TURKEY Discussions picked up speed on both sides as Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias announced Thursday that he would meet Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat for a second round of talks. Talat said Turkish Cypriots have other alternatives to consider if the Greek Cypriots “refuse resolution as they did …

RUSSIA, ROMANIA The Russian and Romanian Foreign Ministries have expressed their concern with the situation in Kosovo. Andrei Nesterenko from the Russian Foreign Ministry said that “considerable conflict potential“ persisted in Kosovo, and that he expected international community representatives to act impartially to prevent “new anti-Serb provocation.“

SERBIA The OSCE has confirmed that there have been many cases of Serbs’ property in Kosovo being sold off without their knowledge, often with forged papers and stamps. “As they’re not there, displaced persons do not find out about these transactions until some time later,” states an OSCE report published …

AUSTRALIA Dragan Vasiljković, better known as Captain Dragan, who is wanted in Croatia for war crimes, has been released from prison in Australia. Vasiljković has spent four years in custody waiting for a decision on his extradition to Croatia. His appeal against extradition was upheld after the Australian Federal Court …

SERBIA The Commission for Establishing Truth about the Murder of Dragoljub Mihailović has dismissed press speculation that he is buried on Ada Ciganlija. “Information published in certain media that the Commission for Establishing Truth about the Murder of Dragoljub Mihailović received information from military intelligence about the site of his …

RUSSIA A senior official says Russia may have to “take a break” from the CoE Parliamentary Assembly if Georgia’s motion to strip Moscow of its voting rights succeeds. Konstantin Kosachyov, who also heads Russia’s delegation in PACE, said Georgia had announced that it plans to put forward the proposal during …

GEORGIA The USA passed a new border checkpoint in Kazbegi to the Georgian Government on September 4. It was opened by U.S. Ambassador to Georgia John Tefft. Georgian Minister of Finance Kakha Baindurashvili, heads of Border and Patrol Police – Zaza Gogava and Giorgi Grigalashvili attended the opening of the …

GEORGIA The Deputy Speaker of Georgian Parliament, Georgi Tsereteli, has held several meetings while on an unofficial visit to Hungary. Georgia’s internal situation was discussed there. Tsereteli met with the spokesman from the CE Monitoring Committee, Matias Yorsh, and members of the Hungary-Georgia Friendship Group in Hungary’s Parliament, Yanosh Horvat …

ROMANIA Romania’s Prince Radu Duda has withdrawn from the country’s presidential race. Radu – the son-in-law of former Romanian monarch King Michael – pulled out of the race because he feared the election campaign wouldn’t be “fair”. Writing on his blog, the royal said: “I withdraw with regrets but with …

BULGARIA Bulgaria has expected confirmation Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov cannot meet Spaska Mitrova’s mother request and pardon her daugther, deputy foreign minister Marin Raykov said. “I am still waiting to see such letter has been received by her family. Of course, both we and the Bulgarian society will draw conclusions …