LOCAL PRESS

 

Vucic: Serbs would beat me with frying pan because of Kosovo (TV Happy/B92)

 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that he would spend the last day of campaigning ahead of 4 March local election in Belgrade in a meeting with Hashim Thaci.

The Serbian president and the ruling SNS leader told TV Happy that neither he nor Kosovo's president enjoy talking to each other - but that they must talk. “That's my job and it's important that we are meeting, and it's better to be meeting, if that will save the life of any child or elderly person in Kosovo,” said Vucic. He recalled that we all nkow when we talk about Kosovo that the Serb army and police withdrew in 1999 and that foreign services arrived in their place. Ever since, the president continued, not a single investigation has been completed, nobody's been held responsible for the (anti-Serb) March Pogrom, or the expulsion of our people from their ancestral homes. “The international community's stance is no longer, 'standards before status' - now it is, 'status only',” he observed.  “Since the time known as the Tadic-Kostunica conflict, the world recognized Kosovo and you're asking from me today for the leading powers and all countries that recognized Kosovo to now say, 'sorry, we made a mistake'. That will not happen, and everyone is playing dumb. At least we managed to get back to the negotiating table,” Vucic said, and then reached for a chess metaphor for the second time in as many days: “We managed to take down two of their pawns and have the queen in the minus. We are fighting under impossible conditions, and the whole time we're being told, 'this is bad, that is bad'... Well then say what's good, but realistic. There's none of that. We are talking about damage control the whole time. For a year I fought just to return Serbia to that chess match.” Vucic also said he was grateful to the German chancellor - with whom he met in Berlin earlier in the week - for hearing him out, and added that Angela Merkel's position would have been had he not shown a degree of courage. “I told them - do you want a solution? Do you want to see Serbia humiliated? I told that Sigmar (Gabriel, German Foreign Minister) too, and I told him they won't be seeing that movie. We want compromise, we want to reach agreement and that's important, to have better relations. But, you can't gain everything while the Serbs get nothing,” Vucic said. The president repeated that he asked Gabriel how he was supposed to go before the Serbs and tell them, Kosovo is lost - and that's what our friends said. “Then all Serbs would pick up a frying pan and hit me on the head,” Vucic said.

 

Dacic addresses Second Conference of Honorary Consuls (Beta)

 

Addressing the participants in the Second Conference of Honorary Consuls of Serbia at the Foreign Ministry, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Serbia wanted good relations with all neighboring states and was improving them both bilaterally and within regional cooperation, especially when it comes to the economy and infrastructure projects. On the topic of foreign policy priorities, Dacic said: “In line with the country’s foreign policy priorities, the Serbian diplomatic service has been actively engaged, along with other state authorities, in the protection of national interests, continuation of negotiations on EU membership, development of good cooperation with key partners on the international scene and our traditional friends worldwide, the development of good-neighborly relations, building a modern stable Serbia, preservation of international peace and respect of international law. The strategic priority of the Republic of Serbia is to become a member of the European Union. From the start of the process of its negotiations with the EU till today, Serbia has opened 12 chapters, 6 negotiating chapters in 2017 alone. I hope that the number of chapters opened will increase far more during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as that would be the right way to give credit to Serbia and value the progress it makes on the European path. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has singled out Serbia as one of the front-runners in the European integration process, underlining that he would work on implementing the enlargement Strategy defining more closely the timeline for Serbia’s accession to the EU, up to 2025. In the context of endeavors aimed at preserving national interests in Kosovo and Metohija, we continue to invest overarching efforts in different multilateral fora to protect our territorial integrity and sovereignty with all diplomatic means at our disposal, and to prevent the attempts of ‘Kosovo’ from joining various international organizations. In this context, we have achieved positive results in Interpol, World Customs Organization, UNESCO. It is important to add that we were strongly backed in these matters by our friends from all across the world and by you and your selfless assistance, for which reason I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my deep gratitude. I underscore once again that Belgrade is fully committed to the dialogue with Pristina, led under the auspices of the EU, and we expect Pristina to honor and implement the undertaken obligations.”
Vulin meets with Chepurin (Tanjug)

 

Meeting with Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Chepurin on Wednesday, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said he was satisfied with the level of military-economic cooperation, stressing that acquisitions of modern weapons for the Serbian Armed Forces were strategically significant. “It is very important for us to carry out, under favorable economic terms, modernization and acquisitions of military equipment required for a timely and adequate response to current security risks, challenges and threats,” Vulin said. Vulin voiced satisfaction with the recent visit to Mosco and especially thanked on the principled support of the Russia Federation to Serbia to resolve in a peaceful manner and by political means all open issues in Kosovo and Metohija and to preserve its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

 

Battle for Arandjelovac, Bor and Sevojno (Politika)

 

Just as in Belgrade, local elections will also be held in Arandjelovac, Bor and Sevojno on 4 March. Six parties and movements have registered election lists for the elections in Arandjelovac, which is by one-third less than four years ago. According to estimates, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has the biggest chances, and it was the first to submit the list “Aleksandar Vucic – Because We Love Arandjelovac – Serbian Progressive Party”. Their most serious contender is the coalition “People for a Better Arandjelovac – Dragan Jovanovic” made up of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), People’s Freedom Movement and Better Serbia. The head of the list Vladan Glisic says that the brunt of their election campaign was in Arandjelovac villages that were unusually well attended. “We were the only ones from the opposition who registered the entire councilor list of 41 seats. We toured in the campaign all villages and our attention was primarily focused on agriculture,” Glisic tells Politika.

The Socialists will take part in the Arandjelovac elections in coalition with the United Serbia (JS). They were also supported by the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) Ivica Dacic who was in the campaign. “The Socialists have always had very good results in Arandjelovac and now we expect to win more than ten percent of the votes and to stay in power with the Progressives. We have a joint list with the SNS in Sevojno and Bor and I think we can win absolute victory and that we will form the government,” the President of the SPS Executive Board Vladimir Zagradjanin tells Politika.

Unlike Belgrade, where party vanities were insurmountable, opposition local leaders quickly agreed in Bor. They made one election list “We or Them! United for Bor – People’s Party, Democratic Party (DS), Vlach People’s Party, Together for Serbia, Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Social-Democratic Party Dragan Markovic”. The President of the DS Executive Board Radoslav Milojicic-Kena tells Politika that they expect to achieve a very good result in Bor. “There were no problems regarding agreement to have one election list and the DS is the backbone of this opposition battle. We expect to win more than ten percent of the votes. The campaign in Bor, Arandjelovac and Sevojno is interesting, but it is not in the radar of Belgrade media, so it is not visible what kind of problems the opposition has in its work,” said Milojicic.

 

Latest poll before election silence: Socialists stable, support for Djilas and Sapic declining (Novosti)

 

According to the latest poll published by Novosti, 43.1 percent of Belgraders support the list “Aleksandar Vucic - Because We Love Belgrade” in the local elections in Belgrade. According to the same poll, of the 24 participants in the election, only three others will cross the five percent threshold. The list led by former Belgrade mayor Dragan Djilas is declining and currently garners the support of 13.9 percent of voters, and the trend is the same with the one led by New Belgrade Municipality President Aleksandar Sapic (7.6 percent), while the list of Ivica Dacic and Dragan Markovic has a steady 6.7 percent. The poll also showed that the Democrats (DS) are close to the threshold (4.8 percent), followed by lists of Ljubisa Preletacevic (4.4 percent), Enough is Enough/Dveri (4.3 percent), and “Let’s Not Drown Belgrade” (3 percent).

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Messages conveyed by EC’s Juncker in his address before B&H parliament spark reactions among political parties in B&H (FTV)

 

Messages conveyed by European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker in his address before the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) on Wednesday sparked reactions among political parties in B&H. Their common conclusion is that there is commitment of all political structures in B&H for the EU accession and that B&H leaders have a lot of work to do on the EU path. The Federation of B&H parties mainly agree that Juncker’s messages are encouraging and they show that the EC will keep providing B&H with the necessary support on the EU path in the upcoming period. As for HDZ B&H, the most important message conveyed by Juncker concerns the issue of Election Law of B&H and open issues with neighbors. Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples (HoP) of B&H Barisa Colak (HDZ B&H) reminded that amending the Election Law of B&H was particularly emphasized as one of basic preconditions in order to welcome the upcoming elections with new electoral legislation and to be able to implement the elections and election results. “Anything different than that would lead to a severe deadlock on the EU path and might also cause other problems”, Colak assessed.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) stated that the rule of law and the fight against corruption are primarily in the interest of all citizens of B&H, but it is also in B&H’s interest to have less arguing and conflict rhetoric and more dialogue. Unlike most of the parliamentarians who think that accession to the EU would be impossible without 'one voice' of B&H, representatives of Republika Srpska (RS) parties that are part of authority at the level of B&H deem that this would be possible after all.

Head of the SNSD Caucus in B&H HoR Stasa Kosarac noted that part of the international community supports those who want to see B&H as a solely unitary and centralized state.

Head of the SDS Caucus in B&H HoR Aleksandra Pandurevic argued that the term ‘one voice’ does not refer to any kind of centralization but it means the coordination mechanism and harmonized answers for Brussels.

The opposition parties commented that the parliament of B&H was completely left out from the EU integration process and that B&H HoR and HoP were not introduced with answers to the EC’s Questionnaire that were handed over on Wednesday.

SDP representatives in B&H HoR assessed the fact that the EC’s Questionnaire was handed over to the EU officials without prior presentation of answers to MPs and citizens is shameful.

Head of the SDP Caucus in B&H HoR Sasa Magazinovic warned of possible situation in which B&H will be asked to explain some of its answers to the EC’s Questionnaire soon, reminding that three answers to the question of how many citizens B&H exactly has were presented in the EC’s Questionnaire so that one of these answers can be chosen.

 

RS President Dodik stresses importance of Coordination Mechanism in process of preparing answers to EC Questionnaire (TV1)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik attended the solemn event at which the answers to the European Commission’s (EC) Questionnaire were handed over to EC President Jean-Claude Juncker on the premises of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency in Sarajevo on Wednesday. After that, he left Sarajevo without making statements. Addressing reporters in Istocno Sarajevo, Dodik stressed the importance of establishment of the Coordination Mechanism. He noted that there are double answers to some of the questions, provided by the state and the RS institutions. “That is specific for Bosnia. On this day, which everyone is trying to turn into a ceremony, I would just like to warn that I expect the data we provided with regard to the census and some other issues will have to be respected from the point of view of all analyses that will be carried out by the EC. I also want to say that, if this is rejected, we will consider it a fraud that someone intended to do with regard to this issue from the very beginning,” Dodik underlined. He added that the path towards the EU is certainly a goal of the RS too; expressing his belief that B&H should be given the status of a candidate for membership in the EU. “We do not believe that B&H’s EU path should be stopped. We support us moving forward and that the answers sent to the EU from B&H should be in accordance with the work of the Coordination Mechanism. I truly believe that we have achieved that” said Dodik.

 

EP’s Rapporteur Preda and MEP Fajon congratulate B&H (Hayat)

 

European Parliament (EP)’s Rapporteur for B&H Cristian Dan Preda congratulated B&H on submitting answers to the European Commission (EC)’s Questionnaire, on Wednesday. Preda stressed that efforts in fulfilling of this difficult task on the EU path need to be recognized, adding that B&H should now speed up reforms and make progress towards status of the EU candidate. MEP Tanja Fajon also expressed support to B&H on this occasion. Fajon assessed that B&H has made an important step towards the EU and she wished it to continue moving forward.

 

B&H state officials convey messages on Independence Day of B&H (Dnevni avaz)

 

Chairman of B&H Presidency Dragan Covic stated on occasion of March 1, the Independence Day of B&H, that this day is marked as historic confirmation of existence “of our homeland B&H, union of formative and equal peoples – Serbs, Bosniaks and Croats, and all other citizens”.

Prime Minister Fadil Novalic, on behalf of the Federation of B&H Government, congratulated the Independence Day, stressing that majority of citizens of B&H decided 26 years ago to live in sovereign and independent homeland of B&H.

SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic also congratulated the Day of Independence of B&H on behalf of his party and in his own name, saying that this is the day when majority of citizens chose to live in an independent and democratic country.

B&H Presidency member Bakir Izetbegovic, Federation of B&H President Marinko Cavara, B&H Minister of Transport and Communications Ismir Jusko and other officials also congratulated the Independence Day of B&H.

Former Speaker of RB&H Parliament Miro Lazovic said that this was one of the most important days in history of B&H, adding that B&H we live in today is not the country from the referendum question. He expressed discontent with current situation in B&H, saying that overall atmosphere is far from what citizens expected back in 1992.

 

Ivanic: 1 March will never be holiday to Serb people (Nezavisne)

 

Serb member of the B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic stated on Wednesday that 1 March is not and never going to be a holiday for the Serb people in B&H. According to Ivanic, 1 March, which is being celebrated as Independence Day in the Federation of B&H, is a day of an illegal referendum on independence and the day when a Serb was killed in the center of Sarajevo, and that is something the Serb people sees as a beginning of persecution from the territory of the Federation of B&H. “We believe that is the day the war started and all the negative things in B&H started happening. That is why we will never be able to accept this date as our own, and that is why 1 March is going to be a regular working day for me, just like any other,” said Ivanic.

Speaker of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of B&H Ognjen Tadic briefly stated it is time to leave 1 March in history. Tadic said that all political representatives of constituent peoples and both entities have to put an end to wartime events, adding that “until that happens, we will not feel welcome or feel that B&H equally belongs to everyone”.

The B&H House of Representatives Stasa Kosarac (SNSD) as saying Republika Srpska (RS) does not recognize the holiday, that the RS has its Law on Holidays, that the Federation of B&H should have its own law and that it cannot happen at the state level.

 

Dodik: 1 March is not, will never be and cannot be a holiday (Srna)

 

Republika Srpska (RS) President, Milorad Dodik told Srna that 1 March is not, will never be and cannot be a holiday, because this data marks a date when an entire Serb people was outvoted, when Serb national symbols- such as flag- were attacked and when the tragic event, murdering of Serb member of wedding procession, happened. Dodik stressed that this date serves as an excellent example what can happen to Serb people if the RS is devastated. “Insisting on this date as date of independence, we see as another provocation, most notably by side of Bosniak political elite, which does not accept any kind of agreement on the dates that would be acceptable to all and worst of all, which insists on celebrating of the date, which, as it turned out later on, served as a trigger for a horrible civil war that happened to us”, said Dodik.

 

Cubrilovic: Marking of 1 March as B&H’s Independence Day unacceptable for RS (Klix.ba)

 

Republika Srpska Assembly speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic stated that marking of 1 March as B&H Independence Day is unacceptable for the RS. He added that the RS, its institutions and citizens will never accept marking of March 1. He also said that the RS and Serbs celebrate 9 January, the day when the RS was proclaimed and they also recognize the date of signing the DPA. He added that none RS’ law recognizes 1 March, Law on Holidays has never been passed in B&H Parliamentary Assembly and therefore the Independence Day of B&H does not exist in B&H. Cubrilovic stressed that the attempts of imposing holidays in B&H without consent and will of Serb people and joint bodies and institutions only lead to further destabilization of the country and deepening of mistrust.

 

OSCE: Elections in B&H will be held without their foundation (Vecernji list)

 

OSCE Special Representative on South-East Europe, Slovenian diplomat Roberto Battelli, presented a report during a recent, winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held in Vienna. According to the daily, part of the report deals with the situation in B&H since the OSCE is planning to send a delegation to B&H in June in order to monitor the process of preparation and holding of the elections. Article notes that Battelli warned that the situation regarding changes to the Law on Elections of B&H is rather complicated, and that due to erasing of provisions of the law, there is no foundation to hold and implement the elections. Battelli expressed fear that ‘we’ will see increase of radical rhetoric, adding that changes to the electoral legislation, despite clear recommendations coming from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), are yet to be resolved. According to the daily, Battelli especially emphasized that the failure to implement decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H (‘Ljubic’ case) poses a most serious problem.

 

Interview with RS President Milorad Dodik (N1)

 

N1 carried an interview with Republika Srpska (RS) President and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik. Commenting on preparations for the 2018 elections in B&H, Dodik confirmed that he will be a candidate for the post of Serb member of the Presidency of B&H in the 2018 elections. He claims that his victory is certain but there is nothing to worry about because he will respect and work in line with the Constitution of B&H and the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA). He stressed that he will be elected by the voters in the RS and the RS will be his primary responsibility but there will always be some way to hold sessions of the Presidency of B&H and reach consensus. He pointed out that he will come to Sarajevo and attend a session when needed but “to be honest, I do not intend to be there (Sarajevo) every day”. Dodik stressed that he will attend official events as member of the Presidency only if the RS flag is placed together with B&H flag. He pointed out that SNSD will surely provide the candidate for the RS President but allegations about former RS Army commander Ratko Mladic’s son Darko Mladic being that candidate are pure speculations.

Commenting on possible outcome of the elections for Croat and Bosniak members of the Presidency of B&H, Dodik stated that he does not care about who will be elected as Croat and Bosniak members of the Presidency of B&H but he expects HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic to win the elections for Croat member of the Presidency because such outcome would be the best for B&H. He argued that the election of DF leader Zeljko Komsic as Croat member of the Presidency “through speculative Bosniak votes” would destabilize B&H worse than the first time when this happened.

Commenting on presence of the international community in B&H, Dodik underlined that the Office of High Representative (OHR) should leave B&H because B&H will not be allowed to join the EU unless the OHR is shut down. He argued that not everything done by foreigners in B&H was great although B&H should be thankful for all sorts of aid and efforts to stop the war. He deems that the Constitution and the DPA have established B&H as the country created by two entities and three constituent peoples but the international community began violating the Constitution and the DPA in an attempt to turn B&H into a state, which is impossible without basic consensus of entities and peoples in B&H. He stressed that Serbs are not in favor of conflicts and destabilization but they do not accept current B&H because the HR was violating laws and international rights by imposing solutions. He stated that he has never called for abolition of the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H but these institutions should be reformed. He deems that B&H is left with “monsters imposed through projects of the international community, such as the police and the Prosecutor’s Office (of B&H), and everyone is discontent with this”. Commenting on the US sanctions against him, Dodik stated that previous US administration blacklisted him after he was invited to attend the ceremony for the inauguration of current US President Donald Trump. He pointed out that he does not care about the US sanctions against him as long as the RS remains free of any consequences.

Asked to comment on possible secession of the RS from B&H, Dodik stressed that the RS is not preparing for any conflict and accusations about the RS intending to secede are groundless. “There are talks about secession in the public and the media. However, I will again say that B&H in line with the Constitution and the DPA is not questionable for us. B&H imposed by the High Representative (HR) is questionable and we do not want to see it that way. We want to return things to frameworks of the Constitution and the DPA,” Dodik said.

Commenting on possible formation of the third entity in B&H, Dodik argued that there is “deficit of agreements and too many imposed solutions”, meaning that no one in B&H is content or comfortable. He deems that Bosniaks are discontent with failure to turn B&H into a unitary state, Croats are devastated by interventions of the international community and Serbs are discontent with violation of their rights from the DPA. He said that serious discontent is being accumulated among everyone in B&H and the best response to this would be talks and possible agreement. He stated that he has no problem with Croats forming their own entity on the territory of the Federation of B&H as long as the territory of the RS remains unchanged. He deems that the formation of the third entity is not detrimental to the RS or to national interests of Bosniaks but it will allow Croats to feel safe and political leaders will be able to agree on joint policies at B&H level. He stated that he is in favor of peaceful B&H at all costs but he is in favor of current standstill if it helps avoid conflicts. He pointed out that Croats’ demands for the third entity is legitimate and he is not against it if it will be formed within the Federation of B&H. He deems that the formation of the third entity depends on Bosniaks. He claims that Bosniaks have been deceived by their political elites and they are wasting energy on impossible goals. He stressed that the best framework would be the one where national interest of Croats, B&H as a country and the RS as one of its entities are not denied and solutions are not imposed.

Commenting on SNSD not supporting the initiative to give the status of constituent peoples in HNC, Dodik said that he and Covic already discussed this issue. He stressed that Serbs must be given the status of constituent peoples in HNC but the latest initiative filed by SDP was “a deception”, namely because it did not address the same issue in other cantons and because the Parliament of B&H does not have competences to adopt any kind of document with orders for other levels of the authorities. Dodik said that Covic promised to resolve the issue of the status of Serbs in HNC through the HNC Assembly and this will surely be done.

 

Opposition united against Minister Dalic (HRT)

 

Opposition benches and independent MPs met in parliament on Wednesday at the invitation of the Most Party to agree on a motion for a vote of no-confidence in Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalic, whom they hold responsible for the Agrokor situation.

Most’s Political Secretary Nikola Grmoja said after the meeting that they had agreed to assume a unified stand on Martina Dalic’s removal from government. He made it clear, however, that there was no mention of a motion to hold a vote of no-confidence in the entire HDZ-led coalition government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. "We agreed to stand united. We know that this coalition is well paid and strong, but we want Milorad Pupovac and Darinko Kosor to invest their political capital into Minister Dalic. We want to hear how Prime Minister Plenkovic defends Dalic in parliament," Grmoja said. The leader of the HSS, Kreso Beljak added: "If we are the opposition we should stand united on a number of things. I think there are people here who are not truly part of the opposition, some who are in doubt over whether to take this government down or not." The Istrian Democratic Assembly and GLAS said that they would give their support to the motion for a vote of no-confidence, but only if all of the opposition parties, MOST included, sign-off on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. The meeting started fifteen minutes late and former Most MP turned independent Vlaho Orepic was the first one out the door, saying that he supports Dalic’s removal from office, but that he will attend future meetings when they are serious and properly organized. For its part, the largest opposition party, the SDP, proposed a series of its own demands, calling for the immediate amending of the crisis management legislation, which enabled the government to assume the reigns in Agrokor and appoint a crisis manager. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Branko Bacic of the HDZ said that there were dissonant tones from both sides. "I have not seen a unified opposition in that regard. The parliamentary majority is stable," Bacic said.

 

Government to allow limited use of Ustasha slogan? (Hina)

 

Croatia punishes all forms of glorification of fascist regimes but allows the use of the "For the Homeland Ready" salute strictly to commemorate soldiers killed in the 1991-95 Homeland War, according to one of the main recommendations and guidelines sent to the government on Wednesday by the Council for dealing with the consequences of undemocratic regimes.

After the Council session, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the "For the Homeland Ready" salute, registered as part of statutory provisions of certain associations related to the activities of HOS (Croatian Defence Forces) during the Homeland War, was contrary to the Croatian constitution. HOS was an armed wing of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) in the Homeland War. The salute "For the Homeland Ready" was used by the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia (1941-45). "Therefore, there is no dilemma about that and the Council has clearly said so, but it has also acknowledged that it can be used as an exception, subject to special approval, in situations strictly envisaged by law. That's the gist of that recommendation," Plenkovic said. Responding to questions from the press, Council chairman Zvonko Kusic said such an exception could be, for example, a commemoration for an HOS member. He noted, however, that these were the Council's recommendations and that it was now up to the legislature to specify such circumstances. The Council members concluded that the red star and communist symbols denoting the antifascist struggle in World War II were not questionable.

 

NGOs concerned about Croatia’s treatment of refugees (Hina)

 

The Are You Syrious (AYS) and Centre for Peace Studies (CMS) non-governmental organizations on Wednesday released their fourth report on refugees and warned that Croatia has continued with its practice of expulsion, unlawful behavior and sporadic violence against refugees who have tried to seek international protection in Croatia. Last year, the two NGOs alerted the Interior Ministry and the State Prosecutor's Office (DORH) of such incidents, but they did not react or their reaction was limited. The situation changed, however, at the beginning of this year when the human rights ombudswoman sent a letter to DORH presenting a series of claims of unlawful procedures by the police, Julija Kranjec from CMS told a press conference.

The ombudswoman's report shows that those were not isolated cases but systematic and planned measures of denying access to international protection, deprivation of liberty without legal grounds and disregard for the principle that they should not be turned back. The NGOs are also concerned that thermal-vision camera recordings do not exist for those times when the unlawful incidents were reported to have occurred. The latest report notes that these incidents are occurring on the Bosnia and Herzegovina border too and that not even vulnerable people are exempt from this type of behavior. Kranjec said that police treatment toward refugees in Croatia has changed for those arriving as part of the resettlement quotas but, she added, that should not exclude all people who need protection. Tatjana Tadic from AYS said that in 2017 the UNHCR in Serbia recorded 3,242 cases of unlawful expulsion of refugees from Croatia and that many of them claimed that they were not allowed to seek international protection and that they were regularly abused. Data for January 2018 indicates 189 newly documented cases of expulsion. The NGOs claim there are growing indications that the police are covering up verbal and physical violence against refugees. Referring to a recent statement by Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic that the first requirement for asylum is legal entry into Croatia, the NGOs underscored that according to international and domestic law, any person in Croatia, regardless of how they crossed the border, has the right to apply for asylum, which then needs to be processed by expert bodies and not arbitrarily by border police. The NGOs called on the Interior Ministry and the Police Directorate to immediately withdraw orders that generate unlawful police behavior and called on border police not to follow such orders as they are exposing themselves to possible prosecution. They also called on DORH to investigate the claims made by the human rights ombudswoman regarding unlawful police behavior and on Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic to distance himself from this type of police behavior.

 

Markovic and May: The UK shares a common vision for the region (CDM)

 

The United Kingdom shares a common vision for the future of the region based on European values, which contributes to the security of Europe, said UK Prime Minister Theresa May during a meeting with leaders of the Western Balkans, attended by Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.

“Our relations continue to strengthen, because all of us present here share the same vision for the future of the Western Balkans. We want a peaceful, prosperous and democratic region – anchored in European values ​​and systems that contribute to European security. The countries of the Western Balkans have huge potential. And tonight, they are all here who play a key role in using this potential. Establishing the rule of law and institutions to support prosperity and building relations between your countries promise a better future for everyone,” May said.

Talking with PM May, Markovic conveyed his gratitude for the support of the United Kingdom to Montenegro during our accession to NATO, as well as on the overall bilateral support to our country, and emphasized the importance of further enhancing cooperation, especially in the field of economy.

 

Juncker: You welcomed us as if we were princes (Antena M)

 

Montenegro is absolutely committed to the values ​​and goals of the EU and there is no reason to doubt it. As there is no doubt that the only future for the entire region of the Western Balkans is in Europe, without any alternative, PM Dusko Markovic said at a meeting with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Juncker pointed out that he did not come to our country to give empty promises, and that the date of EU accession depended only on Montenegro. Junker is in an official visit to Montenegro, as part of his tour across the Western Balkans. He thanked the Government for, as he put it, “being welcomed as if we were princes” in Montenegro. “I did not come to Montenegro to give empty promises. The date of joining the EU depends only on you. The EC will rate the progress on the European path for each country separately. I congratulate Montenegro on the policy towards its neighbors” Juncker said.

PM Markovic is glad that Juncker visited Montenegro. “This reinforces the positive messages the EU has sent to the region. The most important message is that the Western Balkans will be part of Europe and that we will work in this way both in the region and in the EU,” Markovic said.

It is crucial that Montenegro is absolutely committed to the values ​​and goals of the EU and there is no doubt about it. “As we have no doubts that the future of entire region of the Western Balkans is in Europe,” Markovic pointed out.

 

Becic’s open letter to embassies and international organizations: DIK is conducting legal violence (CDM)

 

The State Election Commission’s (DIK) decision to annul the voting in five polling stations in Berane after nearly a month since the local elections there were held and to repeat the elections is a direct attack on the legal order and basic democratic principles, the Democrats leader Aleksa Becic said. He sent an open letter to embassies, international and non-governmental organizations, independent intellectuals and political entities. Becic said in the letter that instead of within 24 hours, as imperatively required by the Law, DIK made this decision after more than 15 days, carrying out classical legal violence and contravening the Constitution, the laws and the citizens’ will expressed in the elections. He adds that opposition representatives in the DIK did not dispute that there had been the basis for repeated voting in one polling station where the same legal situation existed as in Petnjica and Ulcinj. However, they were appalled when they saw that DIK members from the ruling parties had to obey a party order and vote for annulling the voting in the four remaining polling stations, for which there was no basis, bearing in mind the legal solutions and previous decisions of the DIK and the Constitutional Court in the same cases. It is precisely because of this, as Becic puts it, legal violence, why four DIK members, including its secretary, have left the session, not wanting to provide legitimacy to a kind of legal violence. According to him, it is obvious that the dictatorial regime enters the last phase, which is, as a rule, the most brutal one and can be very dangerous. “Therefore, I call on political actors, representatives of the NGO sector and the international community to respond, because the continued abuse of rights and democracy by DPS can have serious consequences for the society as a whole. Such treatment is definitely an alarm to alert everyone who wants bright future for Montenegro and its citizens,” concluded Becic.

 

Macedonia, Serbia in joint duty clearance at border crossings (MIA)

 

Macedonia and Serbia are launching the joint duty clearance at border crossings Tabanovce-Presevo and Pelince-Prohor Pcinski, following a Government's decision on Tuesday. The joint duty clearance is one of the objectives of the multi-annual Action Plan for the establishment of a Regional Economic Area in the Western Balkans, adopted at the 2017 Trieste Summit.

The Action Plan includes facilitated free trade and improvement of joint risk management, as well as one-stop shop border controls. According to announcements, joint controls will also be introduced at the railway crossing Tabanovce to Serbia and Kjafasan to Albania.

 

Russian Ambassador: Macedonia, Greece entitled to name solution convenient for both countries (MIA)

 

It's very important for matters, such as the name issue, to be resolved via negotiations, based on the respect of the mutual interest, Russian Ambassador to Macedonia Oleg Shcherbak told reporters late Wednesday. “Russia is considering Macedonia and Greece as two, sovereign, independent countries. Hence the two countries, as many other in similar situation, are entitled to find a solution that would be convenient for both parties” Shcherbak said.

 

Zaev-Markovic: EU and NATO integration for regional stability and economic development (MIA)

 

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Montenegro counterpart Dusko Markovic agreed Thursday in Sofia that regional cooperation is effective, in the interest of citizens and the region's Euro-Atlantic integration. Zaev and Markovic met at the sidelines of the working meeting of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, with Western Balkans heads of state and government. The PMs agreed that cooperation between the countries' chambers of commerce was good, highlighting the importance of introducing the Skopje-Podgorica-Sarajevo flight, which is in the pipeline. The meeting also tackled Macedonia's EU and NATO integration.

"Interest for investments in Macedonia has increased following the launch of reforms within the country and the opening of NATO and EU perspectives," said Zaev. In addition, interlocutors agreed that European recommendations have to be implemented for the sake of the region's political and economic development, the Government said in a press release.

 

Organized crime, Albania’s most serious problem (ADN)

 

The President of the Republic, Ilir Meta expressed his deep concern for the organized crime in Albania and the risk that according to him derives from the strengthening of criminal groups.

Meta said that corruption is an extremely serious problem for the country, but organized crime is a major problem. The Italian Anti-Mafia Prosecutor also declared that the Albanian criminal groups are leaving even Ndrangheta behind. It means that Albania is becoming a motive of concern even for Italy for cocaine and heroin,” said the President. The Head of State also underlined that “we should not forget that this entire financial budget of organized crime is several times higher than the entire state budget. This is a huge economic power in the hands of organized crime that always poses a threat to the capture of the state. We must operate in every direction for the strengthening of rule of law,” appealed President Meta during his interview.

 

613 kg cocaine seized in Albanian Durresi harbor, reactions (ADN)

 

The Chairwoman of the Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI), Monika Kryemadhi, reacted on Wednesday over the huge amount of cocaine seized in Durresi harbor. She said that without help of the international partners this action would be not possible and that the Prime Minister is afraid to accept this help. "Despite the commitment of the police and the prosecution, both of these structures would have it impossible to capture such a huge amount of drugs, 613 kg of cocaine without the help of international partners, while hundreds of thousands of tons of cannabis have been trafficked under their nose and drugs. The Prime Minister is afraid to say that this action was carried out with the help of our international partners, those who just two days ago warned of dangerous politic links with narcotics trafficking. Edi Rama must find a very good lawyer,” said Kryemadhi. She added that Edi Rama is terrified by further investigations of this unseen cocaine quantity ever in Albania, because the threads and links of the traffic heads are neither the port workers nor the modest company. The former Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that drugs with a value that goes up to EUR 180 million can never come to Albania without political guarantees. "Dear friends, today in Durres port was seized the biggest amount of cocaine of 613 kg. By expressing deep gratitude to our partners for their essential contribution and to all those who are able to discover and capture the drugs, I condemn with the utmost anger Albanian transformation, by the vicious Edvin Kristaq Rama in the epicenter not only of heroin but also of cocaine in Europe and I emphasize that, such a record worth EUR 180 million does not move for a certain destination without a major political guarantee," said Berisha. He added that behind the scenes of this event, are hidden clans that go to the highest levels of the Albanian executive. Opposition’s leader Lulzim Basha called for an Anti-Mafia government. He declared on Wednesday that this huge quantity of drugs could not enter Albania without political support.

“The seizure of this record quantity of drugs is only the confirmation of Democratic Party (DP) continuous denunciations. This is a chronicle repeatedly forewarned by DP. We have denounced in parliament the fact that organized crime in Albania has gained control of cocaine and heroin traffic thanks to the government’s support. The Italian Anti-Mafia prosecutor Federico de Roha declared only a few days ago that Albanian mafia has close ties with politics while State Police has been captured,” declared Basha. The Democrat leader stated that the seizure of this large quantity of cocaine shows that country is currently ruled by a criminal gang, thus a new anti-mafia government is a national emergency. The United States agency for war on drugs, DEA, should be stationed in Albania. The Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) Parliamentary Group chairman, Petrit Vasili made this declaration as reaction to the seizure of 613 Kg of cocaine. He defined the seizure of a shocking quantity of cocaine a clear indicator that Albania has become a key element in the international drugs smuggling network. “We have repeatedly requested the DEA stationing in Albania in order to give a harsh blow to the international drugs smuggling. Drugs smuggling and organized crime have become a national danger for Albania and the entire region. This fact was clearly forewarned by the Italian Anti-Mafia prosecutor but Prime Minister Edi Rama failed to listen to his word. It seems that he was busy organizing this huge quantity of cocaine quantity smuggling which ended with a failure,” said Vasili. In conclusion he declared that international partners’ reactions should no longer be delayed on view of the rapid extent of Albania’s involvement in international drugs smuggling. The President of the Republic, Ilir Meta congratulated the State Police on Wednesday. He stressed that drugs smuggling and strengthening of organized crime is a direct threat to the national security, while urging for a further deepening and intensification of law enforcement agencies collaboration with international partners. Presient Meta saluted the role played by Italian Anti-Mafia and the repeated warnings related to the risk deriving from the organized crime strengthening, not only for Albania but also for Italy. Meta underlined the absolute necessity of increasing the capacities needed to strengthen the borders safety, especially border crossings points. He also encouraged the dismissal from State Police and every law enforcement agency ranks of incriminated individuals in function of the successful fulfillment of the legal and constitutional obligations. The U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration commend the Albanian State Police, Serious Crimes Prosecutors, and Customs officials for the seizure of 614 kilos of Columbian cocaine. "This represents the largest single seizure of cocaine or heroin in several years. It is a welcome sign that Albanian law enforcement is being vigilant, but also a worrying signal that the trafficking of cocaine and other drugs is increasing. The United States will continue to assist and support law enforcement efforts to prevent drug trafficking in Albania and arrest those responsible," says the US Ambassador, Donald Lu.