Balkans

Sarajevo – A man was arrested in northwestern Bosnia in relation to last week’s assassination of Croatian newspaper editor Ivo Pukanic and his marketing chief, Niko Franjic.

Skopje – Macedonia’s banking system remains stable and continues its dynamic growth, the National Bank of Macedonia said on Thursday, pointing to a rise in banks’ assets and profits in the first months of this year.

Pristina – Brussels has no doubts that the EU’s law-and-order mission, EULEX, will be operational in December, says the spokeswoman for the bloc’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Pristina – Five people suffered minor injuries during clashes between Serbs and Albanians on Thursday in the northern part of Mitrovica, Kosovo’s Police Forces said.

Skopje – The United States will continue to support the UN’s efforts to reach a settlement between Macedonia and Greece on the `name’ row, the US State Department reiterated on Thursday.

Belgrade _ The Serbian government wants to delay the sale of its Naftna Industrija Srbije, NIS, oil industry to Russian gas giant OAO Gazprom until the end of 2009, amid uncertainties over how the buyer plans to provide the €500 million in the overhaul of the company, Belgrade-based Politika daily …

Pristina – Albania hopes Malaysia will soon recognise Kosovo’s independence, contributing to preserving peace and stability in the region, media in Kuala Lumpur report.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Relations between Bosnia’s Serb and Muslim-Croat halves are more poisoned today than at any time since the 1992-95 war, according to the architect of the Bosnian peace accords, who also regretted a flaw in the deal he crafted.

Zagreb – Croatia has launched special courts, pledged improved witness protection and to rebuild the police force in an offensive against organised crime after last week’s murder of a journalist.

Sarajevo – Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity has launched preparations for a census after Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croat lawmakers blocked the staging of a disputed nationwide census.