In the recent referendum, Egypt’s new constitution was approved by almost 64% of voters. Only some 16 million out of 50 million eligible voters (approximately 30%) participated, of which some 10 million voted yes and some 6 million voted no. The approval of the constitution, however predictable, was a defeat …
Read More »MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad On Impact Of Democracy On Indian Muslims
In a recent op-ed, MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined how the recent appointment of Syed Asif Ibrahim as the first Muslim chief of India’s Intelligence Bureau reflects the maturing of democracy in India and its beneficial impact on Indian Muslims. “India is the only country where …
Read More »Saudi Columnist: Substantial Political Reforms Are Necessary In Saudi Arabia
Khalid Al-Dakhil, a columnist for the London-based Saudi daily Al-Hayat, devoted two columns to the potential repercussions of the Arab Spring for Saudi Arabia. He argued that the country cannot disassociate itself from the changes wrought by the Arab Spring in the region, and must not be complacent. Rather, he …
Read More »Mladic’s Trial: Sarajevo Civilians ‘Targeted By Snipers’
An expert witness told the Hague Tribunal trial of Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic that Sarajevo residents could have been shot from his troops’ positions.The prosecution’s expert witness on snipers, Patrick van der Weijden, concluded that in 17 incidents in which residents of the Bosnian capital were targeted during the …
Read More »Problems with Albania’s Electoral Lists Alarm Watchdog
A watchdog group of NGOs on Wednesday warned that Albania’s institution have already missed the legal deadline to publish voting lists ahead of the June parliamentary elections.“The process of preparing and announcing preliminary electoral rolls, based residence and voting centres, has not respected the legal deadline,” the Coalition of Local …
Read More »Hadzic ‘Plotted to Consolidate Serb-Held Territory’
Former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic collaborated with Bosnian Serb chiefs to maximise military advantage, a witness at his trial said.“The relationship between the Bosnian Serb leadership and the Croatian Serb leadership was quite consistently good,” historian Christian Nielsen testified at Hadzic’s trial at the Hague Tribunal on Thursday. He …
Read More »Bosnian Croat Fighter ‘Extorted Cash From Deportees’
Witnesses said that a serviceman on trial for wartime abuses threatened to kill Bosniak villagers unless they gave him their money.Two separate witnesses said that Zeljko Jukic, a former Croatian Defence Council fighter, had demanded cash with menaces while forcing Bosniaks out of the village of Visnjani, near Prozor, in …
Read More »Slovenia Pressured Not to Delay Croatia’s EU Accession
Brussels officials say they expect Slovenia to ratify Croatia’s EU accession agreement on time, so that it can become a member state on July 1, Croatian and Slovenian media report.”Barrosso expects Slovenia to meet the deadline and ratify Croatia’s accession agreement by July 1,” the Slovenian daily Delo’s Brussels correspondent …
Read More »‘Nationalist’ Celebration Angers Croatian War Veterans
The ex-servicemen accused Serbs of turning an Orthodox Christmas party in a wartime flashpoint village into a display of nationalism.The Croatian war veterans’ association from the town of Vukovar demanded a response from the authorities after a three-minute video of the celebration in the village of Borovo Selo was posted …
Read More »Nimetz Arrives in Skopje for ‘Name’ Talks
The UN mediator in the Greek-Macedonian ‘name’ dispute, Matthew Nimetz, has arrived in Skopje after previously visiting Athens.Nimetz is set to meet Macedonian officials and present fresh ideas for overcoming the long-standing impasse. On Wednesday, Nimetz met Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos in Athens. After …
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