Balkans

in Croatia’s EU accession negotiations, leaving Zagreb with a total of 13 blocked chapters. Slovenia failed to give Croatia the green light for closing a chapter on statistics, citing the two countries’ unresolved territorial disputes, Croatia’s HINA news agency reported.

Serbia’s war Crimes Court on Tuesday sentenced a Croatian Serb to 20 years in prison for killing Croat prisoners of war in the eastern Croatian city of Vukovar in 1991. Damir Sireta, alias Sico, was indicted for taking part in the killing of some 200 Croatian soldiers and civilians at …

Former Yugoslav Army general and convicted war criminal Mile Mrksic has concluded his five-day-long testimony as a witness for the defence of Croatian General Ante Gotovina, accused of deporting Serbs from Knin Krajina in 1995 under Operation Storm. Mrksic had initially refused to testify, but was subpoenaed by the court, …

The first Japanese ambassador to Kosovo, Akio Tanaka, is preparing to take up his post in the newly independent nation. In a Wednesday letter to Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, Japanese diplomat Akio Tanaka said he was honored to assume the post and vowed Japan’s continued support. Serbia’s Beta news agency …

In the latest scene of Bosnia’s political farce, Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko uses his powers to abolish a Bosnian Serb declaration and the curtains begin to draw on the country’s EU aspirations, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. has adopted a tough stance against Bosnian nationalist leaders by using …

Serbian President Boris Tadic has issued a strong statement of support for the Bosnian Serb leadership in a joint condemnation of Bosnia’s top western envoy, who has moved to abolish a Bosnian Serb declaration challenging his powers. Bosnian Serb leaders continue to contemplate their response to Bosnia’s High Representative Valentin …

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has put on hold Bosnia’s €1.2 billion stand-by arrangement after the country failed to implement the agreed cuts to its ‘excessive’ public spending. The next round of negotiations could start in September, but only if Bosnia and Herzegovina goes back to the initial agreement and …

Defence experts believe that NATO’s draw-down of troops in Kosovo is linked to the alliance’s expanding operations in Afghanistan. NATO defence ministers agreed earlier this month to reduce the KFOR troop presence in Kosovo, taking into account the steady improvement of the security situation there. NATO is expected to cut …

Monday’s round of resumed “name” talks between Macedonia and Greece in Geneva produced no fresh proposals for name and no real progress, but both sides demonstrated a willingness to find a solution, the UN mediator said. Speaking at a press conference following the meeting, mediator Matthew Nimetz said that the …

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu has received a letter from French President Nikolas Sarkozy, reaffirming France’s support for the country. The Monday letter began with words of acknowledgment of Kosovo’s progress since its unilateral declaration of independence in February last year, stating that “in the year and a half since declaring …