N1BOS — broadcast
20260917 000000 UTC
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[00:00:14] forecast. Although we are already in the second half of September,
[00:00:18] the weather reminds us that summer is still ongoing calendar-wise. Ahead of
[00:00:21] us is another warm day, then from Friday a change
[00:00:25] in weather, rain, showers, for the weekend significantly
[00:00:28] cooler. Today the weather is stable, warm, but from
[00:00:31] the west more moisture and cloudiness are starting to arrive, so
[00:00:35] from Friday there will be a change in weather, precipitation and a drop
[00:00:38] in temperature. On Thursday it will be sunny with a moderate increase
[00:00:41] in cloudiness during the day, and in the afternoon in the northwest of Bosnia
[00:00:45] we expect rain, while the wind will be light in the south, southwesterly
[00:00:49] could not be proven, given in other regions, northerly and northeasterly.
[00:00:52] The minimum morning temperature in Bosnia will be from 8 to 13, in the south in
[00:00:56] Herzegovina up to 19 degrees and the highest daily temperature
[00:01:00] from 24 to 32 degrees. On Friday
[00:01:04] it remains moderately cloudy with rain, showers, and sometimes
[00:01:07] thunderstorms. On Saturday it will then be cloudy with showers in
[00:01:10] Herzegovina, especially in the morning, later in the afternoon
[00:01:13] in central, eastern and western parts of Bosnia. The temperature
[00:01:17] will be significantly lower, so in Bosnia we expect up to 24, in
[00:01:21] the south up to 27
[00:01:23] degrees.
[00:01:25] And that's all for the news. Dear viewers, thank you for your attention, have a pleasant
[00:01:28] evening.
[00:02:10] Good evening, you are watching N1 news. I am Maja Žeželj, and this
[00:02:13] is the news
[00:02:14] of the day.
[00:02:17] This panel convicts you to a single prison sentence of
[00:02:21] 25 years.
[00:02:24] After these words from the courtroom, riots in
[00:02:28] The Hague in Priština, except. Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25
[00:02:31] years in prison, Jakup Krasniqi,
[00:02:35] Kadri Veseljina to 18, Redžep Seljimi to 13
[00:02:38] years in prison.
[00:02:42] And other topics in the news are also related to the
[00:02:45] verdict.
[00:02:50] Numerous reactions to the verdict for Thaçi and others,
[00:02:53] we are live in The Hague, Priština, Kosovska
[00:02:56] Mitrovica.
[00:02:58] We are very disappointed. because I don't think the verdict is correct, so we are not
[00:03:02] interested in that, we are not interested in that, we are not in
[00:03:05] politics, thank you, yes,
[00:03:09] in the State of the European Union address, the President of the European Commission
[00:03:13] Ursula von der Leyen also mentioned
[00:03:15] Serbia. I was horrified
[00:03:18] by the photographs from the funeral of Ratko Mladić in Belgrade last
[00:03:21] week.
[00:03:24] The election campaign continues, who dropped out, who is still
[00:03:27] running, this. marathon and why,
[00:03:31] definitely a referendum atmosphere and
[00:03:34] anyone who doesn't see that is politically
[00:03:36] blind,
[00:03:39] sunny and warm in the coming days, cool and foggy mornings,
[00:03:53] they are guilty, they committed war crimes,
[00:03:57] the specialized chambers of Kosovo in The Hague pronounced. the
[00:04:00] first-instance verdict against the leader of the former KLA Hashim Thaçi
[00:04:04] and his closest associates Kadri Veseli, Redžep
[00:04:08] Seljivi and Jakup Krasniqi. Thaçi and
[00:04:11] Krasniqi were sentenced to 25 years in prison,
[00:04:14] Veseli to 18. Seljivi to 13
[00:04:18] years. The former KLA commander did not listen
[00:04:21] to the headset while the details of
[00:04:25] the indictment were being read to him. The headset was still in place
[00:04:28] when Hashim Thaçi. had to hear the most important thing, the judge's
[00:04:32] stand up and the verdict rendered in the name of the people
[00:04:35] of Kosovo. Mr. Hashim Thaçi, this panel
[00:04:39] convicts you to a single prison sentence of
[00:04:42] 25
[00:04:43] years.
[00:04:47] Mr. Krasniqi, this panel convicts you to a
[00:04:51] single prison sentence of 25
[00:04:54] years.
[00:04:58] Mr. Veseli, this panel. convicts to a single prison sentence
[00:05:01] of 18
[00:05:03] years,
[00:05:06] Mr. Redžepe Seljimi, this panel convicts you to a single
[00:05:10] prison sentence of three.
[00:05:15] And while mourning was still ongoing in the square in Priština, a group of Kosovo
[00:05:19] Albanians who followed the pronouncement of the verdict not far from the courthouse in
[00:05:23] The Hague, caused riots. Police
[00:05:26] used water cannons to disperse
[00:05:28] the crowd.
[00:05:32] And a little later in Priština. In a protest march, Albanian
[00:05:36] and American flags were waved, and chants of Učeka
[00:05:39] and Thaçi were heard. The gathered crowd went
[00:05:43] to the headquarters of Eulex, where
[00:05:45] the situation escalated. Demonstrators,
[00:05:48] some of whom wore masks, clashed with
[00:05:51] police, and the building of that international mission was pelted
[00:05:55] with stones. The building of the Kosovo Government in Priština was also hit, and several
[00:05:59] windows were broken.
[00:06:04] Anger and dissatisfaction in Kosovo, in Belgrade, the
[00:06:07] verdict against the leaders of the former KLA was nevertheless followed with
[00:06:10] much less attention. I think. What the court proved and did should
[00:06:14] be respected. 25 years in prison is a bit short in your
[00:06:17] opinion, how is it not short for a man for genocide
[00:06:21] almost everyone should be held accountable for the crime they committed wherever
[00:06:25] they were and against whomever
[00:06:27] it was committed, crimes are unacceptable, so I'm glad
[00:06:31] that it is so that for a change someone
[00:06:35] else is also convicted, not just us. When you deliver a verdict in the name
[00:06:39] of the people of Kosovo and when high-ranking Kosovo officials.
[00:06:43] dispute that verdict, it will certainly
[00:06:45] have some consequences both internationally and domestically. On the other hand, this will
[00:06:49] spill over into an
[00:06:52] increased number of indictments for war
[00:06:56] crimes committed by Serbs. Four leaders of the former
[00:06:59] KLA have been in The Hague since November 2020. And
[00:07:03] the trial before the specialized chambers of Kosovo began in April
[00:07:07] 2023. Six years
[00:07:11] of imprisonment are included in their sentences,
[00:07:14] which they have already spent in detention. Both the defense
[00:07:17] and the prosecution have the right to appeal the first-instance verdict. Nenad
[00:07:21] Nešić, N1, And a continuation of reactions
[00:07:25] from The Hague, from Priština and from Kosovska Mitrovica. They
[00:07:29] are followed by N1 reporters, Sanja Sovrlić, Zana
[00:07:32] Cimilij and Nenad Božović. To start, let's go
[00:07:35] to The Hague, Sanja, a rather turbulent
[00:07:39] day. How are these verdicts interpreted?
[00:07:44] Maja, the interpretations are varied, but let's start
[00:07:47] with the reactions we had here in The Hague from
[00:07:51] the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, she welcomed
[00:07:54] the court's decision, i.e., the conviction
[00:07:57] for the four KLA leaders, the chief
[00:08:01] prosecutor of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, while dissatisfaction
[00:08:04] comes from the defense, namely, Hashim
[00:08:08] Thaçi's lawyer says that he is shocked by this verdict and
[00:08:11] will... appeal that this verdict did not
[00:08:15] cover the evidence presented
[00:08:18] by the defense, while saying that it was predetermined and took into
[00:08:22] account only the evidence presented by the prosecution,
[00:08:25] but when we consider
[00:08:28] the interpretations, it can be said that they differ
[00:08:32] depending on whether those reactions come from the Albanian or
[00:08:36] Serbian side, while on the one hand, those
[00:08:39] from the Albanian side predominantly... the opinion that the
[00:08:43] KLA's struggle was just and that they should
[00:08:46] not have been convicted at all, on the other hand
[00:08:50] dissatisfaction that this verdict
[00:08:53] did not cover crimes after
[00:08:56] June 20, 1999.
[00:08:59] given that the largest number of crimes
[00:09:02] against Serbs was committed precisely in that
[00:09:06] period, but as it was explained by the
[00:09:08] specialized prosecutor, or rather as it was...
[00:09:12] explained by the court, it could not have been covered, given
[00:09:16] that that part, that
[00:09:19] period is considered a period when the armed
[00:09:23] conflict in Kosovo ended, because
[00:09:26] international forces arrived in Kosovo then. However, that does not
[00:09:29] mean that those crimes should not
[00:09:33] be re-examined later,
[00:09:35] i.e., that local courts should
[00:09:38] continue to follow these cases.
[00:09:42] and conduct proceedings in connection with these
[00:09:45] cases. What I would like to clarify,
[00:09:49] given that before this connection I listened to the address
[00:09:53] of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, a part of his address could
[00:09:57] lead to the wrong conclusion that the Constitutional
[00:10:00] Court of Kosovo could potentially return these verdicts for
[00:10:03] re-examination, that is not the case, so,
[00:10:07] given that this is a Kosovo institution, he mentioned the Constitutional
[00:10:10] Court of Kosovo for that reason.
[00:10:14] Namely, the Constitutional Court can make some
[00:10:17] remarks when it comes to the rights of the accused, but
[00:10:20] it does not influence, i.e., return for re-decision,
[00:10:24] what relates to the facts
[00:10:27] established in the verdict, regarding
[00:10:31] war crimes, for all that the specialized
[00:10:34] chambers of Kosovo are competent, the appeals
[00:10:37] chamber to which the defense will appeal, after
[00:10:40] that yet another instance of the specialized
[00:10:44] chambers of Kosovo, so this institution located behind
[00:10:47] me decides on cases
[00:10:51] for which a verdict for war crimes was rendered.
[00:10:55] crimes, of course, there is a part of the public
[00:10:58] that expressed dissatisfaction because the
[00:11:01] verdict did not include crimes against
[00:11:05] humanity, that out of 10, six
[00:11:09] points of the indictment, as the court explained, that part
[00:11:14] that there were arbitrary arrests
[00:11:17] of people, i.e. conduct that
[00:11:20] was not targeted against
[00:11:24] a certain... uh group uh of civilians and that for that
[00:11:27] reason they could not prove these six
[00:11:31] points, which are crimes against humanity. What
[00:11:34] the director of the Humanitarian Law Fund in Belgrade told us, however,
[00:11:37] is that an important part of the verdict
[00:11:41] is that it was established and proven that there was
[00:11:44] a joint criminal enterprise and she emphasizes
[00:11:48] that this verdict certainly does not provide all
[00:11:52] the answers and "that verdicts generally cannot
[00:11:56] provide all the answers, but that it is
[00:11:59] certainly significant and that in the continuation, courts in
[00:12:03] Belgrade and Priština should deal with
[00:12:06] prosecuting crimes that occurred during the war in
[00:12:10] Kosovo, but all of us as
[00:12:13] a society have a role when it comes to transitional
[00:12:17] justice.
[00:12:22] I think it will be interesting to read the final. verdict so we can see
[00:12:26] the exact argumentation by which
[00:12:28] the court considered itself incompetent for what happened
[00:12:32] after the end of the NATO bombing, i.e., the moment when it was
[00:12:35] no longer considered that there was an armed conflict in Kosovo. Of course, that period
[00:12:39] is very important for the Serbian community, and it would be good to shed
[00:12:42] light on what happened at that moment, but I would
[00:12:46] perhaps turn the story back and focus on the fact
[00:12:49] that with today's verdict we have obtained that
[00:12:53] all four accused. now already
[00:12:56] convicted, are considered participants in a joint
[00:12:59] criminal enterprise, which is very important
[00:13:02] for defining the systematic nature
[00:13:05] of the crimes committed from March 98 to June
[00:13:08] 99.
[00:13:11] Sanja, after the verdict was pronounced here in The Hague, there were
[00:13:14] riots today, what
[00:13:16] happened?
[00:13:19] Maja, that's right, but not in front of the court building
[00:13:22] itself, namely, in the early morning hours. There were several dozen
[00:13:26] citizens who wore KLA insignia,
[00:13:28] Albanian flags, were in camouflage
[00:13:32] uniforms and had photographs, carried
[00:13:36] them on their t-shirts, on flags, photographs of the now convicted
[00:13:40] KLA leaders, they gathered before the verdict was pronounced,
[00:13:43] but a little after 9 o'clock the police
[00:13:47] said they could not be near the court and they left
[00:13:50] this area and were about 2
[00:13:54] km away. As one policeman told me, whom I asked
[00:13:57] where they followed the pronouncement of the verdict via video
[00:14:01] beam, incidents occurred at that location
[00:14:04] after the verdict was pronounced,
[00:14:07] there was, shall I say, some
[00:14:10] kind of attack on a police vehicle, but the police
[00:14:14] intervened, it lasted very briefly, we were able
[00:14:18] to see police vehicles with flashing lights during the
[00:14:21] day, so Dutch
[00:14:25] individual cases of people with KLA insignia
[00:14:28] walking around the city, but most of the day in
[00:14:32] the afternoon was calm, but let's see what those
[00:14:35] incidents looked like here in
[00:14:37] The Hague.
[00:14:44] We are very disappointed because I don't think the verdict is correct.
[00:14:47] The KLA was one of the groups that fought for our freedom, how
[00:14:51] can freedom fighters be criminals?
[00:14:55] "This is a sad day for Albanian history, because these freedom fighters
[00:14:58] fought for the freedom of the people and this is a scandal.
[00:15:02] We hope that it will not have consequences, because otherwise, what is
[00:15:05] the purpose of our fight for freedom if we end up in this
[00:15:09] situation? You saw what was happening
[00:15:13] in The Hague today, we are now going to
[00:15:16] Priština, Zana Cimili is there, Zana, during
[00:15:19] the afternoon there were reactions, there were incidents in
[00:15:23] Priština.
[00:15:27] That's right, today's verdict shook most
[00:15:31] of the citizens of Kosovo, of Albanian
[00:15:34] nationality, who perceive this verdict as a verdict against
[00:15:37] the entire KLA. Citizens who followed the pronouncement of the verdict
[00:15:41] in the center of Priština reacted with
[00:15:44] disappointment because they expected milder sentences,
[00:15:47] some hoped for acquittal verdicts for
[00:15:51] some of the accused. As a sign of dissatisfaction, a large group
[00:15:55] of citizens, including masked demonstrators,
[00:15:58] protested near the building of the Government of Kosovo,
[00:16:01] throwing stones at the government building and breaking
[00:16:05] several windows. There were minor scuffles
[00:16:09] with the police, but the police were cautious and did not
[00:16:12] attempt to disperse the demonstrators, given
[00:16:15] the already very sensitive situation.
[00:16:19] The demonstrators, who are still in the square in front of
[00:16:23] the government, chanted KLA, Hashim
[00:16:26] Thaçi, singing patriotic
[00:16:29] songs. In front of the Kosovo government, a metal barrier
[00:16:33] was erected this morning, as well as a police
[00:16:36] cordon, and... and the citizens are still in front of the government,
[00:16:40] however, however, the situation is
[00:16:44] calm. The same group, by the way, protested earlier
[00:16:47] in the day on the outskirts of Priština near Kosovo Polje where
[00:16:51] the headquarters of EULEX are located, and then
[00:16:54] moved to the main square in front of the Kosovo government where they
[00:16:58] are still located, and at EULEX they threw
[00:17:02] stones at the surrounding wall that encloses the headquarters of this
[00:17:05] institution. And... the Prime Minister of Kosovo
[00:17:09] Albin Kurti reacted to the verdict, stating that this
[00:17:13] verdict must certainly be changed and corrected at
[00:17:16] the appellate level as soon as possible. The Democratic Party
[00:17:20] of Kosovo of Hashim Thaçi and Kadri
[00:17:24] Veseli also reacted, expressing indignation,
[00:17:28] disappointment and opposition to today's verdict
[00:17:31] of the Specialized Chambers in The Hague. The party statement
[00:17:35] says... states that in The Hague,
[00:17:38] the right of a people who fought for freedom, survival and liberation
[00:17:41] from the Serbian state
[00:17:45] regime was severely affected. In the meantime, the State
[00:17:49] Department also announced that the US respects the verdict
[00:17:53] of the Specialized Chambers against former KLA leaders
[00:17:56] and supports justice for all
[00:18:00] victims and their families. Washington also
[00:18:03] called for avoiding inflammatory rhetoric
[00:18:06] after the verdict, calling on all sides to
[00:18:10] respect the court's decision and to continue to work towards a peaceful
[00:18:13] democratic future in
[00:18:16] the European Union. Marta Kos stated this on platform
[00:18:20] X. Let's hear what
[00:18:22] Prime Minister Albin Kurti also said today, as well as the citizens we spoke
[00:18:26] with here in the center of
[00:18:27] Priština.
[00:18:31] Dear citizens, the declaration of guilt and such a heavy sentence for the four former KLA
[00:18:35] leaders represent unacceptable injustice, a great and harmful
[00:18:38] punishment. This verdict may have been formally pronounced in the name of the people
[00:18:42] of Kosovo, but this empty formulation should not be confused with the will
[00:18:45] of the people. This verdict must certainly be changed and corrected
[00:18:48] in the appellate procedure as soon as possible. In these difficult
[00:18:52] moments, we stand with the families of the former KLA leaders and all their
[00:18:55] comrades who fought for
[00:18:57] liberation.
[00:19:02] I believe this is an injustice and more of a political decision. They
[00:19:06] are innocent.
[00:19:08] We are shocked in one word because we expected an acquittal for the main KLA
[00:19:11] leaders, with this verdict of the special court, the KLA was almost declared
[00:19:15] a terrorist organization, there is nothing else, this is a very political
[00:19:19] trial based on Serbia's files, after
[00:19:22] the compromise, of course, I didn't expect this, nor did
[00:19:26] anyone else, what can I say, what else can I say, I have nothing, I didn't expect
[00:19:30] such an outcome, I'm disappointed.
[00:19:31] I'm disappointed, those are the reactions from
[00:19:35] Priština, we are now moving to Kosovska Mitrovica. Our Nenad
[00:19:39] Božović is there. Nenad, how is the verdict against Hashim Thaçi
[00:19:42] and others viewed in northern
[00:19:44] Kosovo?
[00:19:49] Well, it's not viewed, it's not commented on. That's how I would briefly
[00:19:52] describe what we could see and hear today
[00:19:56] here in northern Kosovo. People somehow
[00:19:59] seem scared and that's why they didn't want
[00:20:03] to tell us anything, but we know that they
[00:20:05] followed. they followed.
[00:20:09] this situation, that is, the
[00:20:12] sentences that were pronounced today for the four
[00:20:15] commanders, former KLA commanders, but when we
[00:20:18] tried to talk to some people, i.e., many whom we met
[00:20:22] on the street, we mostly got the answer that they were not interested,
[00:20:25] why is that so, well it somehow seems that they
[00:20:29] are afraid to answer, they are afraid because they don't know what might happen
[00:20:33] to them tomorrow because of that, they were afraid
[00:20:36] in previous days because they thought
[00:20:39] there was a security risk, somehow
[00:20:42] information that, for example, yesterday in Gračanica, parents
[00:20:46] received messages that children had online classes today,
[00:20:50] some events were cancelled, the police cancelled them without
[00:20:53] any valid reason, no one mentioned that it had any connection
[00:20:56] with these gatherings today in the southern part,
[00:21:00] but they were afraid
[00:21:04] that something might happen, luckily it didn't, that
[00:21:08] gathering in the southern part ended very
[00:21:11] quickly, after that the citizens dispersed, there
[00:21:14] was an increased police presence here and they
[00:21:18] themselves told us that there was no security
[00:21:21] risk today, so we can conclude that it was calm,
[00:21:25] calm in the north, so let's hear what some of the citizens we met
[00:21:29] here on the streets of North Mitrovica said, but also those who
[00:21:32] still wanted to comment on this verdict for
[00:21:36] N1. We cannot now fix some things that have
[00:21:40] already happened, but the problem is that
[00:21:43] we feel insecure because we
[00:21:47] once saw. something similar, that is
[00:21:50] March 17, 2004. that's something everyone
[00:21:53] was afraid of and something like that looked quite
[00:21:57] likely to happen, it hasn't happened yet, but we can never say for
[00:22:01] sure that it won't happen.
[00:22:04] I'm not interested at all,
[00:22:07] to tell you the truth, I'm not interested in that
[00:22:10] politics, it has nothing to do with it, you
[00:22:14] have no idea, it was expected, there's no
[00:22:17] doubt about it, it can even be a step forward.
[00:22:22] when he can, maybe it's good for him to say that it's politically removed, just like it was with cash, that's it, we're not
[00:22:26] interested in that, we're not interested in anything, we're not in politics,
[00:22:30] thank you,
[00:22:33] here you saw the reactions from The Hague, Priština and Kosovska
[00:22:37] Mitrovica, Sanja Sovrlić, Zanaci Mili
[00:22:40] and Nenad Božović reported,
[00:22:43] and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić says that the court did not
[00:22:47] deal with murders, kidnappings and disappearances. there are
[00:22:50] Serbs who say that the verdict in The Hague did not cover
[00:22:54] crimes against humanity, he says that it is of crucial
[00:22:56] importance for Serbia to preserve peace and stability
[00:23:00] and that therefore in the future the solution lies in dialogue and
[00:23:04] understanding. And this is a great
[00:23:07] lesson for us, just as it is a great indicator and a great lesson
[00:23:11] of the double standards and hypocrisy that prevail in the world around
[00:23:14] us. You can have both final and non-final verdicts,
[00:23:18] it makes absolutely no difference. "Serbs will always be criminals,
[00:23:22] all others will be liberators, heroes, champions,
[00:23:26] everyone will be allowed to do so, except
[00:23:28] Serbs. Serbs must not utter a sound, they must not raise
[00:23:32] their heads, because as soon as they raise
[00:23:35] their heads, that head, metaphorically speaking, should
[00:23:38] be cut off.
[00:23:40] And the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, regarding the decision
[00:23:44] of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, stated that verdicts
[00:23:48] must be respected, and that the convicted
[00:23:50] have the right to appeal. This is about individual responsibility and
[00:23:54] justice for victims and their families from all
[00:23:57] communities in Kosovo. I call on actors in the region to
[00:24:01] contribute to healing the wounds of the past, because only through
[00:24:04] reconciliation can the countries of the region overcome divisions and progress towards
[00:24:08] a common future in the European Union. Marta
[00:24:11] Kos stated this on network
[00:24:13] X.
[00:24:21] And the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech
[00:24:25] on the state of the union today, referred
[00:24:28] to the recent funeral of Ratko Mladić. She never
[00:24:31] uttered the word Serbia, nor did she mention the current government in
[00:24:35] Belgrade, she only mentioned the capital
[00:24:37] city.
[00:24:41] I was horrified by the photographs from the funeral of Ratko
[00:24:44] Mladić in Belgrade last week. He committed the most terrible
[00:24:48] crimes against humanity. Glorification of war criminals
[00:24:51] simply has no place in the European Union. All
[00:24:55] victims of the wars in the former Yugoslavia deserve to be
[00:24:59] remembered, and all their families deserve our
[00:25:02] compassion. Because that is precisely what we defend as
[00:25:06] a union, truth, justice and respect for our
[00:25:09] values.
[00:25:18] One part of the opposition interrupted the struggle for... dates for the sake of students
[00:25:22] and the referendum atmosphere, and the other
[00:25:25] part does not think about it and therefore faces
[00:25:28] criticism. The Republican Electoral Commission is announcing lists one
[00:25:32] after another, so far it has announced five, two
[00:25:35] of which are minority, ghosts are not yet
[00:25:38] present.
[00:25:41] The offer on the ballot is increasing. By Rick's decision,
[00:25:45] position 3 on it is reserved for the student list. In
[00:25:48] fourth place will be. the coalition of Rasim Ljajić, Good
[00:25:52] Day, under serial number five, the Alliance of Vojvodina
[00:25:55] Hungarians. The list "People's Serbia" collected
[00:25:58] signatures, brought them to the assignment of a serial number, and then
[00:26:02] withdrew from the election in favor of the students,
[00:26:06] they are waiting for the procedure for announcing the list to be completed so that they can
[00:26:10] formally withdraw. We have always been either in a large coalition supported
[00:26:13] by students, or we supported students, we did that this
[00:26:17] time too, and I think these are the most important topics that we should
[00:26:21] now somehow jointly form a bloc with which we will move forward. The atmosphere that has been created in Serbia
[00:26:24] in the last few days, especially is
[00:26:27] definitely a referendum atmosphere and anyone who doesn't see that is politically
[00:26:31] blind, we gathered... so the fastest of all, in that way they
[00:26:35] showed that we can, but we won't. However, the
[00:26:38] RIK announced. The People's Serbia is missing 67 legally valid
[00:26:42] voter signatures. The coalition responds, no problem,
[00:26:46] they will supplement, even though they are running in the elections. The European
[00:26:49] Serbia coalition has yet to submit signatures for verification. They still
[00:26:52] gather. They say the work is hampered
[00:26:55] by a lack of verifiers. It's not as crowded as with those lines as
[00:26:59] it was, but it's quite moderate. As people, we
[00:27:03] expected them to come, they should, I think, submit by the end of the week, unless
[00:27:07] of course the party's plan or our
[00:27:10] coalition doesn't have some other deadline. They won't
[00:27:13] withdraw from the race, briefly states on X one of
[00:27:16] the leaders of that list, Zdravko Ponoš, he didn't
[00:27:20] want to explain his position further to N1 because, we quote, the format
[00:27:24] doesn't suit him. His coalition partner Goran
[00:27:27] Ješić is somewhat more eloquent in his post, so along with a message to those who
[00:27:31] think it's better to withdraw. He criticizes journalists for asking how
[00:27:34] realistic that scenario is. Quite an embarrassing journalistic
[00:27:38] piece, but okay, somehow it's sometimes important to know that
[00:27:41] Dalmatians, engineers, and military personnel don't really succumb to these kinds of
[00:27:45] pressures. We start from bibur and push further.
[00:27:49] Regards. To withdraw or to stay. Difficult decisions for all
[00:27:52] actors, especially since pressures are rising from all sides,
[00:27:55] explains Professor Dušan Spasojević of the Faculty
[00:27:58] of Political Sciences. He assumes that those who want to fight the regime alone
[00:28:02] are encouraged by public opinion polls. I think that
[00:28:06] currently no one has a good enough measuring
[00:28:09] instrument to say exactly where they are, and ultimately
[00:28:12] the final results will probably depend on the campaign itself and
[00:28:16] on the dynamics within the broader opposition student
[00:28:19] bloc, adds Spasojević.
[00:28:22] Maybe it's better for opposition voters for whom
[00:28:25] the ideological factor is crucial to have an alternative, whether
[00:28:29] they are left or right in relation to students.
[00:28:33] N1, Belgrade.
[00:28:36] The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights,
[00:28:39] or ODIHR, opened an election observation mission
[00:28:43] on October 25, after an invitation from the relevant
[00:28:46] institutions based on the findings of the needs
[00:28:50] assessment mission conducted in July. The mission
[00:28:54] is led by Eogan Murphy, and consists of a core team of
[00:28:57] 14 international experts based
[00:29:00] in Belgrade. Throughout
[00:29:02] the country, from September 25, 30
[00:29:06] long-term observers will be deployed, and ODIHR plans
[00:29:09] to request 300 short-term observers
[00:29:12] to join the mission a few days before
[00:29:15] the elections.
[00:29:22] The elections in Serbia were discussed in Washington
[00:29:26] in Congress at a briefing on the upcoming
[00:29:29] elections. What are the congressmen saying? We ask journalist from
[00:29:33] Washington, Jovana Đurović. Jovana, you
[00:29:36] followed the debate, what is the most significant thing
[00:29:39] you heard? Maja, the most significant thing we
[00:29:43] heard was from the man who convened this briefing, Republican Joe Wilson,
[00:29:46] who is also the sponsor of the Serbia Act. He says, although he presented
[00:29:50] no evidence for it, that President Aleksandar Vučić, with Russia's help,
[00:29:54] is trying to manipulate the elections, and that
[00:29:58] with, as he said, parallel lists, false identities,
[00:30:01] media control, for spying on the opposition
[00:30:05] and students, and as he says,
[00:30:08] Vučić is adopting Putin's modus operandi by
[00:30:11] moving from the position of president to the position of prime minister. Wilson
[00:30:15] is a Republican, which means he is opposed
[00:30:19] to the policy of the Republican executive branch, which
[00:30:23] has started a strategic dialogue with Serbia. He believes that the
[00:30:26] promises Serbia gives to America are hollow, because at the same time
[00:30:30] it is developing relations with Russia and China. That we should
[00:30:33] look at what Vučić is doing, not what
[00:30:36] he promises. We also heard from Congressman Pete Sessions, he is a Republican from
[00:30:40] Texas who explained why America is interested in the elections in
[00:30:43] Serbia, ultimately because America needs an ally in the Balkans
[00:30:47] who is Western-oriented and democratically structured. We also heard from three
[00:30:51] panelists from the non-governmental sector, Ivana Stradner, Reuf Bajrović, and
[00:30:54] American expert Luke Coffey, who spoke from their various perspectives about
[00:30:58] Serbia and the region.