Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:14forecast. Although we are already in the second half of September,
00:00:18the weather reminds us that summer is still ongoing calendar-wise. Ahead of
00:00:21us is another warm day, then from Friday a change
00:00:25in weather, rain, showers, for the weekend significantly
00:00:28cooler. Today the weather is stable, warm, but from
00:00:31the west more moisture and cloudiness are starting to arrive, so
00:00:35from Friday there will be a change in weather, precipitation and a drop
00:00:38in temperature. On Thursday it will be sunny with a moderate increase
00:00:41in cloudiness during the day, and in the afternoon in the northwest of Bosnia
00:00:45we expect rain, while the wind will be light in the south, southwesterly
00:00:49could not be proven, given in other regions, northerly and northeasterly.
00:00:52The minimum morning temperature in Bosnia will be from 8 to 13, in the south in
00:00:56Herzegovina up to 19 degrees and the highest daily temperature
00:01:00from 24 to 32 degrees. On Friday
00:01:04it remains moderately cloudy with rain, showers, and sometimes
00:01:07thunderstorms. On Saturday it will then be cloudy with showers in
00:01:10Herzegovina, especially in the morning, later in the afternoon
00:01:13in central, eastern and western parts of Bosnia. The temperature
00:01:17will be significantly lower, so in Bosnia we expect up to 24, in
00:01:21the south up to 27
00:01:23degrees.
00:01:25And that's all for the news. Dear viewers, thank you for your attention, have a pleasant
00:01:28evening.
00:02:10Good evening, you are watching N1 news. I am Maja Žeželj, and this
00:02:13is the news
00:02:14of the day.
00:02:17This panel convicts you to a single prison sentence of
00:02:2125 years.
00:02:24After these words from the courtroom, riots in
00:02:28The Hague in Priština, except. Hashim Thaçi was sentenced to 25
00:02:31years in prison, Jakup Krasniqi,
00:02:35Kadri Veseljina to 18, Redžep Seljimi to 13
00:02:38years in prison.
00:02:42And other topics in the news are also related to the
00:02:45verdict.
00:02:50Numerous reactions to the verdict for Thaçi and others,
00:02:53we are live in The Hague, Priština, Kosovska
00:02:56Mitrovica.
00:02:58We are very disappointed. because I don't think the verdict is correct, so we are not
00:03:02interested in that, we are not interested in that, we are not in
00:03:05politics, thank you, yes,
00:03:09in the State of the European Union address, the President of the European Commission
00:03:13Ursula von der Leyen also mentioned
00:03:15Serbia. I was horrified
00:03:18by the photographs from the funeral of Ratko Mladić in Belgrade last
00:03:21week.
00:03:24The election campaign continues, who dropped out, who is still
00:03:27running, this. marathon and why,
00:03:31definitely a referendum atmosphere and
00:03:34anyone who doesn't see that is politically
00:03:36blind,
00:03:39sunny and warm in the coming days, cool and foggy mornings,
00:03:53they are guilty, they committed war crimes,
00:03:57the specialized chambers of Kosovo in The Hague pronounced. the
00:04:00first-instance verdict against the leader of the former KLA Hashim Thaçi
00:04:04and his closest associates Kadri Veseli, Redžep
00:04:08Seljivi and Jakup Krasniqi. Thaçi and
00:04:11Krasniqi were sentenced to 25 years in prison,
00:04:14Veseli to 18. Seljivi to 13
00:04:18years. The former KLA commander did not listen
00:04:21to the headset while the details of
00:04:25the indictment were being read to him. The headset was still in place
00:04:28when Hashim Thaçi. had to hear the most important thing, the judge's
00:04:32stand up and the verdict rendered in the name of the people
00:04:35of Kosovo. Mr. Hashim Thaçi, this panel
00:04:39convicts you to a single prison sentence of
00:04:4225
00:04:43years.
00:04:47Mr. Krasniqi, this panel convicts you to a
00:04:51single prison sentence of 25
00:04:54years.
00:04:58Mr. Veseli, this panel. convicts to a single prison sentence
00:05:01of 18
00:05:03years,
00:05:06Mr. Redžepe Seljimi, this panel convicts you to a single
00:05:10prison sentence of three.
00:05:15And while mourning was still ongoing in the square in Priština, a group of Kosovo
00:05:19Albanians who followed the pronouncement of the verdict not far from the courthouse in
00:05:23The Hague, caused riots. Police
00:05:26used water cannons to disperse
00:05:28the crowd.
00:05:32And a little later in Priština. In a protest march, Albanian
00:05:36and American flags were waved, and chants of Učeka
00:05:39and Thaçi were heard. The gathered crowd went
00:05:43to the headquarters of Eulex, where
00:05:45the situation escalated. Demonstrators,
00:05:48some of whom wore masks, clashed with
00:05:51police, and the building of that international mission was pelted
00:05:55with stones. The building of the Kosovo Government in Priština was also hit, and several
00:05:59windows were broken.
00:06:04Anger and dissatisfaction in Kosovo, in Belgrade, the
00:06:07verdict against the leaders of the former KLA was nevertheless followed with
00:06:10much less attention. I think. What the court proved and did should
00:06:14be respected. 25 years in prison is a bit short in your
00:06:17opinion, how is it not short for a man for genocide
00:06:21almost everyone should be held accountable for the crime they committed wherever
00:06:25they were and against whomever
00:06:27it was committed, crimes are unacceptable, so I'm glad
00:06:31that it is so that for a change someone
00:06:35else is also convicted, not just us. When you deliver a verdict in the name
00:06:39of the people of Kosovo and when high-ranking Kosovo officials.
00:06:43dispute that verdict, it will certainly
00:06:45have some consequences both internationally and domestically. On the other hand, this will
00:06:49spill over into an
00:06:52increased number of indictments for war
00:06:56crimes committed by Serbs. Four leaders of the former
00:06:59KLA have been in The Hague since November 2020. And
00:07:03the trial before the specialized chambers of Kosovo began in April
00:07:072023. Six years
00:07:11of imprisonment are included in their sentences,
00:07:14which they have already spent in detention. Both the defense
00:07:17and the prosecution have the right to appeal the first-instance verdict. Nenad
00:07:21Nešić, N1, And a continuation of reactions
00:07:25from The Hague, from Priština and from Kosovska Mitrovica. They
00:07:29are followed by N1 reporters, Sanja Sovrlić, Zana
00:07:32Cimilij and Nenad Božović. To start, let's go
00:07:35to The Hague, Sanja, a rather turbulent
00:07:39day. How are these verdicts interpreted?
00:07:44Maja, the interpretations are varied, but let's start
00:07:47with the reactions we had here in The Hague from
00:07:51the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, she welcomed
00:07:54the court's decision, i.e., the conviction
00:07:57for the four KLA leaders, the chief
00:08:01prosecutor of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, while dissatisfaction
00:08:04comes from the defense, namely, Hashim
00:08:08Thaçi's lawyer says that he is shocked by this verdict and
00:08:11will... appeal that this verdict did not
00:08:15cover the evidence presented
00:08:18by the defense, while saying that it was predetermined and took into
00:08:22account only the evidence presented by the prosecution,
00:08:25but when we consider
00:08:28the interpretations, it can be said that they differ
00:08:32depending on whether those reactions come from the Albanian or
00:08:36Serbian side, while on the one hand, those
00:08:39from the Albanian side predominantly... the opinion that the
00:08:43KLA's struggle was just and that they should
00:08:46not have been convicted at all, on the other hand
00:08:50dissatisfaction that this verdict
00:08:53did not cover crimes after
00:08:56June 20, 1999.
00:08:59given that the largest number of crimes
00:09:02against Serbs was committed precisely in that
00:09:06period, but as it was explained by the
00:09:08specialized prosecutor, or rather as it was...
00:09:12explained by the court, it could not have been covered, given
00:09:16that that part, that
00:09:19period is considered a period when the armed
00:09:23conflict in Kosovo ended, because
00:09:26international forces arrived in Kosovo then. However, that does not
00:09:29mean that those crimes should not
00:09:33be re-examined later,
00:09:35i.e., that local courts should
00:09:38continue to follow these cases.
00:09:42and conduct proceedings in connection with these
00:09:45cases. What I would like to clarify,
00:09:49given that before this connection I listened to the address
00:09:53of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, a part of his address could
00:09:57lead to the wrong conclusion that the Constitutional
00:10:00Court of Kosovo could potentially return these verdicts for
00:10:03re-examination, that is not the case, so,
00:10:07given that this is a Kosovo institution, he mentioned the Constitutional
00:10:10Court of Kosovo for that reason.
00:10:14Namely, the Constitutional Court can make some
00:10:17remarks when it comes to the rights of the accused, but
00:10:20it does not influence, i.e., return for re-decision,
00:10:24what relates to the facts
00:10:27established in the verdict, regarding
00:10:31war crimes, for all that the specialized
00:10:34chambers of Kosovo are competent, the appeals
00:10:37chamber to which the defense will appeal, after
00:10:40that yet another instance of the specialized
00:10:44chambers of Kosovo, so this institution located behind
00:10:47me decides on cases
00:10:51for which a verdict for war crimes was rendered.
00:10:55crimes, of course, there is a part of the public
00:10:58that expressed dissatisfaction because the
00:11:01verdict did not include crimes against
00:11:05humanity, that out of 10, six
00:11:09points of the indictment, as the court explained, that part
00:11:14that there were arbitrary arrests
00:11:17of people, i.e. conduct that
00:11:20was not targeted against
00:11:24a certain... uh group uh of civilians and that for that
00:11:27reason they could not prove these six
00:11:31points, which are crimes against humanity. What
00:11:34the director of the Humanitarian Law Fund in Belgrade told us, however,
00:11:37is that an important part of the verdict
00:11:41is that it was established and proven that there was
00:11:44a joint criminal enterprise and she emphasizes
00:11:48that this verdict certainly does not provide all
00:11:52the answers and "that verdicts generally cannot
00:11:56provide all the answers, but that it is
00:11:59certainly significant and that in the continuation, courts in
00:12:03Belgrade and Priština should deal with
00:12:06prosecuting crimes that occurred during the war in
00:12:10Kosovo, but all of us as
00:12:13a society have a role when it comes to transitional
00:12:17justice.
00:12:22I think it will be interesting to read the final. verdict so we can see
00:12:26the exact argumentation by which
00:12:28the court considered itself incompetent for what happened
00:12:32after the end of the NATO bombing, i.e., the moment when it was
00:12:35no longer considered that there was an armed conflict in Kosovo. Of course, that period
00:12:39is very important for the Serbian community, and it would be good to shed
00:12:42light on what happened at that moment, but I would
00:12:46perhaps turn the story back and focus on the fact
00:12:49that with today's verdict we have obtained that
00:12:53all four accused. now already
00:12:56convicted, are considered participants in a joint
00:12:59criminal enterprise, which is very important
00:13:02for defining the systematic nature
00:13:05of the crimes committed from March 98 to June
00:13:0899.
00:13:11Sanja, after the verdict was pronounced here in The Hague, there were
00:13:14riots today, what
00:13:16happened?
00:13:19Maja, that's right, but not in front of the court building
00:13:22itself, namely, in the early morning hours. There were several dozen
00:13:26citizens who wore KLA insignia,
00:13:28Albanian flags, were in camouflage
00:13:32uniforms and had photographs, carried
00:13:36them on their t-shirts, on flags, photographs of the now convicted
00:13:40KLA leaders, they gathered before the verdict was pronounced,
00:13:43but a little after 9 o'clock the police
00:13:47said they could not be near the court and they left
00:13:50this area and were about 2
00:13:54km away. As one policeman told me, whom I asked
00:13:57where they followed the pronouncement of the verdict via video
00:14:01beam, incidents occurred at that location
00:14:04after the verdict was pronounced,
00:14:07there was, shall I say, some
00:14:10kind of attack on a police vehicle, but the police
00:14:14intervened, it lasted very briefly, we were able
00:14:18to see police vehicles with flashing lights during the
00:14:21day, so Dutch
00:14:25individual cases of people with KLA insignia
00:14:28walking around the city, but most of the day in
00:14:32the afternoon was calm, but let's see what those
00:14:35incidents looked like here in
00:14:37The Hague.
00:14:44We are very disappointed because I don't think the verdict is correct.
00:14:47The KLA was one of the groups that fought for our freedom, how
00:14:51can freedom fighters be criminals?
00:14:55"This is a sad day for Albanian history, because these freedom fighters
00:14:58fought for the freedom of the people and this is a scandal.
00:15:02We hope that it will not have consequences, because otherwise, what is
00:15:05the purpose of our fight for freedom if we end up in this
00:15:09situation? You saw what was happening
00:15:13in The Hague today, we are now going to
00:15:16Priština, Zana Cimili is there, Zana, during
00:15:19the afternoon there were reactions, there were incidents in
00:15:23Priština.
00:15:27That's right, today's verdict shook most
00:15:31of the citizens of Kosovo, of Albanian
00:15:34nationality, who perceive this verdict as a verdict against
00:15:37the entire KLA. Citizens who followed the pronouncement of the verdict
00:15:41in the center of Priština reacted with
00:15:44disappointment because they expected milder sentences,
00:15:47some hoped for acquittal verdicts for
00:15:51some of the accused. As a sign of dissatisfaction, a large group
00:15:55of citizens, including masked demonstrators,
00:15:58protested near the building of the Government of Kosovo,
00:16:01throwing stones at the government building and breaking
00:16:05several windows. There were minor scuffles
00:16:09with the police, but the police were cautious and did not
00:16:12attempt to disperse the demonstrators, given
00:16:15the already very sensitive situation.
00:16:19The demonstrators, who are still in the square in front of
00:16:23the government, chanted KLA, Hashim
00:16:26Thaçi, singing patriotic
00:16:29songs. In front of the Kosovo government, a metal barrier
00:16:33was erected this morning, as well as a police
00:16:36cordon, and... and the citizens are still in front of the government,
00:16:40however, however, the situation is
00:16:44calm. The same group, by the way, protested earlier
00:16:47in the day on the outskirts of Priština near Kosovo Polje where
00:16:51the headquarters of EULEX are located, and then
00:16:54moved to the main square in front of the Kosovo government where they
00:16:58are still located, and at EULEX they threw
00:17:02stones at the surrounding wall that encloses the headquarters of this
00:17:05institution. And... the Prime Minister of Kosovo
00:17:09Albin Kurti reacted to the verdict, stating that this
00:17:13verdict must certainly be changed and corrected at
00:17:16the appellate level as soon as possible. The Democratic Party
00:17:20of Kosovo of Hashim Thaçi and Kadri
00:17:24Veseli also reacted, expressing indignation,
00:17:28disappointment and opposition to today's verdict
00:17:31of the Specialized Chambers in The Hague. The party statement
00:17:35says... states that in The Hague,
00:17:38the right of a people who fought for freedom, survival and liberation
00:17:41from the Serbian state
00:17:45regime was severely affected. In the meantime, the State
00:17:49Department also announced that the US respects the verdict
00:17:53of the Specialized Chambers against former KLA leaders
00:17:56and supports justice for all
00:18:00victims and their families. Washington also
00:18:03called for avoiding inflammatory rhetoric
00:18:06after the verdict, calling on all sides to
00:18:10respect the court's decision and to continue to work towards a peaceful
00:18:13democratic future in
00:18:16the European Union. Marta Kos stated this on platform
00:18:20X. Let's hear what
00:18:22Prime Minister Albin Kurti also said today, as well as the citizens we spoke
00:18:26with here in the center of
00:18:27Priština.
00:18:31Dear citizens, the declaration of guilt and such a heavy sentence for the four former KLA
00:18:35leaders represent unacceptable injustice, a great and harmful
00:18:38punishment. This verdict may have been formally pronounced in the name of the people
00:18:42of Kosovo, but this empty formulation should not be confused with the will
00:18:45of the people. This verdict must certainly be changed and corrected
00:18:48in the appellate procedure as soon as possible. In these difficult
00:18:52moments, we stand with the families of the former KLA leaders and all their
00:18:55comrades who fought for
00:18:57liberation.
00:19:02I believe this is an injustice and more of a political decision. They
00:19:06are innocent.
00:19:08We are shocked in one word because we expected an acquittal for the main KLA
00:19:11leaders, with this verdict of the special court, the KLA was almost declared
00:19:15a terrorist organization, there is nothing else, this is a very political
00:19:19trial based on Serbia's files, after
00:19:22the compromise, of course, I didn't expect this, nor did
00:19:26anyone else, what can I say, what else can I say, I have nothing, I didn't expect
00:19:30such an outcome, I'm disappointed.
00:19:31I'm disappointed, those are the reactions from
00:19:35Priština, we are now moving to Kosovska Mitrovica. Our Nenad
00:19:39Božović is there. Nenad, how is the verdict against Hashim Thaçi
00:19:42and others viewed in northern
00:19:44Kosovo?
00:19:49Well, it's not viewed, it's not commented on. That's how I would briefly
00:19:52describe what we could see and hear today
00:19:56here in northern Kosovo. People somehow
00:19:59seem scared and that's why they didn't want
00:20:03to tell us anything, but we know that they
00:20:05followed. they followed.
00:20:09this situation, that is, the
00:20:12sentences that were pronounced today for the four
00:20:15commanders, former KLA commanders, but when we
00:20:18tried to talk to some people, i.e., many whom we met
00:20:22on the street, we mostly got the answer that they were not interested,
00:20:25why is that so, well it somehow seems that they
00:20:29are afraid to answer, they are afraid because they don't know what might happen
00:20:33to them tomorrow because of that, they were afraid
00:20:36in previous days because they thought
00:20:39there was a security risk, somehow
00:20:42information that, for example, yesterday in Gračanica, parents
00:20:46received messages that children had online classes today,
00:20:50some events were cancelled, the police cancelled them without
00:20:53any valid reason, no one mentioned that it had any connection
00:20:56with these gatherings today in the southern part,
00:21:00but they were afraid
00:21:04that something might happen, luckily it didn't, that
00:21:08gathering in the southern part ended very
00:21:11quickly, after that the citizens dispersed, there
00:21:14was an increased police presence here and they
00:21:18themselves told us that there was no security
00:21:21risk today, so we can conclude that it was calm,
00:21:25calm in the north, so let's hear what some of the citizens we met
00:21:29here on the streets of North Mitrovica said, but also those who
00:21:32still wanted to comment on this verdict for
00:21:36N1. We cannot now fix some things that have
00:21:40already happened, but the problem is that
00:21:43we feel insecure because we
00:21:47once saw. something similar, that is
00:21:50March 17, 2004. that's something everyone
00:21:53was afraid of and something like that looked quite
00:21:57likely to happen, it hasn't happened yet, but we can never say for
00:22:01sure that it won't happen.
00:22:04I'm not interested at all,
00:22:07to tell you the truth, I'm not interested in that
00:22:10politics, it has nothing to do with it, you
00:22:14have no idea, it was expected, there's no
00:22:17doubt about it, it can even be a step forward.
00:22:22when 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
00:22:26interested in that, we're not interested in anything, we're not in politics,
00:22:30thank you,
00:22:33here you saw the reactions from The Hague, Priština and Kosovska
00:22:37Mitrovica, Sanja Sovrlić, Zanaci Mili
00:22:40and Nenad Božović reported,
00:22:43and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić says that the court did not
00:22:47deal with murders, kidnappings and disappearances. there are
00:22:50Serbs who say that the verdict in The Hague did not cover
00:22:54crimes against humanity, he says that it is of crucial
00:22:56importance for Serbia to preserve peace and stability
00:23:00and that therefore in the future the solution lies in dialogue and
00:23:04understanding. And this is a great
00:23:07lesson for us, just as it is a great indicator and a great lesson
00:23:11of the double standards and hypocrisy that prevail in the world around
00:23:14us. You can have both final and non-final verdicts,
00:23:18it makes absolutely no difference. "Serbs will always be criminals,
00:23:22all others will be liberators, heroes, champions,
00:23:26everyone will be allowed to do so, except
00:23:28Serbs. Serbs must not utter a sound, they must not raise
00:23:32their heads, because as soon as they raise
00:23:35their heads, that head, metaphorically speaking, should
00:23:38be cut off.
00:23:40And the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, regarding the decision
00:23:44of the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo, stated that verdicts
00:23:48must be respected, and that the convicted
00:23:50have the right to appeal. This is about individual responsibility and
00:23:54justice for victims and their families from all
00:23:57communities in Kosovo. I call on actors in the region to
00:24:01contribute to healing the wounds of the past, because only through
00:24:04reconciliation can the countries of the region overcome divisions and progress towards
00:24:08a common future in the European Union. Marta
00:24:11Kos stated this on network
00:24:13X.
00:24:21And the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech
00:24:25on the state of the union today, referred
00:24:28to the recent funeral of Ratko Mladić. She never
00:24:31uttered the word Serbia, nor did she mention the current government in
00:24:35Belgrade, she only mentioned the capital
00:24:37city.
00:24:41I was horrified by the photographs from the funeral of Ratko
00:24:44Mladić in Belgrade last week. He committed the most terrible
00:24:48crimes against humanity. Glorification of war criminals
00:24:51simply has no place in the European Union. All
00:24:55victims of the wars in the former Yugoslavia deserve to be
00:24:59remembered, and all their families deserve our
00:25:02compassion. Because that is precisely what we defend as
00:25:06a union, truth, justice and respect for our
00:25:09values.
00:25:18One part of the opposition interrupted the struggle for... dates for the sake of students
00:25:22and the referendum atmosphere, and the other
00:25:25part does not think about it and therefore faces
00:25:28criticism. The Republican Electoral Commission is announcing lists one
00:25:32after another, so far it has announced five, two
00:25:35of which are minority, ghosts are not yet
00:25:38present.
00:25:41The offer on the ballot is increasing. By Rick's decision,
00:25:45position 3 on it is reserved for the student list. In
00:25:48fourth place will be. the coalition of Rasim Ljajić, Good
00:25:52Day, under serial number five, the Alliance of Vojvodina
00:25:55Hungarians. The list "People's Serbia" collected
00:25:58signatures, brought them to the assignment of a serial number, and then
00:26:02withdrew from the election in favor of the students,
00:26:06they are waiting for the procedure for announcing the list to be completed so that they can
00:26:10formally withdraw. We have always been either in a large coalition supported
00:26:13by students, or we supported students, we did that this
00:26:17time too, and I think these are the most important topics that we should
00:26:21now somehow jointly form a bloc with which we will move forward. The atmosphere that has been created in Serbia
00:26:24in the last few days, especially is
00:26:27definitely a referendum atmosphere and anyone who doesn't see that is politically
00:26:31blind, we gathered... so the fastest of all, in that way they
00:26:35showed that we can, but we won't. However, the
00:26:38RIK announced. The People's Serbia is missing 67 legally valid
00:26:42voter signatures. The coalition responds, no problem,
00:26:46they will supplement, even though they are running in the elections. The European
00:26:49Serbia coalition has yet to submit signatures for verification. They still
00:26:52gather. They say the work is hampered
00:26:55by a lack of verifiers. It's not as crowded as with those lines as
00:26:59it was, but it's quite moderate. As people, we
00:27:03expected them to come, they should, I think, submit by the end of the week, unless
00:27:07of course the party's plan or our
00:27:10coalition doesn't have some other deadline. They won't
00:27:13withdraw from the race, briefly states on X one of
00:27:16the leaders of that list, Zdravko Ponoš, he didn't
00:27:20want to explain his position further to N1 because, we quote, the format
00:27:24doesn't suit him. His coalition partner Goran
00:27:27Ješić is somewhat more eloquent in his post, so along with a message to those who
00:27:31think it's better to withdraw. He criticizes journalists for asking how
00:27:34realistic that scenario is. Quite an embarrassing journalistic
00:27:38piece, but okay, somehow it's sometimes important to know that
00:27:41Dalmatians, engineers, and military personnel don't really succumb to these kinds of
00:27:45pressures. We start from bibur and push further.
00:27:49Regards. To withdraw or to stay. Difficult decisions for all
00:27:52actors, especially since pressures are rising from all sides,
00:27:55explains Professor Dušan Spasojević of the Faculty
00:27:58of Political Sciences. He assumes that those who want to fight the regime alone
00:28:02are encouraged by public opinion polls. I think that
00:28:06currently no one has a good enough measuring
00:28:09instrument to say exactly where they are, and ultimately
00:28:12the final results will probably depend on the campaign itself and
00:28:16on the dynamics within the broader opposition student
00:28:19bloc, adds Spasojević.
00:28:22Maybe it's better for opposition voters for whom
00:28:25the ideological factor is crucial to have an alternative, whether
00:28:29they are left or right in relation to students.
00:28:33N1, Belgrade.
00:28:36The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights,
00:28:39or ODIHR, opened an election observation mission
00:28:43on October 25, after an invitation from the relevant
00:28:46institutions based on the findings of the needs
00:28:50assessment mission conducted in July. The mission
00:28:54is led by Eogan Murphy, and consists of a core team of
00:28:5714 international experts based
00:29:00in Belgrade. Throughout
00:29:02the country, from September 25, 30
00:29:06long-term observers will be deployed, and ODIHR plans
00:29:09to request 300 short-term observers
00:29:12to join the mission a few days before
00:29:15the elections.
00:29:22The elections in Serbia were discussed in Washington
00:29:26in Congress at a briefing on the upcoming
00:29:29elections. What are the congressmen saying? We ask journalist from
00:29:33Washington, Jovana Đurović. Jovana, you
00:29:36followed the debate, what is the most significant thing
00:29:39you heard? Maja, the most significant thing we
00:29:43heard was from the man who convened this briefing, Republican Joe Wilson,
00:29:46who is also the sponsor of the Serbia Act. He says, although he presented
00:29:50no evidence for it, that President Aleksandar Vučić, with Russia's help,
00:29:54is trying to manipulate the elections, and that
00:29:58with, as he said, parallel lists, false identities,
00:30:01media control, for spying on the opposition
00:30:05and students, and as he says,
00:30:08Vučić is adopting Putin's modus operandi by
00:30:11moving from the position of president to the position of prime minister. Wilson
00:30:15is a Republican, which means he is opposed
00:30:19to the policy of the Republican executive branch, which
00:30:23has started a strategic dialogue with Serbia. He believes that the
00:30:26promises Serbia gives to America are hollow, because at the same time
00:30:30it is developing relations with Russia and China. That we should
00:30:33look at what Vučić is doing, not what
00:30:36he promises. We also heard from Congressman Pete Sessions, he is a Republican from
00:30:40Texas who explained why America is interested in the elections in
00:30:43Serbia, ultimately because America needs an ally in the Balkans
00:30:47who is Western-oriented and democratically structured. We also heard from three
00:30:51panelists from the non-governmental sector, Ivana Stradner, Reuf Bajrović, and
00:30:54American expert Luke Coffey, who spoke from their various perspectives about
00:30:58Serbia and the region.