spoke about a new trilateral meeting.

The three ministers held a preparatory meeting in Sarajevo in May earlier this year and agreed on the trilateral meeting to be held in Belgrade in December. After the Turkish prime minister's remarks on Kosovo, the trilateral meeting in Belgrade was postponed by Serbia.

Turkey was one of the first countries to officially recognize Kosovo's independence from Serbia in early 2008 and some 90 other countries, including the US and 23 EU member countries, now also recognize the country's independence.

On top of Erdoðan's remarks and Davutoðlu's failure to mend ties with Serbia, Turkey's insistence on Kosovo attending international meetings as an independent country has also annoyed Serbia and hence led to the postponement of the trilateral mechanism, Today's Zaman has learned.

After Erdoðan's remarks, the Serbian president demanded an apology from Erdoðan for what he called the “scandalous” remarks.

The tripartite consultation mechanism among the three countries was established in October of 2009 as part of a Turkish initiative, in order to assess developments related to the Balkan territories. The last trilateral meeting among foreign ministers was held in New York on Sept. 24 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and it was agreed that the mechanism would be deepened and extended through new cooperation fields, such as parliaments, diplomatic academies and universities.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry's website, it was decided to work on new areas of cooperation during the meetings of political directors and foreign ministers that were planned to be held in Belgrade. On the Foreign Ministry website, it says, “Foreign ministers stated that the trilateral mechanism creates a new and positive dynamism in the Balkans and with the development of this mechanism, the word ‘Balkans' as in the past will mean not tension and competition but cooperation and solidarity."

When asked about the postponement of the trilateral meetings, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told Today's Zaman that “the trilateral mechanism is in its place and working.”

After hearing of the postponement of the trilateral meeting in Belgrade, the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Faruk Loðoðlu told Today's Zaman that “Prime Minister Erdoðan and Foreign Minister Davutoðlu either do not know Turkey's borders or they are not content with our borders.” 

9 Bosnian Serbs arrested for war crimes (World Bulletin, 11 December 2013)

Nine ethnic Serbs from Bosnia-Herzegovina have been arrested over war crimes committed during the 1992-1995 civil war.

Last week, Bosnia's state prosecution office said that the nine suspects, all of whom were former police officers, are charged with expelling, deporting, illegally imprisoning, torturing and/or killing non-Serbian civilians between May and December 1992.

The atrocities they supposedly committed are believed to have targeted both Muslims and Croatians.

Hague Tribunal Orders Mladic to Testify for Karadzic (BIRN, by Denis Dzidic, 12 December 2013)

The international court has decided to subpoena Bosnian Serb ex-military chief Ratko Mladic and make him testify on behalf of his former political leader Radovan Karadzic.

Despite objections from Mladic’s lawyers, who said he was not well enough to testify on behalf of Karadzic and did not want to potentially incriminate himself on the stand, the Tribunal ordered him to give evidence for the defence of the former Bosnian Serb president in January next year.

“Mladic is in a unique position to testify about the information he carried on to Karadzic regarding many incidents in the indictment. This is why the preconditions for his subpoena have been met,” said presiding judge O-Gon Kwon in his decision on Wednesday.

Karadzic asked for Mladic to be called so he could tell the judges that there was never “a plan to expel the non-Serb population” from territories under Serb control during the Bosnian war and that the political leader was not aware of the 1995 Srebrenica massacres.

“As commander of the Army of Republika Srpska, Mladic is expected to testify that the joint criminal enterprise alleged in the indictment never existed and that I was never informed about the killings of Srebrenica prisoners,” said Karadzic.

In May this year, Mladic said his health was not good enough for him to testify and added that his right of protection against self-incrimination would be violated if he were forced to take the stand.

The Hague’s trial chamber rejected these allegations, arguing that Mladic’s rights could not be violated since Karadzic’s trial would not “deal with the incriminations against Mladic”.

In separate cases before the Tribunal, Karadzic as the top Bosnian Serb political official and Mladic as the top military officer are being tried for genocide in Srebrenica, the persecution of Bosniaks and Croats, which reached the scale of genocide in seven municipalities, terrorising the citizens of Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage.

Both men deny the charges.

Bosnia in need for economic development strategy (World Bulletin, 11 December 2013)

The Foreign Investment Chamber of Bosnia-Herzegovina Ahmet Egrlic said “Our biggest problems are territorial and administrative divisions inside of the country, corruption, and multiple levels of government.”

On Wednesday, the president of the Foreign Investment Chamber of Bosnia-Herzegovina Ahmet Egrlic spoke for the media after the “Bosnian economy – chances and challenges” conference held in Sarajevo.

Egrlic said “Our biggest problems are territorial and administrative divisions inside of the country, corruption, and multiple levels of government. For investors, it is one unclear picture, accompanied by impassable administration and laws that are not in favour of economic development.”

“We concluded that we do have slight economic growth, but it is something that happened spontaneously rather than something planned. It is not something our government achieved though its work. Before the war, we have had around 120,000 people employed within the metal industry," Egrlic said adding that today around 45,000 work in this field of the industry.

Egrlic announced that in the future members of the Chamber will develope the document that should point out to the problems encountered by local business people, and give recommendations about how to deal with these problems. The document should be finalised by the end of January 2014.

However, Egrlic said, one of the problems often encoutered is existing legal framework that is not favourable for business development.