Balkan News

US, EU renew calls for fair elections in Albania

TIRANA, Albania The United States and the EU on Friday (June 19th) once again called on Albania to hold free and fair elections to boost its chances for closer ties with the West, media reported. In a statement, the US Embassy in Tirana said next week’s elections will test the …

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Greece inaugurates new Acropolis Museum

ATHENS, Greece The long-awaited new Acropolis Museum was officially inaugurated on Saturday (June 20th) at a ceremony in Athens. Greece’s political leaders and hundreds of foreign dignitaries, artists and academics attended the ceremony. The museum was intended to open in time for the 2004 Athens Olympics, but technical and bureaucratic …

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Paramilitaries Get 15 – 20 Years for Kosovo Crimes

Three Scorpions paramilitaries have been sentenced to serve up to 20 years in prison for killing 14 civillians in Podujevo, near Pristina, in March 1999. The verdict, handed down yesterday at the Belgrade District Court War Crimes Chamber, sentenced Zeljko Djukic, Dragan Medic, and Dragan Borojevic to 20 years, and …

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Serbia Pulled Off EU Summit Agenda

Talks surrounding Serbia’s European future were withdrawn at the last minute from this week’s EU Summit agenda in Brussels. Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission President had no comments or information for journalists about the talks and if Serbia had made it on the agenda. Other topics at the press conference …

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Summit of Leaders Under Way in Novi Sad

Fourteen presidents are taking part in a summit of Central and South-East European heads of state in Novi Sad to discuss issues integral to the region. Today’s plenary session will tackle the economy, energy and European integration. Serbian bilateral meetings are taking place as President Boris Tadic met last night …

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UN to Solve Serbian Refugee Crisis

The UNHCR has identified Serbia as one of the top five countries with a recurring refugee crisis. At a UNHCR meeting held in Vienna today, Serbia’s UNHCR representative Lennart Kotsalainen stated that fourteen years after the war in the Balkans, “a great number of refugees still live in Serbia, which …

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Albania Invites Macedonia and Kosovo

Albania’s President Bamir Topi has invited the presidents of neighboring Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro to visit his country next week. Topi is to host Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov, Kosovo’s Fatmir Sejdiu and Montenegro’s Filip Vujanovic in the town of Vlora. They are expected to discuss regional issues, according to Macedonia’s …

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Slovenia, Croatia Talks Break Down

Talks aimed at settling a border dispute between Slovenia and Croatia broke down on Thursday, raising doubts over Croatia’s bid to complete its EU accession talks by the year’s end. EU-member Slovenia has blocked progress in Zagreb’s accession talks due to a land and sea border dispute dating to the …

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EU, Croatia and Slovenia launch new round of talks on border dispute

BRUSSELS, Belgium A new round of talks including Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, his Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will be held on Wednesday (June 17th) in Brussels in a last-ditch effort to find a solution to the border dispute that is blocking Croatia’s EU …

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Serbia denies negotiations on Mladic arrest

BELGRADE, Serbia Rasim Ljajic, head of Serbia’s National Council for Co-operation with The Hague war crimes tribunal (ICTY), rejected Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) media reports Tuesday (June 16th) that alleged it has been holding negotiations on the arrest of war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic.

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