HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY, AND INTEGRATION IN SOUTH-CENTRAL EUROPE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 15, 2006 Printed for the use of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE 109–2–3] ( Available via http://www.csce.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 38–511PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS HOUSE SENATE CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas, Co-Chairman Chairman FRANK R. WOLF, Virginia GORDON SMITH, Oregon JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia ROBERT B. ADERHOLT, Alabama RICHARD BURR, North Carolina MIKE PENCE, Indiana DAVID VITTER, Louisiana BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER, RUSSELL D. FEINGOLD, Wisconsin New York HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida VACANT MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS VACANT, Department of State VACANT, Department of Defense VACANT, Department of Commerce (II) HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY, AND INTEGRATION IN SOUTH-CENTRAL EUROPE JUNE 15, 2006 COMMISSIONERS Page Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ...................................... 1 Hon. Sam Brownback, Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ..................................................... 4 Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Ranking Member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe ................................. 4 OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Hon. George V. Voinovich, U.S. Senator from Ohio ................. 3 WITNESSES Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasia Affairs, U.S. Department of State ......................................................................................... 5 Daniel Serwer, Director of Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace ............................................................ 15 Janusz Bugajski, Director of the New European Democracies Project, Senior Fellow, Europe Program, Center for Stra- tegic and International Studies .............................................. 18 Joseph K. Grieboski, President and Founder, Institute for Religion and Public Policy ...................................................... 20 Nicolae Gheorghe, Senior Advisor, Office for Democratic In- stitutions and Human Rights, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ..................................................... 22 APPENDICES Prepared statement of Hon. Sam Brownback ........................... 36 Prepared statement of Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin .................... 38 (III) IV Page Prepared statement of Rosemary A. DiCarlo ............................ 40 Prepared statement of Daniel Serwer ....................................... 48 Prepared statement of Janusz Bugajski ................................... 51 Prepared statement of Joseph K. Grieboski ............................. 56 Prepared statement of Nicolae Gheorghe ................................. 67 Response of Deputy Assistant Secretary Rosemary DiCarlo to written questions submitted by the Commission on Se- curity and Cooperation in Europe .......................................... 85 HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY, AND INTEGRATION IN SOUTH-CENTRAL EUROPE June 15, 2006 COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE WASHINGTON, DC The hearing was held at 2:11 p.m. in room 2226 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Co- Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, presiding. Commissioners present: Hon. Sam Brownback, Chairman, Com- mission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; Hon. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe; and Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Ranking Member, Com- mission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. Other Members of Congress present: Hon. George V. Voinovich, U.S. Senator from Ohio. Witnesses present: Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Deputy Assistant Sec- retary of State for European and Eurasia Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Daniel Serwer, Director of Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace; Janusz Bugajski, Director of the New Euro- pean Democracies Project, Senior Fellow, Europe Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Joseph K. Grieboski, Presi- dent and Founder, Institute for Religion and Public Policy; and Nicolae Gheorghe, Senior Advisor, Office for Democratic Institu- tions and Human Rights, Organization for Security and Coopera- tion in Europe. HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, CO-CHAIRMAN, COMMISSION ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE Mr. SMITH. The Commission will come to order, and good after- noon, everybody. In the past 15 years, by the count of the Helsinki Commission, we’ve held more than three dozen hearings on one of the several countries of south-central Europe. Some of today’s wit- nesses on the second panel have participated in various initiatives, including those hearings, the Commission has undertaken in the region. The Helsinki Commission can be proud of its record, I believe, for standing for principle and for humanity in the face of extreme na- tionalism, violence and genocide. At this stage, it is appropriate that, for once, we look at Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cro- atia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia together. With few exceptions, there has been progress throughout the re- gion and many of the outstanding problems are common problems. (1) 2 For me, the best example of this is trafficking in persons. All coun- tries under consideration today are tier two according to the latest State Department report, which means that they have not met minimum standards, despite taking steps to do so. I hope this hearing can focus attention on what more can be done in the region to help victims of trafficking, to punish those respon- sible for this modern-day slavery and ultimately to prevent the crime from occurring in the first place. I would note parenthetically that yesterday we held a day-long hearing in the subcommittee that I chair, the Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations Subcommittee, on the trafficking in persons report. Ambassador Miller was our witness from the administration. And we also had Julia Ormond, who is the U.N. Ambassador, Goodwill Ambassador for Trafficking, and a number of NGOs, as well as people who had been trafficked them- selves. I do want to express concern about laws and draft laws under consideration today in many of the countries which are supposed to protect religious freedom, but actually do more to restrict this fundamental right. Arbitrary thresholds are placed on what can be legally recognized as a religious group. Not meeting those arbitrary thresholds often has very real con- sequences for believers: not being able to obtain appropriate wor- ship facilities or limiting the practice of one’s faith. Ultimately, such legal impediments send the signal that it’s OK to discriminate against individuals who are not traditional, especially those belong- ing to new or minority faith communities. Discrimination and violence are also felt by Roma, who are often purposely stereotyped as society’s outcasts. In practice, in the Bal- kans, there may actually be more tolerance of Roma than exists in several of the so-called Western countries of Europe, but the sad fact remains that they still face very significant problems. Kosovo remains, in many ways, worthy of more intense Commis- sion focus. The international community should not be proud of what has been achieved after 7 years there. In particular, the fact that hundreds of displaced Roma remained for so long in unhealthy, lead-contaminated camps in northern Mitrovica, run by U.N. agencies, is shameful. And the international community and local Kosovar Albanian authorities must follow through on their commitment to rebuild the original Romani neighborhood there. I welcome the recent positive gestures of the new Kosovar leader- ship, which indicates a willingness and desire to accommodate Kosovo’s Serb, Roma and other minority communities. Now is the time to go beyond gestures to more meaningful concrete steps. Meanwhile, I encourage the Serb minority in Kosovo to remain engaged and to seek the best possible outcome for their families. I also call on Belgrade to be constructive in supporting this commu- nity. It certainly is counterproductive to fan the flames of hatred, as a recent ad in ‘‘Roll Call’’ did, by equating an independent Kosovo with Afghanistan under the Taliban. As someone who has many times criticized the Kosovar Alba- nians for their attacks on Serbian Orthodox churches and minority enclaves, especially in 2004, I think it is abhorrent to label the Al- 3 banians as anti-Western extremists simply because of their faith, as Muslims. I also want to express my support for the people of Bosnia Herzegovina. No people in the region suffered more than they did in the 1990s, as noted in the resolutions passed by both Houses marking the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica last year. No coun- try, in my view, deserves European integration more. I am heartened to see that Bosnia is now looking to move beyond the Dayton Agreement, which helped restore peace in 1995,