Eurasia

Bosnia Drifts Away from EU, NATO

BiH The current “very negative” political situation and stagnation of key reforms threaten to delay the closure of the Office of the High Representative, OHR, and move Bosnia away from EU and NATO membership, a senior US diplomat said. “What is especially frustrating is that we believe that, for most …

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Ahtisaari Warns Holdouts on Kosovo

KOSOVO Nobel laureate Marti Ahtisaari has warned the EU that the failure of Balkan and EU states to recognise Kosovo stands as a bulwark against the bloc’s future expansion. “Those countries that have been in conflict in the past have to be able to see the reality, and […] have …

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President to Address Romanian Parliament

ROMANIA Romanian President Traian Basescu will give a keynote speech to parliament on September 15, addressing the primary political and social issues facing the country. On Monday, the leaders of the country’s bicameral parliament decided Basescu would address the legislature on the same day the government takes responsibility for three …

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Bill Clinton Statue Ready in September

KOSOVO The long-awaited statue of former President Bill Clinton will be unveiled in Pristina at the end of month, the team behind the tribute has said. Agim Rexhepi, head of the Friends of the USA asociation, which has previously hosted many events to show gratitude to the US for its …

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Albanian opposition says to boycott parliament

ALBANIA Albanian opposition the Socialist Party said on Saturday that it will boycott the first session of the country’s new parliament set for Monday, Xinhua news agency reported. Opposition lawmakers met Saturday and called for an investigation into the conduct by the ruling Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha …

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I am innocent; there was no evidence against me

CROATIA ‘Captain Dragan’, a man accused of war crimes, was released after three years spent in an Australian prison ‘Captain Dragan’, was released after three years spent in an Australian prison. Ivan Simonovic, Croatia’s Minister of Justice, plans to appeal against it. Dragan Vasiljkovic, better known as ‘Captain Dragan’, was …

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Four more countries join Common Visa Issuing Center in Chisinau

MOLDOVA Four new states – Finland, Belgium, Switzerland and Greece – will join the Chisinau-based Common Visa Issuing Center at the start of 2010. The announcement was made during the recent Moldovan-Hungarian consultations between heads of consular departments, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the Moldovan Foreign Ministry.

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Chances for having new parliamentary election are fifty-fifty, AEI lidears say

MOLDOVA The leaders of the parliamentary majority Alliance for European Integration believe the probability for Moldova to have a new early parliamentary election [in early 2010] is currently estimated at fifty-fifty. On Friday, the leaderships of the AEI constituent forces – the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Democratic …

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Turkish FM urges EU to speed up membership talks

TURKEY Turkey’s foreign minister has urged his European Union counterparts to speed up the process of his country’s EU membership bid and not let the Cyprus issue stall negotiations. In an opinion piece in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, Ahmet Davutoğlu said his country has started an “unparalleled reform” process to …

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