Balkans

War crimes suspect Ratko Mladic appeared before the UN war crimes court in the Hague for the first time on Friday, telling judges that he is a “gravely ill man”. “I defended my country and my people,” Mladic said defiantly at the end of Friday’s initial hearing. He repeated

Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, has said that his office does not plan to expand the indictment against Mladic to include crimes committed in Croatia allegedly by troops under his command, including killings in Skabrnja in November 1991.

Serbian President Boris Tadič has said that “unconventional” moves were necessary in Serbia’s policy toward Kosovo. That would provide a chance “for a new solution”, he said. Tadić also believes that the way in which official Belgrade treated Kosovo in the past was “contrary to the interests of Serbia and …

“A name with a geographic term is an acceptable solution for Greece for the name dispute with Macedonia”, said Greek foreign minister Dimitris Droutsas. He added

President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy will meet Serbian President Boris Tadić in Brussels on June 6. Tadić and Rompuy will have talks on the very same day when ICTY Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is due

Serbian President Boris Tadić said that he hoped the EU would set a date for the beginning of accession negotiations for early 2012. According to him, Serbia is not asking for a special treatment from the EU and expects to be treated exactly as Croatia, which obtained the EU candidate …

The International Monetary Fund has suspended its 2011 Stand-by Agreement with Kosovo, after Pristina breached the deal by implementing pay raises. The 18-month-deal would have provided Kosovo with 87 million euros in soft loans from the IMF plus another 100 million euros from the European Commission, pledged at a 2008

The parliament in Bosnia’s predominantly Serb entity has formally dropped a plan to hold a controversial referendum on the state court. The National Assembly of Republika Srpska, RSNA, passed a decision to repeal the

Serbian President Boris Tadić reiterated on Tuesday that Serbia was seeking and expected to be given a date for the start of accession talks with the European Union. “As far as our progress toward the EU is concerned, we are seeking and expecting a date for the start of talks …

War crimes suspect Ratko Mladic will make his first appearance before the UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague on Friday at 10am. Mladic was placed in an isolation cell at the Hague Tribunal’s detention unit on Tuesday night as he awaited medical exams before his initial appearance in front …