Monthly Archives: May 2009

Montenegro’s Djukanovic formally tapped for another term in office

PODGORICA, Montenegro President Filip Vujanovic formally proposed that incumbent Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic serve a sixth term Thursday (May 7th). According to Vujanovic, Djukanovic is the best person to lead Montenegro through the economic crisis and guide it to its ultimate goal of EU membership. The coalition led by Djukanovic’s …

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Albania’s Basha promises support to immigrants in Greece

TIRANA, Albania Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha on Thursday (May 7th) promised government support to Albanian immigrants living in Greece. Meeting with their representatives in Tirana, Basha stressed that the government expects to reach an agreement soon with Athens authorities regarding social insurance and pensions for Albanian immigrants in Greece. Other …

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EULEX chief de Kermabon voices support for returnees

PRISTINA, Kosovo EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon said Thursday (May 7th) that it is everyone’s right to return to their homes. His comment came during a meeting with Mitrovica Mayor Bajram Rexhepi, in which they discussed the political and security situation in the divided city. Serbs have been protesting this …

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Opposition agrees to talks with Georgia government

TBILISI Georgia’s opposition agreed to talks with the government yesterday after month-long street protests spilled over into violence in the former Soviet republic, the focus of tensions between the West and Russia. The agreement followed the intervention of Georgia’s influential Orthodox Church leader and an appeal from the European Union …

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EU Ambassadors: Corruption Remains Huge Issue for Bulgaria

Political corruption remains a huge problem for Bulgaria while the country cannot benefit from its EU membership and European topics are absent from the public dialogue. These are some of the opinions voiced Friday by European Union (EU) Member States’ Ambassadors to Bulgaria and other diplomats.

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EULEX Praised for ‘Firm’ Handling of Northern Clashes

Ambassadors negotiating political settlement to end protests in Mitrovica. Senior diplomats and analysts have praised EULEX’s handling of its first major challenge in northern Kosovo. The EU rule-of-law mission has used tear gas and, on one occasion, used stun grenades against Serbian protesters opposed to the reconstruction of Albanian homes …

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Bosnian Serbs Called Off from NATO Drill

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik caused a new diplomatic and political scandal, by calling off ethnic Serb soldiers from NATO exercises in Georgia, local media reported on Friday. “Bosnia and Herzegovina has no reason to participate in this (exercise),” Dodik, who is Premier of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika …

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Serbia Hotly Debates Kosovo’s IMF Membership

The prospect of Kosovo’s acceptance into the International Monetary Fund is raising some awkward questions in Serbia, and has precipitated debate within the country about the fate of the former province’s debt. The countries that made up the former Yugoslavia have divided up the debt, including IMF obligations, as well …

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