Balkans

Croatia’s leader Ivo Josipovic and Bosnia’s refugees minister Damir Ljubic both called for displaced Bosnians to go back to their pre-war homes.”I want everybody to go back to his home and integrate again into the society in which he lived before the war,” Josipovic said after meeting Ljubic in Zagreb …

Belgrade says the Hague Tribunal will examine whether it can re-open the case against two Croatian generals acquitted of war crimes.Serbia’s justice minister Nikola Selakovic said during a visit to The Hague on Thursday that Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, …

At least one Romanian is among the hostages kidnapped and feared killed by Islamic militants in southern Algeria.Romania’s Foreign Minister confirmed on Thursday that at least one Romanian citizen was among the 41 foreigners taken hostage at a British-Norwegian gas plant in Algeria in retaliation to French military intervention in …

Wednesday’s meeting between the Croatian and Serbian prime ministers raised hopes that counter-claims of genocide will be abandoned, a European Parliament rapporteur said.Zagreb and Belgrade should not ignore problems caused by their conflicts in the 1990s but try to solve them through dialogue, said the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, …

Athens and Skopje have given a cautious welcome to a proposal from EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule to hold talks over the Macedonia ‘name’ dispute.“Greece is not opposed to meetings in principle, under the condition that there be good preparation and, mainly, that a substantial result be ensured,” said Greek …

Tomslav Nikolic says Serbia has no intention of allowing Kosovo to obtain a seat at the United Nations.Speaking on Wednesday, President Nikolic said that Serbia would not allow Kosovo to join UN and the issue would stay off the table at upcoming EU-led Belgrade-Pristina talks. “If it was acceptable, I …

Mirela Mishgjoni, a criminal judge in the city of Vlora, suffered injuries to her face after an unknown suspect sprinkled her with a medical acid compound on Tuesday.Mishgjoni was attacked as she left her apartment for work and has been recovering in Vlora’s regional hospital. Judges in the city of …

Opposition Social Democrats threaten to intensify road blockades after Friday, if the government has not by then accepted their terms for taking part in the next elections.If the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski does not show real interest in dialogue by Friday, the opposition says its supporters will increase …

The Austrian company is to start construction of a factory in the town of Subotica in northern Serbia in June.The construction of the new Swarovski factory will start in June and should be complete by late 2014, Mladjan Dinkic, Serbia’s finance minister, said on January 16, after meeting Swarovski managers …

Belgrade warned it could deploy police to help remove the memorial to ethnic Albanian fighters in south Serbia but local authorities vowed to legally resist.Serbia’s justice ministry said on Wednesday that the deadline to take down the controversial monument in the town of Presevo had already passed at midnight the …