Balkans

PODGORICA, Montenegro Serbia’s initiative to open three consulates in Montenegro should be decided on in direct talks between the two countries’ leaderships. This is according to a Podgorica-based Vijesti daily report, which quoted Montenegrin Foreign Ministry officials. Vijesti wrote that the official Belgrade was informed of the stand of the …

ZAGREB, Croatia Milan Španović, accused on committing war crimes in 1991 in the Glina area, has been extradited to Croatia, media in that country say. According to this, he arrived in Croatia on a flight from Britain accompanied by British police and is now in the Sisak prison. In 1994, …

TIRANA, Albania Albanian PM Sali Berisha’s statement about the need to “integrate Albanians” is not tantamount to provoking Belgrade, said the Foreign Ministry in Tirana. “This is not a case of provoking Serbia. The cooperation of the republic of Albania and the republic of Kosovo is quite natural and has …

CROATIA I’ve been in prison for Croatia and took so many risks than all priests will ever do. Stjepan Mesic said that the conflict with the Catholic Church went too far and took a wrong direction, Nova TV reported. Why priests are bigger Croatians than I am? Mesic asked and …

BULGARIA President Georgi Purvanov conferred the Stara Planina, first class, on outgoing Finnish ambassador to Bulgaria Kauko Jämsén. He received the highest Bulgarian state honour for his extraordinary contribution to the development of Bulgarian-Finnish relations and trade. Trade between the two countries more than tripled over the past four years, …

BiH The judge indicates that the Radovan Karadzic case is “ready for trial”, though he declines to set a date for the trial to begin. Iain Bonomy said that the Radovan Karadzic case is “ready for trial” and that he will inform the Court President of this. However, a date …

SKOPJE, Macedonia Today, Zoran Jolevski, Macedonia’s negotiator in the Athens-Skopje name talks, is expected to give his country’s response to the latest set of proposals tabled by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz. On Wednesday, Greece said that it would not accept the latest Nimetz proposals if a compromise formulation of Macedonia’s …

PRISTINA, Kosovo The EU rule of law mission, EULEX, cannot and will not sign any agreement in the name of Kosovo, EULEX head Yves De Kermabon said on Thursday. Kermabon was speaking after a meeting with Kosovo’s President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. “EULEX, as a technical rule …

BELGRADE, Serbia Russian ambassador in Belgrade Aleksandr Konuzin said that a series of strategic agreements will be signed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit. A representative delegation will be accompanying Medvedev during his first trip to Serbia, expected in late October. The visit is expected to include discussions on a …

THE HAGUE, Holland Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić said on Tuesday that he did not regret his role in the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and that his conscience was clear. Karadžić, who is being tried on war crimes and genocide charges by the UN tribunal in The Hague, added that …