Balkans

The Hague Tribunal, ICTY, has passed non-guilty verdict in the retrial of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and two more ex Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, commanders.Haradinaj, former Prime Minister of Kosovo, and his two co-defendants, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj, are acquitted of all charges of committing war crimes …

Albanians will one day live in united state, as that is God’s will, the head of Macedonia’s Islamic Religious Community, IVZ, Sulejman Rexhepi, has told an interviewer.Macedonian leaders have condemned the the country’s leading Muslim cleric for calling for a pan-Albanian state. Speaking to an Albanian-language newspaper, Zhurnal Plus, Rexhepi …

Serbian Prime Minister says Serbia may still get a date to start EU accession talks this year, but it might not happen until 2014.Ivica Dacic said that Serbia could still get a date for a start to EU accession talks in the first half of 2013 if the European Council …

Federation entity Premier Nermin Niksic said he may dismiss eight ministers who did not show up at Wednesday’s government session, which thus failed to adopt a 2013 budget.The entity Prime Minister, Nermin Niksic, of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, said he might dismiss eight of his 14 ministers for not …

The lustration process is being conducted contrary to Constitutional Court rulings and is violating human rights, a round table in Skopje organized by the Open Society-Macedonia foundation heard.“Lustration is hampering human rights and undermining [Macedonia’s] security system” by exposing an informants’ network, Vladimir Pivovoarov, a law professor at FON University, …

Order to place picture of President Nikolic on embassy walls draws mocking response from some at home.Serbia’s Foreign Ministry has told embassies and diplomatic missions across the world to place a photograph of President Tomislav Nikolic on an appropriate wall. “We inform you that it is necessary that in appropriate …

Following criticism of the idea, the Albanian government has shelved plans to slaughter 1,000 lambs to mark the 100th independence anniversary on Wednesday.The idea for a mass slaughter of lambs was proposed by the Prime Minister, Sali Berisha. But it does not appear in the official calendar of festivities published …

Following the condemnation by the Kosovar government of Fatmir Limaj’s detention, EU says that political interference in judicial processes in unacceptable.According to Michael Mann, Chief Spokesperson for EU High Representative, Catherine Ashton, current political interference in the judicial processes in Kosovo is unacceptable. “EULEX [EU Rule of Law Mission to …

Over 700 Romanian children have been adopted so far in 2012, while some 1,200 families have been cleared for adoption in the country, officials have announced.Romania eased adoption regulations in April, following adoption of a new law aimed at encouraging more adoptions. The goal is to slash the number of …

Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State and Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ivica Dacic, agreed on the need to continue EU-led Belgrade-Pristina talks.As part of a regular working visit to the Balkans, Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State Philip Reeker met with Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic in Belgrade on Tuesday to …