U.S. strike with <x0bolist black”, the bell falls for Vuciqi

The United States sent a warning message to Serbia, sending official Paul Ahern to a <x0urne” in the Western Balkans, during which it was discussed American sanctions on several individuals, so that several others close to Serbian authorities be included in the Serbian “blacklist, alongside Zvonko Veselinovic, criminal businessman from Kosovo's north, and Milan Radoisic, deputy chairman of the Serbian List.

That is how some analysts in Serbia interpret the visit of a senior American official to the Western Balkan region, during which he stayed in Belgrade last days and met with Serbian government officials, the newspaper Express broadcast.

During a three-day visit to Belgrade, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Commander Paul Ahern spoke about the matter of sanctions, stressing that “idives and companies subject to sanctions must take responsibility and their activities should be stopped”.

Ahern added that “President Biden has made it clear that fighting corruption is the top priority for the United States” and that “will continue to require accounts of corruption protagonists wherever there are”.

In addition to the official statement that sanctions have been discussed, diplomatic circles are said unofficially that Serbian authorities between lines have been told such sanctions could hit several other people close to Aleksandar Vucinqi's Serbian Progressive Party, if Belgrade fails to heed all messages from the United States on politics in the region, the Express broadcasts.

According to various sources of “Danas”, Bosnia and Herzegovina will at present be under a “the largest” from America, because Aern himself declared a possible tighten of sanctions for BiH, and the US, as well as the rest of the international community, see the situation in BiH as a major threat to the stability of the region.

Ivan Vujaciq, former ambassador of Serbia to the United States, told “Dianas” that such a scenario is “ably possible” and that he assumes sanctions will affect not only Kosovo, but Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The “Authority in Belgrade should take this message seriously. I'm sure more things have been said that will not be made public on the subject of sanctions. Obviously, I would not be surprised if local officials were to be told that a list of several other names would soon be published and that it had been announced in advance, not to be surprised”, Vujaciq points out.

He explained it is not surprising that sanctions were the subject of Ahern's visit because OFAC's office, which deals with freezing people's funds worldwide that are on the list of American sanctions, is under the authority of the US Treasury and State Department.

“On the other hand, they have a special man who deals with sanctions in co-ordination with the State Department, called James O'Brien, who was deeply involved in our crisis and thereafter was in the Albright” group, he stressed.

Nathan Albahari, International Secretary of the Free Citizens' Movement, told “Danas” that the opposition in Serbia has been warning for years that there is a direct link between Radoichi and Veselinovic with Serbian Progressive Party and President Aleksandar Vuciq, and that US sanctions against Veselinovic and Radojic are the strongest signal so far that the Biden Administration will deal seriously with the Western Balkans and Serbia.

These sanctions are a warning to Vuciqi that he cannot hide his ties with criminals, nor the money he has received from them. Although we can hear that relations between the US and Serbia are on the rise, this movement, as well as no invitations and only later the approval of Serbia to participate in the Biden-organised Democracy Summit, makes it clear to Vuciqi that “carte blanche” that it had completed during the administration of Trump”, Albahari said.

He also expects additional sanctions and warnings in the future, because the United States wants measurable results in fighting corruption, and on the other hand, “Wucciq could hardly give up his closest associates, or improve the situation in the required areas, because it would lead to his accelerated fall from power”, he concludes.