Eurasia

ST PETERSBURG, Russian Federation –Russia’s position on Kosovo is well-known and has not changed, Russian leader Vladimir Putin told Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica in St Petersburg on Saturday (June 9th).

NAIROBI — “We prefer hijacking ships to being on land because that way we can feed ourselves,” pirate Abdulahi Hasan Afdhub told AFP by satellite phone from a hijacked Taiwanese ship in Somali waters.

Chechen side reports that an APC of Russian invaders was blown up in the Nozhai-Yurt district on 7 June. As a result two invaders were killed on the spot by the explosion and several others were wounded.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Iraq accused Turkey of “intensively shelling” part of its northern Kurdish region this week and handed Ankara’s envoy a protest letter on Saturday which warned such actions could harm relations.

ATHENS, Greece — Three hand-made bombs went off in Athens early Friday (June 8th). One damaged a bus belonging to a German-Greek school.

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) — In a toughly worded statement on Thursday (June 7th), Republika Serpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik again warned the Bosniak member of the BiH presidency, Haris Silajdzic, to stop his anti-Serb rhetoric.

ANKARA, Turkey — Chief of General Staff Yasar Buyukanit reacted harshly to an AP report which suggested the Turkish Army had entered northern Iraq, telling reporters Thursday (June 7th) that the army “is no reckless hoodlum”.

BUCHAREST, Romania — Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu says Romania will boost dialogue with Russia to dispel concerns over the deployment of US bases in Bulgaria and Romania.

Bush arrived in Poland on Friday for talks on a planned US missile shield in central Europe after receiving a surprise Russian counter-offer to base it in Azerbaijan.

ANKARA, Turkey — The government on Wednesday (June 6th) denied media reports that Turkish troops carried out an operation against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorists based in Iraq.