News from Serbia of 29th October 2010

DAILY SURVEY - Nr. 51 / 420 - Belgrade - Prepared by: Z. Bucin

- KOSOVO & METOHIJA

TADIC: SERBIA READY FOR DIALOGUE

KRAGUJEVAC, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - President Tadic said that Serbia is ready for dialogue with Pristina and that the talks should start as soon as posible. Serbia is open to dialogue and waits for Kosovo Albanians to show readiness too, as dialogue requires two parties, Tadic said. The dialogue should start as soon as posible, he told the press. During his visit Tadic toured the Clinical Center and the Fiat factory.

JEREMIC: DIALOGUE CAN BEGIN, BELGRADE AND BRUSSELS READY

BELGRADE, Oct 29 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said that Belgrade is ready for dialogue with Pristina and could start on it immediately, adding that officials from Brussels, which will have a mediating role, are also prepared. "I understand that this is perhaps not the easiest moment for the Albanians, given their political turmoil, but I truly believe that it would be better for everyone if the process began as soon as possible," Jeremic said for daily Novosti (News). Jeremic said that "we think that the parties should first start with topics that are free from any controversy, such as the establishment of cooperation in solving the problem of missing persons." "Achieving success at the outset would certainly have a positive effect for future phases of the dialogue, when we touch on the more delicate matters. In any case, negotiations should be led by experts, rather than by politicians or senior officials," Jeremic said. He said that "it is not necessary to enter directly into the status negotiations to find a solution to the problems arising from the fact that the two sides have fundamentally different views on the issue of sovereignty over the territory of Kosovo." "Our side will naturally proceed from the view that no practical solution can be such if it directly or indirectly acknowledges the unilaterally proclaimed independence. It is expected that the initial position of Albanians will be different. It will be required from both parties to show constructive approach in order a compromise on all outstanding issues could be reached," he said. Jeremic said that "Belgrade will certainly not accept any solution that could be understood as the recognition of independence, nor will it accept any definition of Serbia and Kosovo as two sovereign states." When asked whether it is realistic to expect that the possibility of division itself could impose itself as a possible solution, Jeremic said that "any solution where it is possible to reach a consensus of all interested parties is better than any imposed one." "We will continue to be constructively committed to achieving the historic compromise between Serbs and Albanians through negotiations," Jeremic concluded.

IVANOVIC: CUSTOMS IS NOT A GOOD TOPIC FOR START OF TALKS

BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Beta) - The state secretary of the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, Oliver Ivanovic, stated that he doubted that customs would be among the first topics in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, because this issue could lead to different stands and conflicts which are not needed at the start of the dialogue. Ivanovic told that it was important that the talks begin and that misunderstandings at the very start would create negative feelings, that the level of skepticism would increase in both Pristina and Belgrade, and that Serbia needs to be viewed as a factor of stability. The state secretary also said that an initiative existed for the dialogue to start with "a lighter topic" the problem of the missing and the abducted, and that he even thought that the repatriation issue would be on the agenda before regional agreements.

KUCI: TRUE DIALOGUE AFTER KOSOVO ELECTIONS

PRISTINA, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Kosovo interim Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci said that true dialogue with Belgrade will start after the forthcoming early parliamentary elections in Kosovo. He was referring to the statement by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton that President Tadic and Prime Minister Taci are ready for the dialogue.After the elections, there will be democratic legitimity, Kuci told the press, but did not rule out the possibility of starting talks on technical issues soon. Early parliamentary elections in Kosovo are expected by the end of the year.

- SERBIA – RUSSIA

JEREMIC EXPECTS RUSSIA’S SUPPORT TO CONTINUE

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said in Moscow that the meeting of the Serbia-Russia joint committee on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation was extremely successful, adding that he expected Russia to continue its international support for Serbia. Russia is one of the four pillars of Serbia’s foreign policy and one of its closest partners in the world. "Our political relations are excellent. There are no open issues between us. Russia is going to continue its international support for us where requested," Jeremic noted. "We expect our cooperation to grow, particularly in the scientific, technological, security and economic fields," he added. Jeremic visited Moscow as a member of the Serbian delegation for the meeting. The delegation is led by Interior Minister Ivica Dacic. During his stay in Moscow, the foreign minister will meet Russian president representative Georgy Poltavchenko and chairman of the parliament (lower house) foreign affairs committee Konstantin Kosachev.

DACIC & SHOYGU: COMMITTEE SESSION COMPLETES SUCCESSFULLY

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Co-Chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation Sergey Shoygu and Ivica Dacic assessed that session in Moscow was successfully completed, as well as that the relations between the two countries are steadily improving and that there is ample room for cooperation in various fields. According to Shoygu, the committee session went successful. Russian companies and firms working in the field of energy and transportation are doing a good job on infrastructure projects in Serbia, Shoygu said, quoted by Itar-Tass, Russia’s official news agency. Shoygu, who is Russia’s Minister of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief, said that the volume of trade between Russia and Serbia has increased compared to last year and that it could amount to USD 2.6 billion at the end of 2010. Dacic pointed to the big potential for close cooperation between the two countries in many different fields. Dacic said he hopes the trade exchange will come back to its level before the recession. The relations between Serbia and Russia are steadily developing, Dacic underlined. According to him, the emergency situations center that is being built in Nis, a city in southern Serbia, will represent an important factor of regional stability. The recent fires in Russia and floods in Europe once again confirmed that the committee was right when it decided to build an emergency situations center for the Balkans, Shoygu stated. The Moscow session focused on energy, transportation and trade cooperation, Itar-Tass said.

DACIC: TALKS ON RUSSIA’S LOAN TO BE ACCELERATED

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Talks on the realisation of Russia’s loan to the Serbian railways company will be accelerated, Deputy Prime Minister Dacic stated in Moscow.He added that it had previously been agreed within the framework of the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee for Trade to conclude agreements regarding the constitution of a regional humanitarian centre which would be based in Nis, south-eastern Serbia, and would react in emergency situations. Speaking about the loan, Dacic said that it has been agreed that all projects should be completed in the next few months. The minister reminded that the loan was agreed by Russian and Serbian President, Medvedev and Tadic, and added that only USD 200 million of the total USD 1 billion loan have been used up. Serbia is interested in investing the money in its railway infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Belgrade railway junction and the Valjevo-Loznica line, Dacic said and added that an agreement has been closed with representatives of the Russian government to accelerate the pace of works in the reconstruction of the Djerdap 1 hydro power plant, on the Serbian-Romanian border, as part of the repayment of the old Soviet Union’s debt to Serbia. Dacic expressed satisfaction with the overall political relations between the two countries, and underlined the importance of further implementation of the agreement on energy, which also refers to the cooperation between Serbia’s Srbijagas gas company and Russia’s Gazprom. Dacic, who also co-chairs the committee, reminded that Serbia signed the Free Trade Agreement with Russia and that more and more products are being added to the duty-free list each year. The minister noted that trade between Serbia and Russia recorded USD 1.7 million in the first eight months of the year, and expressed hope that this year’s exchange will be considerably larger than in 2009.

SKUNDRIC: MORE ENERGY PROJECTS BETWEEN SERBIA AND RUSSIA

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - The participants of a meeting of the Serbia-Russia joint committee on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation have agreed that the realization of the projects that are part of the natural gas and oil arrangement between the two coutries is moving forward at a good pace, Minister of Mining and Energy Petar Skundric said. There is need to put even more effort in these operations and broaden the two countries’ energy cooperation, Skundric stated. The committee is also in favour of intensifying the overhaul work on one of the generators from the Djerdap 1 power plant, which is located on the Danube, between Serbia and Romania, said the minister, adding that it would allow the overhaul of the other five generators to be finished on time. This work is very important for Serbia’s power supply system, Skundric remarked, adding that the reconstruction of Naftna industrija Srbije, the largest petroleum company in the country, was also progressing as planed. The goal is to turn the company into the leader in the region, he stated. According to him, the meeting parties concluded also that the work on the South Stream natural gas pipeline and the Banatski Dvor storage facility was moving ahead as planned.

RUSSIAN-SERBIAN COMMITTEE SIGNS SITTING PROTOCOL

MOSCOW/BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Participants at the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee for Trade, Economic and Scientific and Technical Cooperation signed the Protocol on the committee’s 9th sitting, The Serbian Interior Ministry stated in a release. Participants at the meeting pointed out that the session was a success and that the relations between Serbia and Russia offer a huge potential for further cooperation.

FEASIBILITY STUDY ON SOUTH STREAM TO BE COMPLETED SOON

MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Russian energy company Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller and Serbian gas company Srbijagas General Director Dusan Bajatovic stated that the work on a feasibility study for the Serbian section of the South Stream gas pipeline is going according to the plan and that the study will soon be completed.The feasibility study contains evaluations of the pipeline’s technical, legal, environmental, financial and economic features. At a meeting in Gazprom headquarters in Moscow, Miller and Bajatovic discussed the issues in relation to energy cooperation between Russia and Serbia, including the realisation of joint projects in the field of natural gas, the South Stream gas pipeline and the Banatski Dvor underground gas storage facility, as well as the extension of the agreement on Russia’s gas deliveries to Serbia, PRIME-TASS agency reported.

- SERBIA – EU

GOVERNMENT: REWARD FOR INFO ON MLADIC INCREASED TO 10 MILL EUR

BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Beta) - The Serbian government increased the reward for information leading to the locating and arrest of Hague tribunal indictee Ratko Mladic to EUR10 million. A news release says that the government has also set aside a EUR 1 million reward for information that would lead to the locating and arrest of the other remaining indictee, Goran Hadzic. The deputy war crimes prosecutor, Bruno Vekaric, said that the government’s decision to increase the reward for information about those indicted by the Hague tribunal showed clear political will for Serbia to complete its international obligations and remove the final obstacle on its road to the EU. The first EUR1 million reward for information on Mladic was issued in October 2007, at a decision by the National Security Council, as proposed by the action team for completing cooperation with the Hague tribunal.The reward will be paid by the state and information is delivered to the Interior Ministry. The U.S. State Department has also issued a USD5 million reward for Mladic.

DJELIC: EU PROTECTS NATIONAL INTERESTS OF MEMBER STATES

BELGRADE, Oct 29 (Tanjug) - Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic has stated that the goal of the Serbian government is not only to gain the EU candidate status, but also to launch official talks on the EU membership in spring 2012. Djelic underlined that one of the greatest advantages of the EU membership is that Europe protects national interests of all its member states. "Certain countries are eurosceptic, but none of them has tried to leave the EU," Djelic said for TV Studio B. He recalled that EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele will visit Belgrade on November 24 when he will deliver a questionnaire to the Serbian government, adding that certain reforms will be carried out as part of the answering process. The questions will be demanding, Djelic said, adding their aim will be to provide a detailed insight into the state’s functioning. Serbia is expected to answer the questions in the first quarter of 2011, while in the second quarter, the EU will deliver additional questions, he added. Djelic said that the Serbian government has proved its willingness to work with its strategic partner - Europe, by the adoption of the Serbia-EU Resolution on the advisory opinion of the ICJ, and pointed out that the Resolution is neutral with regard to the status of Kosovo. He also underscored that the questions concerning Kosovo will be answered in keeping with the Constitution, according to which Kosovo is part of Serbia, and in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244. As for Serbia’s cooperation with the ICTY, Djelic said that the remaining two fugitives have to be arrested, and added that Europe is confident that the Serbian government is doing everything in its might to complete its cooperation with the ICTY.

DEGERT: HIGHER LEVEL NEEDED IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Beta) - Serbia and its neighboring countries must reach a higher level in the fight against corruption in order to become EU members, the chief of the EU delegation in Serbia, Vincent Degert, stated. Speaking at a regional conference on corruption, Degert said that, after the forwarding of the application for EU membership, Serbia’s judiciary, which plays a great role in the fight against corruption and organized crime, is faced with a great challenge. He pointed out that the EU funds and assets could be blocked, and their transfer suspended for those countries which do not honor the EU recommendations regarding the financial control and measures in the fight against corruption.The chairman of the International Association of Judges and Prosecutors (MEDEL), Vito Monetti, assessed that the situation in the Serbian judiciary had to improve and that all suspicion regarding the reform of the judiciary and the appointment of judges and prosecutors had to be eliminated.

EFTA PARLIAMENTARIANS ON SERBIA’S EU ACCESSION

BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Parliamentary Committee met with Chairman of the Serbian parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Dragoljub Micunovic to discuss Serbia’s activities in the process of EU accession and the political situation in Serbia and the region. Micunovic said that the decision of the EU Council of Ministers to forward Serbia’s application for candidate status to the European Commission is an important moment for Serbia, the Serbian parliament released in a statement. Two thirds of Serbian citizens and most political parties support EU integration, he said. Micunovic expressed the belief that the status of Kosovo will depend on the UN Security Council’s stance on its Resolution 1244 and stressed the need to start dialogue between the Serbian and Kosovo authorities as soon as possible to work on many open issues. He also stressed that human rights, especially of the Serb ethnic minority, are violated in Kosovo and that the issue of Serbian property and protection of cultural heritage needs to be solved. The EFTA Parliamentary Committee is made up of parliamentarians from four member countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. EFTA Parliamentary Committee Chairman Arni Tor Sigurdsson pointed out that the trade cooperation between Serbia and EFTA countries is underdeveloped and noted that the Free Trade Agreement should spur trade. The EFTA parliamentarians had separate meetings with representatives of parliamentary committees on international economic relations, foreign affairs and European integration, reads the statement.

- SERBIA

TADIC: REGIONALISATION MUST NOT CLOSE DOWN FUNCTIONS OF STATE

KRAGUJEVAC, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - President Tadic stated that regionalisation must not at any cost close down the functions of the central state, and that it should only help boost economic efficiency and balanced development of all regions in Serbia. Tadic said that both the opponents and the supporters of regionalisation are indulging in a number of immature speculations."Those who advocate the idea of regionalisation do not understand the state’s functions, while the opponents of the idea cannot grasp the notion of facilitating economic growth and establishing economic ties between regions, which opens prospects for new jobs," Tadic said. Commenting on the issue of blank resignations, Tadic did not rule out the possibility of making certain changes in the Serbian Constitution. However, he added, this is a complicated matter, since a change in the Constitution requires a referendum. Tadic told that it is of key importance to change attitudes in Serbia, and that certain public figures show understanding for young people who do damage to their own cities or throw stones at police officers doing their job. Any time soon, they might throw stones at teachers, judges, doctors and all other people who are just doing their jobs, Tadic said and added that violence must not be the basic form of behaviour in Serbia. President added that the most important task at the moment is to maintain stability in the country and not give in, and that the citizens should know that they have a perspective for a better future. Serbia’s EU path is now unblocked and this improves the country’s rating and its chances for investments, the president noted. When politicians encourage young people to do damage to cities and attack the police, it is not an invitation to potential investors, but a completely opposite message, Tadic concluded.

MALOVIC: SERBIA WILL NOT BE HAVEN FOR CRIMINALS

BRUSSELS, Oct 28 (Beta) - Justice Minister Snezana Malovic stated in Brussels that Serbia will not permit itself to become a haven for those involved in organized crime, adding that EUR200 million has been confiscated so far from persons suspected of organized crime activities and war crimes. Speaking at a gathering on organized crime in the Balkans, she said that the preconditions for the fight against organized crime were good laws, as a tool required for the work of the police, prosecution and courts, as well as strong institutions and wellorganized personnel in those institutions. In her words, the political will for the introduction of these preconditions exists in Serbia, which was proved during the negotiations about the process of Serbia’s association with the European Union.

- SERBIA – ECONOMY

TADIC: SERBIA COULD EXIT ECONOMIC CRISIS IN NEXT TWO YEARS

KRAGUJEVAC, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - President Tadic said that 2011 and 2012 could be the years in which Serbia will get out of the economic crisis, adding that it did not depend on Serbia alone, but on the situation in the world economy as well. Tadic visited the Fiat plant in Kragujevac, where he said that the only way to reach a better living standard for the people was by improving export. The president stated he was careful not to say the economic crisis was over, because there had been mistakes in the past and Serbia should be careful not begin any projects it could not sustain. It is not possible to increase the country’s production and standard of living without investments, he noted. According to him, Serbia’s tax policy is one of the best in Europe in terms of investments. "The corporate tax is just 10 percent in Serbia, but we have to understand the investors who might still have some apprehensions. The best way to get rid of those fears is to make Serbia a country where law is respected and which is free of monopoly," Tadic stressed. He thanked Fiat for choosing Serbia as the country to invest in, adding he was pleased with its employees’ approach to work.

GERMANY APPROVES EUR 123 MILLION ASSISTANCE TO SERBIA

BELGRADE, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - The German government has approved EUR 123 million in financial assistance to Serbia for projects regarding infrastructure, sustainable economic development, better employment and public administration. EUR 87 mill will come from loans, EUR 14.65 million from donations and EUR 22 million from the German Development Bank, which will be meant for economic development. Deputy Prime Minister Djelic, German Ambassador to Serbia Wolfram Maas and Director General of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Ulla Mikota signed an agreement. According to Djelic, Germany has invested about EUR 1 billion in Serbia’s development in the past ten years. Germany is one of Serbia’s biggest donors, Djelic remarked, adding that a third of those funds were non-refundable, while the rest were very favourable loans. Maas stated Germany wanted to see Serbia as its partner within the EU and wished to be areliable partner to Serbia in return. Germany wishes to help Serbia on its road towards the EU and puts great value on peace, stability and well-being of the Serbian people, the ambassador stressed.During talks, the two governments put political stability, good administration, fight against corruption and regional cooperation as important factors in Serbia’s EU integration.

- SERBIA – REGION

JOSIPOVIC: DOORS OPEN TO GOOD-NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS

ZAGREB, Oct 29 (Tanjug) - Croatian President Ivo Josipovic has qualified the upcoming visit by Serbian President Boris Tadic to Ovcara and Vukovar as very important since politically and psychologically it opens the doors to full cooperation and good-neighborly relations. In an interview with journalists of the Zagreb daily Jutarnji List, Josipovic said that he sees no reason for negative connotations in paying tribute to the war victims. In Croatia, Tadic is scheduled to visit the memorial estate Ovcara, near Vukovar, and the village of Paulin Dvor, near Osijek. About 200 Croat prisoners of war and civilians were killed on the Ovcara agricultural estate in 1991, while 19 Serb civilians were killed in the village of Paulin Dvor the same year. Josipovic said that he will visit Ovcara together with Tadic, adding that the humanity of individuals and the quality of peacekeeping policy is recognized in acknowledging all victims. Josipovic also said that there is no normal person on the Croatian side who does not condemn crimes committed against their fellow citizens of the Serb nationality, such as the one committed in Paulin Dvor, adding that he will visit it together with the Serbian president. The idea of paying tribute is mutual, said Josipovic, adding that every sensible person knows that further promotion of the relations also means correct attitude towards the difficult history. Today, both Croatia and Serbia, and not only their presidents but their governments, non-governmental organizations and a wide circle of individuals, want reconciliation and they work hard on it, said Josipovic, adding that he believes that it is the best way to resolve all open issues.

MALOVIC AT CONFERENCE ON CRIME AND CORRUPTION IN THE BALKANS

BRUSSELS, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Justice Minister Snezana Malovic said in Brussels that the draft version of the bill on the financing of political parties has been written and sent for further evaluation, adding that the bill will be presented to the Serbian public after all relevant factors, including international organizations, have given their assessment. "We are aware this is one of the conditions for further EU integration and candidate status," Malovic said on the sidelines of a conference on combating organized crime and corruption in the Balkans. She noted that the Serbian justice system, especially the segment which deals with organized crime, has shown it can prosecute even the most delicate cases and that "many who were thought untouchable" have been charged and convicted. "There is definite political will to combat both organized crime and corruption, and not solely for the sake of fighting organized crime but as a way to improve the overall quality of life in Serbia," Malovic said. According to her, the Serbian Mission to the EU will soon get a special judicial coordinator, who will maintain daily contact between the EU and Serbia and facilitate pre-accession negotiations. She said that an initiative was started for a Balkan-wide arrest warrant, modeled after the European Arrest Warrant, which would reduce extradition time from nine months to 45 days.

ORGANIZED CRIME IS THREAT TO SECURITY OF BALKANS AND EUROPE

BRUSSELS, Oct 28 (Beta) - Countries of the Western Balkans, with the help of the EU, must work together on the suppression of organized crime, which is a threat to the security of the region and of Europe, it was concluded at an expert gathering in Brussels on the fight against organized crime and corruption. Justice Minister Snezana Malovic stated that the fight against corruption and organized crime is one of the priorities of the Serbian government and of the ministry she heads. She said that strong regional and interstate cooperation is one of the key instruments for solving the problem of crime. The general director for judicial and internal affairs of the Council of Europe, Ivan Bizjak, said that it is necessary to make Balkan society identical to that of the EU, in the sense of the rule of law and the way business is done. The expert gathering on the suppression of organized crime and corruption in the Balkans was organized by the Friends of Europe organization and the Serbian Justice Ministry, with support from the organization Gallup Europe and the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence.

EUROPOL FORMS SPECIAL UNIT FOR WESTERN BALKANS

BRUSSELS, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Europol believes that the Western Balkan region is an especially sensitive one for the EU when it comes to organised crime, and it has therefore formed a special unit for this part of Europe, Europol Operations Department Assistant Director Laszlo Salgo stated. Europol has assessed that this region is a very sensitive one for the EU, because it comprises countries which serve as a starting point or transit area for various criminal phenomena, Salgo said on the margins of a meeting on the fight against organised crime and corruption in the Balkan region. This is why Europol has constituted a new unit which will counter crime coming from South East Europe, Salgo said and added that Europol would like to establish an analytical unit in the future that would gather intelligence data from the region. The official said that Europol has at the same time recorded great efforts of the countries in this region to meet European standards in the court system and in general practice, which led to considerable improvements in the cooperation between the EU and the police of the Western Balkan countries over the last few years. Salgo especially underscored the importance of the signing of the agreement on cooperation between Europol and all Western Balkan countries.

ROCEN URGES MONTENEGRINS IN KOSOVO TO UNITE

PODGORICA, Oct 28 (Tanjug) - Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen has urged Montenegrins in Kosovo to unite in the endeavors for defining their status. Answering in the Montenegrin parliament criticism by the Socialist People’s Party on the state’s attitude towards Montenegrins in Kosovo, Rocen said that disunity and divisions among the Montenegrin community in Kosovo are not helping to resolve their status. Since Montenegro gained independence, several Montenegrin parties and associations have been created in Kosovo, he said, urging them to help Montenegro help them, Montenegrin TV reports. A delegation of opposition parliamentary parties recently visited Montenegrin returnees in the Zac village in Kosovo and described their living conditions as very bad.

For further information: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia