The chief of the International Monetary Fund’s mission in Serbia Albert Jagger confirmed today at a press conference that the IMF will approve the loan arrangement with Serbia, but said the Serbian goverment must fulfill some conditions first. “These conditions are: rebalancing the budget, changes in tax regulations, and getting …
Read More »Slovenia`s Constitutional Court Drops SSN Request
Slovenia`s Constitutional court has rejected the request of the SSN party for temporary cease raising signatures for a referendum. Slovenia`s Constitutional court has rejected the request of the Slovene People`s Party (SSN) to temporarily cease raising signatures for a referendum on Croatian NATO membership until the court passes a decision …
Read More »Turkey Slowly Erasing `Black Mark` Coup Legacy
Today, Kenan Evren, the leader of a 1980 military coup is falling from grace as are other coup-era generals in Turkey. For decades, he was the embodiment of a Turkish “pasha” general, one of those stern custodians of the republic’s secular principles, always ready to step in to salvage the …
Read More »Turkey Says Not Yet Decided on Next NATO Chief
The current NATO secretary general steps down on July 31 and his successor is expected to be named at a NATO summit on April 3 and 4. Turkey has not decided whether to back Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next NATO chief, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said …
Read More »Russia Should Let EU Fix Ukraine Gas Grid
Walter Boltz told it was in everyone`s interest for European consumers to find a solution to the problem that has cut supplies to Europe. Russia should let Europe upgrade Ukraine’s gas grid and transport fuel across it, so political tensions between Kiev and Moscow do not lead to regular supply …
Read More »Turkey`s Gul Presses Kurdish PM On PKK Rebels
Turkey accuses the KRG of not doing enough to crack down on rebels from the Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK). Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul urged the prime minister of Iraq’s largely autonomous Kurdistan region on Tuesday to take a clear position against Kurdish separatist rebels using Iraq as a base to …
Read More »Bulgaria’s Stanishev discusses summer elections
SOFIA, Bulgaria — In an interview with Reuters on Monday (March 23rd), Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev said his Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) must win the parliamentary elections this summer to prevent the opposition Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Read More »Serbia requests advance of 120m euros from EU pre-accession funds
BELGRADE, Serbia — The government on Monday (March 23rd) asked the European Commission (EC) to advance it 120m euros from the pre-accession funds already earmarked for Serbia. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic met with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in an attempt to reach agreement on the issue.
Read More »Cypriot president warns elections in TRNC may harm reunification talks
NICOSIA, Cyprus – President Demetris Christofias expressed concern on Monday (March 23rd) that election results in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) may harm ongoing reunification talks between the two Cypriot communities.
Read More »Turkish colonel detained in probe over missing Kurds
ANKARA, Turkey – Police arrested a senior military officer Monday (March 23rd) as part of an investigation of alleged killings of Kurds by Turkish security forces in the 1990s. They detained Colonel Cemal Temizoz in the central city of Kayseri, where he commands the local paramilitary gendarmerie.
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