Balkans

US Urges Solution to Albania Political Crises

US Ambassador in Tirana John L Withers called on Prime Minister Sali Berisha and opposition leader Edi Rama to find common ground and resolve the politcal row that has engulfed the country since the 28 June parliamentary elections. “Our position (on the parliamentary boycott) is that it would really be …

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“Balkans – hub of war profiteers”

“Not a single war crime I have processed so far was committed without a robbery,” says Serbia’s War Crime Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević. In an article published by Belgrade daily Danas, Vukčević stressed that war crimes and organized crime were “two faces of the same freak”.

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Plavsic’s Welcome Provokes Outrage

The official welcome offered to Biljana Plavsic, recently released from prison having being convicted for war crimes by the UN’s War Crimes Tribunal, in the Serb-dominated part of Bosnia Republika Srpska has sparked outrage, prompting some victims of the country’s 1992-95 war to accuse Bosnian Serb leadership of fascism. “Unfortunately, …

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Tadić, Berlusconi open Serbia-Italy summit

President Boris Tadić says he has received support from Italy for Greek PM Giorgios Papandreu’s plan to have all Western Balkan countries in EU in 2014. “Serbia considers EU membership to be an irreplaceable strategic goal and we expect that the Greek plan and the plan of its prime minister, …

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Sejdiu calls on Kosovo Serbs to vote

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu has called on the Kosovo Serbs to vote in the local elections scheduled for Nov. 15. “I once again call on representatives of all communities, in this case the Serb community as well, to be active in this process, which primarily concerns the exercising of their …

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Greece: Name with geographic qualifier in relation to everyone

Greece’s representative made it clear to the UN envoy that there can be no launch of Macedonia’s EU accession talks without prior resolution of the long-running issue over the name. UN mediator on the name issue Matthew Nimetz had a working dinner with Greece’s negotiator Adamantios Vassilakis on Thursday evening. …

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Montenegro to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo

Montenegro’s government will soon establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo. Gjukanovic said that recognizing Kosovo independence urges Montenegro’s Foreign Ministry to establish complete diplomatic relations and ambassador exchange. He said that complete establishment of diplomatic relations between Podgorica and Pristina won’t worsen Montenegro and Serbia diplomatic relations.

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Bulgaria’s ambassador to Turkey resigns

Bulgaria’s ambassador to Turkey, Branimir Mladenov, has filed his resignation, Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying on November 13 2009. The resignation comes a week after Foreign Minister Roumyana Zheleva and the Cabinet asked President Georgi Purvanov to recall Mladenov and Bulgaria’s ambassador to the US, …

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