After his Self-determination group won the Bosniak National Council (BNV) election, its leader Sulejman Ugljanin said that BNV “belongs and will belong to the Bosniaks”, accusing Belgrade of interfering in the process.
Ugljanin, a former minister in a Serbian government, promised that “we will defeat this monster, this fascist creation, the Serb state of Serbia”.
On Sunday, elections for national minority councils were held across Serbia. The elections for the BNV have been “the most important (election) for Bosniaks since the collapse of former Yugoslavia”, Ugljanin said.
He promised he would discuss “the problems” with the government.
“Among these problems are that Bosniaks do not have the status of a nation nor a legal solution over Sandzak which has been an occupied piece of land since 1912”, Ugljanin went on referring to the south-western parts of Serbia and north-eastern Montenegro where the most Bosniaks of their minority live in. Sandzak is the place’s historical name (deriving from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative district).
Apparently, what Ugljanin considers as “occupation” is the territorial widening of Serbia and Montenegro during the Balkan Wars, over a hundred years ago.
“Serbia and Montenegro are not the owners of Sandzak; if they want it to be recognised as their territory they will have to constitutionally also recognise Bosniaks as a nation. We have won elections promising this and we will insist on it”, Ugljanin stressed.
He accused “people from Belgrade” of trying to “grab BNV”.
At the same time, Ugljanin promised that BNV would be a “good partner of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the international community in resolving all the problems of Bosniaks and problems of other peoples”.
According to preliminary results, Self-determination will have 15 councilors in the BNV; two other groups won 13 and 7 places respectively. Ugljanin announced the formation of a coalition with the latter (that has won 7 places) whose name is It is Time.
“I am satisfied because now we will share responsibility with more political groups and because we will defeat this monster, this fascist creation, the Serb state of Serbia, which wants to legalise genocide and crimes as means of conquering territories and resolving political issues, together” (with the political partners) underlined the Serbia based Bosniak politician.
Turnout at the BNV elections has been 51 percent, according to official data. In total, 106,326 Bosniaks have been eligible to vote…. / IBNA
Main Photo (File): Sulejman Ugljanin
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FYROM: Parliament’s Committee to debate fourth constitutional amendment
The Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Issues, chaired by Speaker Talat Xhaferi, will begin debating the fourth amendment to the Constitution stemming from the Prespa Agreement between FYRO Macedonia and Greece on Sunday.
The fourth draft-amendment, in addition to affirming the FYRoMacedonian identity, will read that ‘the Republic protects the rights and interests of its nationals living or residing abroad and advances their ties with the homeland.’
The Committee has already passed three amendments to the Constitution. The first change envisages replacement of the word Republic of Macedonia with Republic of North FYROMacedonia throughout the Constitution, except in Article 36 due to its historic context. The second amendment foresees that in the Constitution’s Preamble, decisions of the 1944 Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia ASNOM should be replaced with ASNOM’s Proclamation and that the Ohrid Framework Agreement should be added. Under the third amendment, a new paragraph is added to underscore the respect of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the neighboring countries. The session of the Committee on Constitutional Issues is envisaged to last 12 days. A plenary session has been already scheduled on December 1. Draft-amendments are passed by a simple majority of 61 votes, followed by a public debate. Its duration should be defined by Parliament. The next stage involves the government preparing the draft-amendments and forwarding them again to Parliament where MPs should adopt them with a 2/3 majority, i.e. 80 MPs in the 120-seat Parliament. The amendment to the Constitution’s Preamble also requires a so called Badinter majority.
80 MPs, including several opposition MPs, On October 19th voted in favor of initiating changes to the Constitution in accordance with the agreement with Greece.
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The dream and reality of Gruevski
Erol Rizaov
Immediately after the great victory in the 2006 parliamentary election, Nikola Gruevski, still not an official prime minister, spoke of his dream in front of the Macedonian public. His speech in Trnovo has long been faded and forgotten since his vision for Macedonia quickly disappeared, as did his dream. Then, the young man appeared almost like Martin Luther King. He said, I have a dream that I must make a reality. “My dream will not be fulfilled until we come out of this deep economic crisis in which the citizens of Macedonia live. My dream will not be fulfilled until our country joins the family of European nations in Europe without borders, where we will achieve our goal of having a united Macedonia within the EU. Our dream will not be fulfilled until we see Macedonia as a NATO member.” The leader of the new government Gruevski said this at Ilinden 2006 on his first address as future prime minister at the 35th emigrant meeting in the village of Trnovo.
Why did Gruevski give up his dream so quickly and why did he go in the opposite direction, where did he make his strategic mistakes, he is highly unlikely that he would tell the truth in his memoirs that will have a good opportunity to write in the next two years. I say it is unlikely, because it is unlikely that he would admit to himself, without writing memoirs, that he has committed horrible mistakes and misdeeds. He is convinced that he has played a messianic role in the rescue of Macedonia and that he is a victim of the persecution and conspiracy of the great powers and domestic traitors. If he re-read his speech from Trnovo, he would find the biggest mistake in his pursuit of fulfilling his dreams, if he actually wrote it himself. He said the following when addressed the people: “Let us fulfill the dream of the Ilinden fighters and let’s continue our struggle until the whole world recognizes Macedonia under its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia.” This as a speech of a newly appointed prime minister on Ilinden is susceptible, but for an obsession for 11 years, as if he was the prime minister of a world power, is just an impossible dream.
Even if Nikola Gruevski stayed only on this fundamental and biggest mistake in his reign, without accepting the compromise with Greece and seeking the impossible, he would not have experienced his bad fate. He was brought before the prison gates by other mistakes with the abuse of power and the installation of the regime, with violations of human rights and freedoms, up to capturing Macedonia together with his like-minded people and associates from the top of VMRO-DPMNE. Many horrible abuses, years of wiretapping of thousands of public figures, election rigging, organized crime, corruption, relentless spending of the citizens’ money just to annoy the Greeks, with the search for a glorious past that turned into an anti-company due to which the whole world mocked us and where we lost all s. Here are the reasons for his bad fate.
On one occasion, President Kiro Gligorov, in his elderly age, retired for the second time, when he listed the most famous citizens of Stip, an impressive list of Macedonian history figures, I noticed that he skipped Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. He responded laconically: Yes, he was also born in Stip, but he will end up badly. And that was it. Not one word more, perhaps because the winner of the higher German nomination for the conquest of Mount Everest in diplomacy approached us, a native of Stip as well, who ended up badly even before Gruevski, even though he had not yet paid for his crimes. Nowadays, when the former Prime Minister Gruevski is constantly in the news every day, when he would go to prison etc., Gligorov’s prophecy comes to my mind many times. This was not a prophecy, but life-long experience of an old sage who had passed through thick and thin in politics and in his personal life.
Although I devoted a lot of articles to him, as finance minister in the government of Ljubco Georgievski, and as the leader of the opposition, especially as prime minister and as the main actor of the biggest scandal after the ‘bomb blast” from wiretapped phone conversations, Gruevski is now in the center of public attention in Macedonia, and beyond its borders. It is hard to skip him as much as I try not to deal with politicians who are not in high positions and do not have the same power as when they are in power. The news that Gruevski was sentenced to prison and is going to jail is the first and so far the only historical fact that in Macedonia that abuse of power and violation of laws is a non-worthwhile investment. It’s the greatest, realistic warning for everyone in the top – that no one is untouchable and that no one can hope to hinder justice and get out of the deserved punishment.
If Gruevski goes to pay for his sins, then all for which there is evidence that they have broken the law will go to prison one by one. The same is awaiting all those who today easily accept posts to realize their political goals by force and abuse of office, in order to get rich illegally and to violate basic human rights and freedoms, to spend money from the state treasury without control and without filing report.
This is called the rule of law that Macedonia needs more than clean air. Anyone in high office should have genuine associates and legal experts, not someone who gives blessings to every decision. Fear not to break the law is the best prevention for a society attacked by decades of crime and corruption epidemics, the biggest cause of poverty and misery, as well as the easy reach of the whip from a position of force and abuse of authority. Here are the reasons for the terrible partisation and degradation of the institutions of the system that turned justice from defenders of crime and abuse.
The screams and complaints that it is a political persecution and a revenge against different-minded people, a regular image when officials are in court, in courtrooms they do not have that strength as in the streets, in parliament and in the media when they hold patriotic speeches. In a court that is not under the dictate of politics, the evidence of the crimes committed is given without any emotion. The pathetic, emotional and oratory skills of defense do not help. Facts and evidence are being sought. The image of rallies and protests with that in court is very different, in court you cannot talk about things you are not asked, and even if you do it doesn’t matter.
The Macedonian judiciary is still far from infallibility and impartiality. But, following these latest judgments, it is on the right path to establish confidence in the public. The politicians and top officials’ fear and cautiousness that one day they could be seated on the defendant’s bench if they do not respect the law is already clearly noticeable. The reactions of the public and the media to each and every small suspicion of reaching into the state treasury and any abuse are very pleasing. It is no longer considered hypersensitivity, as we usually express ourselves, but as catching the robber’s hand in our pocket.
Views expressed in this article are personal views of the author and do not represent the editorial policy of Nezavisen Vesnik
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Cypriot MEP Eleni Theocharous declared persona non grata by the Albanian MFA
Albanian Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has declared Cypriot MEP, Eleni Theocharous, persona non grata on account of the recent events in Bularat.
The full text of the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
The show that was orchestrated as an aggressive provocation in Bularat, which turned a funeral ceremony into a threatening demonstration against the constitutional, security and public order of the Republic of Albania, with extremist calls, incitement of hatred and calls for disruptive actions among the Albanian citizens with Albanian and Greek ethnicity, is unacceptable for the Albanian government and society. Albanian society is a society of democratic cohabitation where minorities are protected by laws of the highest European standards and where the Greek minority is considered an irreplaceable treasure and bridge of good neighborly relation with our friend country Greece.
In defending the constitutional and public order, the national security and the indisputable territorial integrity of the Republic of Albania, our authorities have based their actions on entirely legal mechanisms to address this problematic situation.
In cooperation with other state authorities and after a thorough evaluation by the specialized institutions, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs proposed to the Ministry of Interior Affairs to declare the Cypriot MEP Eleni Theocharous persona non grata.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs, in reference to her political and diplomatic status and her engagement in the European Parliament, after the evaluation of the proposal of the MEFA, based on the materials provided by the competent authorities, decided to approve the request of MEFA.
This decision stems from the legal and constitutional obligation of the institutions of the Republic of Albania to respond to the repeated extremist demonstrations of the MEP Eleni Theocharous. Her public declarations, which incite hatred, encroach the constitutional order of our country and her territorial claims towards the Republic of Albania could not and will not take place anymore in the Albanian territory.
Based on diplomatic and consular procedures, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs will transmit through diplomatic channels the decision to prohibit the entrance in the territory of the Republic of Albania of Eleni Theocharous.
The Government of the Republic of Albania remains committed to contribute to the stability of the region, to cooperate closely with all its neighbors and international partners, but it is at the same time determined not to tolerate for any reason demonstrations that threaten the constitutional order, calls against the territorial integrity of the country and acts that undermine the social harmony among the citizens of the Republic of Albania.
Greece and its people represent a valuable asset in the wealth of traditional friendships that Albania and Albanian people cherish.
Extremist elements or groups, which in Greek or Albanian, speak a common language of division and hatred that has no connection whatsoever with the European language that unites our peoples and countries, will never be able to obstruct our common path of peace and strategic cooperation towards the future that the children of Albania and Greece deserve./IBNA
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Alexis Tsipras in Palermo for the International Libyan Conference – contacts with Conte
After Berlin and Paris, Alexis Tsipras will travel to Palermo, Italy, to attend the International Libya Conference, organized by the Italian Government on November 12-13.
In Palermo, the Greek Prime Minister will have a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, where they will discuss bilateral and regional issues.
With regard to the Conference, it aims to demonstrate the international community’s full support for the implementation of the United Nations Action Plan on Libya and the efforts of UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé to overcome the political stalemate in Libya’s transition towards a stable, secure and prosperous country. The Conference will discuss prospects for a political settlement, elections, economic and institutional reforms as well as the creation of viable and accountable security institutions.
The European Union has, for years, been supporting Libyans through its extensive cooperation ranging from strengthening the institutions to promoting the business environment; from offering opportunities to women and youth, to ensuring the safe return home for the internally displaced; supporting migrants in Libya and Libyan authorities in this field; helping municipalities to deliver basic services and rehabilitate the critical infrastructure; from improving the public finance management to training journalists; and from helping to improve the management of primary healthcare services to strengthening the voice of civil society in the political process.
The European Union as the country’s main humanitarian aid and cooperation donor and economic partner supports the development of the full economic and human potential of Libya. The European Union will continue to rally the international community behind these goals, to support the UN process and to demonstrate that the international community stands next to our Libyan partners to work for a better future for all./IBNA
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Alexis Tsipras in Paris for the centenary of the WW1 truce
French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming leaders from all over the world in Paris, who will participate in the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire that marked the end of World War I on 11 November 2018.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will arrive in Paris on Sunday, November 11, along with about 60 heads of state and government, including Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel and others.
President Macron launched the anniversary celebrations of the “Great War” cease-fire in 2 regions, 11 districts and 17 cities in total, starting from Strasbourg where, in a symbolic movement of unity, he attended a memorial ceremony with German President Walter Steinmeier in the city’s cathedral.
It is noteworthy that Emmanuel Macron did not fail to constantly invite citizens in the areas he visited, not to forget the lessons of the great and historic conflicts of the 20th century.
On Saturday 10 November, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the Rethondes clearing in Compiegne, where on 11 November 1918, in a wagon was signed the ceasefire of the First World War.
According to the program of events, a ceremony will be held for the centenary of the World War I truce, followed by a lunch from the French President to the Heads of States or Governments.
Early in the afternoon, the Paris Peace Forum will be inaugurated, while during the plenary session Alexis Tsipras will address the Forum./IBNA
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