Balkans

NEW YORK, United States Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and Justice Minister Ivan Simonovic met on Wednesday (June 3rd) in New York with Hague tribunal chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz, and court President Patrick Robinson.

BELGRADE, Serbia US Ambassador to Belgrade Cameron Munter says his country considers Serbia to be co-operating with The Hague war crimes tribunal and has told The Netherlands this. The Dutch government has long refused to advance Serbia’s EU accession process, until it arrests war crimes indictee Ratko Mladic.

THE HAGUE, The Netherlands The UN war crimes tribunal on Wednesday (June 3rd) expressed disappointment over the unwillingness of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to testify in proceedings against former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.

ATHENS, Greece The foreign ministers of Russia and the 28 NATO member-states will meet on June 27th on the Greek island of Corfu, NATO Spokesman James Appathurai announced on Wednesday (June 3rd). The meeting of the NATO-Russia Council was supposed to take place on May 20th in Brussels. Russia cancelled …

TIRANA, Albania About 60 tonnes of crude oil was dumped into a channel that connects the coast of Vlora with the Ionian Sea, causing significant environmental damage, police said Wednesday (June 3rd). Three people were arrested, including the head of the Arkand Junior company. Investigators say the material was intentionally …

SOFIA. There is no reason for panic and concern over the next weeks, Economy and Energy Minister Petar Mutafchiev said in reference to the risks for new gas crisis. There are more than 500 mln m3 of gas in Chiren gas depot. We can supply the country with 4 mln …

Belgrade’s Blic daily newspaper reveals the personal insights and damning details of the diary of Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic, which has been handed over to the Hague Tribunal. Blic daily was apprised of some of the content of the diary by unnamed sources and published those insights on …

Top Bosnian Serb political parties have snubbed an ultimatum issued by the country’s top western envoy, High Representative Valentin Inzko, inviting him instead to address the Bosnian Serb Assembly to explain his demands. The move is seen as a further unfortunate but expected escalation of relations between the Bosnian Serb …

European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot will unveil a report today in Luxembourg on the on the status of Western Balkan countries’ readiness for EU visa liberalisation at a meeting of EU justice and interior ministers. An official from the current Czech EU presidency told media that though the report …

USAID, says that the process of distributing new identity documents to voters ahead of June 28 elections is problematic. About 760,000 of Albania’s three million citizens do not have passports, and will be allowed to cast ballots in the upcoming elections only upon obtaining a new identity card.