Balkans

Macedonia Presidency Grumbles Over Residence

Three months from a deadline for the completion of Macedonia’s new presidential residence, President Branko Crvenkovski’s cabinet is accusing the government of deliberate delays to the works. The president, who previously led the opposition Social Democrats, has in recent months clashed publicly with the current government led by the centre-right …

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Turkey To Back Kosovo In International Arena

urkey will support Kosovo within the United Nations when it becomes a temporary member of the Security Council in January 2009, a senior Turkish official said. “From the beginning of 2009, Turkey will be a temporary member of the UN Security Council … and wishes that Kosovo become a member …

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US Convicts Brothers Of Foiled Attack Plot

A United States court found the three brothers Dritan, Shain and Elvir Duka, ethnic Albanians born in western Macedonia, guilty of a conspiracy to kill U.S. soldiers at the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey last year, local media said on Tuesday. A Jordanian-born and a Turkish-born U.S. citizen …

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Czechs Might Pull Troops From Kosovo

The Czech Republic is considering withdrawing its troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, due to opposition objections in Prague over the country’s presence in military missions abroad. The some 400 Czech soldiers serving in Kosovo play a major role in KFOR operations as they operate along the border …

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Cause of Fire in Bosnia Mosque Disputed

n independent expert has disputed the conclusion of the official investigation, saying the mosque in the village of Fazlagica Kula was not razed by accident but in “professionally planed and executed” arson attack. “Our suspicions have been confirmed because the findings of this expert are completely different from the findings …

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Serb Politicians Flaunt Presence in Kosovo

Two Serbian ministers cut the ribbon in a post office in the Kosovo town of Gracanica on Monday, a move meant to showcase Belgrade’s hold on Serb areas of its former province. Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic, and minister for Local Government Milan Markovic, did not inform Kosovo’s Albanian …

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Kosovo threatens to ban products from Serbia

MERDARE, Kosovo (Reuters) – Kosovo threatened on Tuesday to ban products coming from Serbia if Belgrade does not reverse its policy of blocking goods that carry a customs stamp from its former province. Since early December, Serbia has refused to allow in products with labels reading “Customs of Kosovo” because …

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Students march, gunman shoots police bus in Greece

ATHENS (Reuters) – Hundreds of anarchists marched through Athens on Tuesday hours after a gunman opened fire at a riot police bus, in a third week of anti-government protests since police shot dead a teenager. Police said the unidentified gunman shot at the bus carrying 19 officers when it stopped …

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First Greece-Macedonia Court Hearing in Jan

The first official meeting of Macedonian and Greek representatives at the World Court over Skopje’s suit against Athens is to be held on January 19, Macedonia’s Foreign Ministry says. The International Court of Justice has already notified both countries’ foreign ministries. The meeting will focus on procedural issues regarding the …

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EULEX ‘Must Probe Ethnic Crimes in Kosovo’

The EU’s law-and-order mission in Kosovo, EULEX should urgently probe cases of ethnically-motivated crimes and improve the justice system, argues Human Rights Watch. The letter by the New York-based organisation was sent to EULEX chief, Yves de Kermabon. “Progress on prosecutions linked to the March 2004 riots and prosecutions for …

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