SERBIA

DACIC: PRISTINA CAN'T JOIN ANY ORGANIZATION WITHOUT AGREEMENT WITH BELGRADE

BELGRADE, December 18 2018 (Beta) - Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Dec. 18 that Kosovo was unable to join any international organization without an agreement with Belgrade, no matter who might be supporting the authorities in Pristina. In an interview with the Vojvodina Broadcasting Corporation (RTV), Minister Dacic said that Pristina couldn't muster a simple majority, let alone a two-thirds majority required by some organizations. "Twelve states have withdrawn a decision to recognize an independent Kosovo, and the process will continue. Strictly speaking, the number of states recognizing Kosovo is nearly the same as the number of those refusing to do so. I can no longer stop the withdrawals, new states keep coming to us. Our goal is to prevent Kosovo from wrapping up their independence behind Serbia's back," Dacic explained. He said that a Dec. 17 U.N. Security Council session to discuss a Kosovo army was useful, as it made clear who thought the Resolution 1244 was no longer valid. "We requested the U.N. Security Council to meet after the Resolution 1244 had been violated, so that each member state could share its opinion on that. No decision was expected, nor a document had been prepared for adoption. No one insisted that the session shouldn't take place, but it was only that three great powers, together with Holland and Poland, asked that it be closed to the public. Ivory Coast made the decision, scheduled the session and said during the debate that the Resolution 1244 had been violated," the minister said.

VUCIC CALLS ON U.N. TO PLAY BIGGER ROLE IN ENTIRE PROCESS WITH PRISTINA

BELGRADE/NEW YORK December 17 2018 (Beta) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in New York on Dec. 17 that after Pristina's recent steps he was very concerned and scared for the future of the entire region of the Western Balkans, and called on the U.N. to take on a bigger role in the entire dialog process between Belgrade and Pristina. "Serbia is always ready to continue the dialog process. Pristina needs to roll back its terrible tariffs and other steps, and we will find a way to ensure the security of the Serb people," Vucic said at a U.N. Security Council session. Vucic said that he wanted to know which document gave Pristina the sovereign right to its own army. "Where does it say this, in which document? This is not written in their Constitution," Vucic said, adding that he could say in advance that it does not say this anywhere. He stressed that Serbia had invested enormous efforts and a lot of work in keeping and establishing peace in the entire region of the Western Balkans. Vucic said that Pristina's introduction of 100% customs duties on Serbian goods had threatened the entire Serb community in Kosovo and violated all of the EU's agreements. "Can you imagine that someone in the 21st century is preventing the free movement of goods and people," Vucic remarked.

VUCIC, GUTERRES DISCUSS PRISTINA'S UNILATERAL MOVES

BELGRADE, December 17 2018 (Beta) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres met in New York, on Dec. 17, to discuss Pristina's unilateral moves and the situation in the region, the Office of the President reported on Dec. 18. President Vucic thanked the U.N. secretary general for having expressed concern over Pristina's decision to set up an army in a press release, underlining that the moves by the authorities in Pristina threatened regional stability. Vucic stressed that Serbia was committed to the idea that the dialogue should continue after Pristina revoked its irrational decisions. The Serbian president said that Serbia attached great importance to the presence and actions of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in Kosovo and Metohija, bearing in mind that the political and security situation in the territory was still volatile. "The presence and actions of UNMIK in Kosovo and Metohija are vital for Serbia, as the U.N. framework, based on the Resolution (1244), guarantees a neutral status for the international presence in the province," President Vucic said, requesting a more active U.N. role in addressing the Kosovo issue.

MOGHERINI: PRISTINA TO LIFT TARIFFS, ARMY A BAD MOVE, DANGEROUS WITHOUT DIALOGUE

BRUSSELS, December 18 2018 (Beta) - High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said in Brussels on Dec. 18 that the European Union asked Pristina to remove a 100-percent tariff on imports from Serbia, sharing the EU and NATO's opinion that the formation of a Kosovo army had to be a gradual, constitutional process involving all sides, also warning that "an alternative to dialogue may be dangerous." Mogherini held a joint press conference with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after a session of the EU-Serbian Stabilization and Association Council, underlining that there is "no alternative to a substantial dialogue," as it would be dangerous to everyone. The EU high representative made clear that a decision to levy a 100-percent tax on Serbian products was "a clear violation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement and the spirit of the EU-Kosovo Stabilization and Association Agreement, adding that "it is in the true interest of Kosovo," and that together with European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malstrom, she had offered Pristina to deal with the problem. The Serbian PM underlined that EU membership was Serbia's strategic goal, and that the authorities in Belgrade had not only stepped up reforms to boost the rule of law and the freedom of the media, but maintained commitment to the talks with Pristina, warning, however, that the latest moves by the authorities in Pristina "have been a major threat to regional stability and peace." Prime Minister Brnabic argued that Serbia had fulfilled all arrangements reached during the talks, whereas the Pristina government hadn't done anything about the key point of the Brussels accords, the Community of Serb Municipalities, for a full five years. Brnabic said it was unacceptable that Pristina was trying to elbow its way into international organizations during the talks, clearly expecting that Serbia had no right to stop it, however irrational it might seem. High Representative Mogherini underlined that she believed Serbia's accession talks with the Union could proceed at a quicker pace, underlining that for that purpose the authorities in Belgrade had to boost reforms in the areas of rule of law, elections and the freedom of speech.

DJURIC MEETS GERMAN AMBASSADOR: BELGRADE COMMITTED TO PEACEFUL SOLUTION FOR DISAGREEMENTS WITH PRISTINA

BELGRADE, December 18 (Beta) - The director of the Serbian government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Djuric, said at a Dec. 18 meeting with the German ambassador to Serbia, Thomas Schieb, that Belgrade was committed to dialogue and a peaceful solution for differences with Pristina, but that things had to be moved back to where they had been for the talks to make sense. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija quoted Djuric as saying that he was concerned over a prolonged destabilization process in the region, following Pristina's one-sided, provocative moves. Djuric warned that "the establishment of a so-called army of Kosovo was the most direct attack on regional peace and stability and most flagrant violation of international law." He also said that Pristina's trade blockade on products from central Serbia, unrealistic expectations from the negotiations, a decision to set up a new team of negotiators and issue an ultimatum to the EU, practically closed the door to the dialogue.

ECONOMY

CHINA'S ZIJIN OFFICIALLY TAKES OVER SERBIAN RTB BOR COPPER MINES

BELGRADE, December 18 (Beta) - China's Zijin Mining Group officially took over the Serbian RTB Bor mining complex on Dec. 18, having paid a $350m capital boost. The takeover agreement was signed in Belgrade by Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic and Vice President, Chief Engineer and Director of Zijin George Fang. The agreement renamed the Bor-based company Zijin Bor Copper, and "Serbia" will be added to the new name later. Zijin was selected to be RTB Bor's strategic partner after it had offered to buy a 63% stake in the mining company, together with a business plan worth $1.26 billion, a mandatory capitalization boost worth $350 million included in the deal. Zijin has accepted additional commitment to cover the Serbian company's debt of $200 million. Minister Antic said to reporters that Zijin would invest in production improvements, new mines and increased efficiency, promising a significant production rise in RTB Bor. "After three years, RTB Bor will produce 80,000 tons of copper and its own ore concentrate, and after six we expect production to jump to between 120,000 and 150,000 copper concentrate. It's a considerable increase, given that the Bor mines' performance was at 42,000 tons," Antic said. Zijin is one of China's largest gold producers, and the second largest in the copper ore market. It employs 17,500 workers in nine states, and the value of the company ranked Zijin 22nd on the list of of the best mining companies last year.