UNITED NATIONS The unification of Cyprus must be brought about by Cypriots themselves, President Demetris Christofias told the General Assembly yesterday, adding the despite progress in negotiations, serious obstacles remain towards finding a final solution for the Mediterranean island. Mr. Christofias said that he and the leader of the Turkish …

Russia’s Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Konuzin has asked Belgrade to switch back street names to those of Russian soldiers that took part in the liberation of Belgrade during World War II, local media report. The daily newspaper Blic speculates that the proposal comes ahead of a visit by Russian President …

The Bosnian town of Tuzla has filed criminal charges against the prime minister of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska for denying that massacres of civilians in Tuzla and Sarajevo took place during the 1992-95 war. Milorad Dodik has said that a Serb mortar attack in 1995 that killed …

Enough ideas are on the table for Macedonia and Greece to start thinking creatively and find a solution for their “name” spat, the UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said Thursday in New York after meeting Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov. “I intend to resume the talks as soon as the new government …

Romania’s President Traian Basescu late Thursday called for a referendum that would pave the way for the introduction of single chamber parliament, arguing that the current system is too cumbersome and slow. He suggested that the referendum should take place on 22 November, the same day the presidential elections are …

Croatia’s President Stepjan Mesic welcomed the visit by Croatia’s top prelate Cardinal Josip Bozanic to the notorious World War II concentration camps this week, but commented that the visit should have come ‘much earlier’. Bozanic, accompanied by some 400 priests, set out on a historic pilgrimage to visit the sites …

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic announced that the government on Firday sent its official report to the European Commission showing that it has met all the conditions for the lifting of the visa regime. Speaking at a round table titled “Towards the White Schengen List“, Djelic explained that the …

The leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, and former prime minister Vojislav Kostunica says he will form a new political block, which will gather opponents to the government’s current Kosovo and Vojvodina policies. In an interview with Tanjug news agency, the DSS leader said that “the block will …

SDA i Stranka za BiH su dezorijentirane, bezidejne i zbog toga Bošnjacima treba nova politička stranka, kaže Adnan Terzić, bivši zamjenik predsjednika SDA. U intervjuu za “Nezavisne” on nije želio potvrditi da će biti zadužen za vođenje ekonomske politike u novoj stranci među čijim osnivačima bi mogao biti i Fahrudin …

War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević says the security services are working round the clock to arrest Hague fugitive Ratko Mladić. Vukčević did not wish to reveal details of operations under way, but reiterated that he believed Mladić would be in the Hague by the end of the year. “All I …