Balkan News

Government donations of state-owned land to the country’s two leading religious communities to erect a church and a mosque in Skopje will fail in the Constitutional Court, law experts warn. The move represents an attempt to indirectly finance religious communities and contradicts the secular character of the state, they say.

Macedonian top officials late Wednesday held a meeting to discuss the latest talks with the UN “name” row mediator Matthew Nimetz, reiterating that any possible compromise with Greece over Macedonia’s name would have to be supported by the public. The meeting, summoned by Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, was attended by …

The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, yesterday rejected a motion from former Bosnian Serb leader and war crimes indictee Radovan Karadzic to drop war crimes charges against him. The Tribunal determined that regardless whether there was an agreement for immunity from prosecution for Radovan Karadzic, such …

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic said in an interview on Croatian Television, HRT, Tuesday evening, that the program of new Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor cabinet should be modernized and that it will only survive if it makes some drastic cuts. “Things that have been said in parliament and things that the …

ZAGREB, Croatia Following lengthy debate, parliament approved late Monday (July 6th) the new cabinet that will be led by Jadranka Kosor, of the senior ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

NKARA, Turkey Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called on Turkish authorities on Monday (July 6th) to re-open the Greek Orthodox Seminary on the island of Heybeliada (Halki in Greek), in a bid to strengthen religious freedoms and minority rights. His comment followed talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.

TIRANA, Albania The High Court in Tirana on Monday (July 6th) again postponed the trial of former Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu who faces charges of abuse of power. Mediu’s lawyers failed to appear in court, blaming the temporary closure of a tunnel along the Durres-Kukes Highway. Prosecutors say the tunnel …

PRISTINA, Kosovo Officials in Pristina on Monday (July 6th) welcomed the European Commission (EC) decision that visa liberalisation should apply only to citizens with exact addresses within Serbia, and not citizens living on Kosovo’s territory. Therefore, Kosovo residents holding Serbian biometric passports will not benefit from Serbia’s visa liberalisation with …

SKOPJE, Macedonia The UN mediator in the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece, Matthew Nimetz, arrived on a two-day visit to Skopje on Monday (July 6th) and met with Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki. Joining them was Macedonia’s representative in the name talks, Zoran Jolevski.

PRISTINA, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci announced on Monday (July 6th) that the government has allocated 300,000 euros for reconstruction of houses belonging to all communities in Mitrovica. He described the return of citizens to their property as a legitimate right of everyone and said rebuilding homes has created a …