Balkans

MITROVICA, Kosovo, Serbia — France’s new defence minister, Herve Morin, was in Kosovo on Monday (May 28th), visiting the 2,800 French troops deployed in Mitrovica as part of KFOR. Saying the status quo is not sustainable, Morin called for a solution that offers a peaceful future to its public. Later …

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) — Several BiH politicians rejected the possibility Monday (May 28th) of removing Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik from office for blocking key constitutional and police reforms. The Stratfor intelligence agency says Dodik alienated US officials, including Ambassador to BiH Douglas McElhaney, during talks …

BELGRADE, Serbia — The trial of a group dubbed “the road mafia gang” opened at the Belgrade special court for organised crime on Monday (May 28th). The case involves 53 former officials, including top management of the state company Serbia Roads, who allegedly electronically diverted road tolls. Damages are estimated …

BUCHAREST, Romania — Justice Minister Tudor Chiuariu said on Monday (May 28th) that he would submit to the government draft changes to the recently adopted law establishing the National Integrity Agency (ANI), aimed at bringing more cases under ANI’s supervision. The law, passed by Parliament earlier this month, envisions ANI …

Russia, the EU and the United States have reached a compromise that could help remove a key obstacle to determining Kosovo’s final status, according to a report in a major Croatian daily on Monday (May 28th).

In an unprecedented milestone for Romanian cinema, Cristian Mungiu has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His movie “Four Months, Three Weeks and Two Days” beat out 21 other feature films, directed by such luminaries as the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino and Emir Kusturica.

Former Bulgarian President Peter Stoyanov resigned as leader of the right-wing opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) on Tuesday (May 22nd), two days after his party suffered a crushing defeat in Bulgaria’s first European Parliament (EP) elections. He was the second rightist leader to step down in as many days, …

Twenty-one Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) nations participated in a NATO-led exercise, IDASSA 2007, which took place last week in the coastal areas near the Croatian city of Zadar. The event provided an opportunity for the countries to test their equipment, expertise and preparedness.

The slander trial against five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor ended on Sunday (May 27th) with a Libyan court dismissing the charges against the medics, who already face death sentences for allegedly infecting 426 Libyan children with the virus that causes AIDS.

ANKARA, Turkey — As expected, outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoed a constitutional amendment Friday (May 25th) that would that would have allowed the president to be elected by the people instead of by Parliament.