Serbia and Kosovo i Metohija

This week started out comparatively quiet on the administrative crossing between Kosovo and Serbia. Serb citizens remained on the barricades near the village of Zupče under the observance of KFOR soldiers. A conference regarding the administrative crossing was to be held at the outset of this week between Serb president Boris Tadić and four municipal presidents who stated their intent on learning about Serbia’s exact position on Kosovo. President of the Kosovska Mitrovica municipality Zvečan Dragiša Milović highlighted that a viable solution to the current situation can only be found if Serbia’s highest legislators partake in the discussion. Head of the EULEX mission Xavier Marnak meanwhile asserted that the mission will stay put so as to insure safe passage to all citizens in the region. Serb citizens too affirmed their stay until KFOR and EULEX missions return to neutrality as well as the departure of Kosovar customs officials. Present at the meeting were Zvečan Krstimir Pantić, Branko Ninić, Slaviša Ristić and Dragiša Milović, each the respective municipal head of Kosovska Mitrovica, Leposavić, Zubin Potok and Zvečan as well as head of the Kosovska Mitrovica district Radenko Nedeljković, four municipal assembly members, head of Belgrade’s negotiation team Borislav Stefanović and the minister for Kosovo Oliver Bogdanović. At the meeting, president Tadić stated that KFOR forces ought to be able to deliver supplies across the border while EULEX forces should be able to move freely in northern Kosvo as soon as possible. Tadić added that such arrangements were reached in the Military Technical Agreement at Kumanovo, the Resolution 1244 and the Six Point Plan. However, Tadić reiterated that while Priština and Belgrade agreed as to the appearance of a customs stamp, there was never an agreement regarding a “functioning” Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossing. Tadić and the leading Serbs from the municipalities in northern Kosovo appealed to the Serb public stating that the best way to defend their rights is to stay calm and forsake any form of violence and extremism. The president added that Serbs should “not fall” for provocations while appealing to KFOR and EULEX forces not to partake in unilateral actions.

“Sloboda kretanja za Kfor i Euleks uz garancije”. Politika Online. accessed October 26, 2011. www.politika.rs/rubrike/Politika/Sloboda-kretanja-za-Kfor-i-Euleks-uz-garancije.lt.html

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“Na severu Kosova mirno, bes uklanjanja barikada”. Ekonom East Media Group. accessed October 23, 2011. www.emg.rs/vesti/166961.html

“Slobodno za Kfor, Euleks uslovno”. B92. accessed October 25, 2011. www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2011&mm=10&dd=25&nav_id=552253

Serbia and the EU

Discussions regarding Serbia’s date for negotiations regarding EU membership are ongoing. Among the questions asked this week was how and/or if asylum seekers that have left Serbia for EU member states would affect its candidacy. Tanja Vajon, European rapporteur for visa issues explained thus that this situation depended on the Serb government. According to Vajon, “If the number of Serb asylum seekers does not reach alarming numbers, Serbia will not be held responsible to reduce the number of false asylum seeking individuals as a condition for membership” adding that she feels that Serbia is ready to do anything to resolve that problem. According the United Nations Agency for Refugees, there are a total of 10,300 asylum requests from Serb and Kosovar citizens to 44 developed states. These people make up the third largest source of applicants of asylum requests to industrialized countries. However, the Commission has just opened hearings on the regulation of the “White Schengen” agreement. Should the agreement be amended, there are possibilities that EU member states can request as suspension of the visa free agreement lest a state feels “threatened” by the large influx of asylum seekers from specific states.

The foreign affairs and deputy minister of Luxenbourg Jean Asselborn stated that Serbia will have to recognize Kosovo sooner or later if the state wishes to attain EU membership. The hinted at the option that conditions of a negotiation date may be influenced by Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo adding that he welcomed the Commission’s decision to recommend Serbia a candidate status as it unifies the continent while it underlines, “once and for all”, that “Serbia is in Europe”. The answer to Asselborn’s statement came prompt delivered by the foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić who asserted that Serbia will “not recognize Kosovo, neither today nor tomorrow, or at any time”. In his statement, given to B92, he cautioned that he can only speak for the current government while he was “deeply convinced”, he was hoping in fact, that whomever was bestowed with the public mandate would not hold a differing opinion. Jeremic further said that a dialogue regarding a high degree of autonomy for the Serbian population in northern Kosovo can only be held in line with resolution 1244, the Serbian constitution and decisions by the assembly of Serbia. Meanwhile, Predrag Simić, professor of political sciences, told Beta that such announcements only serve to exert pressure on Serbia while increasing existing tensions in Kosovo adding that they could be the culprit of crisis, especially in election times. According to Simic, a statement such as was given by Asselborn may encourage the ambitions of Priština officials thereby reducing the space of the continuation of negotiations between Belgrade and Priština. Serbia must find a peaceful way to resolve the situation in northern Kosovo including its administrative transition as failing to do so could bring about a very complex situation in Serbia which, according to Simić, may get out of control. Ivica Dačić, minister for the interior, added that “it would not be the end of the world if Serbia were to be denied candidacy for EU membership” (which will be decided on December 9, 2011). Dačić maintained that the EU has “lied” to Serbia starting in 2000 as the Union promised every year since then that Serbia would be given membership the coming year. With regard to Kosovo, the minister pointed toward the German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s question as to why Kosovo was not to become a federation. This idea, said Dačić is interesting and has not been discussed thus far.

“Federalizacija Kosova?”. Politika Online. accessed October 28, 2011. www.politika.rs/rubrike/Politika/Federalizacija-Kosova.lt.html

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“Aselborn: Srbija da prizna Kosovo ako hoće u EU”. Ekonom East Media Group. accessed October 26, 2011. www.emg.rs/vesti/srbija/167149.html

“Fajon: Azilanti neće uticati na kandidaturu”. Ekonom East Media Group. accessed October 23, 2011. www.emg.rs/vesti/srbija/166965.html

“Podrška Srbiji na putu ka EU”. B92. accessed October 25, 2011. www.b92.net/info/komentari.php?nav_id+552429

Sandžak

According to the Turkish news agency Anatolia Today (AA), the Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu expressed his hope for the ushering in of a new period for the people of Sandžak and all Muslims in Serbia following a dialogue with officials in Belgrade. In Belgrade, Davutoglu met with president Boris Tadić and head of the Serb diplomatic delegation Vuk Jeremić. However, no public statements were made in Belgrade or Ankara. Davutoglu only told reporters from the AA press that there exist “disagreements within the religious institutions in Sandžak” and that viable solutions to this problem will bring peace to the Muslim community in Sandžak as well as to all of Serbia. The foreign minister asserted that developing relation between Serbia and Turkey contribute to regional stability in the Balkans adding that Ankara attaches great importance to them. Davutoglu was expected to visit Belgrade on the 19th of October but was unable to do so due to terrorist attacks in the Turkish city of Hakkari. At this time, the media was speculating that Davutoglu’s visit may be conducted so as to unite the two conflicting Islamic communities in Sandžak. Discord between the two communities ensued in 2007 when the Islamic Community of Serbia was founded with Adem Zilkić at the helm. The other Islamic community, headed by Muamer Zukorlić, recognizes the supreme Islamic Community of Bosnia i Herzegovina (BiH). The media reported that Turky seeks to mediate between the two communities with the goal of integrating the Serbian Muslim community in agreement with the Islmaic Community of BiH.

A young man from Novi Pazar shot an automatic gun, reportedly a Kalashnikov, at the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo “having shouted Allahu Akbar” on the 28th of October. The shooter, Mevlud Jašarević, is reportedly a member of a Wahhabi movement which is linked to the Bosnian Wahhabi community of Gorni Maoči. According to Vesti Dansas, Jašerević joined the movement in Vienna but was expelled in 2009. He then lived in Sarajevo and Tuzla, BiH, before he moved to Novi Pazar, RS. He too was forced to leave Novi Pazar as he was seen moving close to group of diplomats while holding a knife. Since then, he has spend time outside of Serbia. Meanwhile, two other men, Dino Pačenković and Ahmet Spahić, were arrested on the basis of having cooperated with Jašerević. Pačenković and Spahić drove Jašerević to Sarajevo were he opened fire on the American embassy. The police in Serbia also arrested 17 members of the “radical wing” of the Wahhabi movement who were in close connection to Jašarević. From the 17 people, 12 were reported to be from Novi Pazar while two came from the Tutin municipality, two from the Sjenica municipality and one citizen of BiH. The police, in cooperation with the Security Information Agency, searched a total of 18 houses in which computers, laptops, 1800 CD’s, about 30 audio cassettes, 50 SMS cards, video cameras with 17 cassettes, five military uniforms, three “larger” knives, swords, baseball bats and literature on describing how to propagate the ideas of the movement were confiscated. The attack was condemned by members of the Presidency of BiH, officials of the Republic of Serbia and Mustafa Cerić, head of the Islamic community of BiH. Zoran Dragišić, professor at the faculty for security, stated following the incident in Sarajevo that Serbia was at risk regarding terrorism from three sources out of which the radical form of Islam, or the Wahhabi movement, presented the most potent danger adding that the threat of terrorism is not great, but nevertheless exists. Dragišić explained that Wahhabi organizations may operate to resolve the Sandžak issue or otherwise are part of a global Islamist network adding that Jašerević requested the U.S. “remove its hands from the Muslims”. According to this logic, said Dragišić, the Belgrade U.S. embassy may also become a target.

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“Novopazarac napadač na ambasadu SAD”. Vesti online. accessed October 28, 2011. www.vesti-online.com/Vesti/Ex-YU/175204/Novopazarac-napadac-na-ambasadu-SAD

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www.vesti-online.com/Vesti/Srbija/174374/Davutoglu-Nov-period-za-muslimane-u-Srbiji

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Serbia

The minister of justice Snežana Malović stated today that Slovenia and Serbia reached an agreement on extradition legal assistance needed to fight crime more efficiently, especially the organized crime. The agreement enables cooperation in detecting, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators of crime. The justice minister added that the agreement between Slovenia and Serbia regulates in detail as to how convicted criminals are to be extradited explaining that previous cases have indicated the need for such cooperation. Other areas of cooperation include possible collaboration in defense and Serbia hopes to cooperate with Croatia, Hungary and Nigeria. Malović asserted that current cooperation between Croatia and Serbia is fairly intensive while there is room for improvement. Currently, Serbia and Croatia exchange information on international missions, transformation of defense systems and the field of telecommunication.

“Snežana Malović: Sporazumi za efikasniju borbu protiv kriminala”. Ekonom East Media Group. accessed October 27, 2011. www.emg.rs/srbija/167244.html