Balkans

Bosnia Gears Up for NATO Exercises

A three-day planning conference started in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, on Tuesday, is preparing for NATO exercises which will be held in the country later this year. Alliance’s “Joint Endeavor 2009” military exercise will be held in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina in September later this year. This is not …

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EULEX Chief Ensures Safe Passage to Kosovo

Head of EULEX, Yves de Kermabon has said that EULEX is able to ensure the safe visit of Serb politicians to Kosovo. “The escort can be managed by Kosovo’s Police or in case we consider this not to be enough we can help”, said Kermabon in an interview for Serbia’s …

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NATO’s Kosovo Campaign a “Just War”

A former senior adviser to the British government has defended military intervention in Kosovo, ten years later, defining it as a “just war”. David Clark, who once served as European Advisor at the UK’s Foreign Office between 1997 and 2001, argued that the conflict in Kosovo was “a response to …

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Albanian Mayor Suggests Bi-National Macedonia

The provisions from the Ohrid Peace Accord are partial and need to be widened to provide greater rights to the ethnic Albanians, says Rufi Osmani, a controversial local ethnic Albanian leader. In an interview for the local Dnevnik daily this charismatic figure, who was re-elected as mayor of the western …

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Albania: Greek Mayor Sentenced to Prison

A court in the city of Vlora Albania, sentenced on Tuesday, to a six-month prison term and a 500,000 Lek (€3,800) fine, an ethnic-Greek mayor who was indicted for ordering the dismantlement of road signs because they were not bilingual, causing subsequent traffic chaos and damage to public property. Mayor …

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Serbian Political Party Financing Not Transparent

Anti-corruption experts urge for changes to party financing laws and advocate for stricter auditing. Verica Barac, President of the Council for the Fight Against Corruption told Blic Daily that there is a reason political parties in power are “desperately defending public funds, public purchases and public enterprises”. They are not …

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End to EU Visa Regime for Serbs Possible in 2009

Visa restrictions for Serbs traveling throughout the EU are expected to be abolished by the end of the year, says Foreign Affairs Minister Vuk Jeremic, after his meeting with EU officials Javier Solana and Oli Rehn. Jeremic also announced that he expects the EU to make decision on financial help …

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‘Kosovo on the Right Path to Recognition’

Kosovo recognitions will very much depend on the authorities’ commitment to the process, says James Rubin, Diplomatic Advisor to the US Secretary of State. In an interview for Kosovo’s private television, RTV21, Rubin declared that “the long battle for recognition will depend on the policies Kosovo’s leadership is about to …

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Bosnian Federal Government Loses Ground

Caught between a worsening economic crisis and the tough reforms required for its management, the government of the Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) -Croat Federation is increasingly losing the ground under its feet. In the middle of the ongoing negotiations for a new ‘Stand-by’ arrangement with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, representatives …

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Serb President Calls For Peace During Kosovo Visit

Serbia’s President Boris Tadic on Friday urged Serbs and Albanians to live in peace during a pre-Easter visit to an Orthodox monastery in the newly-independent state of Kosovo. “Today I have a message of peace for Serbs, Albanians and for all people who live in Kosovo in our Serbia,” Tadic …

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