Balkans

Slovenia ratifies Croatia’s NATO accession protocol

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Slovenian President Danilo Turk and Parliament Speaker Pavel Gantar signed on Friday (March 27th) the protocol for Croatia’s NATO accession, thus allowing the country to join the alliance at its April summit. Slovenia was the last of the 26 NATO members to ratify the protocol. The move …

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Inzko assumes high representative post in BiH

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko assumed the post of high representative in BiH on Thursday (March 26th), thus becoming the seventh since 1996. Inzko replaced Miroslav Lajcak, who left to become foreign minister of Slovakia. The new high representative said he will follow the priorities …

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Brammertz discusses Serbia’s co-operation with ICTY in Belgrade talks

BELGRADE Serbia – Hague war crimes tribunal (ICTY) Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz expressed his satisfaction with Serbia’s efforts to co-operate fully with the ICTY during his talks on Friday (March 27th) with War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic. The meeting between Brammertz and Vukcevic was “extremely successful and efficient”, said Bruno …

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EC envoy says Serbia unlikely to start accession talks this year

BELGRADE, Serbia – It is unlikely that Serbia can start EU accession talks this year, the head of the European Commission (EC) Delegation to Belgrade, Josep Lloveras, said on Friday (March 27th). Overall, the process required to start those talks could last around 10-12 months, so it is practically impossible …

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Policeman injured in street riots in Greece

ATHENS, Greece – Groups of anarchist youths clashed with police during street riots in Athens and the second largest city, Thessaloniki, early on Saturday (March 28th). Hooded youths attacked department stores in Thessaloniki to protest against the arrest of two of their associates. The group also set fire to a …

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Montenegrins Vote in General Election

Voting kicked off slowly in the early hours of Montenegro’s snap parliamentary elections, the CDT polling agency says as Montenegrins vote for a government to take them towards the EU and counter effects of the global crisis. Some 7 per cent of roughly 500,000 registered voters had cast their ballots …

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Serbia’s Albanians Return to Peace Group

Ethnic Albanian officials in south Serbia have signed an agreement paving the way for their return to a peace coordination body set up in the tense region after the 2000-20001 conflict. Ethnic Albanian representatives rejoined the Serbian government’s Coordination Body for South Serbia, and the agreement was signed by Riza …

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Global Crisis ‘Boosts’ Kosovo Independence

The global financial crisis could lead to staff cuts in international missions operating in Kosovo and may mean more power devolving to local authorities. Kosovo’s authorities will exercise more power as international missions shrink in size under the impact of the global economical downturn, experts say. The latest example comes …

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US Envoy: Macedonia Name Deal in 2010

The US ambassador to Greece, Daniel Speckhard voiced hope that the burning Athens-Skopje name row will be solved in 2010, local media reported on Friday. Ambassador Speckhard noted this in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center, on the theme “Resilience and Transition: Resetting US- Greece Relations,” the local Makfax …

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