Balkans

The demand for Serbia to abandon its institutions in Serb areas of Kosovo, described as “parallel”, is not acceptable, Serbian President Boris Tadić says. The demand was heard from visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this week, and was made in the context of Serbia’s further EU integration. But he …

Kosovo MP Fatmir Limaj has pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes committed during the 1999 Kosovo war. Limaj and another nine others pleaded not guilty at the first day of the trial which started on Wednesday.

Wartime Bosnian Serb commander general Ratko Mandic was given six days by the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on Thursday to answer prosecution’s demand to split his indictment in order to speed up the trial.

Serbia will on Monday ask the UN Security Council to condemn the unilateral use of force by the Kosovo Albanian authorities in northern, Serb areas of Kosovo. This is according to Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, who spoke in Banja Luka, RS, on Thursday.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Serbian President Boris Tadic will attend together the joint anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) drills of the Bulgarian and Serbian armed forces in Shabla.

Hague indictee Ratko Mladić should on Wednesday appear before the Hague Tribunal for the first time with recently appointed defense counsel Branko Lukić. It is expected that Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz’s proposal to hold two separate trials will be discussed. According to the proposal, the former Bosnian Serb commander would …

Croatian PM’s first visit to Kosovo on Wednesday sees warm words and two agreements signed on European integration and transport. Leaders of Kosovo and Croatia pledged to deepen ties between their two countries on the occasion of the visit to Pristina of the Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor.

Serbian Foreign Ministry’s Foreign Policy Council President Sonja Liht said Thursday she believed Serbia would get the EU candidate status. She said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statements during her recent visit to Belgrade constituted a list of wishes, some of which could be fulfilled, while others

New Macedonian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Poposki is expected in Sofia September 1 on a visit that it is hoped will warm up tense relation between the two neighbors. The first international visits of Minister Poposki will be in the Balkan countries of Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro.

Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović said on Wednesday that Serbia will continue to perform its functions in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. The country “will not give up on its institutions in that territory”, the minister was quoted as saying.