A Step Closer to Nato

No.79 JUN 2011 PG 1 OF 5 Helsinki HELSINKI COMMITTEE bulletin FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA address: Rige od Fere 20, Belgrade, Serbia tel. +381-11-3032-408; fax. 2639-437; bulletin e-mail: office@helsinki org.rs NO.79 // JUNE 2011 http://www.helsinki.org.rs HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS HELSINKI COMMITTEE Helsinki A STEP CLOSER TO NATO On June 13-15, 2011 Belgrade hosted the Stra- Despite strong anti-NATO emotions ever since tegic Military Partner Conference organized by the 1999 intervention – the emotions fueled NATO Allied Command Transformation. That by the conservative war lobby, “Serb hatred for was the biggest military conference at global NATO”1 was not demonstrated in some wor- level in 2011. In Serbia it reopened the debate risome form during the conference. Only two on its relationship with North Atlantic Treaty protests one insipid march against NATO were Organization and, in a way, tested the public staged on the occasion. “Protests and dissatis- opinion for potential membership of NATO. faction melted away soon,” commented Gen. Aleksandar Dimitrijevic, retired intelligence Serbia officially calls itself a neutral country ac- bigwig.2 cording to a parliamentary resolution of 2007 (dealing with Kosovo). Though membership of The great majority of citizens interpreted the NATO allegedly is not on the agenda, Serbia’s presence of NATO high officials as clear sign dynamic relations with the Alliances, includ- that the country was heading towards the ing this conference, indicate that an internal Alliance. agreement /on membership/ has been reached. Unavoidably, the membership of Partnership for Peace will be followed by an application for STRATEGIC CONFERENCE NATO membership – in foreseeable future. The regime visibly tried to “separate” the Bel- However, Russia’s overt opposition hampers the grade summit conference titled “Strategic Mili- application for NATO membership. For Russia’s tary Conference of NATO and Partnership for ambitions and its opposition to NATO’s east- Peace” (including the main topic on its agenda ward enlargement Serbia is the only strong- – transformation of NATO) from the Alliance hold in the region. 1 Politika, June 18, 2011. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE WRITTEN OR ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE BALKAN TRUST FOR DEMOCRACY, THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND, OR ITS PARTNERS. TRUST REPRESENT THOSE OF THE BALKAN IN THE WRITTENOPINIONS EXPRESSED DO NOT NECESSARILY OR ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS 2 Danas, June 18-19, 2011. No.79 itself.3 Under the pressure from the conserva- INSIPID PROTESTS STRONGLY JUN 2011 tive bloc and Russia, Defense Minister Dragan BACKED BY RUSSIA PG 2 OF 5 Sutanovac, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Tanja Miscevic and Chief of Staff Gen. The protest “against NATO conference in Bel- Milivoje Milovanovic argued that was not a grade” by Democratic Party of Serbia /DSS/ was NATO conference and that no one, “not even organized at “a modest stage” and “in a cham- bulletin NATO member-states” were questioning Ser- ber atmosphere.”7 The party leader, Vojislav bia’s neutrality.4 Kostunica, and the announced speaker, acad- emician Matija Beckovic, did not show up for HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS HELSINKI COMMITTEE Helsinki Tanja Miscevic claimed that NATO planned not the occasion. Journalist Zeljko Cvijanovic, rock (on that occasion) to invite Serbia to join it, musician Bora Djordjevic, poet Dobrica Eric that Serbia would not ask for membership and and ex-football player Milutin Soskic were the that no strategic document contrary to Serbia’s ones to address protesters, mostly party mem- neutrality would be signed.5 bers and activists of extreme rightist organizations “Obraz” and “1389.” Admiral Gian-Paolo di Paolo, chairman of NATO Military Committee, confirmed all that The “performance” staged by Serb Radical Par- in public. He told the press after the conference ty was also lame despite the fact that it was or- that NATO fully respected Serbia’s decision to ganized in front of the Serbian Presidency and be a neutral country and that the Alliance was marked by skirmish with the police. satisfied with new developments in mutual relationship. Serbia is not perceived as an “en- Both rallies were actually in the service of the clave” surrounded by NATO member-states, he election campaign that has already begun un- said, adding that the entire region is perceived officially. Therefore, protesters’ “instructed” an- as a part of the Euro-Atlantic family of nations, ger targeted President Boris Tadic. Scenarios of in which each country freely chooses the role these protests, including the insults thrown at to play.6 the President of the Republic by football fans (of the Red Star club mostly) associated the Defending themselves from allegations about event at the Red Star stadium on the occasion letting NATO in through the back door, Ser- of Premier Putin’s visit in March 2011. bia’s officials accentuated military, political and diplomatic prestige earned by the very fact that On the other hand, anti-NATO bloc, though not the conference had been convened in Belgrade. visibly present in the streets, managed to exert pressure on Patriarch Irinej who used to support to Euro-Atlantic integrations. He called the choice of Belgrade as a host for the strategic conference “unacceptable.” Insolently, he accused NATO of “deep wounds” inflicted on Serb people and economy, adding, “It that can 3 The conference assembled chiefs of staff and high officers of member-states of NATO, Partnership for Peace, be medically treated and healed, that’s good. Mediterrenean Dialogue, Instambul Initiative and European Though, this medicine might well be toxic for Union. our wounds.”8 4 Interview with Gen. Manojlo Milovanovic, Politika, June 13, 2011. 5 Interview with Tanja Miscevic, Blic, June 12, 2011. 7 Politika, June 13, 2011. 6 Danas, June 16, 2011. 8 Politika, June 15, 2011. No.79 At the last Synod of the Serb Orthodox Church JUN 2011 /SPC/ Patriarch Irinej was voted down in sev- PG 3 OF 5 eral cases: he did not manage to have ex-Bish- op of Raska Prizren Artemije excommunicated and to have Pope Benedict XVI invited to Ser- bia. Russia’s support to the most conservative bulletin part of SPC rather intensified the power of its influence. HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS HELSINKI COMMITTEE Helsinki The Pecat weekly (financed by Gasprom) out- stood in the anti-NATO media campaign. Other long ago. Ever since the dissolution of War- broadcast and print media mostly impartial saw Pact Russia has been trying to deny NATO. when covering the events, including the confer- In this context, it came up with a new con- ence and protests. Editor-in-chief of New Serb cept of security within CSCE (later OSCE) and Political Thought /Nova Srpska Politicka Misao/ in 1992 initiated a military-political alliance Djordje Vukadinovic, known not only by his with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, over animosity for NATO but also as a vocifer- Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Should Serbia be in- ous Eurosceptic, this time for a change grudged terested to join in, the organization would wel- DSS leader, Vojislav Kostunica. He wrote him come it, says Rogozin, but Belgrade should be off as a politician for not being able to organize the one to initiate the membership.10 massive anti-NATO protests. “Definitely, he no longer stands for a political power and an al- Rogozin uses Kosovo as a trump card in his ar- ternative,” wrote Vukadinovic.9 gumentation against Serbia’s membership of NATO. Serbia cannot join NATO unless it recog- nizes Kosovo, he says, because NATO would not RUSSIA’S HUMILIATION OF SERBIA have in its membership the countries involved in territorial disputes. Should Belgrade recog- Unlike the insipid and unconvincing reactions nize Kosovo for the sake of NATO or EU mem- by domestic opposition parties and right-wing bership, Russia would have no more reason for organizations, Moscow expressed its dissatisfac- not recognizing Kosovo itself, he explains. Ac- tion with the military conference in Belgrade in tually, Moscow has been reiterating Belgrade’s a coarse and humiliating manner. stand without overstepping it in any way. This is what Foreign Minister Lavrov had in mind Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Konu- when saying, “Russians cannot be bigger Serbs zin and his colleague, the Brussels-seated am- than Serbs themselves.”11 bassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, are the only two Russian officials who directly and Russian presence in North Kosovo can be as- overtly oppose Serbia’s movement towards cribed to its strategy of holding Serbia hos- NATO and EU. tage to its own interests – keeping it away from NATO. No wonder that not long ago President According to Rogozin, Russia consequently op- Medvedev bestowed the prestigious Pushkin poses NATO enlargement and takes that the process spread far beyond a reasonable limit 10 http://www.akter.co.rs/politikaprint/3492-vojna-neutral- nost-je-pametan-izbor.html. 11 http://www.akter.co.rs/politikaprint/3492-vojna-neutral- 9 Politika, June 21, 2011. nost-je-pametan-izbor.html. No.79 JUN 2011 PG 4 OF 5 bulletin HELSINKI COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SERBIA FOR HUMAN RIGHTS HELSINKI COMMITTEE Helsinki Award on reporter Igor Gojkovic, correspond- their paychecks increased by 20 percent. So ent for the Voice of Russia, the station listened it happened that Serbia joined the club with to in Kosovska Mitrovica.12 Georgia, Aphasia14, Guatemala, Israel, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Tajikistan and Chad. Accepting the award reporter Gojkovic said, “Thank you, Russia. This recognition does not The guest list for the reception to mark the belong to me only but to all Serbs, particularly Russia Day on June 12 in Belgrade-seated Em- those in Kosovska Mitrovica, listening the sta- bassy included people such as Svetlana Ceca tion as of recently.” Living in hostile environ- Raznatovic, widow of Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan15 ment, Kosovo Serbs nourish tender feelings for and “Tchetnik duke” Sinisa Vucinic16.

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