Eurasia

Turkey president, ex-army chief discuss coup case

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s president met with the former head of the armed forces on Thursday amid efforts to ease political tensions over an alleged military coup plot. Turkey was rocked last week by the arrests of two senior retired generals, leading businessmen and journalists — all critical of the …

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Court clears Macedonian ex-minister of war crimes

THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The U.N. war crimes tribunal on Thursday cleared former Macedonian Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski of responsibility for the murder of seven ethnic Albanians during a rebel insurgency in the country in 2001.

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Russia says its air force flew over Georgia region

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday that its air force had flown over Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia this week because it believed Tbilisi was preparing to attack the region. “The need arose to take urgent and active measures to prevent bloodshed and keep the situation within peaceful bounds,” Russia’s …

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Rice: Russia should not worsen tension in Georgia

TBILISI (Reuters) – Russia should help resolve tension over Georgia’s rebel regions instead of contributing to it, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday, and she urged an end to violence there. “It (Russia) needs to be a part of resolving the problem and solving the problem and not …

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Hague tribunal should be phased out: Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Thursday the United Nations war crimes tribunal in the Hague was biased and its activities should be phased out as soon as possible. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the case of Bosnian Muslim wartime commander Naser Oric, whose conviction was overturned by the court, showed …

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