Balkans

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.

BELGRADE, Serbia — The government endorsed an initiative Friday (May 25th) to open new negotiations on Kosovo’s future status and forwarded it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Belgrade is proposing new talks since the previous ones, which took place from February 2006 to March 2007, failed to result in a …

FOCA, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) — Bosnian Serb convict Radovan Stankovic, sentenced to 20 years for war crimes, escaped from custody in the eastern Bosnian town of Foca on Friday (May 25th).

Aflat la cel de-al 14-lea summit al ÅŸefilor de stat din centrul Europei, care s-a desfăşurat la Brno, preÅŸedintele Traian Băsescu a cerut solidarizarea statelor europene pentru limitarea ambiÅ£iilor monopoliste în ceea ce priveÅŸte alimentarea cu energie. ÃŽn plus, preÅŸedintele Băsescu a pledat pentru ca Republica Moldova să intre în …

Radovan Stankovic, a convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal escaped from jail in eastern Bosnian town of Foca on Friday. Stankovic was sentenced in November 2006 to 16 years in prison for his part in the war crimes committed against the Bosnian Muslims between 1992-95 by Christian Serbian invaders and terrorists’ …

BUCHAREST, Romania — President Traian Basescu invited all parties in Parliament and groups representing minorities to begin discussing issues of national interest on Thursday (May 24th). He said a meeting will be held on Monday to discuss changing elections-related legislation and introducing a majority voting system, amending the constitution and …

BRUSSELS, Belgium — EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn met with Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha in Brussels on Thursday (May 24th) and said that the various political parties must find a presidential candidate all can support, while working together on electoral reform. Berisha agreed, saying, “It is possible to choose …